Cross Party Group Title:	Outdoor Activity Sector in Wales
Date of Meeting:	29^th March 2023
Location:	Via Zoom
Name:	Title:
Sam Rowlands (SR)	Chair – Member of the Senedd
Huw Irranca-Davies (HI-D)	Vice Chair – Member of the Senedd
Cefin Campbell	Member of the Senedd
Paul Donovan	Secretariat
Rebecca Brough	Secretariat – Ramblers Cymru
Harry Davies	Office of Huw Irranca-Davies MS
Dave Harvey	Researcher to Sam Rowlands MS
Tom Luddington	Member - Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum Representative
Eben Muse	Member - British Mountaineering Council Representative
Kate Ashbrook	Member - Open Spaces Society Representative
Catherine Williams	Member - Snowdonia Active & Wales Adventure Tourism Organisation Representative
Mark Weston	Member - British Horse Society Representative
Helen Donnan	Member - British Horse Society Representative
Kathyrn Stewart	Member - British Horse Society Representative
Andy Taylor	Member - Adventure Activities Industry Advisory Committee & Woodcraft Folk Representative
Mark Jones	Member - Outdoor Partnership Representative
Mike Rosser	Member - Outdoor Education Advisors Panel & Adventure UK Representative
Emma Edwards-Jones	Member - Snowdonia-Active Representative
Alison Roberts	Observer - Natural Resources Wales Representative
Phil Stone	Member – Canoe Wales representative
Sophia Gordon	Member – Cycling UK
Kieran Foster	Member- Cycling UK
Amanda Smith	Member – CAT ZCB Representative
Paul Frost	Member – The Outdoor partnership Representative
David Boden	Member – British Association for Shooting and Conservation Representative
Emma Robinson	Member – Youth Hostel Association
Gareth Ludkin	Member – Campaign for National Parks
Steve Rayner	Member – South Wales Outdoor Activity Providers Group & Wales Adventure Tourism Organisation Representative
Dawn Thomas	Member – Institute Outdoor Learning Cymru Representative
Rachel Cilliers	Member – Rock UK Representative
Tracey Evans	Member- The Outdoor Partnership Representative
Paul Frost	Member- The Outdoor Partnership Representative
Paul Airey	Member- The Outdoor Partnership Representative
Graham French	Member AHOEC North Wales Representative
Chris Pierce	Member- AHOEC South Wales Representative
Clare Adams	Member - Outdoor Education Advisors Panel Cymru
James Brinning	Member - Deryn Representative, on behalf of Canal & Rivers Trust
Rhys Thomas	Researcher to Sam Rowlands MS
Michael Dauncey (MD)	Senedd Commission
Gareth Rogers (GR)	Senedd Commission

Summary of the meeting

Previous minutes accepted as accurate.

Action arising previously:

· Access reform: letter was sent to Lesley Griffiths, Minister with responsibility for access, regarding proposal for trial of shared use on public land (update given under substantive agenda item)

· Update on Research into economic and social value of the outdoors: Funding was secured from Welsh government and survey and analysis has been undertaken by Millar Research.  During February and March. The research report is expected to be ready in April.

· Outdoor Learning and Education in Wales – meeting with Education Minister (update given  under substantive agenda item)

Update: Access Reform and the trial proposals

Update from Kate Ashbrook:

· Following July 2022 cross party group meeting with Julie James, Minister for Climate Change (when access was in her remit), members of the Outdoor Alliance, agreed to present proposals for non-legislative action to progress the access reform agenda.

· Subsequent to Lesley Griffiths taking over the access remit, and following correspondence to raise the ongoing issues, the Minister invited our suggestions for piloting enhanced, shared access on land and water. Proposals were developed and sent them to Lesley Griffiths on 7 March.

· These proposals included suggestions such as a trial extension of the current policy on NRW forestry to other accessible public land; trial extension of access for horses and cycles to public footpaths; trial extension of CROW access rights to backpack camping, and of bathing and non-powered watercraft to publicly-owned natural water. 

· Also highlighted was the importance of education and education centres, and of public access to the economy and people’s health and wellbeing.

· The Agriculture Bill provides another current opportunity for improving public access.  Amendments aimed at strengthening the opportunities for agricultural funding to pay for improved access were not debated at stage 2, but there will be opportunities at stage 3. 

· Agricultural payments should fund more and better access where people need it, not for existing legal duties.  It Is important there is strong enforcement so that farmers and land managers who do not obey the law on rights of way are penalised.  This will help to get the path network in order and assist hard-pressed local authorities.

Discussion points included:

Important of access being created nearer people’s homes

Role of Promoted routes to help users make the best of any changes to rights, and the potential for tourism funding to enable this, which is especially relevant in the ‘Year of trails’

Opportunities for more engagement with Senedd members on the Agriculture Bill, including support with the formulation of Senedd questions, and opportunities within the debates to raise access issues (aside from amendments).

