Concise Minutes - Petitions Committee

Meeting Venue:

Committee Room 1 - Senedd

Meeting date: Tuesday, 4 April 2017

Meeting time: 09.00 - 10.31
This meeting can be viewed
on Senedd TV at:
http://senedd.tv/en/3948

Attendance

Category	Names
Assembly Members:	Mike Hedges AM (Chair) Gareth Bennett AM Neil McEvoy AM David Melding AM
Witnesses:	John Forsey, Highways, Transport & Recycling, Powys County Council - Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) Steve Wright MBE, Chairman - Licensed Private Hire Car Association
Committee Staff:	Graeme Francis (Clerk) Kayleigh Driscoll (Deputy Clerk) Kath Thomas (Deputy Clerk) Sam Mason (Legal Adviser)

<AI1>

1 Introduction, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest

The Chair welcomed everyone to meeting. David Melding attended in place of Janet Finch-Saunders.

</AI1>

<AI2>

2 New petitions

</AI2>

<AI3>

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

David Melding declared the following relevant interest under Standing Order 17.24A:

He has previously supported the campaign for a Dinas Powys by-pass.

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure to ask whether the Welsh Government has helped to fund the current study into the Dinas Powys transport network and, if so, whether he would be in a position to update the Committee once this has concluded.

</AI3>

<AI4>

2.2 P-05-748 School Buses for School Children

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to contact the petitioner to clarify the objective of her petition, in light of the information received from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure.

</AI4>

<AI5>

3 Updates to previous petitions

</AI5>

<AI6>

3.1 P-05-739 Save TWF Services

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and, given the satisfaction of the petitioners with the expansion of the Twf programme from April 2017, agreed to close the petition and thank the petitioners for their engagement.

</AI6>

<AI7>

3.2 P-04-399 Slaughter Practices

See agreed action under agenda item 3.3.

</AI7>

<AI8>

3.3 P-04-433 CCTV in Slaughterhouses

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to forward the petitioner’s most recent comments to the Cabinet Secretary for Environment & Rural Affairs and accept the offer of an update from the Welsh Government when appropriate.

</AI8>

<AI9>

3.4 P-04-477 Support for the Control of Dogs (Wales) Bill

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to await an update from the petitioner following his planned meeting with the Cabinet Secretary for Environment & Rural Affairs.

</AI9>

<AI10>

3.5 P-04-575 Call in All Opencast Mining Planning Applications

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and, agreed to return to the petition at the next meeting so that it can be considered alongside another petition on opencast mining applications.

</AI10>

<AI11>

3.6 P-05-717 Establish Statutory Public Rights of Access to Land and Water for Recreational and Other Purposes

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:

· forward the petitioner’s comments to the Cabinet Secretary for Environment & Rural Affairs; and

· await further detail on the proposals for reform being developed by the Welsh Government.

</AI11>

<AI12>

3.7 P-05-747 TB testing of cattle

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:

· forward the petitioner’s comments to the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs for her to take into account in her deliberations;

· forward the petition to the Chair of the Climate Change Environment and Rural Affairs Committee given their recent inquiry into this issue;

· await the Cabinet Secretary’s forthcoming statement of her decision; and

· inform the petitioner about the ongoing consideration being given to the issue of TB testing for cattle.

</AI12>

<AI13>

3.8 P-05-712 A Welsh Government Department for Europe Would Ensure a Clear, Strategic and Accountable Voice for Wales in Ongoing Negotiations

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to forward the petitioner a copy of the External Affairs and Additional Legislation Committee’s report on Implications for Wales of leaving the European Union, and await his views on the information received.

</AI13>

<AI14>

3.9 P-05-731 Land & Access Lane Sale at Abercwmboi

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and concluded that there is little further that the Committee can do while discussions between the Welsh Government and the local authority about use of the land are ongoing. The Committee agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure to ask him to update the Committee once these discussions have concluded.

</AI14>

<AI15>

3.10P-05-740 Petition to Protect our High Street

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to await petitioner’s views on the latest correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government before agreeing the next step in relation to the petition.

</AI15>

<AI16>

3.11P-04-568 Public Inquiry into ABMU Health Board

The Committee considered a response from the petitioner and agreed to close the petition and thank the petitioner for his engagement with the petitions process.

</AI16>

<AI17>

3.12P-04-601 Proposed Ban on the Use of e-cigarettes in Public Places

The Committee considered a response from the petitioner and agreed to close the petition and thank the petitioner for his engagement with the petitions process.

</AI17>

<AI18>

3.13P-04-394  Save our Services – Prince Philip Hospital

The Committee considered a response from the petitioner and agreed to close the petition and thank the petitioners for their engagement with the petitions process.

</AI18>

<AI19>

3.14P-04-367 Save our Hospital Services

The Committee agreed to close petition due to the length of time that has elapsed since contact was last received from the petitioner.

</AI19>

<AI20>

3.15P-04-455 Save Prince Phillip Hospital A&E

The Committee agreed to close petition due to the length of time that has elapsed since contact was last received from the petitioner.

</AI20>

<AI21>

3.16P-04-431 Against Health Cuts from the Residents of Pembrokeshire

The Committee agreed to close petition due to the length of time that has elapsed since contact was last received from the petitioners.

</AI21>

<AI22>

3.17P-04-537 Planting Trees to Reduce Flooding

The Committee agreed to close petition due to the length of time that has elapsed since contact was last received from the petitioners.

</AI22>

<AI23>

3.18P-04-505 Eating Disorder Unit in Wales

The Committee agreed to take further steps to seek to re-establish contact with the petitioner through the Cross Party Group on Eating Disorders. 

</AI23>

<AI24>

3.19P-04-526 Please make Senedd TV accessible to deaf people

The Committee agreed to take further steps to seek to re-establish contact with the petitioner through the Cross Party Group on Deaf Issues.

</AI24>

<AI25>

3.20P-04-442 Guarantee good support close to home for disabled children and their families

The Committee agreed to seek a response from the petitioner and to consider the petition again at the meeting on 9 May.

</AI25>

<AI26>

3.21P-04-559 Secondary School Awareness of Self-Harm

The Committee agreed to seek a response from the petitioner and to consider the petition again at the meeting on 9 May.

</AI26>

<AI27>

3.22P-04-466 Medical Emergency - Preventing the introduction of a poorer Health Service for North Wales

The Committee agreed to seek a response from the petitioner and to consider the petition again at the meeting on 9 May.

</AI27>

<AI28>

3.23P-04-524 Planning Control and the Welsh Language

The Committee agreed to seek a response from the petitioner and to consider the petition again at the meeting on 9 May.

</AI28>

<AI29>

4 Evidence Session - P-05-710 Ensure Disabled People can Access Public Transport As and When They Need it

The Committee considered the evidence received and agreed to write to the National Taxi Association to seek written evidence on the petition.

</AI29>

<AI30>

5 Motion under Standing Order 17.42(ix) to resolve to exclude the public from the meeting for the remainder of the meeting

The motion was agreed.

</AI30>

<AI31>

6 Consideration of Oral Evidence under Agenda Item 4

The Committee considered the evidence.

</AI31>

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