DRAFT MINUTES

ID	4140
Committee	Petitions Committee
Date	27/06/2017
Attendees	David J Rowlands AM (Chair) Janet Finch-Saunders AM (Member) Mike Hedges AM (Member) Neil McEvoy AM (Member) Alun Davies AM (Witness) Ruth Conway (Witness) Claire Rowlands (Witness) Graeme Francis (Clerk) Kayleigh Imperato (Deputy Clerk) Kath Thomas (Deputy Clerk) Jessica England (Monitor) Hannah Mason (Monitor) Jonathan Baxter (Researcher) Sam Mason (Legal Adviser) Matthew Richards (Legal Adviser) Lisa Salkeld (Legal Adviser) Celyn Cooper (Monitor) Rhayna Mann (Monitor) AMSS David J Rowlands (Monitor) AMSS Janet Finch-Saunders (Monitor) AMSS Mike Hedges (Monitor) AMSS Neil McEvoy (Monitor) Access All Committees (Monitor) Central Admin (Monitor) Petitions Committee (Monitor) TRS - Users (Monitor) TRS Admin group (Monitor)

Item ID	36104
Item Title	Introduction, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest
Summary	1.1 Apologies were received from Janet Finch-Saunders. 1.2 The Chair placed on record his thanks to Mike Hedges AM, for his work as Chair of the Committee and also to Gareth Bennett AM who has moved to be a member of Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee.
Attachment Titles	Members Brief

Item ID	36105
Item Title	New petitions
Summary
Attachment Titles

Item ID	36950
Item Title	P-05-757 Remove the Obligation on Schools to Hold Acts of Religious Worship
Summary	The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to: · Consider it alongside P-05-765 Keeping Current Guidelines for Religious Assemblies in future; and · Write to the Cabinet Secretary for Education to ask whether the Welsh Government will consider reviewing the current law and guidelines surrounding collective worship, and if any consideration has been given to the compatibility of the current requirements with human rights law.
Attachment Titles	Cover Sheet Research Brief 26.05.2017 Correspondence - Cabinet Secretary for Education to the Chair 19.06.2017  Correspondence - Petitioner to the Committee

Item ID	36952
Item Title	P-05-765 Keeping Current Guidelines for Religious Assemblies
Summary	The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to: Consider it alongside P-05-757 Remove the Obligation on Schools to Hold Acts of Religious Worship in future; and Return to this petition once they have received a response from the Cabinet Secretary for Education asking whether the Welsh Government will consider reviewing the current law and guidelines surrounding collective worship, and if any consideration has been given to the compatibility of the current requirements with human rights law – the action agreed for P-05-757.
Attachment Titles	Cover Sheet Research Brief 25.05.2017 Correspondence - Cabinet Secretary for Education to the Chair

Item ID	36951
Item Title	P-05-761 Demand Funding from the Welsh Government to Support Autism Spectrum Connections Cymru
Summary	The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write to Autism Spectrum Connections Cymru to seek their reflections on the petition and the response from the Minister for Social Services and Public Health.
Attachment Titles	Cover Sheet Research Brief 09.06.2017 Correspondence - Minister for Social Services and Public Health to the Chair 16.06.2017  Correspondence - Petitioner to the Committee

Item ID	36995
Item Title	P-05-762 Move the Welsh Assembly out of Cardiff
Summary	The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to await the views of the petitioner before deciding what further action to take on the petition.
Attachment Titles	Cover Sheet Research Brief 14.06.2017 Correspondence – Assembly Commission to the Chair 22.06.17 Correspondence – First Minister to the Chair

Item ID	36996
Item Title	P-05-764 Better Mental Health Services for Adults
Summary	The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to await the views of the petitioner on the response from the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport before deciding what further action to take on the petition.
Attachment Titles	Cover Sheet Research Brief 11.06.2017 Correspondence - Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport to the Chair

Item ID	36106
Item Title	Updates to previous petitions
Summary
Attachment Titles

Item ID	36953
Item Title	P-04-472 Make the MTAN law
Summary	The Committee considered the petition alongside P-04-575 Call in All Opencast Mining Planning Applications and agreed to ask both petitioners and the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs to give evidence to the Committee early in the Autumn term.
Attachment Titles	Cover Sheet 26.05.2017 Correspondence –Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs to the Chair

Item ID	36954
Item Title	P-04-575  Call in All Opencast Mining Planning Applications
Summary	The Committee considered the petition alongside P-04-472 Make the MTAN Law and agreed to ask both petitioners and the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs to give evidence to the Committee early in the Autumn term.
Attachment Titles	Cover Sheet 26.05.2017 Correspondence –Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs to the Chair 20.06.2017  Correspondence - Petitioner to the Committee

Item ID	36964
Item Title	P-05-743 End the Exotic Pet Trade in Wales
Summary	The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs and agreed to await the views of the petitioner on the information provided by the Cabinet Secretary before deciding what further action to take on the petition.
Attachment Titles	Cover Sheet 06.06.2017 Correspondence –Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs to the Chair

