Steffan Lewis: Diolch, Lywydd. I’m pleased to move the motion laid in the name of Rhun ap Iorwerth. The issue of the mineworkers’ pension scheme surplus forms part of an unholy trinity of miners’ injustices, along with past state brutality and the intentional de-industrialisation of their communities. But I hope that all Members on all sides can agree that the motion before us today is not...
Steffan Lewis: When the agreement was reached to split the fund’s valuation surpluses 50/50 between the fund and the UK Government, no-one expected the fund to perform as well as it has—no-one anticipated that the UK Government would have benefited to the tune of more than £3.5 billion, gobbled up for general Government spending. Indeed, at the turn of the millennium, the Coalfield Communities Campaign...
Steffan Lewis: The prison system’s in crisis and thousands of prison officers are protesting at their dangerous working conditions. At what point will the First Minister deem it essential for Welsh prisons and the well-being of Welsh prisoners and prison staff to come under the jurisdiction of the Welsh Government and the Welsh Assembly?
Steffan Lewis: What are the Welsh Government's priorities in the Aneurin Bevan Health Board area?
Steffan Lewis: I thank the Counsel General for his statement this afternoon, and for his intervention in this significant issue. I’d also like to associate Plaid Cymru with the sentiments he’s expressed regarding the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary. That there is and will be far-reaching consequences of this judgment and the final determination of the Supreme Court is beyond doubt,...
Steffan Lewis: Can we have a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for local government on commitment to public sector apprenticeship schemes? Caerphilly council have withdrawn funding from a scheme that offered training and apprenticeship opportunities for young people, to help them into work. The scheme had successfully created 18 permanent jobs, but the council withdrew funding in 2015-16, and have not...
Steffan Lewis: Diolch, Lywydd, I think. [Laughter.] The existing constitutional arrangements cast doubts on the ability of the Assembly to defend its areas of competence in the context of Brexit, but what assessment has the Welsh Government made of the current incarnation of the Wales Bill in terms of the Assembly’s ability to defend its areas of competence? And will the First Minister, in light of the...
Steffan Lewis: What are the First Minister's priorities for Wales' constitution?
Steffan Lewis: Climate change, of course, is a global threat and requires a global response. International co-operation, each nation doing its part, will be essential to mitigate the threat that climate change poses, and to react to the effects of our warming world. The Paris agreement, as has been mentioned, will enter into force in two days’ time on 4 November. After being agreed in December 2015, it...
Steffan Lewis: I would also like to extend my condolences to the workers and their families who have been affected by this statement. This is a blow to the community—a community that already faces enough economic and social challenges. I accept that it’s early days as of yet, but is it clear yet why the company has decided to relocate these jobs to Cornwall? I accept what the Cabinet Secretary has just...
Steffan Lewis: The leader of the house will be aware perhaps of a petition calling for justice in relation to the surplus in the mineworkers’ pension scheme. The petition has over 7,000 signatures and the surplus in the pension scheme has contributed billions to the Treasury. Can we have a statement from the Government urgently in order to secure a review of the miners’ pension surplus so that it is no...
Steffan Lewis: I thank the First Minister for his statement today. He and I, of course, will disagree and will have differing views in terms of the need for a more urgent and more clear position on the part of the Welsh Government in relation to our withdrawal from the European Union. But I’d like to focus my questions to him on what has been secured in the recent Joint Ministerial Committee plenary...
Steffan Lewis: What was the result of discussions during the recent Joint Ministerial Committee meeting?
Steffan Lewis: In addition to the Treasury forecasts that were leaked regarding the fiscal deficit and the impact of Brexit upon that, there have also been numerous reports on the impact of leaving the European customs union and the single market as well—all issues I expect will be discussed at the Brexit Joint Ministerial Committee that I understand is happening on Monday. Of course, in the Scottish...
Steffan Lewis: I’m grateful to the Cabinet Secretary for that response. As she said, there is great variety in the local authorities in terms of their performance with recycling. Given the Government’s announcement on the future of local government in Wales, with collaboration and even regionalisation going to happen, does she foresee, in the near future, that recycling projects will happen at a...
Steffan Lewis: 12. Will the Minister make a statement on recycling projects in South Wales East? OAQ(5)0036(ERA)
Steffan Lewis: Today it was announced that Newcastle-Gateshead will host the first Great Exhibition of the North of England, and we also know that Manchester is planning a bid for the World Expo in 2025. Can we have a statement from the Government on its plans to support a bid from a Welsh city to host a major event in order to showcase Welsh innovation? And would the leader of the house agree with me that...
Steffan Lewis: Diolch. I thank the First Minister for that answer. Of course, it’s the mood music around the tabling of the idea of a European repeal Bill that is perhaps an inevitable part of a hard Brexit scenario and which has deeper and far-reaching consequences. I’m quite concerned about the nature of the way in which the Prime Minister made her announcement and, indeed, the way that the First...
Steffan Lewis: Will the First Minister make a statement on the implications for Wales of the Prime Minister’s proposed EU law repeal Bill? EAQ(5)0189(FM)
Steffan Lewis: I thank the Cabinet Secretary for her answer. She will be aware, I’m sure, of the tragic death of Glyn Summers, who died whilst on a college trip to Barcelona in 2011. And whilst everybody here, I’m sure, would agree that we should give pupils and students every opportunity to travel abroad with their schools and colleges, I’m sure we’d all also agree that safety must be paramount. Is...
