David Rowlands: I thank the leader of the house for her answer, but latest figures show that reported incidents of domestic crime rose in the police areas of Dyfed-Powys, Gwent and north Wales by 23 per cent, and a massive 48 per cent in the South Wales Police area. Whilst much of these rises may well be attributed to police recognition and growing confidence in reporting such crime, does the leader of the...
David Rowlands: Again, I thank the leader of the house for that comprehensive answer, but Welsh Women's Aid, one of the excellent agencies—I'm sure you alluded to it earlier on—dealing with domestic crime, and part of whose remit is the provision of refuges for victims, are hugely concerned with cuts to funding, citing the fact that 388 survivors of domestic abuse could not be accommodated in 2016. These...
David Rowlands: I thank the leader of the house for that answer, but Wendy Williams, HM inspector of constabulary, has said: 'While modern slavery cases can be complex and require significant manpower, many of the shortcomings in investigating these cases reflect deficiencies in basic policing practice. We found inconsistent, even ineffective, identification of victims', which led to investigations being...
David Rowlands: I've considered this report very carefully, and with the understanding that I'm sure that all in this Chamber want the Welsh Government to succeed in its stated aim of providing prosperity for all. However, before I comment on this report, I have to put it in the perspective that the Labour Party has been in power in Wales for all of this Assembly's existence, and, in that time, we've seen...
David Rowlands: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I am delighted to open this debate on the Petitions Committee’s report on disabled people’s access to public transport services in Wales. Can I acknowledge at the outset that the Welsh Government's response to the report and its recommendations has been extremely positive? The petition that led to this report was submitted by young people from Whizz-Kidz, an...
David Rowlands: In the evidence we received from Arriva Trains Wales and Great Western Railway, we heard about the positive policies that are already in place. These included the ability for disabled passengers to request alternative transport to another station when the closest one is not accessible, or when, for example, lifts are out of order. However, our conversations with the petitioners, who are all...
David Rowlands: Yes, first of all, can I thank all the Members for their contributions to the debate and the Cabinet Secretary for his positive response to the petition and the committee's recommendations? Mike Hedges mentioned the courage of Whizz-Kidz in giving evidence to the committee, and reiterated many of the points in the report, but added that disabled people often decide not to go out for fear of...
David Rowlands: First Minister, we often hear the word 'austerity' used in this Chamber. So, given the limited size of many of our local authorities, how can the money spent on community councils be justified, in that it requires the expense of a chief executive, several staff, and a number of office buildings to facilitate their operations? In other words, First Minister, what do community councils offer...
David Rowlands: Diolch, Llywydd. Cabinet Secretary, sadly Wales currently has the lowest productivity of any UK nation, standing at just 83 per cent of the UK average. Economists identify improving productivity as central to our economic future. Can the Cabinet Secretary outline his plans to improve productivity levels in Wales?
David Rowlands: I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his reply, but I'm sure he will agree that any strategy or improvement plan needs to be assessed and measured over time. This demands that the Government has to have in place economic indicators that facilitate this analysis. This, of course, applies as much to the notoriously unproductive public sector as it does to the private sector. Can the Cabinet...
David Rowlands: Again, I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his reply, but, given such startling figures as places such as Camden in London being 23 times more productive per head of population than north Wales, there appears to be a huge gap to fill. Economists say that they're not surprised at Wales's lack of productivity, identifying low levels of business investment, poor transport infrastructure and...
David Rowlands: Can I say at the outset that my party will be supporting this motion? The reason for this is that, as has been said before, the M4 relief road scheme is one of the biggest and most expensive projects ever undertaken by the Welsh Assembly and one of such importance that the Welsh Government itself saw fit to launch a long-lasting and exhaustive inquiry into its form and format. It therefore...
David Rowlands: 3. Will the First Minister outline the Welsh Government's concerns about the future of the Welsh agriculture industry in light of Brexit? OAQ51748
David Rowlands: I thank you for your answer, First Minister, but do you really believe that the EU and the common agricultural policy regime has been an unmitigated success story for the Welsh farming industry? Because if so, perhaps you and those supporting our presence in the European Union can explain to me the efficacy of seeing our hill farmers reduced to subsistence level on £12,000 per year while...
David Rowlands: 2. A wnaiff Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet amlinellu sut y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn bwriadu symleiddio'r gyfraith gynllunio yng Nghymru i'w gwneud yn haws i'w deall? OAQ51744
David Rowlands: Thank you for that reply, Cabinet Secretary. I do understand that the Welsh Government has planning laws under consideration, but would the Cabinet Secretary not agree with me that simplicity must constitute a key element in the Government's approach to any changes to laws governing planning, especially given that planning laws in Wales at present are so complicated and often difficult to...
David Rowlands: Many of the points I make will have already been made by other contributors to this debate, but I make no excuses for repeating them because I don't think these arguments could be repeated too often. I, as have many others, have had a number of contacts from constituents with regard to the matters raised in this motion, which can, in certain circumstances, lead to health issues caused by...
David Rowlands: Yes.
David Rowlands: Well, thank you for that, Mike. But subsequent failure to provide such roads would then place them in breach of contract and liable to commercial penalties. Perhaps the Cabinet Secretary will look to being able to give local authorities that power in the future. With regard to historical neglect in respect of unadopted roads, I fear that this will not be seen as a high priority for local...
David Rowlands: Leader of the house, can I first of all agree with the comments from Jenny Rathbone? As a member of the University and College union, I totally agree with the statement she made and the comments she expressed. It's critical that we address this matter. Can I ask for two statements from the Welsh Government? The first one's an easy one. The former Cabinet Secretary for communities and...
