Petitions Committee

 

Meeting Venue:

Committee Room 1 - Senedd

 

 

 

Meeting date:

Tuesday, 13 March 2012

 

 

 

Meeting time:

09:00 - 10:42

 

 

 

This meeting can be viewed on Senedd TV at:
<insert link here>

 

 

Concise Minutes:

 

 

 

Assembly Members:

 

Joyce Watson

Lindsay Whittle

Eluned Parrott

 

 

 

 

 

Witnesses:

 

Mohammad Asghar

Matthew Bumford

Jonathan Edwards

Alan Hamer, Glamorgan Cricket

Peter Hybart, Cricket Wales

Huw Jones, Sport Wales

 

 

 

 

 

Committee Staff:

 

Abigail Phillips (Clerk)

Sarita Marshall (Deputy Clerk)

Helen Roberts (Legal Advisor)

 

 

 

<AI1>

In accordance with Standing Order 17.33, the Clerk suspended the meeting for 11 minutes until a quorum was present.

</AI1>

<AI2>

1.  Introduction, apologies and substitutions

The Clerk called for nominations for a temporary Chair, in accordance with Standing Order 17.22.

 

Lindsay Whittle nominated Joyce Watson; there were no other nominations. Joyce Watson was elected as Chair.

 

Apologies had been received from William Powell, Bethan Jenkins and Russell George. Eluned Parrott was substituting for William Powell and Lindsay Whittle was substituting for Bethan Jenkins.

 

</AI2>

<AI3>

2.  Discussion of oral evidence given by the Minister for Local Government & Communities on 7 February 2012

 

</AI3>

<AI4>

2.1P-04-331 Filming and Recording of Council Meetings

 

The Committee discussed oral evidence received from the Minister for Local Government and Communities. The Committee agreed that the filming of council meetings should be a decision for each local authority and that, although it should be encouraged, the Minister should not require local authorities to film meetings.

 

Given the Minister’s statements that he is sympathetic to the idea of a  structured process for local authorities to stream their meetings but that he has no intention of requiring councils to do this, the Committee agreed to close the petition.

 

</AI4>

<AI5>

2.2P-04-332 Local Authority Spending Details over £500

 

The Committee discussed oral evidence received from the Minister for Local Government and Communities on this petition.

 

The Committee agreed that, given the Minister’s statement that he does not intend to intervene in the business protocols of local authorities; that there is already a Freedom of Information system in place; and the large number of records that local authorities would need to publish, the petition should be closed.

 

</AI5>

<AI6>

3.  P-03-238 Pollution of the Burry Inlet - discussion of Committee site visit

Given that several of the Members who attended the Committee’s site visit to Burry Port were not present at the meeting, the Committee agreed to postpone a substantive discussion of the visit until those Members are present.

 

The Committee also agreed to invite Environment Agency Wales and Dwr Cymru Welsh Water to present oral evidence at a future Committee meeting.

 

</AI6>

<AI7>

4.  P-04-329 Control of noise nuisance from wind turbines - discussion of site visits and evidence given on 28 February

Given that several of the Members who attended the Committee’s site visits to windfarms in Carmarthenshire were not present at the meeting, the Committee agreed to postpone the item until Members are present and responses to the Committee’s letters on the subject have been received.

 

</AI7>

<AI8>

5.  New petitions

 

</AI8>

<AI9>

5.1P-04-370 Petition for the improvement of Psychic and Intuitive services in Wales

 

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to await the Minister’s response before considering further action.

 

</AI9>

<AI10>

5.2P-04-372 More Ladies Toilets at Entertainment Venues

 

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to await the Minister’s response before considering further action.

 

</AI10>

<AI11>

5.3P-04-373 School Exclusion Zones for Mobile Hot Food Vans

 

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to await the Minister’s response before considering further action.

 

</AI11>

<AI12>

5.4P-04-374 All dogs to be kept on leads at all times in public places

 

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to await the Minister’s response before considering further action.

 

</AI12>

<AI13>

5.5P-04-375 Stop Opt-Out Organ Donation

 

The Committee considered the petition for the first time.

 

The Committee agreed to await the Minister’s response and refer the petition to the Health and Social Care Committee, which will scrutinise the Bill once it has been introduced. 

 

</AI13>

<AI14>

5.6P-04-376 Reorganise Education in Powys

 

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to await the Minister’s response before considering further action.

 

</AI14>

<AI15>

5.7P-04-377Continuation of Concessionary Fares on Community Transport

 

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to await the Minister’s response before considering further action.

 

</AI15>

<AI16>

6.  Updates to previous petitions

 

</AI16>

<AI17>

6.1P-04-350 Retain the services of Sporttrain in Rhondda and Cardiff

 

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition.

 

Given the information received from the Deputy Minister and the relatively low number of responses received to the consultation on the petition, the Committee agreed to close the petition.

 

</AI17>

<AI18>

6.2P-03-318 Cross Border Maternity Services

 

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition.

 

The Committee agreed to:

Seek an indicative timeframe for the publication of Powys Teaching Health Board’s local delivery plan;

Await a progress report from the Chief Executive of PTHB once the local delivery plan has issued.

 

</AI18>

<AI19>

6.3P-04-337 Tenovus: Free sunscreen

 

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition.

 

The Committee agreed to:

Refer all information and correspondence received on the petition to the Children and Young People Committee’s inquiry into sun protection policy;

Close the petition.

 

</AI19>

<AI20>

6.4P-04-342 MS Nurses

 

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition.

 

The Committee agreed to forward correspondence received from the Minister to the petitioner for comment.

 

</AI20>

<AI21>

6.5P-03-236 The Charter for Grandchildren

 

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to request details of Welsh Government guidance on intergenerational approaches and legislation in order to forward it to the petitioner for comment.

 

</AI21>

<AI22>

6.6P-04-339 Enforcement of Animal Welfare Standards in the Puppy Farming Industry in South West Wales

 

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to request an indicative timeframe for the development of regulations under the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy with a view to encouraging the petitioner to feed into any consultation process.

 

</AI22>

<AI23>

7.  P-04-335 The Establishment of a Welsh Cricket Team - round table discussion

The witnesses answered questions from the Committee.

 

The Committee agreed to:

Write to Cricket Scotland and Cricket Ireland on the issue;

Discuss the evidence received at the 27 March meeting.

 

</AI23>

<AI24>

8.  Motion to move into private session under Standing Order No. 17.42(ii) to discuss P-04-358 Re-instate Home Support for Children with ASD

Item 8 was withdrawn from the agenda as the campaign group who submitted the petition has disbanded.

 

</AI24>

<AI25>

Transcript

View the meeting transcript.

</AI25>

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