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Petitions Committee |
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Meeting Venue: |
Committee Room 1 - Senedd |
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Meeting date: |
Tuesday, 15 July 2014 |
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Meeting time: |
09.01 - 09.55 |
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This meeting can be viewed on Senedd
TV at: |
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Concise Minutes: |
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Assembly Members: |
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William Powell (Chair) Russell George Bethan Jenkins Joyce Watson |
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Witnesses: |
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Committee Staff: |
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Steve George (Clerk) Kayleigh Driscoll (Deputy Clerk) Kath Thomas (Deputy Clerk) Helen Roberts (Legal Advisor) |
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1 Introduction, apologies and substitutions
The Chair welcomed everyone to the Committee. There were no apologies.
2 New petitions
2.1 P-04-569 Stop National Tests for Primary School Children
The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to
write to the Minister for Education and Skills seeking his views on the petition.
2.2 P-04-570 Inequitable Access to Treatments That Have Not Been Nationally Appraised in NHS Wales
The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write to the Minister for Health and Social Services seeking his views on the petition.
2.3 P-04-571 Treating Pernicious Anaemia
The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write to the Minister for Health and Social Services seeking his views on the petition.
2.4 P-04-572 Grants for Flood Resilience
The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write to the Minister for Natural Resources, Culture and Sport seeking his views on the petition.
2.5 P-04-573 Call on the Welsh Government to Investigate the Residential Leasehold System in Wales
The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write seeking their views on the petition to:
· the Minister for Housing and Regeneration; and
· the Welsh Local Government Association, in relation to how many local authorities in Wales are in the same position as Swansea.
2.6 P-04-574 Bus Services in Burryport
The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write to the Minister for Economy, Science and Transport seeking her views on the petition.
2.7 P-04-575 Call in All Opencast Mining Planning Applications
The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write to:
· the Minister for Minister for Housing and Regeneration seeking his views on the petition; and
· the petitioners to highlight the timetable of the Planning (Wales) Bill.
2.8 P-04-576 Allow Children in Wales to Have a Family Holiday During Term Time
The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write to the:
· Minister for Education and Skills;
· the Children’s Commissioner; and
· the Welsh Local Government Association
seeking their views on the petition.
2.9 P-04-577 Reinstate Funding to the Real Opportunities Project
The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write to the Ministers for Health and Social Services, Finance and Education and Skills seeking their views on the petition.
2.10 P-04-578 Noise Mitigation Works on the M4 to the West of Junction 32
The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write to the Minister for Economy, Science and Transport seeking her views on the petition.
3 Updates to previous petitions
3.1 P-04-541 Support for the Mentrau Iaith (Language Initiatives)
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to ask the First Minister for his response to the petitioners’ comments.
3.2 P-04-548 The Reintroduction of Welsh Classes in Rennes
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to write to Higher Education Wales to see if they might be able to support provision in Rennes.
3.3 P-04-480 Address Private Sector Student Housing Standards
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to consider arranging an oral evidence session with the petitioner depending on the response from the Minister on P-04-529 A Letting Agents Ombudsman for Wales.
3.4 P-04-529 A Letting Agents Ombudsman for Wales
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to seek the Minister’s views on the petitioners’ correspondence and to consider in the light of the response whether to arrange an oral evidence session with the petitioners along with the petitioners for P-04-480, Address Private Sector Student Housing Standards.
3.5 P-03-315 New Dyfi River Crossing Petition
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to seek the Minister’s veiws on the petitioners’ correspondence.
3.6 P-04-399 Slaughter Practices
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to await an update from the Minister once the report of the Farm Animal Welfare Committee to the Welsh Government has been received and considered.
3.7 P-04-433 CCTV in Slaughterhouses
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to await an update from the Minister once the report of the Farm Animal Welfare Committee to the Welsh Government has been received and considered.
3.8 P-04-537 Planting Trees to Reduce Flooding
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to ask the new Minister for his response to the petitioners’ further comments.
3.9 P-04-532 Improving specialised neuromuscular services in Wales
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:
· write to the Minister to ask about progress in appointing a successor to Dr Andrew Goodall as Chair of the Welsh Neuromuscular Network and about progress on the other matters identified by the petitioners; and
· seek responses from the Health Boards who have not responded to the Committee’s original letter.
3.10 P-04-545 Aneurin Bevan Hospital Procedures
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:
· let the Minister have sight, as requested, of the LHB’s response (including the information on the virtual inpatient scheme);and
· seek the petitioners’ views on the responses received.
3.11 P-04-543 No Increase to University Tuition Fees
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:
· ask the Minister to be inform the Committee of the outcome of Sir Ian Diamond’s review; and
· ask the Clerking Team to try and establish a contact to act as lead petitioner and in doing so ask for their views on the Minister’s response.
3.12 P-04-540 Stop Sexism In Domestic Abuse
The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and expressed some concern about some statements in the petitioner’s letter. The Committee agreed to:
· await the petitioner’s full response and consider all the papers at a future meeting;
· seek the views of Welsh Women’s Aid on the petitioner’s correspondence; and
· in the light of the responses, move to close the petition.
Before closing the meeting the Chair reminded Members that the next Committee meeting will be held on 23 September 2014.