Concise Minutes - Petitions Committee

Meeting Venue:

Committee Room 1 - Senedd

Meeting date: 22 September 2015

Meeting time: 09.00 - 10.33
This meeting can be viewed
on Senedd TV at:
http://senedd.tv/en/3228

Attendance

Category	Names
Assembly Members:	William Powell AM (Chair) Russell George AM Jeff Cuthbert AM (In place of Joyce Watson AM) Alun Ffred Jones AM (In place of Bethan Jenkins AM)
Witnesses:
Committee Staff:	Steve George (Clerk) Kayleigh Driscoll (Deputy Clerk) Kath Thomas (Deputy Clerk) Lisa Salkeld (Legal Adviser)

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Transcript

View the meeting transcript (PDF 234KB) View as HTML (179KB)

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1 Introduction, apologies and substitutions

The Chair welcomed everybody to the meeting. Apologies were received from Joyce Watson AM who was substituted by Jeff Cuthbert AM and Bethan Jenkins AM, who was substituted by Alun Ffred Jones AM.

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2 New petitions

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2.1 P-04-641 Owners of Un-developed Land

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition for the first time and agreed to clarify with legal advisers whether the Assembly has the power to legislate to implement the Petition.

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2.52P-04-648 Amendment to Unconventional Oil and Gas Direction 2015

William Powell declared the following relevant interest under Standing Order 17.24A:

• He is a long-standing campaigner against fracking.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition for the first time and agreed to await a discussion with the petitioners at the petition handover and seek their written views on the Minister’s response.

The petition will be reconsidered at the next Committee meeting on 6 October.

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2.3 P-04-649 Welsh-Medium Education - Garland or Albatross

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition for the first time and agreed to seek the Minister’s views on the petitioner’s further comments.

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2.4 P-04-651 To Work to Protect Local Government When Determining the Budgets this Autumn

William Powell declared the following relevant interest under Standing Order 17.24A:

· He is a Member of Powys County Council.

Russell George declared the following relevant interest under Standing Order 17.24A:

· He is a Member of Powys County Council.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition for the first time and agreed to:

• write to the Minister for Finance and Government Business seeking her views on the petitioners’ further comments; and
• ask the Finance Committee to consider the petition and the issues it raises as part of their scrutiny of the forthcoming Assembly budget.

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3 Updates to previous petitions

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3.1 P-04-523 Protect the elderly and vulnerable in care homes

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to ask the First Minister to inform the Committee once he has met the petitioners.

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3.2 P-03-240 Road safety on the A40 in Llanddewi Velfrey

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to close the petition, while thanking the petitioners for their perseverance in pursuing the petition.

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3.3 P-04-365 Protect buildings of note on the Mid Wales Hospital site

William Powell declared the following relevant interest under Standing Order 17.24A:

• He is a Member of Powys County Council, the building is in his ward and he had been involved in the issue in that role.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to write to Brecon Beacons National Park Authority seeking a response to the Committee’s original letter.

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3.4 P-04-578 Noise Mitigation Works on the M4 to the West of Junction 32

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:

• seek a response from the petitioner on the Minister’s correspondence; 
• close the petition if a response is not forthcoming in next four weeks; and
• keep Mark Drakeford AM informed of the Committee’s agreed actions.

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3.5 P-04-594 Cilmeri Community Council Appeal for the Prince Llywelyn Monument

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to await:

• the views of the petitioner; and
• the outcome of the meeting between the petitioners and Welsh government officials.

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3.6 P-04-599 Impact of Domestic Rating on Self Catering Accommodation

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to close it.

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3.7 P-04-626 De-Trunk the A487 Through Penparcau, Trefechan & Aberystwyth TC

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to ask the Minister for a firm timescale now that the National Transport Finance Plan has been published.

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3.8 P-04-333 Stop neglect and abandonment of horses and ponies by enforcement of microchipping laws

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:

· close the petition; and

· In closing write to the Deputy Minister to inform her of the petitioners’ view that the Welsh Government should support the UK Government in creating a single central Database in every European country.

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3.9 P-04-445 Save our Welsh cats & dogs from death on the roads

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to ask the Deputy Minister to inform the Committee once arrangements for the literature review have been finalised. 

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3.10P-04-500 Call For Regulation of Animal Welfare Establishments in Wales

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to seek the Minister’s views on the petitioner’s recent correspondence.

