Concise Minutes - Petitions Committee

Meeting Venue:

Committee Room 1 - The Senedd

Meeting date: Tuesday, 19 June 2018

Meeting time: 09.03 - 10.57
This meeting can be viewed
on Senedd TV at:
http://senedd.tv/en/4758

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Attendance

Category

Names

Assembly Members:

David J Rowlands AM (Chair)

Rhun ap Iorwerth AM

Janet Finch-Saunders AM

Mike Hedges AM

Neil McEvoy AM

Witnesses:

Huw Irranca-Davies AM, Minister for Children, Older People and Social Care

Gareth Griffiths, Welsh Government

Committee Staff:

Graeme Francis (Clerk)

Kayleigh Imperato (Deputy Clerk)

Kathryn Thomas (Deputy Clerk)

Lisa Salkeld (Legal Adviser)

 

<AI1>

1       Introduction, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting. There were no apologies.

</AI1>

<AI2>

2       New petitions

</AI2>

<AI3>

2.1   P-05-817 Specialist prosthetics for child amputees

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee (WHSSC) to seek further detail about the current policy for providing prosthetic services and ask:

·         why there appears to be a distinction made between upper and lower limbs;

·         the volume of applications received for recreational lower limb prosthetics under the IPFR process, and an indication of the proportion which are approved;

·         for details on the average additional cost associated with providing a recreational lower limb prosthetic to a child or young person; and

·         what use is currently made, or could be made in the future, of 3D-printing for the production of prosthetics.

 

</AI3>

<AI4>

2.2   P-05-819 Welsh Place Names - Protection & Promotion Bill

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to await further views from the petitioner in response to the letter from the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport before considering whether to take further action on the petition.

 

</AI4>

<AI5>

2.3   P-05-820 Don't take Neath off the main railway-line

Neil McEvoy declared the following relevant interest under Standing Order 17.24A:

 The petitioner works for him.

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write back to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport to ask:

</AI5>

<AI6>

3       Updates to previous petitions

</AI6>

<AI7>

3.1   P-05-793 Hi speed broadband to Llangenny village

The Committee considered correspondence from Openreach and the Leader of the House and agreed to await an announcement in relation to the successor scheme to Superfast Cymru, and to seek details at that point as to whether Llangenny can expect to be connected to superfast broadband through that programme.

 

</AI7>

<AI8>

3.2   P-04-519 Abolition of Park Homes Sales Commission

The Committee considered a recent statement by the Minister for Housing and Regeneration and agreed to write to the petitioners to seek their views on the decision taken by the Minister for Housing & Regeneration, and in doing so, explain that the Committee considers there is little further than it can achieve in light of the detailed consideration that has been given to the issue by the Welsh Government.

 

</AI8>

<AI9>

3.3   P-05-757 Remove the Obligation on Schools to Hold Acts of Religious Worship

The Committee considered this petition together with P-05-765 Keeping Current Guidelines for Religious Assemblies and agreed to await an update from the Cabinet Secretary for Education following the completion of the review by her officials into this subject.

 

</AI9>

<AI10>

3.4   P-05-765 Keeping Current Guidelines for Religious Assemblies

The Committee considered this petition together with P-05-757 Remove the Obligation on Schools to Hold Acts of Religious Worship and agreed to await an update from the Cabinet Secretary for Education following the completion of the review by her officials into this subject.

</AI10>

<AI11>

3.5   P-05-802 Protecting Class Sizes in Design and Technology Classrooms and Workshops

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Education and agreed to await a further update from the Cabinet Secretary, and views from the petitioner, before considering whether any further action on the petition is required.

 

</AI11>

<AI12>

3.6   P-05-753 Strengthening the Legislative and Regulatory Framework Surrounding Waste Wood Processing Facilities

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs and Natural Resources Wales, along with further comments from the petitioner, and agreed to close the petition in light of:

 

</AI12>

<AI13>

3.7   P-05-777 Application of the Automatic Fire Suppression Systems Legislation within the current Building Regulations for Wales.

The Committee considered correspondence from the Chair of the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee and agreed to close the petition in light of the fact that the Committee has now established that there are no plans to review the regulatory requirements in this area within the Assembly or Welsh Government at this time.

 

</AI13>

<AI14>

3.8   P-05-800 Urgent Appeal for a Welsh Veterans Commissioner for the Health & Wellbeing of Wounded, Injured, Sick and Homeless veterans

The Committee considered correspondence from the petitioner and agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Public Services to ask whether there is a way to facilitate a meeting between the petitioner and the Armed Forces Expert Group.

 

</AI14>

<AI15>

3.9   P-05-782 Build a Chepstow Bypass to Remove the Bottle Neck from the M48 onto the A48

The Committee agreed to close the petition on the basis that it is not possible to take the petition forward, or to prioritise further consideration of it, in the absence of contact with the petitioner.

 

</AI15>

<AI16>

4       Paper to note

</AI16>

<AI17>

4.1   P-05-785 Suspend Marine Licence 12/45/ML to dump radioactive marine sediments from the Hinkley Point nuclear site into Wales coastal waters off Cardiff

The Committee noted the paper.

 

</AI17>

<AI18>

5       Motion under Standing Order 17.42 to resolve to exclude the public for items 6 and 8 of today's business:

The Committee agreed the motion.

 

</AI18>

<AI19>

6       Draft report - P-04-682 Routine Screening for Type 1 Diabetes in Children and Young People

The Committee agreed the draft report and its intention to publish it before the summer recess, with a view to holding a debate in plenary in the autumn term.

</AI19>

<AI20>

7       Evidence session - P-05-771 Reconsider the closure of the Welsh Independent Living Grant and support disabled people to live independently

The Committee heard evidence from Minister for Children, Older People and Social Care and Gareth Griffiths.

 

</AI20>

<AI21>

8       Discussion of Previous Evidence Session - P-05-771 Reconsider the closure of the Welsh Independent Living Grant and support disabled people to live independently

 

Members discussed the evidence session and agreed to seek additional evidence from a range of stakeholders in relation to the subject of the petition.

</AI21>

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