Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 1 - Senedd. View directions

Contact: Graeme Francis 

Media

Senedd.TV: View the webcast

Transcript: Transcript for 15/10/2019 - Petitions Committee - Fifth Senedd

Items
No. Item

1.

Introduction, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest

Supporting documents:

2.

New petitions

2.1

P-05-895 Rosa's Legacy Introduce a scheme to help people access veterinary care for their companion animals

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write to seek further evidence from the Companion Animal Welfare Group Wales and the British Veterinary Association on the issue raised by the petition.

2.2

P-05-900 Look into the way parents are being treated by public services

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to write to the petitioner to express its regret in relation to her experiences with public services, and:

·         ask whether she has asked the Public Services Ombudsman to investigate her concerns that complaints procedures have not been satisfactory;

·         advise that there is little that it is able to do to take forward petitions that relate to individual cases and circumstances and that, therefore, it has agreed to close the petition; and

·         suggest that, if there are specific changes that the petitioner wishes to see made to public sector complaints processes, that she considers raising them through her local representatives or through another petition.

3.

Updates to previous petitions

3.1

P-05-738 Public Petition for the Dinas Powys By-Pass

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to close the petition at this point on the basis that decisions over whether or not to progress proposals in relation to a bypass is the responsibility of the local authority.

3.2

P-05-851 Remove time restrictions on the layby to the east of Crickhowell

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to close the petition, in light of the information received and the safety concerns relating to using the layby for parking.

3.3

P-05-885 Accessible and Inclusive Public Transport for Citizens with Learning Disabilities in Wales

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed that there may be little further that the Committee could achieve at this time, in light of the information provided by the Minister and the Welsh Government’s intention to reform bus service regulation through the forthcoming Public Transport Bill. The Committee closed the petition and agreed to suggest that the petitioners engage with scrutiny processes on the Bill and lobby Assembly Members to lay any relevant amendments at that time.

3.4

P-05-743 End the Exotic Pet Trade in Wales

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to:

·         await a further update from the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs on the timelines for developing a Code of Practice for Primates before considering further action; and

·         request a legal brief on what legislative power Wales has in this area.

3.5

P-05-862 Tackling school bullying

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence and, in light of the strength of the evidence received in relation to improving the responses of schools to instances of bullying, agreed to ask the Minister for Education to attend an evidence session on this matter at a future meeting.

3.6

P-05-757 Remove the Obligation on Schools to Hold Acts of Religious Worship

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to write back to the Minister for Education to ask for more detail of the precise work that the Welsh Government has done to date in giving consideration to this issue, and consider raising this matter during any future evidence session with the Minister for Education.

3.7

P-05-765 Keeping Current Guidelines for Religious Assemblies

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to write back to the Minister for Education to ask for more detail of the precise work that the Welsh Government has done to date in giving consideration to this issue, and consider raising this matter during any future evidence session with the Minister for Education.

3.8

P-05-865 Guarantee fully plant-based options on every public sector menu to protect the rights of vegans and for our health, the environment and animals

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to:

·         write back to the Minister for Finance to ask how the current National Procurement Service food and drink framework agreements enable and promote the provision of daily vegan options on public sector menus, and

·         write to the Minister for Education to ask whether the Government has any plans to review the Healthy eating in maintained schools statutory guidance, in regards to the requirements to provide menu choices appropriate for those following a vegan diet.

3.9

P-05-873 Free Welsh Lessons for the People of Wales

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to await the views of the petitioner on the response from the Minister for the Welsh Language before considering whether to take further action on the petition.

3.10

P-05-863 Call on the Welsh Government to provide free sanitary products to all women in low income households

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to:

·         write to the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip to ask for more detail on how the £1 million funding allocated up to 2020 is being spent and how it is contributing to the reduction of period poverty; and

·         write to the Scottish Government to request information about how their commitments to providing free sanitary products in education settings, and targeted support for low income households, is being delivered and any information they can provide about the impact it is having.

3.11

P-05-871 Make baby and toddler changing available in both male/female toilets

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to write back to the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip to ask how the government intends to ensure that local authorities are complying with the statutory guidance on provision of baby changing facilities if it does not intend to scrutinise local toilet strategies.

3.12

P-05-724 Rights to Primary Health Care in Welsh

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered an update and further correspondence and agreed to write to the Minister for Health and Social Services to ask whether he can provide a guarantee that the provisions of the National Health Service (Welsh Language in Primary Care Services) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Wales) Regulations 2019 will not be weakened following the planned review during 2019/20, and an assurance that one of the purposes of the review will be to identify areas in which the Regulations can be strengthened.

3.13

P-05-732 Unacceptable Waiting Times for NHS patients in A & E Wrecsam/Wrexham Maelor Hospital

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered an update on the petition and agreed to close it at this point in light of the measures which are being taken at Wrexham Maelor Hospital and the fact that the Health Board is providing regular reporting to the Community Health Council on performance.

3.14

P-05-751 Recognition of Parental Alienation

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered new practice guidance published by Cafcass Cymru and agreed to write back to them to ask how they intend to monitor the impact and effect of the guidance and ask whether they will be providing training to support practitioners.

3.15

P-05-870 Let’s Get Every Young Heart Screened (Age 10-35)

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to await the outcome of the current review by the UK National Screening Committee into its recommendation in relation to a screening programme for Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) syndrome, expected in December 2019.

3.16

P-05-892 Appoint a Learning Disability Commissioner for Wales

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to write to the Minister for Health and Social Services to ask several questions about the monitoring of duties under the SSWB Act proposed by the petitioners.