Meetings

Committee Members received an update on the development of a new online petitioning system for the National Assembly for Wales.

Item 5 was deferred until after the evidence session scheduled at item 6.

The Committee reviewed the processes for petitions with over 5000 signatures and agreed not to make any changes to the number of signatures required before the petition is considered for a debate in a plenary meeting of the Assembly.  

However, the Committee agreed to write to the Llywydd setting out a number of proposals for changing the approach to the mechanisms for collecting signatures.

The Clerk of the Committee provided Members with an update on the implementation of potential changes to the National Assembly for Wales’s Petitions System. 

Business Committee considered a Letter from the Chair of the Petitions Committee confirming that they were content with the proposals to amend Standing Orders and to trial a new procedure for considering debating Petitions in Plenary which have obtained 5,000 signatures.

Business Managers also agreed with the Petitions Committee’s suggestion to introduce the changes on 8 March. 

Business Managers requested a draft report on the changes to Standing Orders for Business Managers to consider at a future meeting.

Business Managers considered a paper setting out proposals for amending Standing Orders based on the recommendations in the ‘Review of the Public Petitions Arrangements’ report the Petitions Committee wanted to take forward. The Business Committee agreed in principle to the proposals to amend Standing Orders so as to implement recommendations 3 and 4 of the report, and for procedure outside Standing Orders for dealing with petitions that reached a certain threshold of signatures.

The Committee agreed to write to the Petitions Committee to consult them on the proposals.

Business Managers noted a letter from the Llywydd to the Petitions Committee enquiring whether they intended to take forward a recommendation to hold Plenary debates on petitions that obtain a particular signature threshold, and asking them to confirm whether they wanted the Business Committee to push ahead with the Standing Order changed proposed by the previous committee Review of Public Petitions report.

NDM5981 William Powell (Mid and West Wales)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

Notes the report of the Petitions Committee on the 'Review of Public Petitions Arrangements', which was laid in the Table Office on 2 February 2016.

Supporting Documents

Petitions Committee’s Report
Letter from the Presiding Officer to the Chair

The item started at 15.06

NDM5981 William Powell (Mid and West Wales)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

Notes the report of the Petitions Committee on the 'Review of Public Petitions Arrangements', which was laid in the Table Office on 2 February 2016.
The motion was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

The Committee considered a paper on the review of petitions along with the oral evidence heard in the earlier session and agreed to consider recommendations for possible changes via correspondence in the first instance.

The Committee considered the evidence ahead of preparing its report.

Dr John Cox, Petitioner

Nesta Lloyd – Jones, Welsh NHS Confederation

Robert Southall, Petitioner

The Committee asked the witnesses questions about their experience of the Assembly’s petitions system.

Members considered evidence received from surveys and consultations undertaken and agreed to return to the matter following an oral evidence session to be held on 8 December.

The Committee considered progress on the review of the petitions system.

The Committee considered progress on the review of the petitions system.

The Committee considered this matter in private.