Concise Minutes - Petitions Committee

Meeting Venue:

Committee Room 1 - Senedd

Meeting date: Tuesday, 19 September 2017

Meeting time: 09.01 - 09.52
This meeting can be viewed
on Senedd TV at:
http://senedd.tv/en/4364

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Attendance

Category	Names
Assembly Members:	David J Rowlands AM (Chair) Janet Finch-Saunders AM Mike Hedges AM Neil McEvoy AM
Witnesses:
Committee Staff:	Graeme Francis (Clerk) Kayleigh Imperato (Deputy Clerk) Kath Thomas (Deputy Clerk) Claire O'Sullivan (Legal Adviser) Lisa Salkeld (Legal Adviser)

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Transcript

View the meeting transcript (PDF 358KB) View as HTML (142KB)

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1 Introduction, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting. There were no apologies.

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2 New petitions

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2.1 P-05-769 South Wales Major Trauma Centre - Cardiff & Swansea Please

The Committee considered the Petition for the first time and agreed to await the views of the petitioner before deciding what further action to take on the petition.

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2.2 P-05-770 Reopen Crumlin Railway Station

The Committee considered the Petition for the first time and agreed to forward the detailed information provided by the petitioner to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure and ask:

· whether this information can be fed into any future assessment of the potential for a new station in the area; and

· if there will an opportunity for local views to be considered during that assessment.

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2.3 P-05-772 No to Flint Castle's Planned Iron Ring

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to await a formal response from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure and seek the petitioner’s views on it, with a view to closing the petition and congratulating the petitioner on the success of the campaign at that point.

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3 Updates to previous petitions

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3.1 P-05-692 Build an  International Mother languages Monument at Cardiff Bay

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure together with further comments from the petitioner and agreed, given that there is no Government funding available to build the monument, to close the petition.  In doing so, Members wished to draw the petitioner’s attention to the Research Brief, which identifies organisations and charities who may be able to help with the campaign.

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3.2 P-05-737 Save Our Bus

The Committee considered correspondence from Stagecoach and agreed to close the petition in light of the information received.

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3.3 P-05-716 Free Train Transport for school pupils with Arriva Trains Wales

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure together with further comments from the petitioner and agreed to write to:

· Arriva Trains Wales to share the petitioner’s further comments, and ask for their response to the safety concerns raised by the petitioner; and

· Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council to seek their views on transport provision for pupils at Treorchy School and whether they have had any discussions about the safety of the pupils using the station.

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3.4 P-04-688  TATA Steel Port Talbot Power Plant

The Committee considered correspondence from the petitioner and agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure to ask if there have been any recent discussions involving the Welsh Government over a new power plant at Port Talbot, before considering what further action the Committee could take.

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3.5 P-05-690 Resurfacing of the A40 Raglan-Abergavenny Road

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure and agreed to seek a response from the petitioner to the latest information, before determining future action on the petition.

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3.6 P-05-740 Petition to Protect our High Street

The Committee considered further comments from the petitioner and agreed to:

· seek the petitioner’s views on the proposals contained in the current consultation published by the Welsh Government on proposals for a new, permanent Small Business Rate Relief Scheme; and

· encourage the petitioner to also respond directly to the Welsh Government as part of the consultation. 

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3.7 P-05-726 Give Rate Relief to Local Authorities for Leisure and Cultural Facilities

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government and agreed to seek further comments from the petitioner and consider closing the petition at the next meeting if no response is forthcoming.

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3.8 P-05-734 Ban Letting Agent Fees to Tenants

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children and agreed to seek the views of the petitioner before deciding what further action to take on the petition.

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3.9 P-05-751 Recognition of Parental Alienation

Neil McEvoy declared the following relevant interest under Standing Order 17.24A:

He has previously had dealings with the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service.

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children and agreed to invite the petitioner to give oral evidence to the Committee with a view to inviting the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children to a future meeting. 

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3.10P-05-711 Ensure Disabled People’s Housing Adaption Needs Are Adequately Met

The Committee considered correspondence from the petitioner and agreed to close the petition in light of the positive response received.

