David Melding: I'm particularly concerned that, as the figures have grown, the focus has gone much more onto containment rather than training and rehabilitation, because those violent offenders usually do come out at some point, and there's a serious job there to ensure that they don't remain a threat to society. They do require very serious treatment and rehabilitation. I think we ought to look at this...
David Melding: Can I thank the Chair of the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee, Mick Antoniw, for outlining things so clearly? Can I just say to Members that there are times when the seemingly obscure is actually of vital importance, and this is one of them? I just want to underline one or two things that Mick has said because there is, obviously, no need to add to the description of the...
David Melding: It is a check and balance, and you will be making all the initial recommendations, which will then be sifted. Also, all this work is going to be done well before exit day, so I'm not quite sure there's the level of urgency, certainly at the volume you are anticipating, and I don't think it's going to be the action of the sift committee to make many calls. It will just be where we really think...
David Melding: First Minister, after having so closely allied yourself with the Scottish Government, can you assure this Assembly that, when you meet the Prime Minister tomorrow, you will not be deflected from seeking the most constructive option now available to Wales?
David Melding: Deputy Presiding Officer, I'm most grateful for your indulgence, and can I also broadly welcome the Minister's statement, particularly the way she's listened on the Sandford principle, and the more nuanced approach I think that we have heard compared to previous statements? Something that's not been mentioned this afternoon—and here I do think we need greater ambition, and we need to push...
David Melding: Presiding Officer, there is no emergency, there is no need for this Bill, and it's the opinion of us on this side of the house that this is, in fact, a bogus Bill. I have to observe that, when the Cabinet Secretary was making his speech on the principle of this Bill, seven members of the Labour group were here in the Chamber, or six apart from him. There's been a vast influx since of one...
David Melding: Yes, well, the Minister—. Okay, okay. The Cabinet Secretary—
David Melding: Well—. [Interruption.] No, I'm going to answer him first. The Cabinet Secretary turned around and said, 'Well, you've not got much to say, have you? Look how many of your colleagues are here.' We realise this is bogus: I've given them, my colleagues, time off because I didn't want them to have to sit through this parody produced by the Welsh Labour Government. Can I thank the Chair of the...
David Melding: —is their primary concern, not the integrity of the United Kingdom. I did see David first. I mean, I will attempt to give way to Simon later.
David Melding: The fact of the matter is, if an LCM is rejected in the National Assembly for Wales and, presumably, at the same time in the Scottish Parliament, the United Kingdom will be in a constitutional crisis. That's why the LCM process is a proper protection of our rights and our position. What you're engaged in is a negotiation tactic, and we should not be part, as the legislature, of these games....
David Melding: We have decided to take the extraordinary step of not proposing any amendments should this Bill proceed to its next stage, because we do not want to engage in the parody that inevitably would then follow. Does Dai Lloyd want to intervene?
David Melding: Can I just say, Presiding Officer, I did not withdraw myself from any process? I attended all the public session of CLAC and all but the last two or three minutes of your deliberations. I withdrew when I said that, in principle, I could not support the report. Therefore, I was leaving so that the other committee members could then proceed and agree to the parts that they then indicated in...
David Melding: 1. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on rheumatology services in South Wales Central? OAQ51882
David Melding: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on paediatric rheumatology services in Wales?
David Melding: I thank the Cabinet Secretary for that answer. You will know that there's long been a call for specialist paediatric rheumatology services in the region. And, indeed, Wales is the only nation in the UK at the moment that doesn't have a specialist service for paediatric rheumatology. You will also further know that the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee is meeting on 27 March to...
David Melding: Can I say that I welcome this motion and the proposed nomination to Her Majesty the Queen? It has been my honour to work with Adrian Crompton for many years, most recently when I was Deputy Presiding Officer. He is a man of the highest integrity, clarity of thought, and of the deepest commitment to scrutiny in public life. Above all, Adrian Crompton has been a champion of the legislative...
David Melding: Can I thank Hefin and I also thought his hwyl on this this afternoon was very, very appropriate, because I think it really is the purpose of a legislature that's reflecting on the interests of the people it serves effectively to allow this sort of avenue where backbenchers can identify really key issues. It's not possible for the Government always to feel the force of these things, because...
David Melding: Can I thank Vikki Howells for such an excellent use of the short debate? This is exactly what we should be discussing, and made more vivid still by that excellent film. This is a really important issue, Cabinet Secretary. There is cross-party consensus. We need to build more, as Vikki outlined. And can I just say that I think there is a mood across the UK, and just remind you that yesterday...
David Melding: Will the First Minister make a statement on housing need in the south Wales valleys?
David Melding: Can I start by welcoming the publication of this draft legislation Bill, and also the consultation document and the period that will now be given to that consultation of nearly three months? I do think that these are profound matters and they need extensive consultation. I know that the Government will be very interested in the range of opinions that it hopes to receive back in this process....
