Mr Neil Hamilton: Diolch, Lywydd. I think farmers and, indeed, small businesses in general will be very disappointed by the intransigent response that the environment secretary gave to Paul Davies’s question earlier on. The National Farmers Union has done a survey of farmers and the impact that the introduction of nitrate vulnerable zones would have upon them and their industry, and they found that 73 per...
Mr Neil Hamilton: Well, the facts, of course, belie that, and the NFU I think are pretty reliable consultees on this particular issues. But there are other solutions to the problem of nitrate pollution, and they’ve been applied in England. ADAS has produced a booklet that is entitled, ‘101 ways to reduce nitrates’. In fact, in Wales, nitrate fertiliser consumption has gone down by 43 per cent between...
Mr Neil Hamilton: Good. Well, I’m delighted to hear that. We’re making progress, but, you know—
Mr Neil Hamilton: Well, we are making progress. I mean that as a compliment. Well, I have to say that in her answers to me previously, Llywydd, all I’ve had are some monosyllabic replies on the issue of regulatory impact assessments, for example, which is part of the Government’s own code of conduct. They promised to have regulatory impact assessments as part of consultations such as this, and it isn’t...
Mr Neil Hamilton: Can I thank the Minister for that statement and welcome today’s announcement, and, indeed, point out that when the Cabinet Secretary made his statement on this last on 3 October, he said it would start no later than 31 March next year? So, it’s welcome news that it’s going to start a month earlier than the latest possible date. David Cameron, in one of his more memorable statements,...
Mr Neil Hamilton: Will the First Minister clarify what support the Welsh Government will provide for veterans and their families in 2017?
Mr Neil Hamilton: Can I welcome the First Minister back from his trip to Norway? Perhaps he could tell us what conclusions he arrived at as a result of that. Is he aware that 70 per cent of the Norwegian people are still adamantly opposed to membership of the EU? And as regards membership of the European Economic Area, will he confirm that Norway is a member of the Schengen agreement, and so unfettered access...
Mr Neil Hamilton: Well, we discovered the answer to that question in the result of the referendum itself, because the referendum, the result, was overwhelmingly motivated—and everybody seems to agree this—by fears about unfettered migration, and as regard—. [Interruption.] Oh yes. All the evidence shows that that was the clinching factor in the result. Plaid Cymru, of course, are not only in favour of...
Mr Neil Hamilton: In the nicest possible way, I’d like to encourage the First Minister to spend more time abroad, and going to other countries where he can learn something about how the world operates outside the EU. In particular, I’d like to encourage him to go to South Korea, because South Korea has—. Not just because it’s about as far away—[Laughter.] Via Los Angeles possibly. Because South Korea...
Mr Neil Hamilton: I hope it won’t disconcert the Cabinet Secretary too much if I offer my full support for the measures that she has taken. I have frequently been a critic of hers in the past on the question of proportionality. I think that, in this particular instance, the action that she has taken is proportionate. It is in the interests of all poultry keepers that we prevent the spread of this disease....
Mr Neil Hamilton: 6. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the delivery of public services by local authorities? OAQ(5)0073(FLG)
Mr Neil Hamilton: I thank the Cabinet Secretary for that reply. Another vital service that is provided by local authorities is adequate street lighting in urban areas. Will the Cabinet Secretary agree with me that Powys County Council seem to have embarked upon a rather bizarre policy of not replacing street lights that go out during the winter in places like Llanidloes because they’re engaged in a long-term...
Mr Neil Hamilton: Diolch yn fawr iawn, Lywydd. I beg to move the motion standing in my name on the agenda. I’m delighted to see that the First Minister has come to attend the debate today. We had a bit of a curtain-raiser yesterday at First Minister’s questions, because I hadn’t anticipated that he would be participating in this debate, but I very much welcome his presence. But yesterday I pointed out...
Mr Neil Hamilton: The First Minister makes a point about the bureaucracy that might be imposed as a result of leaving the EU on firms trading with the EU, but the reality is that 95 per cent of firms don’t trade with the EU and exports to the EU cover less than 15 per cent of our GDP. Eighty five per cent of the value of Britain’s trade will not be affected by this at all.
Mr Neil Hamilton: Diolch, Lywydd. The First Minister is trying to compete with the leader of Plaid Cymru as a sort of Jeremiah of Wales today in relation to Wales's future outside the EU. I’m sorry to hear him say that he is against lower taxes on business, because the Irish republic has very successfully used a lower rate of corporation tax to attract a huge number of firms into Dublin, particularly in the...
Mr Neil Hamilton: Sorry, I missed that.
Mr Neil Hamilton: Well, Theresa May referred to this in her speech this morning. We did have a common travel area with the Irish republic long before either of us were members of the EU. This is a practical question that does need to be solved, and there's no reason to think it can't be solved. But what I'm interested in, as a result of—[Interruption.]
Mr Neil Hamilton: Thank you for your protection, Llywydd. As a result of Theresa May's speech at lunchtime today, she has clarified a number of issues—not all, I accept, and what the First Minister said about the customs union certainly needs further clarification—but she has clarified the Government's position. Can the First Minister now clarify: what exactly is the Labour Party's policy on managed...
Mr Neil Hamilton: Well, the First Minister is talking about all sorts of transitional points, which, inevitably, have to be considered. We had similar difficulties when we entered the EU 40-odd years ago. There were problems with the transition; these can be dealt with. But, what I'm concerned with is that the First Minister is always looking on the black side of things and imagining the worst. He did this in...
Mr Neil Hamilton: I’m delighted to follow old uncle David, because he was quite right in saying that my party has made a journey, and probably is still in the process of making that journey. I was, like him, originally opposed to the devolution settlement, but I’ve grown over the years to appreciate its wisdom. Not everybody in my party takes the same view as I do, and I hope I’m helping to nudge it in...
