Hefin David: In preparation for this debate—it was on the agenda—I had a very angry e-mail from the leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council. He said, 'Hefin, I hope you are going to mention what Caerphilly council is doing. You should always get in touch with me to find out what we're doing because we're doing great things in Caerphilly.' And sure enough, I did, I found out. And what Caerphilly...
Hefin David: 5. Will the Minister make a statement on the provision of rolling stock on the Rhymney to Cardiff rail line? OAQ53416
Hefin David: 7. Will the Deputy Minister provide an update on the work of the Valleys taskforce in Caerphilly? OAQ53415
Hefin David: When James Price gave evidence to the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee, he indicated that there would be additional rolling stock by May this year; if not by May, then possibly by March. Peak time, particularly coming home at peak time, on the Cardiff to Rhymney line is terrible. Seating is very hard to come by. This improvement in March/May would be very welcome. Can you provide...
Hefin David: On 27 November last year, the Cabinet Secretary for local government made a statement on that very delivery plan in this Chamber. He's since been promoted to the back benches—[Laughter.]—and the Deputy Minister is now responsible. With that in mind, one of the things that the Cabinet Secretary promised to deliver was a £25 million capital fund to support seven strategic hubs over the...
Hefin David: 1. Will the Deputy Minister make a statement on Welsh Government support for the voluntary sector? OAQ53472
Hefin David: Diolch. I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome the Deputy Minister to her post. I'm sure she'll pick it up very quickly. [Laughter.] But to my question: there are many voluntary groups in my constituency, almost too many to mention, but I do want to mention three. One is the Caerphilly Miners Centre for the Community, which is now a thriving social enterprise—a hub in the community....
Hefin David: 3. How will the Welsh Government evaluate the work of the valleys taskforce in Caerphilly? OAQ53521
Hefin David: It has to be said, the Deputy Minister for the economy has long championed the everyday economy. That was before he was Deputy Minister, and indeed before he was an Assembly Member, when he was plain old Lee Waters. One of the critiques I've had of the—[Interruption.] Well, there's nothing plain about Lee Waters. One of the critiques I've had of the Valleys taskforce is that the focus of...
Hefin David: Will the First Minister make a statement on Welsh Government support for small and medium-sized house builders?
Hefin David: 1. Will the Minister make a statement on the formula used to allocate school funding? OAQ53579
Hefin David: Will the Minister make a statement on Welsh Government support for young people with autism in Caerphilly?
Hefin David: Last week, I hosted a drop-in event for Assembly Members on behalf of various teaching unions, including the National Education Union. Teachers who attended told me that they were concerned that cuts in UK Government funding are having a direct impact on their ability to implement the education reforms, including, for example, the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act...
Hefin David: 5. Will the Minister make a statement on the benefits of focusing on the foundational economy? OAQ53627
Hefin David: Grounded and responsible firms—and those grounded and responsible firms can actually tie into the strategy that Leanne Wood raised earlier of environmental benefit, particularly where they grow locally based, locally sourced supply chains in the foundational sector, which can reduce carbon footprints. We had Redrow housing in our Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee last week and...
Hefin David: Would you take an intervention?
Hefin David: I know he was making a frivolous point about being a previous member of the committee, but can he identify any issues within this report and any views he holds that have changed as a result of becoming a Minister in the Government? Has his perspective changed significantly as a result of that experience?
Hefin David: I wanted to say, 'Well, I used to teach higher education international students, from within the EU and outside the EU,' and I was going to say about what great relationships I had with those students, but I didn't want to go any further then, following what Bethan Sayed was saying. [Laughter.] The students that contributed to my courses brought a whole range of different experiences and...
Hefin David: How does Welsh Government encourage strong local supply chains through the planning system?
Hefin David: Will the Minister make a statement on Welsh Government support for businesses selling in international export markets?
