Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 1 - Senedd. View directions

Contact: Graeme Francis 

Media

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Transcript: Transcript for 17/09/2019 - Petitions Committee - Fifth Senedd

Items
No. Item

1.

Introduction, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Michelle Brown.

2.

New petitions

2.1

P-05-893 Save Our Parks In Wales

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to:

·         write to the WLGA to seek their views on the issues raised by the petition and to seek any information they can provide on the number of playing fields and open spaces lost, or developed, around Wales in recent years; and

·         await the views of the petitioner on the responses received before considering whether to take further action on the petition.

2.2

P-05-894 Fairer business rates for Welsh businesses

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to await the views of the petitioners on the response provided by the Welsh Government before considering whether to take further action on the petition.

2.3

P-05-896 Prevent the closure of Ward 35 at Prince Charles Hospital

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to:

·         write to Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board to seek its views on the issues raised by the petition, and information on the changes affecting Ward 35 and how it is supporting people affected by these; and

·         await the views of the petitioner on the responses received before considering whether to take further action on the petition.

2.4

P-05-897 Stop Developers netting hedgerows and trees

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to await the views of the petitioners on the response provided by the Welsh Government before considering whether to take further action on the petition.

3.

Updates to previous petitions

3.1

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

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to:

·         note the progress made and await a further update from the Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services once the independent assessments of people’s care needs have been completed; and

·         congratulate the petitioner on the progress made by his campaign to date.

3.2

P-05-812 We call for the Welsh Government to encourage trusts to implement the NICE guidelines for Borderline Personality Disorder or justify why they do not do so

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to await the Welsh Government’s response to its report on petition P-05-736 To Make Mental Health Services More Accessible, in particular the recommendations around access to psychological therapies, before considering whether it is able to take further action on the petition.

3.3

P-05-817 Specialist prosthetics for child amputees

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to write to the Minister to request an update on:

·         the progress made in relation to a business case for developing a service to provide specialist sports prostheses for children; and

·         the consideration given to providing a copy of the business case to the Committee

3.4

P-05-826 Pembrokeshire says NO!! To the closure of Withybush A&E!

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to write to Hywel Dda University Health Board to request an update on the work undertaken since its previous correspondence in January 2019, particularly with regards to engaging and consulting with local people, and to request that they commit to providing the Committee with a quarterly update in relation to this issue.

3.5

P-05-842 Give young people a voice when commissioning local services in Wales

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to write to the Minister for Health and Social Services to ask:

·         for a further update from the on the work underway led by the Strengthening and Advancing Equality and Human Rights in Wales Working Group; and

·         express the Committee’s support for the petitioners call for a statutory requirement to include children and young people in the commissioning of children and young people’s services.

3.6

P-05-849 All men in Wales should have access through the NHS to the best possible diagnostic tests for prostate cancer

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to:

  • write back to the Minister for Health and Social Services to:

·         ask for an update on the implementation of the new NICE Guideline for prostate cancer;

·         outline the concerns raised by Prostate Cancer UK and the petitioner, and ask for further consideration to be given to how men living in areas of Wales where mpMRI scanning is not yet available can be given access to these scans as an interim measure, for example through other health boards or the private sector; and

·         write to other cancer charities in Wales to seek their views to the issues raised, including the plans for implementation of mpMRI scanning.

 

3.7

P-05-859 Provide Child Houses in Wales for victims of child sexual abuse

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to write to the Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services to:

  • seek an update on the rollout of the new model for Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs), including the proposed locations of the two paediatric hubs and local centres;
  • request information about waiting times for accessing existing SARCs; and
  • ask whether there are existing support services in place for children to access without the need for a referral. 

 

3.8

P-05-809 Proposed New Fishing Bylaws and Failings of Natural Resources Wales

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered an update and further correspondence, and agreed to close the petition on the basis that there is little further action that the Committee could take following the detailed inquiry into the proposed Byelaws conducted by the Planning Inspectorate, and the Minister’s decision to confirm the Byelaws.

3.9

P-05-810 Give Welsh Fishing Clubs and Salmon and Seatrout a Chance

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered an update and further correspondence, and agreed to close the petition on the basis that there is little further action that the Committee could take following the detailed inquiry into the proposed Byelaws conducted by the Planning Inspectorate, and the Minister’s decision to confirm the Byelaws.

3.10

P-05-813 Ban the USE of LARSEN TRAPS (Multi Corvid Traps)

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to write back to NRW to accept their offer to investigate the use and regulation of Larsen Traps, and ask for them to provide an indicative timescale for when they anticipate carrying out this work.

3.11

P-05-856 Ban the sale of puppies by pet shops and all commercial 3rd party dealers in Wales

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered an update and further correspondence and agreed to write to the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs to welcome the announcement that she intends to introduce a ban on third party sales of puppies and kittens, and to ask for details of the intended process and timescales for this.

3.12

P-05-874 Ban the sale of goods packaged in single use plastics on Transport for Wales services

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

In light of the actions described by Transport for Wales and their  intention to completely phase out the use of single use plastics on its services, the Committee agreed to close the petition and thank the petitioner for bringing the petition forward.

3.13

P-05-858 Fire sprinklers are for life, not a fast buck!

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

In light of the review of fire safety requirements, including those within building regulations, currently being carried out the Committee agreed to close the petition and to thank the petitioner for highlighting this issue.

3.14

P-05-867 Make the 'Cofiwch Dryweryn' Mural a designated Welsh landmark

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to:

·         write to Tro’r Trai, the charity now taking on the role of protecting the mural, to ask for it to outline how it plans to carrying out this role in the future; and

·         to offer its thanks to Dilys Davies for her role in purchasing the mural to facilitate its protection for the future.

 

3.15

P-05-884 Amendment to Education (Student Support) (Wales) Regulations 2018 to include UK institutions with operations overseas

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to write to the University of London Institute in Paris to ask:

·         for clarification about its regulatory status;

·         for its perspective on the issues raised by the petition; and

·         details of any discussions held with the Welsh Government on this matter.

3.16

P-05-888 Make GCSE Welsh Language compulsory in all schools in Wales

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to write back to the Welsh Independent Schools Council (WISC) to ask what percentage of independent schools do offer their pupils the opportunity to learn Welsh GCSE.