Hefin David: 3. Will the First Minister make a statement on efforts to improve bus services in Wales? OAQ54848
Hefin David: This summer, we had the news from Stagecoach that they plan to discontinue the number 25 service, which runs from Caerphilly to the Heath hospital, via Thornhill crematorium. After working with more than 300 residents, and Wayne David, we managed to persuade Stagecoach to reinstate the service on an hourly basis, from January, as a six-month trial. The outcome was the result of pressure from...
Hefin David: Will you take a brief intervention?
Hefin David: Just to recall, from the evidence we received, would he also remember that, when we were talking of post office branches, one of the pieces of evidence we received was that post office branches are particularly unsuitable for small and particularly micro business activity? It was one of the things that we were told.
Hefin David: One of the motivations for us involving ourselves in this inquiry is that we've all seen bank branches close. I want to stand up for communities like Nelson, which saw a Barclays close; Ystrad Mynach, which saw a Nat West; and Bargoed, the northern-most community in my constituency, the one that is most in need of town-centre growth, saw both HSBC and recently, this year, at the end of this...
Hefin David: Yes. I need to take a couple of steps back in what I was saying then, to go back to that point. Funnily enough, in the report that the Welsh Government did evaluating that framework, they actually made that very point—that they're waiting to see how that would pan out before making further recommendations about the fund. So, yes, I think it is timely that we examine how that provision can...
Hefin David: —that this is one of the most enjoyable reports I've been involved with and it's timely that it's being delivered at this point in the term to finish off constructively this term. Happy Christmas, Dirprwy Lywydd, to you and to everyone else in this Chamber.
Hefin David: I was just going to quickly say: I don't recall Banc Cambria actually suggesting that they needed any more from the Welsh Government, as I remember.
Hefin David: Will you take an intervention?
Hefin David: Can I just say that I raised that particular concern with recommendation 6 in my speech? I think the Minister has reassured me there, so thank you. And it's nice—. I think that's worth putting on the record.
Hefin David: I'm not going to get into the almost metaphysical debate that's gone on about the ethical nature of the Bill, but I will support what has been said by Llyr Gruffydd and David Rowlands about the fact that animals travelling with the circuses need that level of regulation. I agree with that and I think that is something that needs to be strengthened in the Bill. Llyr beat me to it. I was going...
Hefin David: I'll join with other Members in the Chamber in saying what lovely people the Conservatives are and how wonderful it would be to see them engaging with this. Llyr, don't say, 'Don't go that far'—I think it would be a really good thing if they engaged. [Laughter.] Llywydd, I'll use your words that you said to the committee, and the Chair has already mentioned it. You said of Westminster MPs...
Hefin David: But what you did was the right thing to do—you were a new Assembly Member and you were introducing yourself to people in Nelson. But the people in Nelson we're confused—they thought that there was a new Assembly Member and I'd somehow stood down. People didn't understand that they had more than one Assembly Member representing them with this dual system. That electoral system doesn't work...
Hefin David: 5. Will the Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's plans to implement the recommendations of the Reid Review? OAQ54918
Hefin David: In the evidence that the Minister gave to the Children, Young People and Education Committee last week, she made a clear budgetary commitment to meeting £15 million of spending towards implementing in particular recommendation 2 of the Reid review. But the Reid review recommendation 2 was an additional £30 million a year to incentivise researchers to win greater funding from business and...
Hefin David: 2. Will the Minister provide an update on Welsh Government plans to ban pavement parking in Wales? OAQ54962
Hefin David: I've had concerns, via e-mail and letter, from constituents who are concerned about pavement parking. Many new housing developments are being constructed with very narrow carriageways and insufficient space for cars. That applies to the Cwm Calon Redrow development in my constituency, which is a relatively new development, and people have no choice, because of the bad design by Redrow, but to...
Hefin David: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. The approach I'm taking to this short debate is one that I've discussed with the Minister. I haven't actually written a speech. I have notes, but I haven't written a speech, so I don't know what I'm going to say in this speech. But what I've also agreed with the Minister is that he hasn't written much of a speech either, and he's not relying on civil service notes;...
Hefin David: He said he's going to stay as long as I make it interesting, so, if he does go, we know what he's thinking. And the definition within the report—they describe anchor towns as sub-regional centres of employment, education and key services with strong transport links, and they support new and growing businesses and provide a large enough customer base for local businesses such as food shops,...
Hefin David: It also seeks, as I've said, to complement Government policy on the foundational economy. And on page 8, it actually talks about foundational liveability, and it says, 'Success is about whether places work in a liveable way for many types of households. Not whether they are deficient by the GVA measure or lack the accoutrements of stylish middle class living.' I quite like that, and that is...
