Mick Antoniw: Minister, I welcome this motion and the proposal. It's a debate we've had on several occasions with regard to deposit-return schemes, which I fully endorse and support. I've commented numerous times myself on my childhood, where we were, effectively, the 1960s equivalent to barcoding—that is, we collected the bottles, we returned them and we got the money, which went into our pockets. It's...
Mick Antoniw: Minister, can I commend the work that's been done in the University of South Wales, not only in terms of the innovation of the development of testing equipment that may well have commercial viability in the early new year and make a difference, but also the way in which the university has developed pastoral support for the students, certainly in the town of Pontypridd, and in Treforest, where...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you for that answer, Minister. I've just been listening to the Chancellor's financial statement, and the first part of it is, basically, a broken promise over replacing EU money, and we remember the promise, wasn't it, 'Wales won't lose a penny.' Well, it's true—we haven't lost a penny, we've lost hundreds of millions of pounds. The second part of it is obviously a kick in the teeth...
Mick Antoniw: 4. What additional funding will the Minister allocate in the budget to support the Pontypridd area in light of COVID-19? OQ55926
Mick Antoniw: Thank you, Dirpwy Lywydd. Being half Danish, I have a particular interest in this particular set of regulations. We reported as a committee on these regulations yesterday. As Members will know, they came into force at 4 a.m. on Saturday 14 November 2020. As the Minister has explained, the regulations amend the original coronavirus, international travel and restrictions regulations, including...
Mick Antoniw: I'll wind up—in respect of Uber, which basically has developed a race to the bottom in taxi services. It's important in any development that we don't allow the uberisation of the taxi service—that it has to have a firm commercial basis to survive and to be part of an integrated transport service.
Mick Antoniw: Minister, I agree with many of the comments that have already been made, and I won't repeat those. Can I just put on record, firstly, that I recognise that the taxi service, particularly in the Valleys, has made such an important contribution to dealing with the COVID pandemic, in getting, for example, NHS staff to work in areas where bus services are poor in any event? I think it's important...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you for that answer, First Minister. In my constituency of Pontypridd, we have battled with flooding, which hit our economy and our infrastructure hard, and, of course, we battle with COVID, with some of the highest infection rates in Wales. And, like many thousands of others, I've stood outside my home and clapped and applauded our public sector workers as a community, and we've...
Mick Antoniw: 3. Will the First Minister make a statement on the impact of COVID-19 on the economy in Pontypridd and Taff-Ely? OQ55944
Mick Antoniw: Being the, I think, fourth or fifth speaker, most of what I wanted to say has now been said, so there are just a few particular comments I want to make. The first one is to welcome the report, and to welcome in particular this model of short, sharp reports that are very timely and current, because that way guarantees they actually can have a direct impact on what is happening at the time. One...
Mick Antoniw: Okay. Thank you, Deputy Llywydd; I was waiting to hear from you. My focus is going to be on the refugees themselves as human beings who are now the subject of attack, intimidation and persecution by the far right, sadly encouraged by a Member of this Senedd, Neil Hamilton, who I believe brings shame on this Senedd. It comes as no surprise to us that the Member has become a cheerleader for the...
Mick Antoniw: Minister, in the Pontypridd and Taff Ely area, we obviously look forward to the eight section 19 reports that will be prepared now by Rhondda Cynon Taf, which will be very important in determining future actions and prevention, and so on. One of the issues that has arisen in some 30-odd meetings that I and the local MP have had with communities, businesses and so on in the Pontypridd and Taff...
Mick Antoniw: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. The committee considered the statutory instrument consent memorandum for the European Union Withdrawal (Consequential Modifications) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 at our meeting on 9 November, and we laid our report on 12 November. We noted that the objective of the regulations is to ensure that the UK statute book works coherently and effectively, following the end of...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. In respect of items 10 and 11 taken together, as Members will know, the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 3) (Wales) Regulations 2020 expired on 8 November. From 9 November, the No. 4 regulations impose the restrictions and requirements in response to public health risks arising from coronavirus. And Members will also be aware that the No. 4...
Mick Antoniw: Diolch, Llywydd. Another short report from the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee. We considered this LCM at our meetings on 8 and 15 June, and subsequently laid our report on 17 June. Our report noted the Welsh Government's assessment of the provisions in the Bill that require Senedd consent and the Welsh Government's reasons as to why, in its view, making provision for Wales...
Mick Antoniw: There was a delay in the sign coming up. Diolch, Llywydd. The Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee considered the Order at our meeting on 19 October and our report contains only one merits point. As the Minister has outlined, the Order makes amendments to three items of election-related legislation. The amendments being made have the effect of exempting expenses relating to a...
Mick Antoniw: —that we are going to have the consultation. That is that, in consideration of congestion charging, we have to look at where transport is coming from, and it mustn't be seen as a tax on the Valleys, and I know that that is very much in the Minister's mind. The very final point is: will the Government be campaigning for the revocation of section 25, now, of the Railways Act, so that the...
Mick Antoniw: Minister, devolution has presented us with tremendous opportunities in respect of developing the integrated transport system. I think that we should actually celebrate that we actually now have, for the first time in decades, an opportunity to completely re-evaluate our public transport sector. Can I say how pleased I am that Pontypridd is going to be the hub of Transport for Wales? The...
Mick Antoniw: First Minister, we don't have any clarity or certainty yet whether the UK Government is going to be able to negotiate an EU trade agreement, and we don't know whether there's going to be any further support for businesses. We see that sectors like the aviation sector in my constituency have been abandoned by the UK Government. We've lost jobs in avionics, at BAMC, GE and many others, and, at...
Mick Antoniw: What discussions has the First Minister had with the UK Government in respect of the EU trade negotiations?
