Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 1 - Senedd. View directions

Contact: Graeme Francis 

Media

Senedd.TV: View the webcast

Transcript: Transcript for 13/11/2018 - Petitions Committee - Fifth Senedd

Items
Expected timing No. Item

1.

Introduction, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Janet Finch-Saunders.

 

The Chair welcomed Leanne Wood to the Committee and thanked Rhun ap Iorwerth for his work during the time he was a member.

2.

New petitions

2.1

P-05-839 Adopt WHO Guidelines and Introduce a Clean Air Act for Wales

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write back to the Minister for Environment to ask her to respond to the further comments made by the petitioners before deciding whether to take evidence in the future.

2.2

P-05-846 Save our Hospital at Prince Philip Llanelli

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write to Hywel Dda University Health Board to:

·         seek their response to the petition and the comments received from the petitioners; and

·         request an update on proposals relating to service changes at Prince Phillip Hospital.

 

Members also requested a paper setting out details of the petitions that have collected more than 5,000 signatures since March 2017

 

 

2.28

P-05-848 Let Welsh Students have the opportunity to choose the best study option for them

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

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

 

·         if her officials could meet with the petitioner to discuss the issue raised in the petition in more detail; and

·         what consideration she has given to making funding available to Welsh students wishing to study in the top 100 universities globally.

 

The Committee also queried whether the same arrangements apply to English- and Scottish-based students.

 

3.

Updates to previous petitions

3.1

P-04-667 Roundabout for the A477/ A4075 Junction

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further comments from the petitioner together with a supporting letter from a local haulage company and agreed to:

·         allow further time for correspondence from Valero or others to be provided, before sending the views on to the Welsh Government and requesting a response; and

·         write to Pembrokeshire County Council to seek its views on the issue raised by the petition.

3.2

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

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered comments from the petitioner and agreed, given that the Committee has previously requested that residents are consulted in the event that the Welsh Government proceeds to sell the land in question and the petitioner has been in contact with Government officials, that there may be little further practical action that the Committee could take. Therefore Members agreed to close the petition.

 

3.3

P-05-770 Reopen Crumlin Railway Station

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered correspondence from the petitioner. In light of the process for assessing potential new stations which is being taken forward by the Welsh Government, and the fact that Crumlin is being assessed as part of this, Members agreed to close the petition.  In doing so, they wished to thank the petitioner for his work in campaigning on this issue.

 

3.4

P-04-399 Slaughter Practices

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence on the petition and agreed to produce a report to summarise the evidence it has received and formalise its recommendations to the Welsh Government.

 

3.5

P-04-433 CCTV in Slaughterhouses

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence on the petition and agreed to produce a report to summarise the evidence it has received and formalise its recommendations to the Welsh Government.

 

3.6

P-05-743 End the Exotic Pet Trade in Wales

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered comments from the petitioner and agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs to ask:

·         for an update on the consideration given to developments in England and Scotland since her previous correspondence in February 2018;

·         that she provides a definitive position from the Welsh Government as to whether a ban on the trade of exotic pets would have merit at this time; and

·         for a list of what animals might be defined as exotic and therefore unsuitable to be kept as pets.

3.20

P-05-783 Ensuring Equality of Curriculum for Welsh Medium Schools e.g. GCSE Psychology

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Education and agreed to:

 

·         write back to question if it is not the Welsh Government’s duty to ensure that there is parity between provision in English and Welsh, given that both languages have official status in Wales; and

·         write to the Welsh Language Commissioner to seek her views on the issues raised by the petition.

3.8

P-05-799 Change the National Curriculum and teach Welsh history, from a Welsh perspective, in our Primary, Secondary and Sixth form Schools

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee agreed to:

 

·         provide the evidence it has gathered on the petition to date to the Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee so that it can inform their recently announced inquiry into the 'Teaching of Welsh history, culture and heritage'; and

·         close the petition at this stage given the detailed consideration which will be given to this subject by another Assembly committee.

In doing so, Members wished to thank the petitioner for bringing the petition forward and for the diligent way in which he has worked with the Committee to raise awareness of this issue.

3.9

P-05-805 Fair Deal For Supply Teachers

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

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

 

He has previously worked as a supply teacher.

 

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Education together with further comments from the petitioner and agreed to:

 

·         write back to the Cabinet Secretary to ask whether the Welsh Government is still giving consideration to developing an alternative model for maintaining a list of supply teachers – such as a public sector solution – alongside the work to revise the managed service framework for agency workers; and

·         seek further information about individual schools or local authorities who employ supply teachers without the use of agencies.

3.10

P-05-832 To Amend the School Admissions Code Relating to Summer-Born Children

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Education, together with further comments from the petitioner, and agreed to write to all local authorities to ask for details of their policies in relation to requests to defer admission for summer-born children including:

·         the number of requests received;

·         the number granted or refused; and

·         where a deferral is agreed, which school year the pupil subsequently joins.

3.11

P-05-798 Male domestic violence victim support services to be independently run & funded

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

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

 

He has been a service user and volunteer for Both Parents Matter; and

The petitioner currently works for him on a temporary basis.

 

The Committee considered correspondence from the Leader of the House and Chief whip, together with further comments from the petitioner, and agreed to write back to the Leader of the House to ask:

 

·         what consideration has been given by Welsh Government to directly funding a national service to specifically support male victims;

·         for details on how the types of services that are commissioned under the new regional approach will be monitored; and

·         for information on how the methodologies of those services receiving public funding are properly accredited or evaluated.

3.12

P-05-836 Gender Pay Gap Reporting

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Mike Hedges declared the following relevant interest under Standing Order 17.24A:

 

The petitioner is known to him.

 

The Committee considered correspondence from the petitioner and agreed to write back to the Leader of the House to seek an update on any developments since her previous letter of 6 Sept, and for further information about the timescales for ensuring gender pay gap data from Welsh public bodies is published in more open and accessible formats.

3.13

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

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered correspondence from the Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism together with further comments from the petitioner and, taking into account the consideration given to this specific issue by the Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee during its recent inquiry into the Historic Environment, and their recommendation that this issue be kept under review, agreed to close the petition.

3.14

P-05-830 Reopen St David's Medical Centre, Pentwyn Full Time

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered correspondence from Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, together with further comments from the petitioner and, in light of the Health Board’s rejection of the application to close the Centre and the satisfaction expressed by the petitioner, agreed to close the petition.

(9:45-10:30)

4.

Evidence Session - P-05-801 Save the trees and ground in Roath Mill and Roath Brook Gardens before it's too late

Lee Fisher

Sarah Jones

Nick Clifton

 

Friends of Roath Brook

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee heard evidence from Nick Clifton, Lee Fisher and Sarah Jones.

5.

Motion under Standing Order 17.42 to resolve to exclude the public for item 6

Minutes:

The motion was agreed.

6.

Discussion of Previous Evidence Session - P-05-801 Save the trees and ground in Roath Mill and Roath Brook Gardens before it's too late

Minutes:

The Committee discussed the evidence heard and, ahead of the evidence session with Natural Resources Wales scheduled for 27 November, agreed to seek to facilitate a meeting between all stakeholders.