National Assembly for Wales

Can I welcome everybody to this hybrid meeting of the Senedd Petitions Committee? We have received apologies from Buffy Williams and Rhys ab Owen, and we welcome Rhianon Passmore, in replacement of Buffy Williams, to today's meeting. Can I remind committee members that they should note any declarations of interest either now or at the relevant point during today's proceedings? 

Item 2 on today's agenda, new petitions. Item 2.1, P-06-1287, 'Investigate C&V UHB's refusal to keep north Penarth's surgery, allocating patients to distant GPs'. 

'We call to account UHB officials and politicians colluding with closure of Albert Rd surgery (north Penarth), allocating patients to Sully and Dinas Powys, and grossly overloading Stanwell surgery (Penarth Healthcare). We believe the local MS Vaughan Gething knew of the plan and he could have highlighted the concerns to the relevant Ministers and commissioners for Older Persons, Children and Future Generations, to uphold the principle of healthcare services close to home. The system has failed us.'

There is further information available to Members in their packs, and it was submitted by Max Scott-Cook, with a total of 348 signatures. I'd like to invite committee members at this point to discuss the petition and any actions they may wish to take, and I'll bring in Luke Fletcher.

Diolch, Cadeirydd. I think, ultimately, reading the petition, I'm unsure as to whether as a committee we are able to solve the issue. It raises a lot of the concerns and difficulties around getting GP appointments on the other side of Cardiff Bay from us. But, ultimately, I think it's difficult for us as a committee to do anything. We can ask questions around it, though. I think one thing we could do is write to the community health council, as a starting point, to see what they're monitoring of the patient experience as uncovered. We could also, I think, write to the health board as well to see what they're doing to resolve the current situation and to relieve some of the pressures on that particular area.

Diolch, Luke, for those suggestions. Joel James.

Thank you, Chair. I just wanted to come in to say I agree with what Luke has said and the suggestions about writing to the health council and to the local health board. I know the petitioner has contacted me in a regional Member capacity to highlight this as well, and it's something I'm working closely with him on to try and solve. But, yes, I think there's still a bit more we could try and do on this petition.

Thank you, Joel. So, there has been agreement to write to the community health council and to the health board, and I can see that all Members are in agreement with that. 

Item 2.2, P-06-1297, 'Stop "Controlled Burning" in Wales'. 

'The recent Mynydd Mawr, Gwynedd, fire has highlighted the problem with so-called "controlled burning". This was lit within the allowed period (1st October to 31st March) despite recent dry weather and strong winds, and when many birds have already started nesting.

'North Wales Fire Service described Mynydd Mawr as "quite devastated" by the fire. The smoke affected local residents, and the fire service described how valuable resources from as far as South Wales had to be enlisted to help.'

Again, there is further information available to Members. This was submitted by Maya James, of the Delyn constituency, my next-door constituency. And I'll bring in Members to discuss this petition and any actions they may wish to take. Joel James.

Thank you, Chair. I know that we've written to the Minister quite a bit on this matter, and the response has not necessarily been positive for the petition, but I was just wondering whether or not we could write to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. I know it's highlighted in the report that they have called for an end to upland peatland burning due to conservation and climate concerns, and I was just wondering whether or not we could get their views on the overall use of burn management and whether or not they're supportive of it and if the current practice is agreeable to their concerns about conservation and climate change, really, in terms of that window that is allowed for the practice to happen—whether or not that's the correct procedure at the moment. 

Diolch, Joel. Do Members agree? They do. Okay.

Item 2.3, P-06-1304, 'To review the emergency temporary housing policy which impacts our communities'.

'The community of Thomastown in Tonyrefail have suffered due to a B&B in the heart of their community being used by the local authority as emergency temporary accommodation. Although the local authority has maintained that the persons placed here are risk assessed, the community has suffered from anti social behaviour, threats, violence and drug dealing. The community feels let down by the local authority and would like a review of the procedures that are in place to stop this happening again.'

