Gareth Bennett: Thanks for that answer. That's encouraging to hear. Problems can be caused when people with dementia have to go into hospital, particularly if staff are not trained to meet the needs of those patients. What is the Welsh Government doing to ensure hospital staff at all levels understand how to care for and support people with dementia?
Gareth Bennett: There can be an additional problem, apart from what we've discussed so far, and that's the problem of stigma surrounding the condition of dementia. Can the Welsh Government do anything to help reduce this stigma surrounding the condition?
Gareth Bennett: Diolch, Llywydd. On the weekend, I had the pleasure of using local train services across northern England and Scotland. The trains ran on time, services connected with one another, and there were plenty of seats for people to sit on. I think it's fair to say that people using trains in Wales aren't receiving quite the same treatment. Leader of the house, are you and your Government in full...
Gareth Bennett: Yes, I appreciate the problems that were inherited by Transport for Wales, of course, but I do wonder whether some of the things that Transport for Wales have recently been presiding over are difficulties of their own making. For instance, it's been well publicised that around 25 to 30 per cent of the fleet covering Wales and borders has been removed for servicing and repair. Of course, I...
Gareth Bennett: Well, I'm glad to hear that, leader of the house, and I hope that the fleet is back in good condition in good time for the passengers, and I hope the passengers will get the benefits of that. Passengers at the moment, though, are not just frustrated about train delays. In recent weeks, I've had complaints from constituents that, during morning rush hour, there have been long queues of...
Gareth Bennett: Thanks to the Minister for bringing the debate today. It's an interesting subject, or a combination of subjects—a sporting one and an artistic one. I agree with much of what Llyr Gruffydd just said on the subject of the football museum. Llyr referred to Wrexham as the spiritual home of Welsh football. Of course, I'm a Cardiff City FC fan, but I totally acknowledge that the north-east corner...
Gareth Bennett: Diolch, Llywydd. A few weeks ago, I tasked the First Minister with some questions on the issue of working from home. I think it's a valid issue for us to be talking about here in the Assembly, because there is the ever-increasing problem of congested roads, which, of course, is part of what Adam was talking about earlier. So, we do have to look at ways of getting traffic off the roads. Now,...
Gareth Bennett: That sounds encouraging. I may give you another opportunity. Now, obviously, the point you made was, of course, not just infrastructure, so I was glad to hear about your business exploitation programme. Thinking specifically about the issue of getting companies to encourage more flexible working, and particularly working from home, are there ways in which you believe the Welsh Government...
Gareth Bennett: Thank you for the details of that initiative. Now, another thing I know that you have been involved with in the past is travel plan co-ordinators, who were supposed to be working with employers across Wales to encourage sustainable travel, and they were supposed to be encouraging things like car sharing and video-conferencing as well as flexible working and working from home. I have struggled...
Gareth Bennett: Thanks to the Minister for bringing us today's debate on Brexit. Thanks also to David Melding, who I thought made many pertinent points—he often does. Now, if I can look first at the wording of the Government's motion, it states that the Welsh Government 'regrets that neither Wales or Scotland are mentioned' in either the withdrawal agreement or the political declaration on the future...
Gareth Bennett: Thank you, Mark, and thanks for your contribution earlier, but I find it difficult to agree that the Government is preparing to leave when we don't any longer have a leave date. We have 29 December 20XX—we have no leave date at all now. We're in an even worse position than when we started. [Interruption.] I'm sorry, no, you've had your chance now, thank you. Can we just take—? I've done...
Gareth Bennett: While setting tough emissions targets sounds very laudable, the unfortunate reality is that UK carbon emissions are dwarfed by those emanating from countries like Germany, France, Australia, the United States and, of course, China. Action to reduce global emissions can only effectively be taken at a global level and must involve binding legislation severely restricting the polluting impact of...
Gareth Bennett: No, I've nearly come to the end, but thank you. They're also effectively a regressive tax, which will hit the poor hardest, so we won't be supporting the Government's motions today.
Gareth Bennett: Thanks to the Finance Minister for bringing today's budget debate. Of course, we agree with some aspects of the Government's draft budget. The news we had—. Mark Drakeford said today that the full amount from the consequential of the UK Government's high-street relief scheme—the full amount will be spent in Wales. That's welcome news. Although, as Darren Millar added in his...
Gareth Bennett: Diolch, Llywydd. There were press reports recently that revealed that Cardiff is now the second highest council area in the whole of the UK for collecting bus lane fines. Some quarter of a million drivers were fined in the course of a year. Only Glasgow council, in fact, fined more drivers than Cardiff. Now, I appreciate the need to adhere to the local driving restrictions, but, sometimes,...
Gareth Bennett: I appreciate the need for local democracy and for decisions to be made at the ballot box, as you indicate. But, of course, people make decisions at the ballot box based on a variety of factors, not merely whether or not they were fined for driving in a bus lane. So, as you have oversight for local government in Wales, I wonder if you are perhaps alive to the possibility that there could be a...
Gareth Bennett: Yes, indeed, you are correct in stating that. Thinking about the issue of fines as a general issue, we know—I think we can agree on this point—that local government is in a difficult place at the moment in terms of its finances. Is there a possibility that sometimes councils could be over punitive on many kinds of fines and they could be simply using the local ratepayers as cash cows?
Gareth Bennett: Diolch, Llywydd. As we know, First Minister, today is your last FMQs. I think this may not be an occasion to be too controversial, and perhaps we could both be slightly more reflective today. Now, you’ve been the First Minister for nine years, you were a Minister for almost as many years before that, so you have been at the heart of the Welsh Government for almost as long as it has existed....
Gareth Bennett: Is that the answer? [Laughter.] That's an interesting answer, but I may have a different appraisal. Are there perhaps areas where you feel the Welsh Government's performance could have been better?
Gareth Bennett: You were featured in a BBC Wales programme last night, Being First Minister—a very interesting show—in which you said: 'What the Welsh public want to see is delivery. They're not interested in the mechanics; all the rest of it is guff. It doesn't count as far as the Welsh public are concerned.' End of quote. What advice would you give to your successor on how to reduce 'guff', as you term...