Item ID	36955
Item Title	P-04-576 Allow Children in Wales to Have a Family Holiday During Term Time
Summary	The Committee considered the petition alongside P-04-606 Ensure schools exercise their statutory powers under regulation 7 of The Education (Pupil Registration) (Wales) Regulations 2010 without interference or bias and agreed to await an update from the Cabinet Secretary for Education following the completion of the attendance review later this year, before considering further action on the petition.
Attachment Titles	Cover Sheet 05.06.2017 Correspondence - Cabinet Secretary for Education to the Chair 14.06.2017  Correspondence - Petitioner to the Committee

Item ID	36956
Item Title	P-04-606 Ensure schools exercise their statutory powers under regulation 7 of The Education (Pupil Registration) (Wales) Regulations 2010 without interference or bias.
Summary	The Committee considered the petition alongside P-04-576 Allow Children in Wales to Have a Family Holiday During Term Time and agreed to await an update from the Cabinet Secretary for Education following the completion of the attendance review later this year, before considering further action on the petition.
Attachment Titles	Cover Sheet

Item ID	36958
Item Title	P-04-679 Remove the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification
Summary	The Committee agreed to close the petition because it is not possible to identify how to take the petition forward in the absence of contact with the petitioner, and given the categorical commitment to the Welsh Baccalaureate previously communicated by the Welsh Government.
Attachment Titles	Cover Sheet

Item ID	36959
Item Title	P-05-707 Teachers' Training Must Include Statutory Training in Autism
Summary	The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Education and agreed to await the views of the petitioner on the information provided by the Cabinet Secretary before deciding whether to take further action on the petition.
Attachment Titles	Cover Sheet 02.06.2017 Correspondence - Cabinet Secretary for Education to the Chair

Item ID	36967
Item Title	P-05-748 School Buses for School Children
Summary	The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure along with further comments from the petitioner and agreed to write to the Welsh Local Government Association to seek their views on the petition and the potential for local authorities to provide access to dedicated learner travel for all children (over and above the current statutory requirements), and to consider at that stage, whether to invite the petitioner to attend Committee to discuss the petition.
Attachment Titles	Cover Sheet 06.06.2017 Correspondence - Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure to the Chair 21.06.17 Correspondence - Petitioner to the Committee

Item ID	36977
Item Title	P-04-505 Eating Disorder Unit in Wales
Summary	The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport and agreed to await the views of the petitioner on the information provided by the Cabinet Secretary before deciding whether to take further action on the petition.
Attachment Titles	Cover Sheet 11.06.2017 Correspondence - Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport to the Chair

Item ID	36957
Item Title	P-04-532 Improving specialised neuromuscular services in Wales
Summary	The Committee considered further comments from the petitioner and, given the detailed consideration given to this petition over a number of years and the comprehensive recent responses from health boards, agreed to close the petition on the basis that the outstanding issues would be best taken forward at an operational level. In doing so, Members agreed to provide the petitioners’ further proposals to the Welsh Government for information and ask if the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport would be prepared to meet with them.
Attachment Titles	Cover Sheet 07.06.2017  Correspondence - Petitioner to the Committee

Item ID	36960
Item Title	P-05-720 Hirwaun and Penderyn Community Council Petition for the Installation of Fibre Optic Broadband
Summary	The Committee considered correspondence from the Minister for Skills and Science and agreed to close the petition on the basis that rollout of fibre optic broadband is scheduled to be completed shortly, and that specific issues can be raised directly with the Welsh Government using the contact information provided by the Minister.
Attachment Titles	Cover Sheet 05.05.2017 Correspondence – Minister for Skills and Science to the Chair

Item ID	36961
Item Title	P-05-725 Widen the A470 from Pontypridd to Coryton to 3 Lanes
Summary	The Committee agreed to close the petition because it is difficult to identify how to take the petition forward in the absence of contact with the petitioner.
Attachment Titles	Cover Sheet

Item ID	36993
Item Title	P-05-742 Stop Forsythia Closing
Summary	The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to write to: · the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children to ask for an update on the development of the Welsh Government’s new approach to building resilient communities; and · the centre management, to ask for a comparison on how the service provision will differ following the changes.
Attachment Titles	Cover Sheet 12.06.2017 Correspondence - Minister for Lifelong Learning and Welsh Language to the Chair 14.06.2017 Correspondence - 3Gs Development Trust to the Chair 14.06.2017 Correspondence - 3Gs Development Trust to the Chair (Annexe) 24.05.2017 Correspondence - Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council to the Chair 20.06.2017 Correspondence - Petitioner to the Chair

Item ID	37160
Item Title	Papers to note
Summary	Members noted both papers.
Attachment Titles	12.06.17 Correspondence - Chair of the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee 15.06.17 Correspondence - Chair of the Finance Committee

Item ID	36971
Item Title	Evidence session - P-04-628 To improve access to Education and services in British Sign Language
Summary	The Minister for Lifelong Learning and Welsh Language answered questions from the Committee.
Attachment Titles	Cover Sheet Research Brief