Rhys ab Owen: Thank you very much, First Minister. As you will be aware, on Clean Air Day, the Labour council in Cardiff reopened Castle Street in the heart of Cardiff, and the Deputy Minister for Climate Change described that as disappointing. Many Labour councillors in Cardiff have questioned the figures and the data used by the council. Every Member of this Senedd stood on a manifesto to promote a clean...
Rhys ab Owen: 8. What action is the Welsh Government taking to reduce air pollution levels in Cardiff? OQ56658
Rhys ab Owen: Firstly, the properties are not sellable, Minister, and their value is virtually zero as they cannot gain EWS1 certification. Prospective purchasers then can't get a mortgage, so they can't sell. Yet, their council tax remains very high, some as high as group G. As council tax is based on the value of the property, and as councils are responsible for signing off these buildings and giving...
Rhys ab Owen: Because this year's funding is by not adequate by a long way. The work so far is very slow, and the costs so far do not count the costs of hiring scaffolding, hiring hoists and so forth, never mind the cost of the cladding itself. How will the Minister be able to assure us and assure the residents of those flats that that work will be completed as soon as possible? The Grenfell tragedy has...
Rhys ab Owen: Through no fault of their own, they are facing huge insurance costs, service charges and bills to deal with the cladding issue, as well as having to deal with the mental strain of knowing that they live in an unsafe building and cannot move. Put yourself in their position, Minister; imagine what it must feel like lying in bed at night worrying about crippling financial costs, and more than...
Rhys ab Owen: I'd like to focus today on housing conditions, and it is appropriate, as Janet reminded us earlier today, it is appropriate in thinking that it's four years after the Grenfell tragedy. It is clear from the meetings I've had with, and the messages I have received from, residents of high-rise apartments in Cardiff that there is great confusion about who is responsible for ensuring that those...
Rhys ab Owen: We all welcome the long-awaited clean air Act in the programme for government. It has a lot of support here in the Senedd and beyond. In April last year, I called on our cities and towns to be more considerate of people, suggesting closing Castle Street in front of the castle to create a nice public place. I was pleased that Cardiff Council did close the street for public vehicles, but we're...
Rhys ab Owen: Does the Trefnydd agree with me that it's very odd, to say the least, that Cardiff's Labour council are using clean air funding from Welsh Government on something that will, in fact, increase pollution and affect the air quality of residents and the 45 million visitors to Cardiff every year? Could we please have a written statement from the Welsh Government on their position on reopening...
Rhys ab Owen: It is a real shame—you mentioned there is common ground—it's a real shame when we had our first opportunity to work together that Labour fell back again and said just 'delete all'. We have an opportunity here to get that far-reaching federalism. Why can't we say now what we want? It's nothing new. Keir Hardie was mentioning it back at the beginning of the last century and, to him—to...
Rhys ab Owen: And in terms of the Crown Estate—as Delyth mentioned, another example of Wales being failed time and time again. And the tidal lagoon supported by the Conservatives for a while, and then that disappeared too. Counsel General, may I congratulate you on your appointment? I know of the work that you've been doing in promoting devolution since the 1970s, and I know about your aspiration to...
Rhys ab Owen: They shouldn't be expected to wait to come out of poverty. James Evans—confusion about devolution. Well, it doesn't help that policing and justice isn't devolved in Wales, but it is everywhere else in the United Kingdom—policing devolved in Manchester, policing devolved in London. You're creating—you're creating—the confusion. And Heledd Fychan, my colleague, was completely right in...
Rhys ab Owen: Sioned Williams told us that we don't want power for power's sake. This isn't some ego boost for the Senedd. We want powers in order to improve the lives of the people of Wales. Why shouldn't we devolve welfare to the same level as Scotland? Why can't we have consensus on this now? Why can't we ask for this now? The children of Wales, as Sioned Williams said, should not have to wait any...
Rhys ab Owen: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. May I first of all thank Darren Millar for his kind words?
Rhys ab Owen: It's a shame that he didn't stop after the kind words. Darren Millar mentioned that, in his maiden speech in 2007, the fire alarms went off—well, Darren, I'm sure that the alarm bells are going off in the union unit in Downing Street, because Wales is on the march and constitutional change will happen, whether you like it or not.
Rhys ab Owen: And let's hope that day comes quickly that we will have on the Conservative benches once again people who are willing to consider great constitutional issues, such as David Melding, Nick Bourne and Lisa Francis. Huw Irranca-Davies—I'm very pleased to hear you mention radical reform.
Rhys ab Owen: I was pleased to hear you talk about the relationship of equals. If so, why can't we state now the powers we want? We have the consensus. Why can't we start the process now? You say, by the way, that independence was rejected in the ballot paper. You should have a word with the Welsh Labour for indy lot about that, and the Wales Governance Centre, which had over 40 per cent of independence...
Rhys ab Owen: There have been so many positive changes in our country as a result of protest, from the daughters of Rebecca to the Chartists, to Cymdeithas yr Iaith and, more recently, Black Lives Matter and Extinction Rebellion. There is a supermajority in our Senedd in favour of enhanced powers. This is the perfect opportunity for us to support that, to support the motion, so that the Senedd and the...
Rhys ab Owen: Proper rehabilitation, an effective and compassionate victim charter and preventative work to sweep aside the root causes of crime. That's what our communities need. Sadly, all these principled aspirations will remain beyond our control until we have the means to make Welsh justice here in Wales. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, currently taking its legislative journey through...
Rhys ab Owen: We must make legislation that is closely aligned to health and education and welfare services.
Rhys ab Owen: Should we really leave all these important matters to a party that wishes to slash the international aid budget? Really? Is that what we're asking the Welsh people to accept?
