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ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN To elect a
Chairman for this Committee for 2016/17. Additional documents: Minutes: RESOLVED to elect
Councillor Beth Lawton as Chair of this Scrutiny Committee for 2016 – 2017 Councillor Beth Lawton thanked Councillor Peter Read
for his work and for his interest in the field as former chair of this Scrutiny
Committee. |
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ELECTION OF VICE CHAIRMAN To elect a
Vice-Chairman for this Committee for 2016/17. Additional documents: Minutes: RESOLVED to elect Councillor
Eirwyn Williams as Vice-chair of this Scrutiny Committee for 2016 – 2017 |
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APOLOGIES To receive any apologies for absence. Additional documents: Minutes: Apologies were received from Councillors Siân Wyn Hughes, Dewi Owen, Peter Read, Gareth A Roberts
and Ann Williams. Neil Foden and David Healy (Teachers' Union Officers) |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST To receive any declaration of personal interest. Additional documents: Minutes: Councillor Linda Ann Wyn Jones declared a personal
interest in item 9 of the agenda, due to the nature of her work. The Councillor
withdrew from the room during the discussion. |
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URGENT BUSINESS To note any items that are a matter of urgency in the
view of the Chairman for consideration. Additional documents: Minutes: None to note |
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The
Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the meeting of this Committee held
on the 17 March 2016, be signed as a true copy. Additional documents: Minutes: The Chair signed the
minutes of the previous meeting of this Committee held 17 March 2016 |
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ALLTWEN SCRUTINY INVESTIGATION UP-DATE PDF 331 KB Cabinet Member:
Councillor W. Gareth Roberts To receive
an update on the Alltwen Scrutiny Investigation. 10.00 –
10.15 a.m. Additional documents: Minutes: a)
A report on the
investigation was presented, updating the Scrutiny Committee on the work
achieved and the work planned. The Chair of the Investigation, Councillor Linda
Ann Wyn Jones, noted that there needed to be further investigation into this
field, as it was very confusing to interpret who, and how many, received the
service. It was suggested that more time was needed to make further enquiries
to resolve this, and to ask for feedback from service users. It was proposed
that a day could be spent at Alltwen to seek input
from some of the users. b)
It was noted that only
three members of the investigation had been present at the meeting held in May,
and it was suggested that the meeting should have been postponed due to the
number of attendees and the matters that had arisen at the Committee. In response, it was noted that there was no quorum for
a scrutiny investigation, and it had been decided that the meeting should
proceed if three members attended. It was suggested that future dates should be
set so that they were in the members' diaries. c)
The observation on the need
to consider the response of former patients and service users was accepted, but
that careful consideration must be given due to confidentiality and data
protection issues. It is suggested that front line officers who worked with
service users could gather this information on a face to face basis, to avoid
causing concern amongst users of being questioned for an investigation. In response to the proposal
to spend a day at the hospital to gather feedback, it was suggested that one
person would be sufficient to do this. ch) During the discussion, the following observations were noted -
Examples of failures in
obtaining equipment - the need for a solution. It was noted that the process of
obtaining equipment was burdensome and that there was a need to keep the
benefit local. -
Important to include input
from service users as part of the investigation, and that there was a system in
place to ensure this. -
National Health Service
Staff proved a service over 24 hours a day, 7 days per week - it was noted that
Gwynedd staff didn't provide hours over weekends - need to address this -
The Health Board's slow
progress in committing to some aspects -
should be extended further
- extend the scheme to other areas -
A request for the
investigation to note the age of the individuals questioned due to the
unwillingness of some older people to complain -
Has consideration been
given to additional likely pressure on the service as a result of a decision to
leave Europe? d)
In response to the above
observations, the Cabinet Member noted that he accepted the officers' comments.
