|
Petitions Committee |
|
Meeting Venue: |
Committee Room 1 - Senedd |
|
|
||
|
|
|
||||
|
Meeting date: |
Tuesday, 3 February 2015 |
|
|||
|
|
|
||||
|
Meeting time: |
Times Not Specified |
|
|||
|
|
|
||||
|
This meeting can be viewed on
Senedd TV at: |
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
Concise Minutes: MeetingTitle |
|||||
|
|
|
|
|||
|
Assembly Members: |
|
William Powell (Chair) Russell George Bethan Jenkins Joyce Watson |
|||
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|||
|
Witnesses: |
|
Catriona Williams, Children in Wales Lynne Hill, Children in Wales Ed Janes, Children in Wales |
|||
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|||
|
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 Evidence Session - P-04-597 Protect the future of Funky Dragon, the Children and Young People’s Assembly for Wales
The following witnesses answered questions from the Committee:
· Catriona Williams OBE – Chief Executive, Children in Wales
· Lynne Hill – Policy Director, Children in Wales
· Ed Janes – Development Officer (Participation), Children in Wales
3 New petitions
3.1 P-04-612 Nationalised Bottled Water
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to move to close the petition in the light of the Minister’s response.
3.2 P-04-614 Support the Arriva Trains Wales First Class Service
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to write to:
- the petitioner asking for comments on the Minister’s letter; and
- the Minister asking for clarity on the practical difference between ‘first class’ service previously offered and the and ‘business class’ service now provided.
3.3 P-04-615 A Fair Student Loan Payment in the Final Year of Training
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to ask the Minister to respond to the detailed issues raised by the petitioner and particularly whether he is prepared to extend the definition of term to include the summer holidays if students are still engaged in study.
3.4 P-04-616 Please Prevent Fireworks From Being Sold to the General Public
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to write to the Minister setting out the legal advice the Committee has received and asking for his views.
4 Updates to previous petitions
4.1 P-04-448 Improve Sexual health services for Western Vale
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to write again to the petitioner asking for her views on the letter from the Health Board.
On a wider point the Committee agreed to:
- write to the Minister outlining the amount of time it has taken (and is taking) to receive replies from Health Boards and asking what action he intends to take to improve the position; and
- to the Health and Social Care Committee to see if they have any concerns.
4.2 P-04-466 Medical Emergency - Preventing the introduction of a poorer Health Service for North Wales
See agreed action under item 4.4.
4.3 P-04-479 Tywyn Memorial Hospital X-ray & Minor Injuries Unit Petition
See agreed action under item 4.4.
4.4 P-04-564 Restoration of Inpatient Beds, Minor Injuries Cover and X-Ray Unit to the Ffestiniog Memorial Hospital
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to ask the Minister to keep the Committee informed of developments on the new health facilities for Blaenau Ffestiniog and of progress by Health Boards in responding to the Mid Wales Healthcare study Report.
4.5 P-04-570 Inequitable Access to Treatments That Have Not Been Nationally Appraised in NHS Wales
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to ask the Minister to outline timescales for developing interim commissioning policies, to enable access to orphan and ultra-orphan medicines whilst new processes are in development.
4.6 P-04-604 Regarding the closure of Diabetes Patient Reference Groups and the cancellation of meetings of the Diabetic Planning and Delivery Group in Powys.
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to close the petition in light of the Minister confirming that the Diabetes Planning and Delivery Group has now been re-established.
4.7 P-04-602 Personalisation of Graves
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:
- write to the petitioners again asking for their comments; and
- move to close the petition given that the substance of it appears to have been achieved.
4.8 P-04-522 Asbestos in Schools
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:
· ask the Minister to respond to the petitioner’s further comments, in particular the three requests on the final page of his response; and
· consider in light of that response whether to take oral evidence from the Petitioner and the Minister.
4.9 P-04-581 Opposition to cuts in provision for learners of English as an Additional Language
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to ask the Minister for his comments on the petitioners’ response particularly whether adequate priority is given to EAL learners in Cardiff, Newport and Swansea.
4.10 P-04-537 Planting Trees to Reduce Flooding
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to seek the Minister’s views on the petitioner’s comments.
4.11 P-04-575 Call in All Opencast Mining Planning Applications
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:
- draw together the history of the Committee’s consideration of the issue and report to the Assembly; and
- move to close the petition.
4.12 P-04-393 Llanymynech and Pant Bypass Action Group
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:
· thank the Minister for her helpful response and ask to be kept informed of developments; and
· Re-establish contact with the petitioner or another interested party to act on their behalf, and seek their views on the recent correspondence.
4.13 P-04-475 Wanted - Buses for Meirionnydd
See agreed action under item 4.15.
4.14 P-04-513 Save the Wrexham/Barmouth X94 bus service
See agreed action under item 4.15.
4.15 P-04-515 Increase Funding for Welsh Bus Services
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to ask:
- the Clerk and Research Service to prepare a draft report of the Committee’s consideration of this issue; and
- the petitioners and witnesses who gave evidence on the inquiry to share their views on the Minister’s latest correspondence, which will also form part of the draft report.
4.16 P-04-468 Road Safety Concerns A48 Chepstow
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to note the position and await the results of the speed limit review.
5 Motion under Standing Order 17.42 to resolve to exclude the public from the meeting for the following business:
The motion was agreed.
6 Forward Work Programme
Members discussed the Committee’s forward work programme.