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Petitions Committee |
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Meeting Venue: |
Committee Room 1 - Senedd |
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Meeting date: |
Tuesday, 2 June 2015 |
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Meeting time: |
09.05 - 10.30 |
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This meeting can be viewed on
Senedd TV at: |
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Concise Minutes: |
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Assembly Members: |
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William Powell (Chair) Russell George Bethan Jenkins Joyce Watson |
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Witnesses: |
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Committee Staff: |
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Steve George (Clerk) Kayleigh Driscoll (Deputy Clerk) Kath Thomas (Deputy Clerk) Helen Roberts (Legal Adviser) |
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1 Introduction, apologies and substitutions
The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting there were no apologies.
2 New Petitions
2.1 P-04-629 Review and Enforcement of Control of Horses (Wales) Act 2014
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:
- write to the Deputy Minister asking for her response to a number of points raised by the petitioner, particularly in relation to funding, so that horses can be re-homed rather than humanely destroyed, and whether the management arrangements used in the New Forest might be helpful in Wales; and
- forward the petitioner a transcript of the post-legislative scrutiny session the Environment and Sustainability undertook on 12 March 2015 regarding the Control of Horses (Wales) Act 2014.
2.2 P-04-635 James Bond at the Welsh Assembly
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to close the petition given that the response from the Presiding Officer clearly states that it’s impossible for the terms of the petition to be implemented.
2.3 P-04-621 Stop Closure of Consultant-led Maternity Unit at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to seek comments from the petitioner but await the outcome of legal action before deciding how to pursue the petition further.
3 Updates to previous petitions
3.1 P-04-546 Rearing of Animals in Unnatural Conditions
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to await comments from the petitioner but if no substantive comments are forthcoming within 6 weeks, close the petition.
3.2 P-04-605 Save the Cwmcarn Forest Drive from Indefinite or Permanent Closure
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to await comments from the petitioner but if no substantive comments are forthcoming within 6 weeks, close the petition.
3.3 P-04-579 Reinstate Funding for Skomer Island's Guillemot Monitoring
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to await comments from the petitioner on the Ministerial correspondence.
Joyce Watson declared that she is a Member of Wildlife Trust.
3.4 P-04-422 Fracking
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to await comments from the petitioner on the Ministerial correspondence.
3.5 P-04-628 To Improve Access to Education and Services in British Sign Language
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to write to:
- the Minister seeking his comments on the legal advice the Committee has received; and
- on the petitioners’ correspondence, specifically asking that:
o DEFFO’s views are considered alongside other responses to the consultation that closed on 8 May; and
o DEFFO will be included in the next stage of the consultation;
o For the Minister’s view on DEFFO’s contention that the needs of those seeking or needing BSL training are often unmet or unidentified due to BSL sometimes being a choice rather than an immediate or medical need.
- highlight the petition to the Chair of the Children, Young People and Education Committee, and ask that DEFFO are included in the Committee’s consultation on the forthcoming Bill on special educational needs; and
- suggest to the petitioners that they may want to engage with the review Professor Donaldson is currently undertaking and that they may also want to highlight the petition to Assembly Members as they may be interested in taking the issue forward as part of Private Members Bills.
3.6 P-04-548 The Reintroduction of Welsh Classes in Rennes
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to close the petition in light of responses indicating that there is no obvious source of funding that might be able to help.
3.7 P-04-601 Proposed Ban on the Use of e-cigarettes in Public Places
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to await comments from the petitioner.
[Immediately after the meeting it came to light that the petitioner had submitted further comments in relation to the petition several days before the meeting took place. These comments will now be taken into consideration by Members at the next Committee meeting on 16 June.]
3.8 P-04-600 Petition to Save General Practice
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to close the petition as the matters raised by the petition have been dealt with as part of the Health and Social Care Committee’s Inquiry.
3.9 P-04-560 Provision of IBD Services in Wales
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to close the petition in light of the Minister’s indication that he sees no need at this time to consider the development of a national delivery plan.
3.10 P-04-408 Child and Adolescent Eating Disorder Service
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:
- continue to keep a watching brief on the petition while also asking the Minister to respond to the petitioner’s recent comments; and
- ask the Minister for further details of how the recent announcement of an additional £7m of funding for CAMMHS would support services for children and adolescents suffering from eating disorders.
3.11 P-04-564 Restoration of Inpatient Beds, Minor Injuries Cover and X-Ray Unit to the Ffestiniog Memorial Hospital
See agreed action under item 3.13.
3.12 P-04-466 Medical Emergency - Preventing the Introduction of a Poorer Health Service for North Wales
See agreed action under item 3.13.
3.13 P-04-479 Tywyn Memorial Hospital X-ray & Minor Injuries Unit Petition
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:
· ask the Health Board for:
o their comments on the latest comments from petitioners; how the independent co-chairs of the new body are proposing to work together to take issues forward
o their views on the minor injuries unit in Tywyn’s opening times appearing to be out of synch with other opening times in the area and whether this might push people toward services elsewhere such as A&E or GP services.
o seek a note of a recent meeting that took place between the Mid Wales Health Collaborative group.
3.14 P-04-523 Protect the Elderly and Vulnerable in Care Homes
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to ask the First Minister to inform the Committee when there is substantive new progress to report.
3.15 P-04-501 Day Centres for the Elderly in Wales to be Made Statutory
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to write to the Minister asking for his views on the current situation across Wales and how he envisages the Act and the 2nd Social Services Bill will impact on the provision of day care for the elderly.
3.16 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 Cardiff and the Vale Health Board seeking their comments on the specific concerns to which the petitioner refers;
· ensure that the petitioners are aware of the All Wales Neurological Conditions Implementation Group and the work they are currently undertaking; and
· offer the Committee’s condolences to the individual mentioned by the petitioners in their correspondence.
3.17 P-04-618 Protection of Banking Services in Vulnerable Communities
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to ask the Minister to pass the comments from the petitioner to the Financial Inclusion Strategy group.
3.18 P-04-519 Abolition of Park Homes Sales Commission
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to await comments from the petitioner on the Ministerial correspondence.
3.19 P-04-613 AMs Should Reject Recommendation for a 18% Payrise
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to await comments from the petitioner on the correspondence from the Remuneration Board but if no substantive comments are forthcoming within 6 weeks close the petition.
3.20 P-04-565 Revive Disused Railway Lines for Leisure
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to await comments from the petitioner on the correspondence from the Minister and Sustrans.
3.21 P-03-240 Road Safety on the A40 in Llanddewi Velfrey
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:
- write to the Minister seeking his views on the petitioners’ concerns; and
- asking that the Minister provides a further update on progress in due course.
3.22 P-04-626 De-Trunk the A487 Through Penparcau, Trefechan & Aberystwyth TC
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to write to the Minister to establish whether there is a firmer timetable for consideration of de-trunking the A487 in Aberystwyth.
3.23 P-04-607 Call for the Welsh Government to Purchase Garth Celyn
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:
· draw Ms Gibson’s letter to the attention of the Minister to ensure she is aware of the situation; and
· write a public statement supporting the benefits of Garth Celyn.
Bethan Jenkins AM declared an interest in the petition.
4 Motion under Standing Order 17.42 to resolve to exclude the public from the meeting for the following business:
The motion was agreed.
5 Draft Reports
The Committee agreed the draft reports subject to some minor changes.