Update: Outdoor Education and Learning in Wales

Update from Clare Adams, Graham French and Mike Rosser:

· Minister visited Storey Arms centre to see first-hand evidence of the activities and curriculum linked engagement work that is ongoing across Wales.  The visit helped demonstrate to the Minister the importance of where Outdoor Education fits in teacher education, how it can support what teachers are doing, and the resources and training needed.

· Helped highlight the ethos that outdoor learning should be embedded not just an enrichment or reward activity.   Discussions covered resources and support for schools to help signpost and upskill teachers to give them confidence and networks they need.  The potential of HWB to share and promote resources was explored and how to ensure the ‘life skill’ benefits of outdoor learning are being talked about and recognised.  Discussions ongoing to develop to put these resources and skills in place.

· Teacher Accreditation was out for review – final criteria with minister for sign off, which will set what aspects of OE are in teacher education programmes. 

· There is a positive move towards greater Partnership work in teacher education, to make sure teachers are equipped and have access to skills and resources to undertake outdoor visits in the future.

· Welsh Government and OEAP Cymru Working Group is developing training for Further Education Visit Coordinators (senior managers responsible for approving visits) and eLearning modules for Visits Leaders following good Practice in policy, planning and delivering visits.

· This training follows on from the request from the Minister for Education and Skills for Estyn to undertake a review of Educational Visits Policies within the FE Sector followed the death of a learner studying at a South Wales College, during an educational visit to Barcelona in 2011.

· A Welsh Government funded project comprising representatives from all the FE College Groups  across Wales and members of the Outdoor Education Advisors Panel Cymru (OEAPC), Chaired by Paul Airey ex Adviser, Project Manager Mike Rosser and OEAPC members Arwel Elias, Andy Meek and Clare Adams OEAPC Chair.

· About to enter testing phase for face-to-face training provision, sign off for eLearning is imminent.  All expected to be live in September 2023

· This work has created good links between Education and Outdoor provider sectors with ongoing joint working opportunities.

Discussion points

Paperwork and bureaucracy for teachers can be a barrier; suggested that OEAPC can help with this, as can utilisation of National Guidance. Council for Learning outside the Classroom Quality Badge is referenced in National Guidance and can help teachers overcome some of the barriers. 

Update: Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill,

· The Chair gave a brief outline of the Outdoor Education Bill and explained the process for backbench Members. Gareth Rogers and Michael Dauncey gave an update on the latest position with the Bill.

· The consultation on proposals for an Outdoor Education Bill closed on 17 March. The responses are currently being analysed. There were 174 responses – 83 from organisations and 91 from individuals. 49 of the 174 responses are from the outdoor education sector.

· Early indications suggest that there is large support for the principles behind the proposals and for the need for legislation. Where a small minority of respondents have disagreed with the proposals or raised concerns, the reasons most frequently raised relate to staffing issues and the funding required.

· A summary of the consultation responses is currently being prepared. All the consultation responses, along with the summary will be published and available to all.

· The next major step in the process is for the Bill itself to be drafted. Legal drafting instructions have been started and the aim is to get these finalised before the end of April and sent to external Counsel to draft the Bill. The responses from the survey will help shape the final policy objectives, which will be fed into the drafting instructions.

· The draft Bill should be ready and published before the summer and there may then be a period of consultation on the draft Bill.

· Then final Bill will need to be introduced before the Senedd by 26 November, at which point it starts the formal Senedd process, which will include scrutiny by Senedd committees and Senedd members in the Chamber. There will be opportunity for stakeholders to feed into that formal process, and support the Bill, including through this Cross-party group.

· Dave Harvey is now in post to support the research and consultation as the Bill progresses.

Meeting summary and general discussion

Cefin Campbell welcomed the useful updates and offered to explore making presentations on amendments related to the Agricultural Bill over the coming weeks.

Huw Irranca-Davies raised issue of access to Water and keeping this on the agenda, desoite its inherent political difficulties.  This needs progressing on a statutory basis, not permissive in recognition of the responsible users needs, and the cross party group is well placed to push this forward.  

The importance of securing more access to water for the outdoor learning and education sectors was noted and a further push on securing reform was welcomed by members.

The positive work water users do to improve water environments (e.g. litter removal) was highlighted and disappointment that the reforms are no further ahead after several years.

Meeting actions

ACTION: Outdoor Alliance members to prepare briefing and possible Ministerial questions for Senedd members related to Agriculture Bill and Access

ACTION: Venue for next meeting, to include an outdoor activity for members, to be further explored

Next Meeting:

Proposed focus on: safety in the outdoors; the Outdoor Partnership’s work on Adventure Learning Frameworks, Economic Value of the Outdoor Sector research, and Access to Water.

Date / Time / Venue: tbc / June 2023 / In person tbc / provisionally North Wales