Mike Hedges: The structure of principal local authorities, including today, has been discussed regularly—for as long back as I can remember—but the structure of fire and rescue services does not seem to have been considered. Many believe that the structure of the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service was created for political reasons. I do not see the community interest of the ability to provide...
Mike Hedges: And what is the upload speed?
Mike Hedges: 5. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog ddatganiad am rôl prifysgolion yng Nghymru fel gyrwyr economaidd? OAQ51829
Mike Hedges: Can I thank the First Minister for that response? Across Europe, North America and parts of England, universities act as major drivers of economic development and not just as major employers. For example, Mannheim has the Mannheim Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and provides a founder and incubator platform for students, young entrepreneurs and investors. Aarhus has, like...
Mike Hedges: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I speak in support of the second supplementary budget and the Finance Committee's report. I agree entirely with the Finance Committee's recommendations, and would welcome more detail around how significant new allocations within the supplementary budget have been prioritised. I would, however, go further and ask: what are the projected outcomes of this...
Mike Hedges: 10. Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on transport plans for the Swansea bay city region? OAQ51830
Mike Hedges: I thank the Cabinet Secretary for that response. I would like to ask: will the Cabinet Secretary consider quick wins such as the reopening of railway stations such as Landore, creating bus-train interchanges within the region and completing cycle routes?
Mike Hedges: Can I thank Julie Morgan for bringing this debate? I don't think we talk about housing in this place anywhere near enough. If we talked about it half as much as health, we might have a healthier place. We've had a growth of private rented accommodation and a shortage of accommodation. The pressure is on private renters. Are we really telling people, 'Don't complain, don't object', no matter...
Mike Hedges: Firstly, I would like to ask for the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport to provide a statement indicating how the Welsh Government is going to support medium-sized businesses in Wales to grow into large businesses. We know that, in Wales, we have very few large companies, and when companies become medium sized, they either sell or stay medium sized, whereas in the most successful...
Mike Hedges: I also welcome the statement on designated landscapes by the Minister. I am very pleased that the Minister has confirmed unequivocally that all existing designated landscapes will be retained and their purpose of conserving and enhancing natural beauty will not be weakened. I also welcome the acknowledgement of the importance of areas of outstanding natural beauty and the national parks. I...
Mike Hedges: It was considered in 2014.
Mike Hedges: Thank you. It's not just in your area—I had constituents who thought they were actually having to pay that until such time that the council adopted the pavements, roads et cetera, because they were on a new estate, only to discover that they were going to have to pay it for the whole length of time they're there, and it will pass on to the people who purchase the property after them. I...
Mike Hedges: First of all, can I welcome devolution in Wales of more powers to local authorities? It's a movement away from the direction of travel over the last 45 years. Some people in here may remember when local authorities controlled the police, controlled water, controlled higher education, controlled further education, all of which have been taken off local government over the last 45 years....
Mike Hedges: 4. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on efforts to tackle non-indigenous plant species in Wales? OAQ51922
Mike Hedges: Can I thank the Minister for that response? We have problems with a number of non-native species, but in my part of the world, Japanese knotweed is far and away the most problematic. Can the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on the trials that are taking place with the natural predator—I note you avoided trying to pronounce its name as well; I'm doing the same—and any progress with...
Mike Hedges: I fully support the proposed ombudsman Bill. I'm pleased that the first recommendation from the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee is to agree the general principles of the Bill, or this debate would have finished a lot earlier than it's going to. I also agree with Mark Drakeford that all legislation being brought forward can be improved during the legislative process. I...
Mike Hedges: As the Westminster Government rolls out universal credit, which will make many people in Wales poorer, the number of people getting a personal independence payment has decreased from the number who previously received disability benefits, and last year the Welsh Government ended the Communities First scheme. And whilst I welcome what the First Minister said today regarding the pupils...
Mike Hedges: First of all, I'd like to welcome the Minister's statement. The environment where all of us in Wales live is not only the areas of outstanding natural beauty, the national parks, the farms and the countryside—it's areas where people like myself live. Within Swansea East we had a mass tree planting programme in the 1960s and 1970s, and the lower Swansea Valley where I was born was the...
Mike Hedges: Can I welcome the answers that the Cabinet Secretary has given to Simon Thomas? Can I just add my voice, yet again, to the calls for a plastic tax, which the Cabinet Secretary has heard me say on probably more occasions than he would have liked to have listened to them? My question is though: has the Welsh Government produced a profile of expected tax receipts from the devolved taxes so that...
Mike Hedges: Can I first of all say I voted in favour of having this debate? The second thing is: I'm very pleased to find that Theresa May has found this infamous money tree in order to be able to fund the bombing of Syria. I also think, if we live in a parliamentary democracy, the Westminster Parliament should have had an opportunity to vote on whether we went to war and attacked another country or not,...
