Attendance
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Category
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Names
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Assembly Members:
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David J Rowlands AM (Chair)
Rhun ap Iorwerth AM
Janet Finch-Saunders AM
Mike Hedges AM
Neil McEvoy AM
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Witnesses:
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Elfed Wyn Jones, Petitioner
Dr Elin Jones
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Committee Staff:
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Graeme Francis (Clerk)
Kayleigh Imperato (Deputy Clerk)
Kathryn Thomas (Deputy Clerk)
Lisa Salkeld (Legal Adviser)
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<AI1>
1
Introduction, apologies, substitutions
and declarations of interest
The Chair welcomed everyone to the
meeting. There were no apologies.
</AI1>
<AI2>
2
New Petitions
</AI2>
<AI3>
2.1
P-05-812 We call for the Welsh Government
to encourage trusts to implement the NICE guidelines for Borderline
Personality Disorder or justify why they do not do so
The Committee considered the petition for the
first time and agreed to:
- write back to the Cabinet Secretary for
Health and Social Services to ask for a response to the suggestion
that a number of health boards in Wales are not following NICE
guidelines for the treatment of borderline personality disorder,
and that people with this diagnosis can experience exclusion from
current psychological therapy services; and
- consider writing to Local Health Boards in
future, depending on the response received.
</AI3>
<AI4>
2.2
P-05-813 Ban the USE of LARSEN TRAPS
(Multi Corvid Traps)
The Committee considered the petition for the
first time and agreed to write to stakeholders including RSPCA
Cymru, RSPB Cymru – Wales, the Countryside Alliance and the
National Gamekeepers Organisation, to seek their views on the
issues raised by the petition.
</AI4>
<AI5>
2.3
P-05-814 All New Builds In Wales To Have
Solar Panels
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 Energy, Planning and Rural
Affairs; and
- ask the Cabinet Secretary for additional
detail on the timescales for the review of Part L (Conservation of
fuel and power) of the Building Regulations.
</AI5>
<AI6>
3
Updates to previous petitions
</AI6>
<AI7>
3.1
P-04-688 TATA Steel Port Talbot
Power Plant
The Committee considered correspondence from
the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport and agreed to close
the petition in light of the ongoing discussions between the Welsh
Government and Tata Steel, the funding announced for improvements
to the power plant, and the likelihood that there is little further
concrete action that the Petitions Committee can take.
</AI7>
<AI8>
3.2
P-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 Transport, together with
further comments from the petitioner, and agreed to close the
petition in light of the active consideration being given to
improvements on the A487 in Ceredigion and the increased profile of
the issue achieved through the petition.
</AI8>
<AI9>
3.3
P-05-716 Free Train Transport for school
pupils with Arriva Trains Wales
The Committee considered correspondence from
the petitioner and agreed to:
- close the petition on the basis
that the safety arrangements were identified through an assessment
of the risk to pupils on the platform at Treorchy station, and
because offering free travel is a commercial decision for the
operator of the rail franchise; and
- write to the Cabinet Secretary for
Economy and Transport to ask if the Welsh Government will take the
issues raised by the petition into account as part of the new rail
franchise.
</AI9>
<AI10>
3.4
P-05-721 Penegoes Speed Limit
Petition
The Committee
considered this petition together with P-05-767 A487 Trunk Road
Through Tre-Taliesin and P-05-792 Petition to extend the 40mph
speed limit in Blaenporth and agreed to write to the Cabinet
Secretary for Economy and Transport to ask for:
- further
details about the progress of the Speed Limit Review to date, the
principles underpinning it and the assessment criteria used;
and
- practical
examples of places that have been reviewed during 2018 so far, and
what the outcome has been in each case.
</AI10>
<AI11>
3.5
P-05-767 A487 Trunk Road Through
Tre-Taliesin
The Committee considered this petition
together with P-05-721 Penegoes Speed Limit Petition and P-05-792
Petition to extend the 40mph speed limit in Blaenporth and agreed
to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport to ask
for:
- further details about the progress of the
Speed Limit Review to date, the principles underpinning it and the
assessment criteria used; and
- practical examples of places that have been
reviewed during 2018 so far, and what the outcome has been in each
case.
</AI11>
<AI12>
3.6
P-05-792 Petition to extend the 40mph
speed limit in Blaenporth
The Committee considered this petition
together with P-05-721 Penegoes Speed Limit Petition and P-05-767
A487 Trunk Road Through Tre-Taliesin: Urgent Need for Effective
Speed-Calming Measures and agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary
for Economy and Transport to ask for:
- further details about the progress of the
Speed Limit Review to date, the principles underpinning it and the
assessment criteria used; and
- practical examples of places that have been
reviewed during 2018 so far, and what the outcome has been in each
case.
</AI12>
<AI13>
3.7
P-05-770 Reopen Crumlin Railway
Station
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 for Economy and Transport to ask for details of
how Crumlin scored in the Phase 1 assessment of potential new
railway stations.
</AI13>
<AI14>
3.8
P-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 this petition
together with P-05-803 Our natural world is being poisoned by
single use plastics...it's time to introduce a tax! and agreed to
write to;
- The Minister for Environment to ask
for:
-
- further details about the
discussions she intends to hold with other governments within the
UK on the possibility of a UK-wide Deposit Return System and
plastics tax;
- her views on the other point raised
in the petition about legislating to ensure that all single-use
food and drink containers and utensils are fully compostable;
and
- The Cabinet Secretary for Finance
to seek an update on the development of a potential tax on
single-use plastics.
