David Rees: 4. What discussions has the Minister had with further education institutions on delivering greater access to lifelong learning? OAQ53143
David Rees: Minister, thank you for that answer. I welcome the fact that you're now looking after FE as well as the other aspects and your comments earlier today indicate that you're keen to ensure that FE remains the jewel in one of the crowns of the education sector in Wales. But, clearly, many of those programmes and access to lifelong learning, which provides opportunities for people to go further on...
David Rees: Minister, I'll look at the two aspects of the four hours—that's the beginning and the end of the four-hour period. At the beginning, clearly, we can ask people to choose better with the prudent health approach and look at using different facilities such as minor injuries units across south Wales, and particularly in my area the fantastic services at Neath Port Talbot Hospital. I want to...
David Rees: I only knew Steffan, like many others in this Chamber, since he was elected in 2016 to join us here, and in that short time, his decency and his intellect have made their mark on myself and many others, as we are hearing across the Chamber today. My colleague Jack Sargeant came into this Chamber with the thought of a kinder politics. Steffan embodied that kinder politics he wanted to do. He...
David Rees: Diolch, Dirprwy Llywydd. Can I thank the Minister for his statement this afternoon on the future relationships and where we go with EU withdrawal? I've heard voices across the Chamber this afternoon trying to indicate that this Prime Minister has done a wonderful deal. Well, the reality is she hasn't, and the delay she's experienced—in contradiction to what you just said in your answer to...
David Rees: —on his other role, which links into this, because you're Counsel General. The Tusk and Juncker letter yesterday, which was displayed and produced by Theresa May in her statement, and she questioned or she indicated the legality aspects of that, have you done an analysis on the legal aspects of that, and what its legal position is in relation to the assurances that were given in that...
David Rees: 4. What discussions has the Minister had with local authorities regarding the improvement of local bus services to the Afan valley? OAQ53201
David Rees: Thank you for that answer, Minister. The Afan valley is actually serviced by two local authorities in one sense, because buses come from Maesteg and Bridgend. The focus, mainly, is from Port Talbot up to the Afan valley. Now, the communities of the Afan valley are some of the most disadvantaged communities that we have in Wales and they don't have a lot of cars. The percentage of car...
David Rees: Counsel General, I am pleased to hear that you are having meetings or arranging meetings with your Irish counterparts and discussing, because if we have a 'no deal' situation, or even a deal and the backstop kicks in, there will be a border down the Irish Sea, and we need to address that. But can I ask you also to meet with counterparts—I know we haven't got a counterpart, but equivalents...
David Rees: Diolch, Llywydd. Counsel General, in relation to this matter, clearly the businesses that are being helped in the main through the portal are mainly exporters, but there's a lot of supply chain businesses in that link. What discussions are you having with the businesses to look at their supply chains to ensure the supply chains are also supported in this process? Because we rely very much...
David Rees: First Minister, you've already mentioned that one in four women have sentences of less than one month, but the report also highlighted that more than 68 per cent of those sentences were for 12 months or less—very small sentences—and, as such, we need to look at the guidelines for that. Now, yesterday, I was welcoming the decision and the announcement by the business Minister in London to...
David Rees: Trefnydd, I raised earlier with the First Minister the issue about the superprison in Baglan and how the UK Government had confirmed it would not be going ahead and was no longer viable, but also in that evidence, the prisons Minister highlighted that the Welsh Government had sold the land. Now, the strong campaign that was put forward by people in my constituency would need reassurances,...
David Rees: First Minister, thank you for your statement this afternoon, and I will be listening very carefully to the remaining statements because, clearly, we raised this spectre of no deal over 12 months ago when we had the first report prepared for us by the Welsh Government. Paul Davies—I had a couple of points. I just want to keep it simple because I know the time is short for your statement. He...
David Rees: Thank you, Minister, for your statement; it’s very important that we highlight the issues about health and social care and other aspects. One of the things very often forgotten in this Brexit argument, because we talk about goods—but here we have services, and they are very heavily affected, and I appreciate the comments you've made already. If I could just ask a couple of quick points on...
David Rees: 8. What discussions has the Minister had with Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council regarding the financial settlement for local government? OAQ53265
David Rees: Minister, clearly the Afan valley was one of the first and one of the most severely affected by the larch disease, and my colleague the Member for Ogmore has highlighted the opportunities that come as a consequence of reforestation. Have you had discussions with your colleague the Minister for Economy and Transport about how we can build up the economies of those valleys? Tourism is an agenda...
David Rees: Well, as Dai Lloyd has pointed out, Port Talbot has unfortunately got a reputation for bad air quality, but we understand some of the reasons behind it. John Griffiths highlighted that perhaps one solution is trees: more trees along our routes, because we have two major roads passing through it. But you've had discussions with Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council. Have you also had...
David Rees: I look forward to when you do meet them and raise the issues, and look to support them as much as possible, because NPT council clearly is, like every other council in Wales, facing challenging times because of the austerity ideology that is being driven through by Westminster. But in doing so, they're obviously looking very carefully at how they manage their bank balance and their funding,...
David Rees: What discussions has the First Minister had with stakeholders on the future of the steel industry in Wales?
David Rees: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Our motion today asks the National Assembly to note our three reports on the Brexit preparedness of three sectors: ports, healthcare and medicines, and food and drink. They follow on from our report last February, which sought clarification on the Welsh Government's preparations for when the UK left the EU. Last week we received a series of statements from Ministers on...