There is additional information available, and it was submitted by Richard Grabham, with 306 signatures. I'll bring in Members to discuss this petition and any actions. Luke Fletcher. 

Diolch, Gadeirydd. I know the Local Government and Housing Committee is currently doing an inquiry into homelessness in Wales, which I believe includes the provision around helping those who are homeless. I wonder if it's worth us bringing this petition to their attention, and to perhaps leave this petition be for the time being until they've reported and they've done their inquiry, and then perhaps we can come back to it once we have their full report, as well as a Government response. 

Thank you, Luke. Joel. 

Thank you, Chair. Just to confirm what Luke was saying, as a member of the Local Government and Housing Committee, I can confirm that we are looking into that, and we've had our first evidence sessions last week. But one of the things I'd like to also try and raise, if possible—. And this harks back to when I was a councillor, in a sense; we had similar issues to what has been highlighted by the residents of Thomastown and Tonyrefail, and I'd be quite keen to know what the police's view is as well, because I know, when we had a similar issue in my ward, the police were unaware that the property was being used to house people who'd just come out of prison, really, before they were looking for more permanent accommodation. And I definitely think there's scope there to have a better—to link up with the police, then. Because, unfortunately, we had a few issues—this is years ago now—but, again, the police were just unaware that the building was being used.  

Okay. Thank you for that, Joel. So, there was a suggestion to await the Local Government and Housing Committee's inquiry and see what they report back, and, also, from Joel, to find the views of the local police force. Do Members agree? They do. Yes. Thank you. 

Okay, moving on to item 3 on today's agenda, updates to previous petitions. Item 3.1, P-05-1112, 'Help Welsh Communities Buy Community Assets: Implement Part 5 Chapter 3'—Part 5, I think it is; mine's cut off slightly—'Chapter 3 of the Localism Act 2011', submitted by Daniel Evans, with 655 signatures. The committee has considered this a number of times; I think at least five times to date. I will bring in Members to discuss this particular petition and any actions they may wish to take. Joel James. 

Thank you, Chair. As you may be aware—again, with my local government and housing hat on—we have currently just published a report on this, and we've made several recommendations, but we're actually waiting for the Minister's response to those recommendations, and I was just wondering whether or not it would be beneficial to wait to see what that is, before taking this any further. 

Thank you for that, Joel. I can see Members are in agreement, and I believe they will be debating their report as well, so perhaps Members of this committee might be able to take part, if there's time, to highlight this particular petition in the debate.

Item 3.2, P-06-1212, 'Mark Allen's Law—we want throwline stations around all open water sites in Wales', submitted by Leeanne Elizabeth Bartley, with 11,027 signatures in total. Well, this has been a particular success again, I think, for the Senedd Petitions Committee in this Senedd term. We have made recommendations to the Welsh Government, and I'm pleased to announce the Welsh Government has accepted five of the six recommendations, and they've accepted the sixth one in principle. So, I believe that is a significant step forward. We have had some response from Leeanne, and I will read that now, because I think it's quite important for the committee to hear.

'We, Marks family are incredibly pleased with the response from the Welsh government in relation to the report entitled "Mark Allen's Law—water safety and drowning prevention" that was prompted by our petition

'We are so grateful to the petitions committee for broadening the original ask of our petition and all the work that has gone into it to date and think that if implemented this will be a positive step forward for water safety and drowning prevention in Wales

'Marks 23rd birthday (14th Feb 2023) is fast approaching and spring/summer 2023 will also soon be upon us. We would now like to ask that these matters are debated in the Senedd at the earliest opportunity'.

Well, I can confirm that the Business Committee, after our request, have scheduled this report from the committee for debate on 7 December, so we will be debating the report and the issues raised within the petition. So, I would like to congratulate Leeanne and I'd like to thank all Members who took part in that, everyone who gave evidence in our inquiry, and of course our clerking team behind the scenes.