</AI14>
<AI15>
3.9
P-05-803 Our natural world is being
poisoned by single use plastics...it's time to introduce a
tax!
The Committee considered this petition
together with P-05-803 Our natural world is being poisoned by
single use plastics...it's time to introduce a tax! and agreed to
write to;
- The Minister for Environment to ask
for:
-
- further details about the
discussions she intends to hold with other governments within the
UK on the possibility of a UK-wide Deposit Return System and
plastics tax;
- her views on the other point raised
in the petition about legislating to ensure that all single-use
food and drink containers and utensils are fully compostable;
and
- The Cabinet Secretary for Finance
to seek an update on the development of a potential tax on
single-use plastics.
</AI15>
<AI16>
3.10P-05-796
Calling on the Welsh Government to Ban The Use of Wild Animals in
Circuses in Wales
At the request of the petitioner, the
Committee agreed to defer the item for consideration at future
meeting.
</AI16>
<AI17>
3.11P-05-801
Save the trees and ground in Roath Mill and Roath Brook Gardens
before it's too late
The Committee considered correspondence from
Natural Resources Wales and agreed to write to:
- NRW to share the proposals made by the
petitioners and ask for an update on current discussions, and to
seek their about the environmental implications of raising or
lowering the depth of Roath Park lake to control flood risk;
and
- to Cardiff Council to seek a response to the
Committee’s previous correspondence.
</AI17>
<AI18>
3.24P-05-768 A
call for the return of 24 hour Consultant led Obstetrics,
Paediatrics and SCBU to Withybush DGH
The Committee considered correspondence from
Hywel Dda Community Health Council along with further comments from
the petitioner. The Committee agreed to close the petition on the
basis that the service changes referred to were made in 2014 and
there appears to be little realistic prospect of these being
reversed, particularly in light of recent proposals for further
reconfiguration of health services in west Wales and the
information provided by the Community Health Council.
</AI18>
<AI19>
3.13P-05-797
Ensure access to the cystic fibrosis medicine, Orkambi, as a matter
of urgency
The Committee considered correspondence from
the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services and Vertex
Pharmaceuticals, along with further comments from the petitioner,
and agreed to schedule evidence sessions with the Cabinet Secretary
and Vertex for a future meeting.
</AI19>
<AI20>
3.14P-05-789
Review support for asylum seekers accessing further
education
The Committee considered correspondence from
the Minister for Welsh Language and Lifelong Learning, along with
further comments from the petitioner, and agreed to await the
outcome of the current consultation and subsequent decisions made
by the Minister before determining any further action on the
petition.
</AI20>
<AI21>
3.15P-04-526
Please make Senedd TV accessible to deaf people
The Committee agreed to:
·
close the petition because it is not possible to identify how to
take the petition forward in the absence of contact with the
petitioner; and in doing so
·
Table a question to the Assembly Commission in the name of the
Chair of the Petitions Committee on the issues raised by the
petition.
</AI21>
<AI22>
3.16P-04-683
Trees in Towns
The Committee agreed to close the petition
because it is not possible to identify how to take the petition
forward in the absence of contact with the petitioner, and in light
of the work currently being undertaken by the Climate Change,
Environment and Rural Affairs Committee on the same subject as the
petition.
</AI22>
<AI23>
3.17P-05-776
To recognize the three hundredth anniversary of Williams
Pantycelyn
The Committee agreed to close the petition
because it is not possible to identify how to take the petition
forward in the absence of contact with the petitioner, and given
some of the work already undertaken to commemorate the life of
William Williams.
In doing so, the Committee agreed to thank the
petitioner for bringing the petition forward and for his work on
this subject.
</AI23>
<AI24>
3.18P-05-783
Ensuring Equality of Curriculum for Welsh Medium Schools e.g. GCSE
Psychology
The Committee considered the petition and
agreed to write to:
- Qualifications Wales to seek an update on the
current position, request information about how many GCSE and
A-level subjects are not able to be studied through the medium of
Welsh, and ask what support is available to examination boards to
encourage them to provide exam papers and supporting materials;
and
- the Cabinet Secretary for Education to ask
what support the Welsh Government provides, or would expect
Qualifications Wales to provide, to assist examination boards based
outside of Wales to provide exam papers and supporting materials
through the medium of Welsh.
</AI24>
<AI25>
4
Evidence session - P-05-799 Change the
National Curriculum and teach Welsh history, from a Welsh
perspective, in our Primary, Secondary and Sixth form
Schools
The Committee heard evidence from the
Petitioner and Dr Elin Jones.
</AI25>
<AI26>
5
Motion under Standing Order 17.42 to
resolve to exclude the public from the meeting for the remainder of
today's business:
The motion was agreed.
</AI26>
<AI27>
6
Discussion of Previous Evidence
Session
The Committee considered the evidence and
agreed to invite the Cabinet Secretary for Education to provide
oral evidence to the Committee at a meeting during the Summer
term.
</AI27>
<AI28>
7
Consideration of Summary - P-04-628 To
improve access to Education and services in British Sign
Language
The Committee considered the summary of the
evidence and agreed to produce a report on the petition.
</AI28>
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