Moving on, then, to agenda item 3.1, 'Stop the detention of learning disabled and autistic children, young people and adults in hospital'. The submitter is Stolen Lives, with 1,754 signatures, 1,300 from Wales. This one has quite a history to it. I will be speaking to this petition and going through some of the actions. So, this petition is one of nine referred to the committee from the sixth Senedd's Petitions Committee, and, as I mentioned, it's got quite a history, and this is the fifth time we're considering it. The petitioner, Stolen Lives, is a campaign group consisting of families who have loved ones with a learning disability and/or autism who've been incarcerated in hospitals. They are supported by a range of different organisations, including Mencap Cymru, All Wales People First, Down's Syndrome Association, Learning Disability Wales, All Wales Forum of Parents and Carers of People with Learning Disabilities, and Cymorth Cymru.
The previous Petitions Committee agreed to keep this open as work was ongoing following a task and finish group in January 2026. The task and finish group was a sub-group of the Welsh Government's learning disability ministerial advisory group, and they noted that, in February 2022, there were 147 people with a learning disability in hospital. As of October 2025, this had fallen to 131. And the recommendations that fell out of that by the Minister said that,
'Many call for major service reform and will require detailed preparatory work, resources and investment. I will continue to rely on the Learning Disability Ministerial Advisory Group's expert advice...as we work through these issues. There are an estimated 60,000 adults with a learning disability in Wales—a population which experiences significant inequalities and barriers to everyday life. Addressing these inequalities requires sustained investment, attention and leadership.'
I completely agree with that. There were various other letters that came in as part of that process, but the issue we have with the status of this petition is that the words at the moment appear to be non-actionable; they are aspirational. So, I think the recommendation I'll be making now is that the petitioners have raised concerns in that there aren't any clearly identified metrics that we can track in terms of its implementation. So, in light of the concerns raised by the petitioners, the committee may choose to highlight with the new Minister and seek an update on progress, given that we've got a new Government in place. This could include asking for details of the in-patient audit data, progress with recommendations, and how it plans to engage with campaigners, going forward. So, the recommendation there is that we keep this petition open until those actions have been completed and we receive feedback from Ministers in that regard. Does anybody have anything to add? Okay. So, just to confirm, we'll keep this one open, and we will write to the Ministers with an update on progress. Thank you.
Moving on, item 3.2, P-06-1548, 'Welsh Government to provide fair funding to Cardiff Council to enable essential works on Roath Park Primary.' The submitter is Nia O'Donnell, with 658 signatures, 622 from Wales. I will also be discussing this petition and summarising our actions. So, this petition is the committee's second consideration of the petition. Senedd petitions must call for action by the Welsh Government, rather than changes to the operational decisions of bodies, including local authorities. Now, Members will recall that although school repairs are primarily an operational matter for the local authority, this petition was admissible because it specifically called for Welsh Government funding to repair this grade II listed building. When it was looked at previously, the education Minister reported that Cardiff Council had advised that the tender process for the works closed in June 2026 and is undertaking further work to ensure that the proposed expenditure represents value for money before proceeding with the contract award. So, that, to me, tells me that they're moving forward with this. They've got the funding in place, and my view is that this petition can call itself successful.
We're not going to project manage this for them. We have to flow this down now to let the local elected representatives work this and see it through to completion. But, as far as the petition process goes, I think I would be minded to close this and call it a success, with thanks to the lead petitioner, Nia O'Donnell, and those people who've signed it on behalf of the school. Does anybody want to come in and add anything to that? No. Okay. Thank you. So, we'll go ahead and we'll close that petition. If we could write to the petitioner, let them know that's the case, and thank them for raising it. I think there will be a grateful school there.
The next item is P-06-1582, 'Restore a fair funding route so Welsh students aren’t shut out from MT dance degrees in England.' The submitter is Jennifer Capitao. Very good—10,585 signatures, 8,396 from Wales. I invite Sara to discuss the petition and any actions you wish the committee to take.