Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies.

The Chair thanked Joyce Watson for chairing the meeting of 13 March.

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

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.

The Committee considered this petition for the first time.

Action

The Committee agreed to await the Minister’s response.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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.

Rob Hepworth, Chair, Stop Newport & Monmouthshire Incinerator Campaign (SNIC)
Haydn Cullen Jones, Vice Chair, Stop Newport & Monmouthshire Incinerator Campaign (SNIC)
Tim Maddison, Spokesperson, South Wales Without Incineration (SWWIN)

The witnesses answered questions from the Committee.

Tim Peppin, Director of Regeneration & Sustainable Development, WLGA

Rob Quick, Senior Reporting Officer, Prosiect Gwyrdd

Mike Williams, Director, Prosiect Gwyrdd

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.

Matthew Farrow, Director of Policy, Environmental Services Association

Julie Barratt, Director, Chartered Institute for Environmental Health

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.

John Griffiths AM, Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development

Jasper Roberts, Deputy Director Waste and Resource Efficiency Division

Dr Andy Rees, Head of Waste Strategy Branch

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.

View the meeting transcript.