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3.11P-04-629 Review and Enforcement of Control of Horses (Wales) Act 2014

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:

· await further comments from the petitioner; and

· close the petition if a response is not forthcoming in next four weeks.

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3.12P-04-373 School Exclusion Zones for Mobile Hot Food Vans

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:

• await further comments from the petitioner; and
• close the petition if a response is not forthcoming in next four weeks.

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3.13P-04-408 Child and Adolescent Eating Disorder Service

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:

· ask the Clerking team to explore any recent work undertaken by the Cross Party Group on Eating Disorders; and

· re-consider the petition at the next Committee meeting on 6 October.

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3.14P-04-501 Day Centres for the elderly in Wales to be made statutory

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to close the petition. 

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3.15P-04-571 Treating Pernicious Anaemia

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to seek further comments from the petitioners on the Minister’s latest letter and consider the matter again when a response is received. 

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3.16P-04-587 A Dedicated Support Team for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.),Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & Fibromyalgia Sufferers in South East Wales

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to ask the Minister to respond to the questions and points made in the petitioners’ letter.

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3.17P-04-588 Charter for Children and Fathers

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to await comments from the petitioners before deciding whether to progress the matter further. 

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3.18P-04-630 Facebook Regulations for Looked after Children

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to seek the outstanding responses from Children in Wales and the Children’s Commissioner. 

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3.19P-04-642    Save the Filter – An Established Youth Stop Smoking and Prevention Service

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to await further information from the Deputy Minister.

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<AI28>

3.20P-04-422 Fracking

William Powell declared the following relevant interest under Standing Order 17.24A:

• He is a long-standing campaigner against fracking.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to close the petition. 

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3.21P-04-623 Improve the Provision of Disabled-friendly Housing in Wales

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to share the petitioners’ response with the Minister and ask that he update the Committee on the progress of work before the end of the 4^th Assembly.

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3.22P-04-619 LOCALISM IN PLANNING and COMPENSATION FOR THIRD PARTIES RE. INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and was minded to close the petition but agreed to await the views of the petitioner on the Minister’s latest correspondence before making a final decision.

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<AI31>

3.23P-04-397 Living Wage

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and was minded to close the petition but agreed to await the views of the petitioner on the Minister’s latest correspondence before making a final decision.

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<AI32>

3.24P-04-485 Abuse of casual contracts in Further Education

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to await the views of the petitioner on the Minister’s statement.

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<AI33>

3.25P-04-522 Asbestos in Schools

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to invite the Minister for Education and Skills to give oral evidence on the petition. 

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<AI34>

3.26P-04-628 To improve access to Education and services in British Sign Language

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to ask the Minister for his comments on the petitioners’ latest correspondence and for an assurance that DEFFO will be contacted by staff supporting the Donaldson review.

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<AI35>

3.27P-04-634 End Exclusion in Schools for Children with No Religion

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to close the petition.

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3.28P-04-636 Statutory Sex and Relationships Education

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to close the petition.

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3.29P-04-637 To Protect the Future of Youth Music in Wales

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:

• write to the Minister for Education and Skills for his comments on the petitioner’s letter and on that of the English Minister, specifically whether the music education hubs model is being considered in Wales; and
• to ask the Minister to set out specifically what the actions agree for music are in the Government’s 5-year plan ‘Creative Learning through the Arts – An Action Plan for Wales’.

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3.30P-04-639 Save Further Education in Powys

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:

· share NPTC Group’s letter with the Minister and ask if he wishes to reconsider any of the statements in his letter of 15 May about the impact of the cuts; and

· await the petitioners’ views on the Minister’s earlier letter and the one from NPTC Group.

</AI38>

<AI39>

3.31P-04-646 Petition against Welsh Draft Non-statutory Guidance for Local Authorities on Elective Home Education.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to draw the Minister’s attention to the petitioner’s further comments.

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3.32P-04-643 Save Croeserw Flying Start

See agreed action under item 3.32.

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3.33P-04-645 Save Glyncorrwg Flying Start

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:

· ask Action for Children for their views on the letter from the local authority; and

· pursue the petitioners for any comments they may have on the correspondence received.

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3.34P-04-607 Call for the welsh government to purchase Garth Celyn

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to close the petition.

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3.35P-04-577 Reinstate Funding to the Real Opportunities Project

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to await further comments from the petitioner.

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4 Paper to note

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4.1 P-04-459 A direct rail connection from Cardiff Airport to Cardiff central and west Wales

The Committee noted the paper.

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