He noted that patients appreciated the new working methods, and that it was
important to continue with the positive attitude. dd) It was accepted that there was conflict between establishing a ... view the full minutes text for item 7. |
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WELSH-MEDIUM EDUCATION SCRUTINY INVESTIGATION PDF 224 KB Cabinet Member: Cllr. Gareth
Thomas To consider a progress report by the Education Cabinet
Member on the above. 10.15 – 11.00 a.m. Additional documents: Minutes: a)
Submitted - a report by the
Cabinet Member on progress made by the Education Department in response to the recommendations
of the Welsh-Medium Education Scrutiny Investigation. Members were reminded that recommendations
had been produced to improve the consistency and quality of Welsh language
education provision within the County's catchment areas. The Cabinet Member noted that the Education Department
had made arrangements for an independent expert to undertake a study on the
exact meaning of bilingual teaching and learning where applicable, and to
define the linguistic nature of the County's secondary schools (Recommendations
1 and 2 of the investigation). It was explained that, although an expert had
been appointed, that it had not been possible to commence the work due to
personal circumstances. It was reported that the department had considered
appointing another expert, but it had been decided to postpone the work until
September 2016. It was noted that this situation was unfortunate, but that it
had now been resolved. A terms of reference for
the study had been shared with the members for information. b)
In presenting the action
plan, the Education Quality Improvement Officer noted that the County's
Schools' Language Policy needed to be updated, and that the consideration of
the Secondary sector was a core part of the study. c)
Disappointment was
expressed that there was no response to all the recommendations in the progress
report, and a request was made to the Education Quality Improvement Officer to
report on / provide a brief overview of each recommendation. ch) The Education Quality Improvement Officer was
thanked for the details. The Cabinet Member noted that any future
recommendations would be included and responded to in the Department's Business
Plan, and also the recommendations of the Annual Report - a request was made
for the Scrutiny Committees to look at the Education Business Plan. d)
In response to the
comments, the Chair noted that the investigation had proved valuable and that
it was pleasing to see some action already on the recommendations. dd) During the discussion, the following comments were
noted: ·
In the context of Ysgol Friars there was a need to ensure appropriate
linguistic provision for the children. ·
Any additional reports /
documents should have been distributed beforehand to facilitate better scrutiny
of the situation ·
It was emphasised that it
was a Scrutiny Investigation on Welsh-Medium Education, not Bilingual Education
- and that there was a need to be proactive in order to keep the Welsh Language
alive ·
Need
to look urgently at the organisation of schools in Bangor. Need to consider
private schools in Bangor - to gain some control of the use of language here. ·
Why do schools place
themselves in categories - a need for consistency ·
The use of language beyond
school hours is difficult to control - need to measure that use of language in
society and ensure that there is encouragement / training for volunteers and
trainers ·
Need
to review the recommendations as ‘smart’ targets · Concern that schools could be ... view the full minutes text for item 8. |
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TRANSPORT POLICY: ADULTS, HEALTH AND WELL-BEING DEPARTMENT PDF 83 KB Cabinet Member: Cllr. W. Gareth Roberts To receive
a report by the Adults, Health and Well-being Cabinet Member on the above. (Copy to
follow) 11.00 a.m.
– 11.45 a.m. Additional documents:
Minutes: (Councillor Linda Ann Wyn Jones withdrew from the room
and did not participate in the discussion) a) A report was presented by the Cabinet Member
highlighting the need for Gwynedd Council to set a new transport policy and
arrangements for the Adults, Health and Well-being Department in response to
the requirements of the Social Services and Well-being Act (Wales) 2014. It was highlighted that the Act placed a duty
on the Council to promote the well-being of our citizens in order to promote
and support independence. Following changes in legislation and the financial
climate, the Cabinet Member noted that there was a need to adopt a fair and
sustainable transport policy. He highlighted that changes could affect service
users, and therefore effective engagement with stakeholders, including users
and their families, would be crucial to the process. It was reported, as each individual was assessed, that
transport was addressed as part of the care plan - and was part of the plan
rather than an add-on. To address this, each individual would need to be
assessed comprehensively. The incentive behind the
exercise was to respond to the act, and three possible options for consideration
were highlighted. ·
Decide not to change the arrangements.
There would be financial and cultural implications of not changing our
practice in this field. ·
Adopt the new policy and revisit care packages specifically from the
perspective of the new transport policy. ·
Adopt the new policy in relation to new packages, reassessments and
annual reviews of packages as opposed to conducting a specific review of
transport matters. It was suggested that option 1 was unrealistic and unsustainable in the
context of the Council's financial situation. b) In response to a question on why the total cost of
Mental Health was low for the 2016/17 budget (£550.00), it was noted that
nobody with mental health conditions currently received a service and therefore
it was reported that it was solely a ‘suggestion’. In response to an observation that it was a
scheme to save money and not to promote independence, the Cabinet Member
accepted that there would be a saving of approximately £38k involved with the
process, but it was outlined that the intention was to include transport as
part of the care package. It was reported that there was scope here to work
with integrated transport, e.g. better use of the residential homes' fleet to
move people within the County, to promote well-being and support independence. c)
During
the discussion, the following observations were noted: ·
Need
to promote independence for older people, ensuring that they had freedom to
leave the house. ·
Need to ensure that the
service was for the whole of Gwynedd and not only the main areas. ·
Need to better coordinate
with the hospital taxi service. ·
In favour of working more
effectively - internal arrangements appeared to be untidy currently and therefore
there was a need to restructure to ensure better arrangements and flexible
transport arrangements. ·
There was a need to
consider transport resources in schools. · Need to ... view the full minutes text for item 9. |