Suzy Davies: A few months ago—and I think I might have mentioned this more than once already, so apologies—colleagues and I went to see the large hadron collider at CERN in Geneva. The facility is vast, but less than a speck in the story of the universe. The work, of course, to which thousands of our brightest people from all over the world are dedicated. It’s expensive work in which countries are...
Suzy Davies: Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. Cabinet Secretary, just with reference to the consultation and this issue of consistency, I’m wondering whether you might consider including questions about the freedom of cab drivers/taxi drivers to take responsibility for their own decisions on the maintenance of those cabs—namely, that they should be free to go to any local garage, provided it’s...
Suzy Davies: It’s a pleasure to see you back.
Suzy Davies: You’ll be aware, of course, that the EU directive regarding the protection of harbour porpoise breeding sites has not been transposed into UK law, and I’m hoping that Welsh Government, post Brexit, will either be able to choose to introduce some protections itself, or to work with the UK Government to do that. I’m looking to Welsh Government actually to take a lead on this on behalf of...
Suzy Davies: I acknowledge the work that was done in Ynys Forgan, really. That’s about 300 homes that were protected there. Yet, in recent years, we’ve also seen new building on sites on seemingly low-level ground close to the river. Conversely, in my previous work, I recall having to repeatedly explain to lenders that, while their environmental searches revealed that properties were being built in...
Suzy Davies: During the debate on the Supporting People programme last year, you said that it helps to reduce unnecessary demands on the NHS’, particularly speaking about mental health, as you probably remember. I think we all accept that prevention is notoriously difficult to evidence and prove, but do you have any data that may help you promote joint spending across the two portfolios and actually...
Suzy Davies: In the same way that the European regional development fund takes a certain collection of criteria to divide Wales in two, so does the city deal model, for all its many advantages, run the risk of doing the same. It’s hard to conceive, quite frankly, how most of Powys will feel the ripples of the big urban investment within Wales itself. Russell George is quite right to talk about the...
Suzy Davies: I’ve only got 20 seconds, sorry, David. This time, the slow progress in London has disguised a serious delay here and I don’t think any of us would be proud if devolved responsibilities were the sole reason that the lagoon were held back. And with Wylfa B ahead of us, I don’t think marine licences should be what we’re all talking about down the line.
Suzy Davies: 4. Will the First Minister provide an update on discussions the Welsh Government has held regarding the Ford plant in Bridgend? OAQ(5)0638(FM)
Suzy Davies: Thank you for that answer, First Minister. In March, your Cabinet Secretary told us that Ford management had told him that employment numbers would remain broadly the same until 2021. He also said that he thought that Ford management could communicate better with its employees and its members regarding the long-term objectives for the plant. Since then, can you tell us whether Ford has kept...
Suzy Davies: Chair.
Suzy Davies: Thank you. I call on the Chair of the Children, Young People and Education Committee, Lynne Neagle.
Suzy Davies: Diolch, and I hope Members understand that it was important that the Chair of the Finance Committee had the opportunity to comment on figures that were published after the publication of the committee’s report. Galwaf ar Gadeirydd y Pwyllgor Materion Cyfansoddiadol a Deddfwriaethol, Huw Irranca-Davies.
Suzy Davies: I call on the Minister for Lifelong Learning and Welsh Language to reply to the debate.
Suzy Davies: I was going to intervene on Huw Irranca-Davies, so I’m glad I’ve had the opportunity to speak, actually. I agree that it is time for us to be reviewing the purpose of our designated landscapes and reviewing the strength of the protections that are embodied in those at the moment. I mean, it’s not so long ago that we were standing here talking about the national parks and the opacity of...
Suzy Davies: Well, the leads taking this bid through faced some very rigorous due diligence from both the Welsh Government and the UK Government, and I’m sure that you’ll have envisaged certain milestones being set to mark progress promised, firstly in terms of delivery of that governance structure that you were just talking about, and secondly in terms of the sort of metaphorical spades in the...
Suzy Davies: We’re not building enough homes, and, even if we don’t agree on the figures and the targets, I think it looks like we can agree that the bludgeon of the local development plan process just hasn’t been the answer. Housing in my area is becoming increasingly a byword for planning inquiry. As we’ve seen in Penllergaer and Pontarddulais, Swansea council is meeting its very difficult...
Suzy Davies: Well, of course, you know that Conservative policy isn’t that anymore, and we are talking about a period of 30 years, which is two generations in terms of house building. I don’t think it’s fair now to pin the blame on the Conservative Government of a time when I was in school, and I’m now old enough to have a Saga holiday. The cost of these new developments in places where, perhaps,...
Suzy Davies: Yes, okay.
Suzy Davies: Yes, with an extra ‘yes’, Jenny. I absolutely do agree with that. But this issue of adaptability of properties, I think, is something we do definitely need to take seriously, because, so often on these estates, you’ll find that, particularly in the big ones, older people’s properties, if I can call them that—people who want to downsize and may have some mobility problems—tend to...
