Valleys light rail network subject of second Individual Member Debate

The National Assembly for Wales will debate improvements to the valleys’ rail network on Wednesday, 7 December.

It is the second Individual Member Debate to come before the Assembly and takes advantage of the Presiding Officer, Rosemary Butler AM’s drive to make Assembly business more responsive to current issues and more accessible to non-government Members and their constituents.

Put forward by 11 AMs, the motion calls for the Assembly to welcome support for an integrated rapid transit system for the valleys, based on the valleys’ rail network and similar to the metro systems in place in cities around the world.

The motion also recognises that electrification of the valleys’ rail network is a non-devolved matter and a pre-requisite of the development of a metro-style system.

“Individual Member Debates allow Members to raise local or regional matters that are of particular significance or relevance,” said the Presiding Officer, Rosemary Butler AM.

“They are an opportunity for non-government Members to raise issues of concern to them and the communities they serve and reflect how we are opening up Assembly business to make it more responsive and accessible.

“These differ from the Short Debate process because Members will put a motion forward upon which all AMs will then vote.

“This will provide the scope in Plenary sessions for Members to bring forward their own motions which have attracted support from Members of other parties.

The full wording of the Individual Members debate is as follows:

Mick Antoniw (Pontypridd)

Nick Ramsay (Monmouth)

Lindsey Whittle (South Wales East)

Jocelyn Davies (South Wales East)

Byron Davies (South Wales West)

Vaughan Gething (Cardiff South and Penarth)

Dafydd Elis-Thomas (Dwyfor Meirionnydd)

Keith Davies (Llanelli)

Christine Chapman (Cynon Valley)

Lynne Neagle (Torfaen)

Eluned Parrott (South Wales Central)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Welcomes the broad range of support, including from the Welsh Government, for an integrated rapid transit system (metro) based on the valleys’ rail network;

2. Acknowledges that the electrification of the valleys’ lines is a non-devolved matter and a pre-requisite of the development of the metro; and

3. Recognises that the current financial context, coupled with the absence of Welsh Government borrowing powers, will result in incremental progress of the project and will require a collaborative approach co-ordinated by the Welsh Government.

Supported by:

Julie James (Swansea West)

The system works in the following way:

• Individual Members may table a motion which must be supported by at least two other Members from two different political parties.

• Members may table a motion jointly and may also seek the support of other Members after they have tabled the motion;

• The Business Committee will consider motions meeting these requirements and then notify the Member(s) whose motion has been selected and the date it will take place.

The full Plenary Agenda for Wednesday, 7 December can be found here.