David Melding: If I have time. I realise the Deputy Presiding Officer is much more indulgent than I ever was in these matters.
David Melding: What I note is that renewable energy is now becoming the market preference, and that is absolutely what we should be aiming for, and that is what these incentives were made to achieve. I was going to finish with the point that we need more woodland and forests, including a strategy for 20 per cent urban canopy cover, and active travel, again, has to be a key element—active travel involving...
David Melding: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I do move amendment 3 in the name of Darren Millar. And can I thank Plaid Cymru, and Llyr Gruffydd in particular, for tabling today’s motion? I think it is a very important debate, and we’ve heard, in fairness, two very passionate contributions. And it’s hardly surprising, given the challenges that we now know we face from indisputable...
David Melding: It's a pleasure to follow our excellent Chairman. I say 'our' excellent Chairman—I've now left the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee, but I did enjoy my time on it, and I thought this was a particularly important report, and a fitting one with which to end my time on the committee. Housing is a key area for carbon reduction, and if we're to meet our ambitious targets...
David Melding: Can I commend the Welsh Government and Cardiff council, and the private sector, for the excellent joint working that's doing so much to transform central Cardiff at the moment? The only fly in the ointment that I can see at the moment is the Welsh Government-owned land at Callaghan Square, which I think has been ready for development for some time. It's certainly been owned by the Welsh...
David Melding: I do note there is a broad consensus in this Chamber on this area of public policy and I in no way want that to end. I would, however, emphasise in my response to your statement the need now to ensure a qualitative assurance as well as quantitative. I don't know if you've seen the recent audit office report into the recycling of plastics—this is in England—but over 50 per cent of our...
David Melding: I'm grateful for that answer. You may know, as part of Mountain Ash's regeneration, a Mountain Ash community hub is being developed, and people with disabilities have contacted me to say it's essential that that hub has disabled parking facilities. The day centre building never had those, nor a dropping-off point. I do commend RCT council for their consultation exercise. I have written to...
David Melding: 3. What is the Welsh Government doing to protect and promote the rights of people with disabilities in South Wales Central? OAQ52836
David Melding: It's a pleasure to take part in this important debate and I'm pleased that in this fifth Assembly we have focused on this, the whole issue of the foundational economy, because I think really since the financial crisis there's been a great need to revisit how we look at the economy, because the economy has got to be much more than what can be captured by descriptions such as 'globalisation',...
David Melding: Cabinet Secretary, Cardiff and Vale University Local Health Board has worked with partners in social care, the Welsh ambulance service and the voluntary sector to develop a winter plan to manage the increased demand on services, both at the University Hospital of Wales and at Llandough. The proposal includes an extra 32 beds for winter pressures and a further 12 beds as well if they are...
David Melding: Cabinet Secretary, you may have seen a recent report that said the Welsh technology industry is growing faster than any other area except London. During 2016, the number of digital companies launching in Wales grew from 3,000 to 3,275, or a growth of 9.1 per cent, and Cardiff and Swansea are now the leaders in this technological drive. It is very, very important that this is reflected in the...
David Melding: Cabinet Secretary, I've served as a school governor since 1992, and I've always been privileged to work with the most outstanding senior management teams. I do notice in the independent review that has given you advice on how these powers may be used that the way headteachers are employed could change radically, so that they're employed on a regional and national basis. Now, I wonder how that...
David Melding: 8. How does the Welsh Government's education programme develop skills in new technology and innovation? OAQ52783
David Melding: 4. Will the Cabinet Secretary outline the Welsh Government's priorities for health services in South Wales Central? OAQ52782
David Melding: I welcome the continuation of this programme, and I am pleased to see that it's now being opened to the private sector. I think when it was announced last year there was a general feeling around the Chamber that this was a very positive development, and I see no reason to change that initial assessment. I particularly welcome the emphasis on building design, because if we are to build for...
David Melding: First Minister, I do agree that housing is an asset like no other, really, and has to be treated with its social dimension very much in mind. For this reason, I do agree that Government can look at policies like a premium on the council tax. Where you do that, however, shouldn't it also be, at the very least, the guidance that any extra revenue so generated is then reinvested in affordable...
David Melding: Will the First Minister make a statement on the support that is available for housing adaptations for older people?
David Melding: This process has been made even more convoluted by the reporting mechanisms that the Government has committed to. I won't bore the Assembly with them all, but it seems to say there should be a reporting mechanism, but the whole committee is not involved in it, just the Chair. Whilst I have no doubt that Chair will be diligent in the exercise of his duties, this is not robust procedure. I...
David Melding: I realise that these Standing Orders will pass, and for the efficiency of what we need to do, I think we have to accept that. However, it would have been much better if we were amending this afternoon Standing Order 25 to accommodate the new needs that are on us, in relation to taxation powers. In response to the Business Committee's preference, the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs...
David Melding: Today, we mark World Homeless Day. Since its foundation in 2010, World Homeless Day has been observed on every continent, with the obvious exception of Antarctica. The purpose of World Homeless Day is to draw attention to homeless people's needs locally, and provide opportunities for the community to get involved in responding to homelessness, while taking advantage of the stage created by an...
