Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 1 - Senedd. View directions

Contact: Graeme Francis 

Media

Senedd.TV: View the webcast

Transcript: Transcript for 12/02/2019 - Petitions Committee - Fifth Senedd

Items
No. Item

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-05-862 Tackling school bullying

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

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

·         provide the further comments received from the petitioner;

·         ask her to provide an assessment of the sufficiency of current legal duties in relation to preventing and tackling bullying in school; and

·         ask for a timeline for when a report on the outcome of the public consultation on anti-bullying guidance will be available.

 

2.2

P-05-863 Call on the Welsh Government to provide free sanitary products to all women in low income households

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 Deputy Minister and Chief Whip before considering whether to take further action on the petition; and

  • consider requesting that the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip to meet with the petitioner to discuss the issues raised in the petition at a later date.

3.

Updates to previous petitions

3.1

P-05-836 Gender Pay Gap Reporting

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee agreed to await a response from the petitioner to the latest information provided by the Deputy Minister before considering further action.

3.2

P-04-408 Child and Adolescent Eating Disorder Service

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the petition alongside P-04-505 Eating Disorder Unit in Wales and agreed to continue to keep a watching brief until the Welsh Government formally responds to the independent review carried out by Dr Jacinta Tan.

3.3

P-04-505 Eating Disorder Unit in Wales

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the petition alongside P-04-408 Child and Adolescent Eating Disorder Service and agreed to continue to keep a watching brief until the Welsh Government formally responds to the independent review carried out by Dr Jacinta Tan.

 

3.4

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

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered correspondence from Hywel Dda University Health Board and agreed to offer people who have previously contacted the Committee on this matter an opportunity to provide their views, and write to Hywel Dda Community Health Council to seek their reflections on the plans outlined by the Health Board and the future of health services for Pembrokeshire.

3.5

P-05-831 End the unfairness and discrimination in the financial support for victims of the contaminated blood scandals who were infected in Wales

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee agreed to await a further update from the Minister for Health and Social Services in relation to the review of the scheme benefits and discretionary payment framework before considering the petition further, and to write again at Easter if this has not been received.

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 noted the information provided by the Minister for Health and Social Services and the petitioner, and agreed to consider the petition again following the Plenary debate scheduled for 6 March 2019.

3.7

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

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee agreed to write to the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs to ask:

·         whether she considers that the divergence between licensing and the regulatory regime in Wales and England poses risks to animal welfare in Wales, particularly in relation to the exotic pet trade; and

·         whether she intends to consider the merits of adopting some or all of the various policy changes made in England by the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018.

3.8

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

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered correspondence from Natural Resources Wales and agreed to:

·         seek the views of the campaign group on the latest developments before considering whether it can take any further action on the petition; and

·         write to NRW to ask them to provide indicative timescales for undertaking the reassessment.

 

 

 

3.9

P-05-840 Fair Funding for Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council and all other Local Authorities

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee agreed to close the petition on the basis that there is little further action that it could take at this stage, in light of the fact that the Welsh Government’s Final Budget for 2019/20 was agreed by the Assembly on 15 January 2019 and having been scrutinised by the Finance Committee and other subject committees.

3.10

P-05-781 Port Talbot Community Against the Super Prison

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

In light of recent developments which demonstrate that the proposal to build a new prison in Baglan is not going ahead, the Committee agreed to close the petition and congratulate the petitioners on the success of their campaign.

4.

Motion under Standing Order 17.42 to resolve to exclude the public for item 5.

Item 5

Minutes:

The motion was agreed.

5.

Consideration of Draft Reports

5.1

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

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee agreed to publish an interim report of the evidence received as soon as possible and to invite the Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services to give evidence to the Committee at the earliest opportunity.

5.2

Draft Report - P-05-784 Prescription drug dependence and withdrawal - recognition and support

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee agreed to publish the draft report.

6.

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

Cllr. John Prosser (SOSPPAN)

Cllr.  Louvain Roberts (SOSPPAN)

Cllr.  Deryk Cundy (SOSPPAN)

 

 

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee heard evidence from Deryk Cundy, John Prosser and Louvain Roberts from SOSPPAN.

7.

Motion under Standing Order 17.42 to resolve to exclude the public for the remainder of the meeting

Item 8

8.

Discussion of Previous Evidence Session

Minutes:

The Committee discussed the evidence received and agreed to write to Hywel Dda University Health Board and Hywel Dda Community Health Council to seek a response to some of the issues raised.