Concise Minutes - Petitions Committee

Meeting Venue:

Committee Room 1 - Senedd

Meeting date: Tuesday, 1 October 2019

Meeting time: 09.03 - 10.38
This meeting can be viewed
on Senedd TV at:
http://senedd.tv/en/5651

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Attendance

Category	Names
Assembly Members:	Janet Finch-Saunders AM (Chair) Michelle Brown AM Neil McEvoy AM Jack Sargeant AM Leanne Wood AM
Witnesses:	Iwan Prys Jones, North Wales economic ambition board Stephen Jones, Flintshire County Council Tom Rippeth, Petitioner Carolyn Thomas, Flintshire County Council Mike Webb, Petitioner
Committee Staff:	Graeme Francis (Clerk) Ross Davies (Deputy Clerk) Samiwel Davies (Legal Adviser)

<AI1>

1 Introduction, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest

</AI1>

<AI2>

2 New petitions

</AI2>

<AI3>

2.1 P-05-898 Ban the use of A boards in Wales

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to gather further evidence on the petition from charities, business representatives and the Welsh Local Government Association.

</AI3>

<AI4>

2.2 P-05-899 Buses for people not profit

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write back to the Minister for Economy and Transport to request further information about the changes he intends to introduce through the Public Transport Bill, especially around franchising and powers for local authorities to run bus services, and the planned timetable for the Bill’s introduction.

</AI4>

<AI5>

2.3 P-05-900 Look into the way parents are being treated by public services

The Committee agreed to defer initial consideration of the petition until the next meeting to enable Members to fully consider additional information received from the petitioner.

</AI5>

<AI6>

2.4 P-05-901 Ban the Sale of Real Fur in Wales

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to await the views of the petitioners on the response received from the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs before considering further action on the petition.

</AI6>

<AI7>

2.5 P-05-902 Paternal Mental Health (New Fathers Mental Health)

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write back to the Minister to ask for a response to the petitioner’s suggestion that new fathers should receive, or be offered, an assessment of their mental health and support needs as part of perinatal mental health services.

</AI7>

<AI8>

2.6 P-05-903 Filming and Recording of Council Meetings  

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write back to the Minister for Housing and Local Government to seek her response to the proposal that there should be a right for members of the public and the press to record and report on council meetings, including those held by town and community councils.

</AI8>

<AI9>

3 Updates to previous petitions

</AI9>

<AI10>

3.1 P-05-797 Ensure access to the cystic fibrosis medicine, Orkambi, as a matter of urgency

The Committee considered further evidence and agreed to await Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ submission of evidence relating to Orkambi to the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group, which the Committee understands to be imminent, before seeking further updates.

</AI10>

<AI11>

3.2 P-05-869 Declare a Climate Emergency and fit all policies with zero-carbon targets

The Committee considered further evidence and agreed to write to the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs to:

• ask for clarification of the membership, role and schedule of the Cabinet Sub-Committee established since the climate emergency declaration; and
• ask what support and funding the Welsh Government would be willing to contribute to the establishment and facilitation of a citizens’ assembly on climate change.

</AI11>

<AI12>

3.3 P-05-891 National Reading and Numeracy Tests for children from as young as age 6 need to be discontinued with immediate effect

The Committee considered further evidence and agreed to write back to the Minister for Education to seek her response to the concerns raised by the petitioner over the need to familiarise pupils with the format of the tests and questions, in light of the phased introduction of Online Personal Assessments.

</AI12>

<AI13>

4 Evidence Session 1: P-05-886 Stop the Red Route (A55/A494 corridor)

Under Standing Order 17.24A Jack Sargeant AM declared that he has previously supported the Red Route.

The Committee heard evidence from Tom Rippeth, on behalf of the petitioners, and Mike Webb, representing North Wales Wildlife Trust.

</AI13>

<AI14>

5 Evidence Session 2: P-05-886 Stop the Red Route (A55/A494 corridor)

The Committee heard evidence from North Wales Economic Ambition Board and Flintshire County Council.

Flintshire County Council agreed to supply a copy of the latest Flintshire Bridge inspection report to the Committee.

</AI14>

<AI15>

6 Motion under Standing Order 17.42 to resolve to exclude the public from the meeting for the following business:

</AI15>

<AI16>

7 Discussion of previous evidence session

The Committee discussed the previous evidence sessions and agreed to write to:

• A range of other environmental and business stakeholders to seek additional evidence on the petition and the proposed Red Route; and
• the Minister for Economy and Transport to ask further questions related to the development of detailed plans over the route of the new road and planned environmental mitigation measures.

</AI16>

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