Hefin David: 4. How does planning policy for new housing take into account the provisions of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015? OAQ54488
Hefin David: In late 2016, Mark Lang made Lansbury Park the subject of a deep place study to try and understand the root causes of the area's relative deprivation. And while there are no easy answers, what resulted was a decision by Caerphilly County Borough Council to adopt a deep place plan to address these multifaceted problems. At Caerphilly public services board's most recent annual conference, held...
Hefin David: Over the summer, my office was inundated by residents who were upset by Stagecoach's decision to scrap the no. 25 bus service from Caerphilly to Cardiff via Thornhill crematorium and the University Hospital Wales, and merge it into an existing much longer and much more inconvenient route for residents in Caerphilly. Despite a number of residents' petitions, Stagecoach scrapped the service in...
Hefin David: 3. Will the Minister make a statement on the preservation of industrial heritage in Caerphilly? OAQ54541
Hefin David: I absolutely agree with that. It's not just about the castle in Caerphilly; it's also about some other sites as well. And we welcome the £900,000 of funding for the Penallta park, which the Deputy Minister sitting next to you has signed off, and we're grateful for that. But opposite that is Penallta colliery, and the winding wheel and the pit baths there are a historic remembrance of that...
Hefin David: 2. Will the First Minister provide an update on the Welsh Government's response to the report of the task and finish group for leasehold reform? OAQ54611
Hefin David: I'd like to emphasise the importance of this report for my constituents. Freehold residents in Cwm Calon in Ystrad Mynach are currently paying upwards of £150 a year for maintenance work on their estate, carried out by an estate management company. There is currently no cap on how high those charges can go, and residents cannot sell their properties until they've paid those charges, and, if...
Hefin David: I think one of the things that the leader of the Conservatives is good at is scrutiny. Would he not agree—and let's just try and take some of the party political heat out of this—would he not agree that three days for a Bill of this magnitude is just not long enough to provide the right level of scrutiny? Would he not just agree that?
Hefin David: 6. Will the Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's support for people in Wales diagnosed with Parkinson's disease? OAQ54592
Hefin David: I was recently made aware of an organisation called the Cure Parkinson's Trust, which funds significant research in its mission to improve therapies and ultimately find a cure for Parkinson's disease. My grandfather passed away with Parkinson's disease many years ago. A constituent, David Murray, who is a former member of Newport City Council, is a trustee of the organisation. He lives...
Hefin David: Would you take an intervention?
Hefin David: I have to say, it really isn't like you, Suzy Davies, to take this kind of central office-brief approach. You were part of the committee, and it's a constructive report. It isn't intended to be in the way you are presenting it, as dividing between UK and Cardiff Bay. Please can you be more constructive and reflect the views of the committee?
Hefin David: Will you take an intervention?
Hefin David: On that point, will you therefore express some regret at the party political tone that has come today only from the benches of the Conservative Party?
Hefin David: 8. Will the Minister provide an update with regard to the Welsh Government's policy for improving the management of common land in Wales? OAQ54677
Hefin David: I've written to the Minister on several occasions about the problems at Eglwysilan common, which is mostly located within the Caerphilly constituency. In your most recent letter, dated 24 September, you didn't address the substance of the numerous issues facing the common and simply repeated your offer of a one-off financial and official support to Caerphilly County Borough Council to address...
Hefin David: Contrary to the popular belief that there's always a good reception on the doorstep, very often we knock on a door and somebody says, 'I'm not interested. I don't care about politics.' Do you think they should be denied the vote as well?
Hefin David: Just as someone who stood down as a councillor in 2017, having served a year serving out my term as a councillor while an Assembly Member, I have to say that I disagree. I found that some of the decisions that we took here with regard to local government—the local government White Paper discussions, for example—it made sense to separate out—very much separate out—those different...
Hefin David: 5. Will the First Minister provide an update on the provision of primary healthcare in Wales? OAQ54730
Hefin David: On 16 October I was informed by the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board that Gelligaer surgery had made a formal request to close their branch in Gilfach, near Bargoed. That's a surgery that's operated as an outreach surgery from Gelligaer for some time. Over 2,000 patients in Gilfach and Bargoed attend the Gilfach surgery, and if they had to move, they'd either have to move some distance...
