Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Vaughan Gething MS stated that as the petition under Item 3.9 concerned him directly he would be leaving the meeting at that point and not taking part in the petition deliberations on that issue.

The Committee considered the petition and congratulated the petitioner on a successful outcome, with new legislation coming in to force next year in Wales and across the UK.

In light of this Members agreed to close the petition and thank the petitioner.

The Committee considered the petition and noted a late submission received from the petitioner.

Member agreed that the further information provided by the Health Board and the Cabinet Secretaries clearly set out the situation as it stands, the appropriate channels for the petitioners to engage, and the support and guidance available. In light of this there seems little more the Committee can do to take the petition further and agreed to close the petition and thank the petitioner.

The Committee considered the petition and agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care as a priority to ask what is being done to secure funding for the work of the team beyond March 2025, and to seek the commitment on implementation sought by Cancer Research UK and those involved in the Welsh screening pilot.

In doing so Members also agreed to copy in the Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee for awareness, and keep the petition open pending the Cabinet Secretary’s response.

The Committee considered the petition alongside petition P-06-1446 Abolish the name 'Wales' and make 'CYMRU' the only name for our country.

It was noted that they presented diametrically opposite views on the use of the name ‘Wales’ and ‘Cymru’.

Members noted the correspondence from the Llywydd regarding the use of ‘Senedd’ and that Wales was a bilingual country with two official languages. In light of this the Committee thanked the petitioner and decided to close the petition.

The Committee considered the petition alongside petition P-06-1451 Keep the name 'Wales' and not waste any more taxpayers money on pointless exercises.

It was noted that this petition received over 10,000 signatures and could be recommended for debate. Previously Members had questioned whether such a debate would add anything new to the discussion. Both the Welsh Government response and the letter from the Llywydd suggested it was unlikely that either institution would change from its current approach.

Following further discussion, Members agreed that a debate would not be a good use of the Senedd’s time, and closed the petition and thanked the petitioner.

The Committee considered the petition and noted that the Welsh Government had made its position on wind farm developments very clear in its response, and on that basis the Committee thanked the petitioner for raising the issue but agreed to close the petition.

In doing so, the Committee wanted to highlight that there would be plenty of opportunities for Senedd Members to debate the issues of energy production, community benefit and the protection of biodiversity, as well as whether or not certain sites were suitable.  That would include debates as part of the legislative consent process when the GB Energy legislative consent motion came through the Senedd.

The Committee considered the petition and noted that these programmes had been running for 21 years, despite the non-devolved aspect, but that difficult choices had to be made by the Welsh Government on funding. Members agreed to write to the Chief Constables and the Police and Crime Commissioners for the four police forces in Wales to ask:

• for clarity on if and how their schools programme had changed;
• the outcomes of the investment made over the past 21 years;
• and their views on the impact of the cut to Welsh Government funding.

It was agreed to keep the petition open until the next Welsh Government budget cycle

The Committee considered the petition and congratulated the petitioner for highlighting the issue.

Members agreed to follow up the petitioners’ concerns about the mechanisms to keep the site updated by writing to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, particularly as this may be an issue across the range of information provided for Welsh patients, and copy the letter to the Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee for awareness. 

It was agreed that once the letter had been sent to the Cabinet Secretary, the response would be shared with the petitioner and the petition would be closed.

The Committee considered the petition and welcomed action being taken to assess the situation, although noted so far that work had been “inconclusive”.

Members agreed to forward the petitioner’s comments to the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, seeking an update on the timetable for the CCTV survey, how long it will take to be evaluated and a decision made, and what proposals for action the government plans to take.

In doing so, the Committee noted that even where action is recommended, there is a prioritisation exercise for the trunk road network.

Members agreed to keep the petition open pending the Cabinet Secretary’s response.

The Committee considered the petition congratulated the petitioners for their persistence in engaging with the Welsh Government and individual Senedd Members on this critical issue.

It was noted that Hefin David MS would be holding a Member debate on Wednesday 4 December under Standing Order 11.21(iv) - Care settings for autism and learning disability. The Chair agreed to contribute to the debate by highlighting the petition.

The Committee agreed to share the petitioners’ comments with the Minister and seek a response to the questions raised including;

• clarifying how Welsh Government will involve the campaigners after the Task and Finish Group reports;
• what progress is being made to address the data issues;
• the need for a communications plan to better understand what progress is being made; and
• a response to points made about the impact of the closure of inpatient services and reform of the Mental Health Act.

In doing so the Committee agreed to copy the correspondence to the Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee and the Senedd’s Learning Disability Cross-Party Group for awareness.

The Committee considered the petition and agreed to keep it open pending the publication of the Women’s Health Plan, and refer the petition to the Health and Social Care Committee for consideration in scrutiny relating to that plan, as previously agreed with petition P-06-1444 Women of North Wales have the right to have a Menopause Services/Clinic in Ysbyty Gwynedd.

The Committee also agreed to write to the General Medical Council to seek more information on how it ensures that medical training includes menopause as a mandatory aspect.

The Committee considered the petition and after a detailed discussion a majority decision was taken not to request a debate on the petition. A number of reasons were cited, including the amount of Senedd business time that had already been given to the issue; the fact that there had been a Senedd vote 40:14 against a specific proposal to hold a referendum; the known outcome of further debate, (the numbers had not changed); and the time required to overturn the current law under the mechanisms for trying to organise a referendum.

In light of his policy position on this issue, Peter Fox MS abstained from the decision on whether or not to request a debate.

The Committee thanked the petitioner for raising concerns about the cost to the public purse, and agreed to close the petition.

The Committee considered the petition and agreed the rules and circumstances for Senedd elections and the appointment of a First Minister are very clear, and there is little more the Committee can do to take the petition forward, other than to note the petitioners’ views. In light of this Members agreed to close the petition and thank the petitioner.

As noted at the start of the meeting, the Member who was the subject of the petition recused himself for this agenda item.

The Committee considered the petition and agreed that this matter had been subject to sustained and extensive scrutiny in the Siambr, in Senedd Committees and in the media.

It was noted that the Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee’s inquiry report on the Development Bank of Wales had followed a full review of the Bank’s operations, and showed how seriously that Committee had taken the matter.

In light of this Members agreed to close the petition and thank the petitioner.

The motion was agreed.