We also received attention and we've had correspondence from Paul Donovan, the chair of the Wales Adventure Tourism Organisation, who has suggested that this work should be in line with all the other Adventure Smart Wales and safety protocols that have been in the adventure sector in Wales. As Chair, I will look to attend one of the cross-party groups that Paul chairs in the new year, and see where we can highlight the work that we've done on the petition and see where it can be embedded in the work they do as well.

So, on that note, we will look forward to the debate, and following the debate we will bring this back to committee perhaps one final time. But, again, thanks to the petitioner and all those who got involved. Do Members have any further comments? No, happy.

Item 3.3, P-06-1240, 'Improve health services for people with epilepsy living in Wales', submitted by Janet Paterson with 1,334 signatures. Again, this has been considered by the committee a couple of times—I think this is the fourth occasion. If I remember rightly, I think that we did not have a response from Hywel Dda University Health Board. We have now received that response, thankfully, and we do thank them for that. I will bring Members in to discuss this petition and any actions they may wish to take. Luke Fletcher.

Diolch, Gadeirydd. It's good that we've had responses from all the health boards now, but I think it would be worth us, as a committee, discussing this again when we receive a response from the health Minister to the Epilepsy Action Cymru report. I think that will help inform us a bit better before we make any final decision on this petition.

Yes, I would agree. I think that makes sense. In fairness to the Minister, it wasn't that long ago when we last considered this petition, so we look forward to her response, and of course we can consider further then.

Item 3.4, P-06-1235, 'Ensure appropriate provision of services and support for people with Acquired Brain Injury in Wales', submitted by Dr Claire Williams with 443 signatures. I'd like to bring Members in now to discuss this petition and any actions they may wish to take. Joel James.

Thank you, Chair. I know that, as a committee, we've been working quite closely with the petitioner on this, and her latest correspondence on it has been quite favourable to what's currently happening from the Welsh Government, but I know that she's raised some additional comments, and not wanting to go through them all for the committee, I was just wondering whether or not it would be possible to forward them on to the Minister for her response. I know that one of the comments was asking for greater collaboration between the petitioner and the Minister on ABI matters, and I was just wondering whether or not we could include that in the letter to see if that's a possibility. 

Thank you, Joel. I can see that Members agree. I know, back in June, we did agree to write one final time. I think, given your comments there, we certainly can do that to the Minister, but on the basis of doing that as well, perhaps we close the petition. Do Members agree? Yes, okay. 

Moving on, 3.5, P-06-1273, 'Drastically reduce waiting times for ambulances and at A&E departments', submitted by Christopher Evans with 262 signatures. I'd like to ask Members to discuss this particular petition and any actions they may wish to take. Luke Fletcher.

Diolch, Cadeirydd. I know the Health and Social Care Committee have done an inquiry into this, and I know the Welsh Government as well accepted, or at least accepted in principle, a number of those recommendations that came as a result of that inquiry. I think, looking at the report, a lot of the issues raised in this petition have been answered, so it's a bit unclear to me now what more we can do at our end as a Petitions Committee. So, what I would like to suggest is that we thank the petitioner, that we draw the petitioner's attention to the inquiry by the Health and Social Care Committee, and we close the petition.

Thank you, Luke. Do Members agree? I can see they do, and as a Member who took part in that inquiry in the Health and Social Care Committee, I can say it was a good report, actually. It was a good inquiry by the committee, with good evidence, and it's obviously pleasing that the Welsh Government have accepted them all, or accepted them in principle. So, yes, we will thank Christopher Evans for bringing this important issue to our own attention, and then we will close the petition.

Okay, item 4 on today's agenda. That does now conclude public business for today. We will go into private session to discuss our work for the rest of the year and into 2023. Therefore, can I propose in accordance with Standing Order 17.42(ix) that the committee resolves to meet in private for the remainder of today's meeting? Is everyone in favour? They are. Okay, on that note, can I thank everyone for joining us today? Rhianon, thank you for joining us as a substitute, and you're more than welcome anytime. We will meet as a committee for the last time of 2022 on 5 December, so we look forward to that. And on that note, diolch yn fawr, meeting closed.