Mick Antoniw: First Minister, I'm very grateful for the fact that you mentioned a number of key points, the first one being workers' rights, and my concern is that already we are hearing UK Government Ministers talking almost with glee about the possibilities of deregulation and changing standards, contrary to all the promises that were made. The second point you made in your statement, which I think is...
Mick Antoniw: Will the Minister make a statement on access to music education in Welsh schools?
Mick Antoniw: 1. What assessment has the First Minister made of the impact on Wales of the UK Parliament vote on 15 January 2019 on the UK Government's Brexit deal? 256
Mick Antoniw: Counsel General, we have quite a number of relationships already within the EU, either in our own right from Wales, or as part of a UK network, with a whole variety of institutions that have been extremely important and valuable to Wales. What steps is the Welsh Government taking to actually ensure that there is a mechanism whereby Wales in its own right can continue to engage with the...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you for that answer, First Minister. For two years, the Prime Minister has pursued a European policy dedicated to protecting the interests of the Tory party rather than the interests of the country. For two years, she has treated the people of Wales and the Welsh Assembly with total contempt. Every promise of engagement and participation has been broken. The UK is now in a state of...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. My contribution this afternoon will set out the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee's consideration of the statutory instrument consent memorandum for the Marine Environment (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018. The committee considered the Welsh Government’s SICM for the Marine Environment (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018 at its meeting on...
Mick Antoniw: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. This is the report of the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee. We reported on the Autism (Wales) Bill on 7 December and we made six recommendations. I'm pleased to note that the Member in charge has accepted all our recommendations, and should the Bill proceed to Stage 2, we look forward to seeing the necessary amendments tabled. My contribution this...
Mick Antoniw: I've only really got a few matters that I wanted to contribute because what's being created is the impression that with no deal, well, it's okay because we'll just fall back on WTO rules and half the world and half our trade is all on WTO rules, et cetera. I mean, quite frankly, that is absolute rubbish. We would be the only country in the world that is trading on solely WTO rules. I think...
Mick Antoniw: Yes.
Mick Antoniw: Well, see, there you have it again. Absolute mythology. Where on earth do these bizarre ideas come from? Is it the UKIP game of Trivial Pursuit or something? That is absolute rubbish, because we cannot do it; there are all sorts of aspects with the EU trade agreements that actually restrict other countries having the same terms without the agreement of the EU. There are so many restrictions,...
Mick Antoniw: I will take a quick intervention.
Mick Antoniw: Isn't that absolutely bizarre? The idea that we're all in agreement that going out with no deal would be disastrous and we're not prepared to say it. The writing is on the wall; it is disastrous. We're not deluding anyone, we're not conning the EU over this. We know that a 'no deal' is a disaster and no-one in their right mind wants to go down the 'no deal' road. And that is the problem,...
Mick Antoniw: No, no, I've taken two. That is the real problem, because what is actually happening from the Conservative side is that this is about protecting the interests of the Conservative Party because Theresa May will not face up to the reality of the political situation that she is in. If she had any decency whatsoever, she would do the decent thing, to recognise the historic defeat that she has...
Mick Antoniw: 4. Will the Minister make a statement on how the planning process can be improved to better assess the cumulative impact of multiple residential development applications in the same locality? OAQ53237
Mick Antoniw: Will the Minister make a statement on reducing air pollution arising from congestion on the Treforest to Nantgarw section of the A470?
Mick Antoniw: Minister, whichever model you use for controlling and dealing with air pollution, I have within my constituency, on the A470 between Nantgarw and Treforest junctions, one of the most polluted areas in the whole of Wales. I know that speed restriction measures have been taken, but I wonder if you could outline the measures that have been taken and what further action could be taken. Because it...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you for that answer, Minister, and can I also welcome the shift in Government policy towards a more spatial approach to planning? But, in my constituency, in Llantwit Fardre, we have three significant residential planning applications within a 700m radius. They're all at different stages in the planning process, and I’m not asking you to comment on those—the ones at Ystrad Barwig,...
Mick Antoniw: I want to speak in support of the Allied Steel and Wire workers, because they have a very just case. They are entitled to justice, and the campaign that they've been running is also one that reflects anomalies in the whole pension industry, going back to the early 1980s. And I go back to the 1980s—I mean, thank God at least then you at least had one baseline, which was the pensions...
Mick Antoniw: 8. Will the Minister make a statement on the availability of national statistics in relation to problem gambling? OAQ53301
Mick Antoniw: Thank you for that answer, Minister. I very much welcome, at long last, the inclusion of gambling-related questions in the revised health survey. It's something we have raised year after year in this Chamber, so that is a step forward. But there is a lot more data that is actually required in terms of the impact within education, the impact on students, the impact on health and so on. It...
