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Petitions Committee |
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Meeting Venue: |
Committee Room 1 - Senedd |
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Meeting date: |
Tuesday, 27 March 2012 |
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Meeting time: |
09:05 - 11:00 |
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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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Rob Hepworth, Stop Newport & Monmouthshire Incinerator Campaign Haydn Cullen Jones, Stop Newport & Monmouthshire Incinerator Campaign Tim Maddison, South Wales Without Incineration Dr Tim Peppin, Welsh Local Government Association Rob Quick, Prosiect Gwyrdd Mike Williams, Prosiect Gwyrdd Matthew Farrow, Environmental Services Association Julie Barratt, Chartered Institute for Environmental Health John Griffiths, Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development Jasper Roberts, Welsh Government Dr Andy Rees, Welsh Government |
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Committee Staff: |
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Abigail Phillips (Clerk) Sarita Marshall (Deputy Clerk) Helen Roberts (Legal Advisor) |
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1. Introduction, apologies and substitutions
There were no apologies.
The Chair thanked Joyce Watson for chairing the meeting of 13 March.
2. Discussion of Evidence Received on P-04-335 The Establishment of a Welsh Cricket Team
The Committee considered the evidence received at the meeting of 13 March.
Action
The Committee agreed to await responses to the correspondence sent to Cricket Scotland and Cricket Ireland
3. New petitions
3.1 P-04-371 Reduced fares on public transport for all children up to the age of eighteen
3.2 P-04-382 Student fares on public transport
P-04-371 and P-04-382 had been grouped for consideration, and the Committee considered them for the first time.
Actions
The Committee agreed to:
Check whether the Minister and the National Union of Students have written to the Committee on similar petitions;
Make the Minister aware of these further petitions;
Look at the dates of the Committee visit to North Wales to see whether it would be possible to take oral evidence from students as part of that visit.
3.3 P-04-378 Extend the Gower Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
The Committee considered this petition for the first time.
Action
The Committee agreed to await the Minister’s response.
3.4 P-04-379 Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day
The Committee considered this petition for the first time.
The Chair declared an interest in the issue, having signed a Written Statement of Opinion on the subject.
Action
The Committee agreed to await the First Minister’s response to the Committee’s correspondence on the issue.
3.5 P-04-380 Bring back our bus! Petition against the removal of scheduled bus services from east Lampeter, Cwmann & Pencarreg
The Committee considered this petition for the first time.
Action
The Committee agreed to:
Await the Minister’s response to the Committee’s correspondence on the issue;
Write to TraCC on the issue.
3.6 P-04-381 Restoration for North Wales Hospital
The Committee considered this petition for the first time.
Action
The Committee agreed to await the Minister’s response to the Chair’s correspondence on the issue.
3.7 P-04-383 Against NVZ Designation for Llangorse Lake
The Committee considered this petition for the first time.
Action
The Committee agreed to await the Minister’s response to the Chair’s correspondence on the issue.
4. Updates to previous petitions
4.1 P-04-354 Public statement of support for Bradley Manning
The Committee considered correspondence relating to this issue.
Action
The Committee noted the response from the Chair of the Cross-party Group on Faith and agreed to await a response from the Cross-party Group on Human Rights.
4.2 P-04-322 A call to revise Cadw’s hold upon churches in Wales
The Committee considered correspondence from the Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage and the petitioner.
Action
The Committee agreed
to:
Write to the Minister asking him to include independent churches in the Task and Finish Group’s consultation processes;
Ask the Minister for details of when the public meetings on the Heritage Bill will be held and forward to the petitioner;
Write to Cadw on the issue.
4.3 P-04-356 A Call to Review the Issues Set Out in the 2007 Report on Football in Wales
The Committee considered correspondence from the Communities, Equality and Local Government Committee.
Action
The Committee agreed to advise the petitioner to feed his views into the CELG Committee’s consultation on football in Wales, and close the petition.
4.4 P-03-124 Cysgliad
The Committee considered a written statement by the Minister for Education and Skills.
Action
The Committee agreed to forward the transcript of the 21 March Communities, Equality and Local Government Committee meeting to the petitioner and close the petition.
4.5 P-04-348 Recycling Targets for Health Boards
The Committee considered correspondence from the Minister for Health and Social Services, Aneurin Bevan Health Board and the petitioner.
Action
The Committee agreed to refer the petition to the Environment and Sustainability Committee, given that the target announced by the Minister is not statutory, and close the petition.
4.6 P-04-359 Problems With The NHS For The Deaf
The Committee considered correspondence from the Minister for Health and Social Services and a consultation response.
Action
The Committee agreed to
write to the Health and Social Services Committee to ask it to keep
a watching brief on the issue, and close the petition.
4.7 P-04-366 Closure of Aberystwyth Day Centre
The Committee considered correspondence from the Deputy Minister for Social Services.
Joyce Watson declared an interest in the petition, having previously undertaken work on this issue.
Action
The Committee agreed to
write to the Director of Social Services for Ceredigion County
Council, as suggested by the Deputy Minister.
4.8 P-04-353 Anti-hate crime campaign in Wales
The Committee considered correspondence from the Minister with responsibility for equality, namely the Minister for Finance and Leader of the House.
Action
Given the Communities,
Equality and Local Government Committee’s work on this issue
and its commitment to keep the subject under review, close the
petition.
5. P-04-341 Waste and Incineration - Oral Evidence Session
The witnesses answered questions from the Committee.
6. P-04-341 Waste and Incineration - Oral Evidence Session
The witnesses answered questions from the Committee.
Actions
The Committee agreed to:
Write to Caerphilly County Borough Council with regard to the statement by United Valleys Action Group that the council’s procurement of mechanical biological treatment was stopped by the Welsh Government and that it was ‘financially pressured’ into joining Prosiect Gwyrdd;
Forward the Welsh Local Government Association’s statement that all methods of dealing with waste involve an element of burning’ to the petitioners for comment.
The Prosiect Gwyrdd representatives agreed to forward details of the tonnage of hazardous ash that needs to be transported as a result of incineration and of whether any incinerators being closed in the USA are similar to the type of incinerator being built in Wales.
7. P-04-341 Waste and Incineration - Oral Evidence Session
The witnesses answered questions from the Committee.
Action
The Committee agreed to
commission a piece of research into whether the meeting of
recycling targets would mean less incineration, which may lead to
financial penalties if incinerators are not provided with enough
waste to burn.
8. P-04-341 Waste and Incineration - Oral Evidence Session
The Minister and his officials answered questions from the Committee.
Action
Given his previous role as
leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council, the Committee agreed
to write to Lindsay Whittle AM to ask about Caerphilly’s
experience in respect of Prosiect Gwyrdd.
9. Papers to Note
9.1 P-03-136 Parking in Heath and Birchgrove
9.2 P-03-292 Public Toilet Provision
9.3 P-04-358 Re-instate Home Support for children with ASD and their families in the Caerphilly County Borough
Transcript
View the meeting transcript.