Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 1 - Senedd. View directions

Contact: Steve George  Deputy Clerk: Kathryn Thomas

Media

Senedd.TV: View the webcast

Items
Expected timing No. Item

Transcript

View the meeting transcript (PDF 248KB) View as HTML (203KB)

1.

Introduction, apologies and substitutions

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

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

(09.00-09.15)

2.

New petitions

2.1

P-04-658 The Brimmon Oak

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

William Powell declared the following interest under Standing Order 17.24A:

He knows Mr Lloyd Jones and has given procedural advice to the petitioners.

 

Russell George declared the following interest under Standing Order 17.24A:

He has visited the tree with Mr Lloyd Jones and made representations at a public inquiry meeting held at Newtown.

 

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write to the Minister to ask her to set out whether she supports the preservation of the tree and what action she intends to take to ensure its protection.

 

2.2

P-04-660 The Additional Pressures on Funding for Education Provision Faced by Sparsely Populated Rural Areas

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

William Powell declared the following interest under Standing Order 17.24A:

He is a member of Powys County Council and is a school governor.

 

Russell George declared the following interest under Standing Order 17.24A:

He is a member of Powys County Council and is a school governor.

 

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

·         Seek his views on the additional information provided by the petitioners;

·         Ask what research has been done into the effect of pupils receiving their primary education outside of Wales and their secondary education in Wales and whether education consortia hold any information on the number of pupils affected in this way.

2.3

P-04-659 Pay Student Nurses Their Full Travel Costs

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to await the views of the petitioner on the Minister’s letter.

(09.15-09.45)

3.

Updates to previous petitions

3.1

P-04-638 Emergency Services - Power of Entry

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered correspondence from the Deputy Minister and agreed to:

·         seek the outstanding response from the Welsh Ambulance Service;

·         seek the views of the petitioner on the Deputy Minister’s letter; and

·         return to the matter in the new year once those responses have been received.

3.2

P-04-649 Welsh-Medium Education - Garland or Albatross

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to close it as there seems little more the Committee can do to take matters forward.  

3.3

P-04-639 Save Further Education in Powys

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:

·         await the petitioners’ views on the Deputy Minister’s earlier letter and correspondence from NPTC Group;

·         close the petition if no response is received by the end of January.

3.4

P-04-628 To Improve Access to Education and Services in British Sign Language

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to ask the petitioners to consider accepting the offer of a meeting with officials in the first instance and to feed back to the Committee to allow Members to consider how best to take matters forward.

3.5

P-04-637 To Protect the Future of Youth Music in Wales

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:

·         write again to the Minister for Education and Skills to ask if he has any further observations on the petitioners’ latest letter, in particular for his views on the task and finish group’s views in relation to music hubs as a model; and

·         write to the WJEC to seek further information on its plans relating to resources for the National Youth Orchestra.

3.6

P-04-646 Petition against Welsh Draft Non-statutory Guidance for Local Authorities on Elective Home Education.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and, given that the Minister seems to have addressed the petitioners’ concerns and has previously agreed to ensure that their views are taken into account in developing the new guidance, agreed to close the petition.

3.7

P-04-644 The Future of Further Education

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to await the petitioners’ views on the Minister’s letter.

3.8

P-04-626 De-Trunk the A487 Through Penparcau, Trefechan & Aberystwyth TC

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered correspondence from the Minister and agreed to seek the petitioner’s views on the Minister’s letter but in doing so, to indicate that the Committee is minded to close the petition as there seems little more the Committee can do to progress the issue in this current Assembly.

3.9

P-04-632 Mynyddoedd Pawb

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Members considered correspondence on the petition and were minded to close the petition given that the main issues it raises are being taken forward via the Historic Environment (Wales) Bill.  However Members expressed disappointment that both Visit Wales and the Wales Tourism Alliance did not appear to have responded to requests for information and agreed to write again to both organisations and consider the petition further once responses had been received.

3.10

P-04-577 Reinstate Funding to the Real Opportunities Project

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:

·         Close the petition as the Committee has taken this matter as far as it can; and

·         In doing so ask Mr O’Brien, Chief Executive, WEFO:

o   for his comments on the petitioners’ letter and for his response to their specific questions; and

o   to meet the petitioners to discuss their concerns. 

3.11

P-04-641 Owners of Un-developed Land

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered legal advice that indicated that this is a non-devolved matter on which the Assembly does not have the power to implement the action called for in the petition.  Given this, the Committee agreed to close the petition.  In doing so, the Committee agreed to forward a summary of the legal advice on to the petitioner.

(09.45-10.15)

4.

Evidence Session - Review of the National Assembly for Wales Petitions System

Dr John Cox, Petitioner

Nesta Lloyd – Jones, Welsh NHS Confederation

Robert Southall, Petitioner

 

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee asked the witnesses questions about their experience of the Assembly’s petitions system.

 

5.

Motion under Standing Order 17.42 to resolve to exclude the public from the meeting for the following business:

Items 6, 7 and 8

Minutes:

The Committee agreed the motion.

6.

Discussion of Oral Evidence Session - Review of Petitions System

Minutes:

The Committee considered the evidence ahead of preparing its report.

7.

Review of the National Assembly for Wales Petitions System

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered a paper on the review of petitions along with the oral evidence heard in the earlier session and agreed to consider recommendations for possible changes via correspondence in the first instance.

8.

Discussion of Oral Evidence Session - P-04-522 Asbestos in Schools

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee agreed to defer consideration of the petition until further information has been received from the Minister following his evidence session on 24 November.