Agenda and minutes

No apologies had been received.

The Committee agreed:

To await the response from the Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development;

Write to the Chair of the Environment and Sustainability Committee, asking for this issue to be considered as part of the Inquiry into Energy Planning and Policy in Wales;

To defer consideration of this issue until the call for evidence closes on 14 December 2011;

That the clerking team should ensure that any gaps in written evidence received are filled. For example, the Committee would like to receive evidence from local authorities and the Welsh Local Government Association on this issue.

The Committee agreed:

To write to the Minister for Health and Social Services seeking her views on the issues raised by the petition;

That the clerking team should check the Minister’s response to questions raised on this issue in a recent Plenary meeting;

To write to the Local Health Boards to enquire about their budgeting for the future provision of this service.

The Committee agreed to:

Invite the petitioners to present oral evidence to the Committee;

Write to the Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development seeking his views on the issues raised by the petition;

Issue a call for evidence on the subject.

The Committee agreed:

That the update paper from Guide Dogs for the Blind should be forwarded to Members for consideration;

That the update paper should also be forwarded to the Minister for Local Government and Communities so that the Committee can pursue the issues raised during the forthcoming oral evidence session with the Minister. 

The Committee agreed to close the petition.

Given that the Minister’s officials are in discussion with Estyn on the types of Welsh-language materials required to support learners with dyslexia, the Committee agreed to close the petition, with the caveat that the petitioner can contact the Committee again should the commissioning of materials not come to fruition.

Given that a Development and Implementation Group will be taking forward work on funding post-16 additional learning needs and Mencap’s involvement in that, the Committee agreed to close the petition.

The Committee agreed to note the Minister’s clarification of the term ‘local connection’ and close the petition.

The Committee agreed to close the petition and refer the petitioners to the Task and Finish Group on the Future Outlook for the Media in Wales.

The Committee agreed to:

Arrange a site visit for Committee Members who wish it;

Forward the evidence received to the Environment and Sustainability Committee for consideration as part of its Inquiry into Energy Policy and Planning in Wales;

Investigate the potential for a joint site visit with the Environment and Sustainability Committee;

Commission a research paper on the subject for future consideration.

The Committee agreed to pursue the issue with the Minister in his forthcoming evidence session with the Committee, in particular with regard to any policy on which the decision not to implement improved lighting is based, and issues around local authorities switching off street/roadside lighting to save resources.

The Committee agreed to close the petition.

The Chair declared an interest having issued  a Statement of Opinion on  the broadcasting of national park authority meetings and having also supported a Statement of Opinion by William Graham AM, which was in broad support of these issues.

The Committee agreed to:

Discuss this petition with the Minister for Local Government in the forthcoming evidence session;

Commission a piece of research work on the cost of filming council meetings, to include views from the Welsh Local Government Association on the issue.

The Committee agreed to:

Discuss this petition with the Minister for Local Government and Communities when he gives evidence to the Committee on 10 January;

Commission a piece of research work into the cost of publishing details of local authority spend over £500 and on whether the cost of publishing this information might be offset by a decrease in the number of Freedom of Information requests and the costs associated with fulfilling those requests.

The Committee agreed to:

Write to Betsi Cadwaladr Community Health Council to seek its views on the issues raised by the petition and to ask whether it is holding a consultation on the issues raised by the petition;

Write to Flintshire County Council to seek information on the timescale for the proposed redevelopment of Flint town centre;

Copy Sandy Mewies AM and the four regional AMs into this correspondence.

The Committee agreed to:

Write to the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committees to seek information on the numbers of children with complex neuro- rehabilitation needs requiring admission to the service at Tadworth in previous years in order to fully understand the scale of the issue;

Forward the correspondence from WHSSC to the petitioner for comment;

Write to Headway to seek its views on the issues raised by the petition and the correspondence from WHSSC.

The Committee noted the paper.

View the meeting transcript.