|
Petitions Committee |
|
Meeting Venue: |
Committee Room 1 - Senedd |
|
|
||
|
|
|
||||
|
Meeting date: |
Tuesday, 20 January 2015 |
|
|||
|
|
|
||||
|
Meeting time: |
09.33 - 10.30 |
|
|||
|
|
|
||||
|
This meeting can be viewed on
Senedd TV at: |
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
Concise Minutes: MeetingTitle |
|||||
|
|
|
|
|||
|
Assembly Members: |
|
William Powell (Chair) Russell George Bethan Jenkins Joyce Watson |
|||
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|||
|
Witnesses: |
|
||||
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|||
|
Committee Staff: |
|
Steve George (Clerk) Kayleigh Driscoll (Deputy Clerk) Kath Thomas (Deputy Clerk) Helen Roberts (Legal Adviser) |
|||
|
|
|
||||
1 Introduction, apologies and substitutions
The Chair welcomed everyone to the Committee. There were no apologies.
2 Discussion of evidence session on 9 December 2014 - P-04-481 Close the Gap for deaf pupils in Wales
2.1 The Committee discussed the evidence session held on 9 December 2014 and agreed to:
· pursue a visit to a nearby school to see first hand the work they have done to provide excellent acoustics for the whole school population;
· write to the Institute of Acoustics and the Association of Noise Consultants requesting sight of their guidance on acoustics - expected to be available early this year; and
· seek further information on the policy and practice in England to see what can be learned.
3 New petitions
3.1 P-04-609 Support Small Businesses - Support our High Streets.
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:
- draw the petitioner’s comments to the attention of the Minister, in particular the apparent lack of information and support available and what might be done to improve this;
- ask the Minister for her views on what role the Federation of Small Businesses and Chambers of Trade might have in disseminating information about the support available; and
- write to the WLGA to ask what role Local Authorities play in providing information on support for small businesses.
4 Updates to previous petitions
4.1 P-04-440 Say NO to Asset Stripping Bronllys Hospital
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to write again to the Chief Executive of Powys Teaching Health Board, seeking a response to the Chair’s letter of 17 October last year along with his views on the petitioner’s most recent comments.
4.2 P-04-448 Improve Sexual health services for Western Vale
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:
· write again to the Minister for Health and Social Services, expressing grave concern at the lack of response from Cardiff and Vale UHB, copying in the Chairs of both the Health Board and the Community Health Council; and
- produce a paper drawing together information about the difficulties experienced in getting responses from Health Boards on a number of petitions.
4.3 P-04-587 A Dedicated Support Team for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.),Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & Fibromyalgia Sufferers in South East Wales
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to write to the Minister:
· drawing his attention to the petitioners’ further comments in particular their concerns that these conditions are viewed as psychological rather than neurological conditions; and
· seeking further information on progress in establishing the All-Wales Implementation Group.
4.4 P-04-600 Petition to Save General Practice
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:
- write to the Minister seeking his views on the petitioner’s comments; and
- ask the clerking team to establish, whether the Health and Social Care Committee has the capacity to consider the issues raised by the petition.
On a more general point, the Committee agreed that Members should be supplied with copies of other Committees’ Forward Work Programmes.
4.5 P-04-546 Rearing of Animals in Unnatural Conditions
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to write to the Deputy Minister for Farming and Food, seeking her opinion on the issues raised by the petition.
4.6 P-04-540 Stop Sexism in Domestic Abuse
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to ask the Minister for Public Services for his views on the petitioner’s comments drawing out a number of points made during the discussion.
4.7 P-04-516 Make political science compulsory in education
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:
· pass the petitioner’s comments on to Professor Donaldson asking for them to be taken into account as part of his review; and
· consider the petition again once Professor Donaldson’s report has been published.
4.8 P-04-589 Reduce the Number of Councillors and Executive Members in Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to write again to the petitioner, asking him for confirmation of receipt of the original correspondence, whether he has comments to make on the Minister’s correspondence and advising him that the Committee is minded to move to close the petition.
4.9 P-04-591 Fair Funding for Local Government
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to write again to the petitioner, asking them for confirmation of receipt of the original correspondence, whether they have any comments to make on the Minister’s correspondence and advising them that the Committee is minded to move to close the petition.
5 Review of the Petitions System
5.1 The Committee discussed the Presiding Officer’s letter proposing a review of the Assembly’s petitions system and agreed:
· that the Committee should undertake the work requested by the Presiding Officer;
· the terms of reference suggested in her letter; and
· the Committee’s general approach to the review.