A petition objecting to the potential closure of Pembrokeshire’s accident and emergency department is the largest received by the Senedd’s petitions committee.

The petition objecting to Hywel Dda University Health Board’s wide-ranging proposals was signed by more than 40,000 people, and will now be debated by Welsh Government.

The Welsh Assembly petitions committee agreed that Myles Bamford Lewis’ petition should be debated further.

Committee chairman David J Rowlands said the ‘Pembrokeshire says no to the closure of Withybush A&E’ petition was the “largest petition” received with 40,045 signatures.

It was presented to the committee by Mr Bamford Lewis, from Dinas, at a recent protest at the Senedd attended by Pembrokeshire residents.

“I don’t see how we cannot ask for a plenary,” added Mr Rowlands.

Committee member Mike Hedges AM added that even if many signatures were from outside the area “there must be more than 5,000 from the Pembrokeshire area, it’s obviously a matter concerning the area.”

Rhun ap Iorwerth AM added: “If having a debate on petitions means anything then this must go there.”

He added that there were “issues of principles” that concern the whole of Wales.

It was agreed that a request be made for the petition to appear on the Plenary agenda in the autumn.

An update will be requested from the health board on its time-scales following the closure of the recent consultation.