Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 1 - Senedd. View directions

Contact: Graeme Francis 

Media

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Items
Expected timing No. Item

Transcript

1.

Introduction, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

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

2.

New petitions

2.1

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 the petition for the first time and agreed to

 

·         Consider the petition further in the context of the budget announcement due later that afternoon; and in the meantime

 

·         Write to the Minister for Social Services and Public Health to share the concerns of the petitioner and ask:

o   whether she will publish the results of the public consultation and minutes of the stakeholder group as requested by the petitioner;

o   whether an Equality Impact Assessment of the decision was carried out and can be provided to the Committee and petitioner; and

o   for her views as to whether the planned transitional arrangements will ensure that the aims of the Social Services & Wellbeing (Wales) Act will have been put into practice by local authorities before the planned closure of the Welsh Independent Living Grant.

2.2

P-05-773 Don't Fill Landfill!

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to await the view of the petitioners on the response from the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs before deciding on what future action to take in relation to the petition.

2.3

P-05-774 Pass Wide and Slow Wales

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

David Rowlands declared the following relevant interest under Standing Order 17.24A:

 

His daughter rides horses.

 

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

 

·         Write to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure to ask if he will consider whether additional support could be given to the British Horse Society’s “Dead? Or Dead Slow” campaign; and

·         Write to the British Horse Society to ask for their views on the petition and the actions that they believe could be taken to increase awareness of the need to pass horses wide and slow.

 

2.4

P-05-776 To recognize the three hundredth anniversary of Williams Pantycelyn

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write to the Arts Council for Wales to ask whether:

 

o   any events or activities have been held during 2017 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the birth of William Williams;

o   if not, what consideration was given to marking this milestone during the year; and

o   for their views on the proposals made by the petitioner.

2.5

P-05-778 Protect the Razor Clams on Llanfairfechan Beach

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

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

 

·         that she provides an update to the Committee when the survey has been completed, and details of any further actions she intends to take to protect razor clam stocks; and

·         whether any action has been taken to investigate the allegations that the harvesting of razor clams has continued since the fishery was closed.

3.

Updates to previous petitions

3.1

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

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Education and agreed to await an update from the Cabinet Secretary following her consideration of the issues raised by this petition and P-05-765 Keeping Current Guidelines for Religious Assemblies.

3.2

P-05-765 Keeping Current Guidelines for Religious Assemblies

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Education and agreed to await an update from the Cabinet Secretary following her consideration of the issues raised by this petition and P-05-757 Remove the Obligation on Schools to Hold Acts of Religious Worship.

 

3.3

P-04-408 Child and Adolescent Eating Disorder Service

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport and the petitioner and agreed to:

 

  • Write to the Cabinet Secretary to ask whether any consideration is being given to extending the services highlighted by the petitioner namely:

 

    • increasing the capacity of the specialised eating disorder CAMHS service which was established using previous Welsh Government funding to train clinicians across Wales;

o   replicating the regional specialist eating disorder team (SPEED Team) currently operating in North Wales in other parts of the Welsh NHS; and

 

·         Consider taking further evidence on the petition in due course depending on the response received.

3.4

P-04-505 Eating Disorder Unit in Wales

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport and the petitioner and agreed to await the response to the Committee’s further letter to the Cabinet Secretary in relation to P-04-408 before considering further action on the petition, including the possibility of inviting the Cabinet Secretary to a future meeting of the Committee.

3.5

P-04-648 Unconventional Oil and Gas Planning Applications

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs and agreed to await the update offered by the Cabinet Secretary by the end of the autumn term, before considering any further actions on the petition.

3.6

P-04-683 Trees in Towns

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs and agreed to seek the petitioner’s views on that response and ask what more, in their view, the Committee can do to take the petition forward.

3.7

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

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Janet Finch- Saunders declared the following relevant interest under Standing Order 17.24A:

 

She is the owner of a Macaw.

 

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs and the petitioner and agreed to write to RSPCA Cymru to obtain their views on the issues raised and on any progress made through their meetings with the Welsh Government in relation to this subject.

 

3.8

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

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs and agreed to write to Natural Resources Wales to seek their response to the issues raised in previous correspondence from the petitioner.

3.9

P-05-756 Live Music Protection in Wales

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee agreed to close the petition, following the Plenary debate held on 12 July and noting the positive response to the petition from the Welsh Government.

3.10

P-05-759 Re-open the Cwmcarn Forest Drive at Easter 2018

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered correspondence from Natural Resources Wales and the petitioner and agreed to write back to Natural Resources Wales to share the latest comments from the petitioners and accept their offer to update the Committee by early November, on progress towards commissioning the feasibility study into the options for Cwmcarn Forest Drive.

3.11

P-05-690 Resurfacing of the A40 Raglan-Abergavenny Road

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered comments from the petitioner and agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure to ask if he can provide the petitioner and the Committee with a clear explanation for the apparent change in position since the Noise Action Plan 2013-18 and commitments given by his predecessor that a resurfacing scheme was being designed.

3.12

P-05-726 Give Rate Relief to Local Authorities for Leisure and Cultural Facilities

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee agreed to close the petition on the basis that the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government has given responses to the petitioners concerns, and that it is difficult to take further action in the absence of contact with the petitioner.

3.13

P-05-734 Ban Letting Agent Fees to Tenants

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered further comments from the petitioner and agreed to close the petition given the intention of the Welsh Government to legislate on this matter and congratulate the petitioners on the success of their campaign.

4.1

P-04-472 Make the MTAN law

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee heard evidence from the petitioner alongside representatives of petition P-04-575 Call in All Opencast Mining Planning Applications.

4.2

P-04-575 Call in All Opencast Mining Planning Applications

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee heard evidence from representatives of United Valleys Action Group and the petitioner for P-04-472 Make the MTAN Law.

(10.30)

5.

Motion under Standing Order 17.42(ix) to resolve to exclude the public from the meeting for the remainder of the meeting

Minutes:

The Committee agreed to the motion.

6.

Discussion of Evidence from Preceding Session

Minutes:

The Committee considered the evidence from the previous evidence session and noted that the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs will be attending a future meeting of the Committee to discuss the issues raised by the petitioners.