Meeting Venue:
Committee Room 1 - Senedd
Meeting date: Tuesday, 17 April 2018
Meeting time: 09.02 - 10.49
This meeting can
be viewed
on Senedd TV at:
http://senedd.tv/en/4754
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Category |
Names |
Assembly Members: |
David J Rowlands AM (Chair) Rhun ap Iorwerth AM Janet Finch-Saunders AM Mike Hedges AM Neil McEvoy AM |
Witnesses: |
|
Committee Staff: |
Graeme Francis (Clerk) Kathryn Thomas (Deputy Clerk) Sam Mason (Legal Adviser) |
The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting. There were no apologies.
The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to:
· undertake a short enquiry, scheduling oral evidence sessions later in the summer term; and
· in the interim seek further written evidence from relevant stakeholders on the issues raised by the petition.
The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to:
· await the views of the petitioner on the response from the Cabinet Secretary for Education;
· consider further action, including writing to Estyn, once the petitioner’s views have been received.
The Committee considered the petition alongside P-04-433 CCTV in Slaughterhouses and agreed to write back to the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs to ask that the Welsh Government give further consideration to this issue in light of the recent announcement by the UK Government that it intends to make CCTV in slaughterhouses a mandatory requirement in England, and the commitment of the Scottish Government to run a public consultation on the issue.
The Committee considered the petition alongside P-04-399 Slaughter Practices and agreed to write back to the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs to ask that the Welsh Government give further consideration to this issue in light of the recent announcement by the UK Government that it intends to make CCTV in slaughterhouses a mandatory requirement in England, and the commitment of the Scottish Government to run a public consultation on the issue.
The Committee considered correspondence from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) together with further comments from the petitioner and agreed to maintain a watching brief on developments and request an update from the petitioners and NRW in six months’ time.
The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs together with further comments from the petitioner and agreed to write back to the Cabinet Secretary to ask:
· that when the stock assessment contract is put out to tender, the remit should include the types, density, and overall health of razor clams as well as an assessment of the potential environmental effects of over fishing the clam beds; and
· for more prominent and robust signage to be erected due to concerns expressed that the existing signage does not appear to be fit for purpose.
The Committee considered responses from five local authorities previously identified as not routinely scanning pet carcasses, together with further comments from the petitioners. In light of a recent reference to another local authority in relation to this issue, Members agreed to seek further clarification about which local authorities do not scan pet carcasses with a view to potentially writing to the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs, to suggest she issues further guidance on the matter.
The Committee considered correspondence from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and the petitioner and agreed to:
· write to Cefas to seek their response to concerns over the testing methodology raised by the petitioners;
· produce a summary report of the evidence received during the Committee’s consideration of the petition; and
· seek time for a Plenary debate following publication of the report.
The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs together with further comments from the petitioner and agreed to:
· write to the Cabinet Secretary to:
o share the petitioner’s concerns about the impact of the application of TAN 1 on Local Development Plans, in the context of the current consultation on Draft Planning Policy Wales;
o request further information about research into the issues with the determination of housing land supply referred to in her letter of 6 March; and
· schedule oral evidence sessions on the petition for later in the summer term.
The Committee considered an update from the Minister for Housing and Regeneration and agreed to await an announcement following the report from independent analysts on the financial information shared by site owners before considering whether to take any further action on the petition.
The Committee considered an update from the Cabinet Secretary for Education together with further comments from the petitioner and agreed to request an update from the Cabinet Secretary once she has considered the responses to the school condition survey and the consultation with key stakeholders on Guidance on Management of Asbestos in Schools.
Neil McEvoy declared the following relevant interest under Standing Order 17.24A:
He has received a letter about unauthorised absence from school.
The Committee considered this petition alongside P-04-606 Ensure schools exercise their statutory powers under regulation 7 of The Education (Pupil Registration) (Wales) Regulations 2010 without interference or bias, and agreed to await a copy of the evaluation of fixed penalty notices for regular non-attendance at school from the Cabinet Secretary for Education and for a further update on the wider review of attendance policy, as previously agreed.
The Committee considered this petition alongside P-04-576 Allow Children in Wales to Have a Family Holiday During Term Time, and agreed to await a copy of the evaluation of fixed penalty notices for regular non-attendance at school from the Cabinet Secretary for Education and for a further update on the wider review of attendance policy, as previously agreed.
Members considered responses to the Committee’s summary report on its consideration of the petition to date and agreed to close the petition, in view of its conclusion that the outstanding issues are best addressed through the local scrutiny processes that are ongoing. In doing so, Members wished to thank the petitioner for his time and diligence throughout the Committee’s consideration of this matter.
The Committee considered correspondence from Cwm Taf University Health Board, together with further comments from the petitioner, and agreed to write back to Cwm Taf UHB to request that they meet the petitioner to discuss her concerns about the support available and possible future care options, with a view to closing the petition once a meeting has taken place.
The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services, Cardiff and Vale Regional Partnership Board and the petitioner, and agreed to close the petition in light of the information received and because the Petitions Committee is not in a position to recommend that specific organisations should receive funding from the Welsh Government or others.
In doing so, Members wished to thank the petitioner for raising such an important matter through the petitions process.
The Committee considered correspondence from the Minister for Children and Social Care together with further comments from the petitioner and agreed to:
· seek written evidence about the closure of the Welsh Independent Living Grant from organisations that support disabled people; and
· invite the petitioner and the Minister for Children and Social Care to give evidence to a future meeting.
The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport together with further comments from the petitioner and agreed to:
· write to the Cabinet Secretary to ask that the Government consults with any residents directly affected in the event that it does propose to sell the land; and
· keep a watching brief.
The motion was agreed.
The report was agreed with some additional amendments.
The report was agreed with some additional amendments.
The Committee considered a summary of the evidence received and agreed to seek further information from third sector mental health organisations about the issues raised by the petition and the evidence received to date.