Gareth Bennett: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I think there was welcome news recently from your colleague Lesley Griffiths about potentially including the ‘agent of change’ rule in planning regulations with regard to the protection of live music. I think that that’s a welcome development. It’s something that could help pubs that put on live music shows. There may be other ways in which the...
Gareth Bennett: Okay, thanks for that. I’ll await the announcement obviously, but some ideas have been aired by CAMRA in the past. I don’t know if it’s perhaps premature to ask what your thoughts are on these. One of them pertains to—it’s slightly crossing over portfolios, I appreciate—planning and it’s the ease with which pubs in Wales can be changed by the owners, by pub chains, from pubs...
Gareth Bennett: Okay, thanks for that. Now, I know you’re also responsible for the Post Office. At First Minister’s question’s last week, the First Minister was highlighting the need for co-location, which is something we’ve talked about in a lot of different policy areas. I wondered if there was any possibility of encouraging pubs perhaps to co-locate with post offices, if that might be a way...
Gareth Bennett: Thanks to the Minister for bringing the debate today. I’m not on any of the committees that scrutinised this Bill, and the issues that are being raised have been raised by my colleague Michelle Brown, who’s on the education committee and who can’t be here today. In principle, we do support the Bill. Introducing IDPs, providing it’s done properly, is a good idea. However, to ensure...
Gareth Bennett: 8. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the budget allocated to the economy and infrastructure portfolio in relation to road safety? OAQ(5)0140(FLG)
Gareth Bennett: Thanks for that. There seems to be a problem developing with school lollipop staff, or road-crossing assistants as they’re sometimes known, because the number has decreased by 23 per cent over the past three years. There isn’t currently any legal duty for councils to keep the crossing assistants, but, of course, they are needed to keep a perception of safe routes and will assist with...
Gareth Bennett: Thank you, Chair, and thanks to the Conservatives for bringing today’s debate on a very important issue of affordable housing, and in particular affordable housing for young people. There are a variety of different ways in which we can take measures to help young people onto the housing ladder, some of which have been tried by the Government here in Cardiff Bay, but problems persist. The...
Gareth Bennett: Thanks to Plaid for bringing today's motion. Some of the ideas that they have we do actually partially agree with. On the funding issue, UKIP has always stated that funding to Wales lost from EU funding should be replaced by funding from Westminster. We have consistently supported that demand. We were speaking earlier about the procurement rules. Adam Price was talking about it. Now, the...
Gareth Bennett: I can’t take interventions this week, Rhun, because it’s election week. Back to normal next week. [Laughter.]
Gareth Bennett: It is. I like to come up with new ideas—
Gareth Bennett: We don’t agree with your proposal that the Assembly should have veto power over any Brexit deal. I appreciate Dai Rees has just made some arguments to the contrary of what I’m going to say, but the Welsh Assembly doesn’t have any devolved powers to deal with immigration or international trade. What would actually happen if Theresa May did negotiate a Brexit deal and then the Welsh...
Gareth Bennett: Thanks to the Minister for the panel’s report—sorry, for your statement today, and the report, as you said, is a long one, so I’m not sure I look forward that much to reading all of it, but I’m sure we can look at the salient points and discuss them later on. It’s encouraging that—[Interruption.] It’s encouraging that the stakeholders did deliver such a strong response. Now,...
Gareth Bennett: What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the impact of the general election result on the UK's exit from the European Union?
Gareth Bennett: Thanks to the Minister for his statement today. Yes, this was a major tragedy. I would also like to offer my condolences. As you say, the main thing is that we do learn lessons from it and ensure nothing like that happens in Wales in the future. I think your action in swiftly setting up the expert group is welcome. There are various points that have been made. Bethan made the very valid point...
Gareth Bennett: 1. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement about the staging of the UEFA Champions League final recently held in Cardiff? OAQ(5)0187(EI)
Gareth Bennett: Thanks for that statement. There have been moans, perhaps inevitably, from some residents and traders, but, of course, most of us appreciate that there are long-term benefits from the decision to host the final. I wonder whether you could just perhaps briefly illuminate some of them.
Gareth Bennett: Thanks to the Chairman for laying the committee’s report before the Chamber. The report is concerned primarily with improving conditions for refugees and asylum seekers once they have arrived in Wales, and to that end, it is a worthy effort. There was a lot of painstaking evidence heard relating to refugee conditions in Wales, and several of the committee members were skilful in bringing...
Gareth Bennett: No. The housing issue is perhaps the most obvious pitfall, and one that is discussed quite frequently among people I encounter in the course of normal life when refugee issues are raised. Related to the issue of housing provision is one of funding. During the evidence sessions, we were at one point strongly advised by the relevant Minister, Carl Sargeant, not to lobby for extra powers...
Gareth Bennett: We’re having this debate today because we are coming out of the EU and we need to work out what kind of Brexit we actually want, in particular, what kind of immigration policy we want. Our motion talks about a firm but fair system of immigration, it notes the Bank of England’s paper on the impact of immigration on wages and it looks at the issue of balancing immigration and emigration as...
Gareth Bennett: Well, maybe I have time, but I don’t have the inclination.
