Andrew RT Davies: Will the Leader of the House make a statement on the delivery of superfast broadband in rural communities?
Andrew RT Davies: I'm glad you gave such a long answer, First Minister. I wasn't expecting to be called, and I'd just put a Polo in my mouth, which isn't a good thing to do just before you ask a question, Presiding Officer—
Andrew RT Davies: What I'd like to ask the finance Secretary, if possible, please, is: the Government have just concluded the public inquiry into the M4 relief road, and cost pressures, obviously, have increased dramatically over the anticipated costs of the relief road. The Welsh Government's own figures are now £1.4 billion—that was the figure that was submitted to the public inquiry. How confident is the...
Andrew RT Davies: Did you read your leader's letter last week?
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer. First Minister, today the Public Accounts Committee have brought forward their report looking at the expenditure around the Circuit of Wales, and just before I ask you the question, I'm sure you'll join me in congratulating the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, who announced that he and his wife are expecting their first child in a few months' time. When...
Andrew RT Davies: And I fully accept that, First Minister, but I note the Government response to date, which didn't seek to refute the allegations that the officials were running this department at the time. And that's a very serious accusation based on the evidence that the committee has put together. It's a cross-party committee, it was a unanimous report and it was indicating as well that some of these...
Andrew RT Davies: It doesn't look as if I'm going to get an answer. I appreciate that, but I'll look forward to the answer when it comes. But will you give us an assurance, then, this afternoon, First Minister, that if the Government acknowledges these accusations, these assertions, based on the evidence that the committee took—the cross-party committee that looked into this—. To date, no-one has, from...
Andrew RT Davies: Leader of the house, could we have a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for rural affairs in relation to the horrendous story that's running today about badger baiting here in Wales? I appreciate it's cross-agency and cross-sector, and some of the responsibilities are in Westminster, some of those responsibilities around animal health and welfare are here in the Assembly. But wherever that...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer. I find myself with a group that's stuck in the middle here. Very often, it's good to be in the middle ground of politics, I find. So, I'll leave the extremists to debate amongst themselves on this. First Minister, what is the Welsh Government's position when it comes to a second referendum, either on the deal that's negotiated around Brexit or on rerunning the...
Andrew RT Davies: Did I hear you correctly there First Minister? You said you do not have a position as a Government. Because, obviously, two of your Cabinet colleagues signed a letter last week indicating that they wanted to see a referendum. I always assumed that Government operated on collective responsibility, and I have certainly heard you say on several occasions as leader of the Welsh Government that...
Andrew RT Davies: First Minister, I notice you didn't address my question about your own Government, and it was only some months ago that you sacked the Member for Cardiff Central from her role as Government oversight on the European committee because she didn't agree with Cabinet responsibility, as you interpreted it, because you said that her letter of appointment had collective responsibility attached to...
Andrew RT Davies: Leader of the house, could we have a statement from the public service Minister on the support and help that community councils and town councils have, and the guidance that the unitary authorities have in dealing with our town and community councils? In my own electoral region, I have a great difference in the level of community councils that are in the Vale of Glamorgan, Cardiff and Rhondda...
Andrew RT Davies: I welcome the opportunity to contribute in this debate, and I congratulate the lead speaker on bringing forward such an interesting and dynamic policy document, which seeks to address many of the posed questions that we, as elected Members, get from our constituents if we represent cities like Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, or indeed our larger towns such as Newtown, Wrexham, or Barry as well....
Andrew RT Davies: The spatial plan—wherever that went to. Then, all of a sudden, we're getting various announcements now about how the Government is being progressive in its thinking around the planning system. Well, actually, there doesn't seem to be much progress, I would suggest, that residents, certainly in the west of Cardiff, are pointing to at the moment to say that they feel that their voices and...
Andrew RT Davies: Minister, will you take an intervention?
Andrew RT Davies: I'm grateful to the Minister for taking an intervention. Do you recognise that the best way to get the best solutions on regeneration, especially in a local environment, is to devolve as much responsibility down, when it comes to regeneration, to those communities and local authorities and businesses so that they can determine what's important in their own areas, rather than the very...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer. First Minister, last week, the chief executive of Qatar airlines made some very unhelpful and disparaging remarks about whether a woman would be able to fulfil his role. You as First Minister have rightly identified that you as a Government, and I'm sure everyone in this Chamber, want Wales to be the most feminine friendly country and allow pathways to every...
Andrew RT Davies: Sadly, from that answer, First Minister, you give an indication that you made no representations whatsoever to the chief executive or the airline about these remarks. If it was a small business in Wales, or a medium-sized business in Wales, I'm sure that, given the social contract that you've developed, you would be, obviously, demonstrating your dislike of the comments that were made and...
Andrew RT Davies: The comments were made in light of your assertion that this investment could bring in 2,000 jobs, of which we know only 50 have been delivered, and potentially £90 million into the Welsh economy. Who wouldn't welcome such a proposition? But what we've seen with your management and your Government's management of this particular bid is that you have failed to deliver any one of those targets...
Andrew RT Davies: Cabinet Secretary, you talk about building capacity, and I seem to remember a lot of the conversations around when the health boards were reorganised back in 2009 being about, 'By creating bigger organisations you create capacity.' That hasn't exactly been a rip-roaring success. But one of the things you could say would benefit local authorities across Wales, in particular the further away...
