John Griffiths: I'm pleased to speak today as the Chair of the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee. We have been considering the human rights implications of leaving the European Union over the past year. In December, we outlined a number of core principles that we identified. Our overriding priority is that there is no regression in equality and human rights protections once we have left...
John Griffiths: I want to speak briefly in support of the general principles of the proposed legislation. I do believe that the ill effects of excessive alcohol consumption are well documented and the effects on people's health and the ill health that results in is, again, well established and accepted. And of course it also impacts on the wider family, as well as the individual who drinks too much. There's...
John Griffiths: Cabinet Secretary, I wonder if you would join me in applauding the work of Kaleidoscope and Gwent Drug and Alcohol Service in providing a wide range of activities for those in recovery from their drug and alcohol problems, so that they can develop new interests, find more useful ways of occupying their time in aiding that recovery process and, in particular, recognise new initiatives, such as...
John Griffiths: I just wanted to address a particular point, really, and it is with regard to the importance of leadership in our schools, which we very regularly hear is vital, and I believe that, indeed, it is. We must have the right leadership skills and the right leadership teams in place if we're going to make the sort of progress that we wish to see in our schools. I want to relate that to the...
John Griffiths: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm very pleased to speak in this debate as Chair of the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee and to outline our findings from our scrutiny of the Bill. As the Bill was introduced by the Finance Committee, we also conducted the financial scrutiny alongside our general scrutiny. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to that scrutiny, those...
John Griffiths: We heard from the Member in charge, the current ombudsman, and his counterparts in Northern Ireland and Scotland, that this was a critical tool in the ombudsman’s toolkit. It is also one that is available to most of their counterparts across the world. We noted the concerns raised by stakeholders about creating additional complexity in that already crowded regulatory framework, but the...
John Griffiths: —is very short, Dirprwy Lywydd, so perhaps I can move on and say that, in conclusion, we very much welcome this Bill. Our recommendations are set out. They have been referred to by the Member in charge. To conclude, Llywydd, we believe this Bill will deliver on its policy intentions, and we would call on the Assembly to support the general principles.
John Griffiths: Leader of the house, I wonder if we might have a Government statement or debate on road safety in Wales, in the context of the new powers devolved under the Wales Act 2017 giving the Executive and the legislature powers to set speed limits and the recent Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report, which called for a 20 mph default speed limit for built-up areas, something...
John Griffiths: 4. What progress is the Welsh Government making in implementing its policy on asylum seekers and refugees? OAQ52009
John Griffiths: Thank you for that. Cabinet Secretary, more broadly, growing up in Newport, I know many people who are part of the Windrush generation, having come to Wales from the Caribbean post second world war, and made huge contributions to our communities, our economy and, indeed, our public services. I share the current outrage at the way that the UK Government is conducting checks on the status of...
John Griffiths: I too think that this is a very important statement today because of the public health issues and also pollution generally and the quality of our environment. I know that the British Heart Foundation have done a lot of research, spending millions of pounds, on the connection between air pollution and heart disease, and they're quite clear that this is a priority for them. Outdoor air...
John Griffiths: Minister, I wanted to ask you about individual learning accounts. What are your plans in terms of the launch of pilots, and will you ensure, and how will you ensure, that the lessons to be learnt from previous versions of the ILAs properly inform the new version?
John Griffiths: Diolch, Dirprwy Llywydd. First of all, I would like to make the point that names do matter. They really do matter. They send signals and they're symbolically important, and they do mean something to people. Dirprwy Lywydd, I would much prefer to be living in a republic with its strong messages of citizenship, empowerment and position from achievement and ability, rather than accident of...
John Griffiths: Um—
John Griffiths: Yes.
John Griffiths: Whichever way you look at it, Janet, it's a UK Government matter. The UK Government decided that a new name was required, decided what the new name should be and decided to take it forward without public consultation. So, that's where the responsibility lies. Dirprwy Lywydd, let me say that I believe that the UK Government's actions in this matter could reasonably be characterised and...
John Griffiths: As you've said already, Minister, I think we do need to understand the particular situations across Wales if we're going to make the progress necessary to meet the demand for homes in our country. In Newport, it's clear that that pressure for new homes is very considerable indeed. Since July of last year, when the announcement was made that the tolls on the Severn crossings would be...
John Griffiths: 1. What further steps will the Welsh Government take to improve road safety in Wales? OAQ52077
John Griffiths: Cabinet Secretary, there is growing evidence and support for a default 20 mph speed limit in urban areas, with provision for lower or higher limits on particular roads. The evidence is that there would be fewer crashes, fewer casualties, fewer fatalities, and that traffic would move more freely, with lower emissions. It has strong public support, and it's estimated that tens of millions of...
John Griffiths: Cabinet Secretary, one missing link, which has been the subject of a great deal of frustration for quite some time in my area, a missing link in terms of joining up south-east Wales is the Newport to Ebbw Vale passenger rail link. It's long been eagerly awaited and I wonder if you can, in responding to questions on this statement today, provide any further information on when we can expect...
