Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Rhys ab Owen MS joining remotely.

Apologies were received from Vaughan Gething MS.

The Chair had privately met with petitioners immediately before the meeting and highlighted areas covered in those discussions. Members noted the broad scope of the issues raised, which were beyond the Petitions Committee to take further, and would require the Welsh Government to have a cross-governmental strategy. The Committee therefore agreed to write to the First Minister to ask about the Government's cross-portfolio strategy on tackling long COVID, and particularly for those people who are out of work or struggling to get back to work because of potentially undiagnosed long COVID, and to keep the petition open pending a response. The letter would be copied to all the relevant Cabinet Secretaries for awareness. Members also agreed to write to the relevant Senedd subject committees to ask for more information about what they were doing, or had planned on Long Covid, with a view to making recommendations to the Welsh Government. The Wales Covid-19 Inquiry Special Purpose Committee would be copied into the correspondence, for awareness.

It was agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales to seek clarification on the point raised by the petitioners about staff discretion on Transport for Wales catering services, with a view to then closing the petition once that response is received.

The Chair noted that in a recent meeting between North Wales Members and the Health Board the Chief Executive had indicated that a further update on the situation would be provided in writing. The Committee agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to highlight the latest responses from the Hospital Action Group and the Community Hospital Association, and to copy in the Chief Executive of the Health Board, and then hoped to see more clarity in the next update from the Health Board. The petition would be kept open pending their response.

The Committee noted the detailed information provided by the Health Boards in response to a previous request about provision of 24/7 acute mental health support. The data showed a range of practice across different parts of Wales. It was noted that, since last consideration, progress was being made by the Welsh Government in developing a Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and a Suicide and Self-Harm Prevention Strategy, and that the petitioner’s comments and observations could be fed into that process. It was therefore agreed to write to the Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing to highlight those comments and observations and seek clarification on the timeline for publication of those strategies. It was agreed to keep the petition open pending a response.

The papers were noted.

The was motion was agreed.

Members discussed a paper on work programme priorities for the remainder of the Sixth Senedd, including: focus of further inquiry work in the time available; reviewing Standing Order provisions for the petitions process in advance of the Seventh Senedd; public engagement issues; and legacy reporting. Members shared their views and agreed to consider a further options paper at a future meeting.