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3.11P-05-712 A Welsh Government Department for Europe would ensure a clear, strategic and accountable voice for Wales in ongoing negotiations

The Committee considered correspondence from the First Minister and agreed to close the petition given that the organisation of Welsh Government is a matter for the First Minister and that regular updates on the Welsh Government’s response to Brexit are provided during other Assembly proceedings.  In doing so, Members also took into account comments received from the petitioner after the papers had been published, which appeared to recognise that the petition had run its course.

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3.12P-04-667 Roundabout for the A477/ A4075 Junction

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure and the petitioner and agreed to:

· provide the petitioners’ further comments to the Cabinet Secretary for his information; and

· ask whether the petitioners can be provided with a copy of the Stage 4 Road Safety Audit when the process is completed.

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3.13P-05-701 Road Safety Improvements Along the A487 Trunk Road between Cardigan and Aberystwyth, to Include Passing Places

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure and agreed to seek the petitioner’s views on the latest information received.

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3.14P-05-714 Include a Mynachdy and Talybont Station as Part of the Cardiff Metro Proposal

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure and the petitioner and agreed to:

· close the petition, given that this area is included in the detailed assessment process for potential new stations; and in doing so

· provide the petitioner’s views on the location of a station to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure and ask for this to be taken account in any future consideration.

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3.15P-05-738 Public Petition for the Dinas Powys By-Pass

The Committee considered correspondence from the Leader of Vale of Glamorgan Council and the petitioner and agreed to write a further letter to the Vale of Glamorgan Council to ask for an update when a decision is reached on whether to proceed with a WelTAG Stage 2 report.

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3.16P-05-755 Call on Welsh Government to make the A48 safe for all road users and pedestrians at Laleston, Broadlands and Merthyr Mawr

The Committee considered correspondence from the petitioner and agreed to write to Bridgend County Borough Council to ask if they will consider investigating the issues raised by the petition. In doing so, Members agreed to close the petition and to write to the petitioner to explain that improvements to this stretch of the A48 would be a matter for the Local Authority.

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3.17P-05-732 Unacceptable Waiting Times for NHS patients in A & E Wrecsam/Wrexham Maelor Hospital

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Health Well-being and Sport along with further comments from the petitioner and agreed to ask the Cabinet Secretary to update the Committee when the outcome of the current six-month targeted intervention, and the impact it has on emergency waiting times, is known.

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3.18P-05-736 To Make Mental Health Services More Accessible

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Health Well-being and Sport and the petitioner and agreed to:

· invite the petitioner to attend a Committee meeting to provide further evidence on her petition alongside Hafal and the petitioner for P-05-764 Better Mental Health Services for Adults; and

· write to the Cabinet Secretary informing him of the forthcoming evidence session and echoing the petitioner’s disappointment with his most recent response.   

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3.19P-05-754 Lack of support for children with disabilities at crisis

Neil McEvoy declared the following relevant interest under Standing Order 17.24A:

He has previously worked in the field relevant to the subject area of the petition and made referrals to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). 

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Health Well-being and Sport and agreed to seek the views of the petitioner on the response received from the Cabinet Secretary before deciding what further action to take on the petition.

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3.20P-05-766 Make a Vegan Option Compulsory In Public Canteens

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs and agreed to seek the views of the petitioner before deciding what further action to take on the petition. 

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3.21P-05-750 For single use items: introduce a Deposit Return System for drink containers and make fast food containers and utensils compostable

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs and agreed to invite the petitioners to attend a Committee meeting to provide further evidence on the petition.

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3.22P-05-760 Stop Compulsory Welsh Language GCSE

The Committee considered correspondence from the petitioner and agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Education to seek a response to the concerns raised by the petitioner, especially in relation to:

· a potential reduction in subject options for pupils due to timetable clashes; and

· pressures on school budgets.

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4 Motion under Standing Order 17.42(ix) to resolve to exclude the public from the meeting for the remainder of the meeting

The motion was agreed.

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5 Consideration of draft report - P-05-710 Ensure Disabled People can Access Public Transport As and When They Need it

The Committee agreed the draft report and its recommendations.

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