Mick Antoniw: Thank you, Llywydd. Am I clear to speak?
Mick Antoniw: Diolch, Llywydd. The Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee did consider these regulations on 18 May. In our report laid before the Senedd, which was on the same day, we raised one technical reporting point and three merits points, which we draw to the attention of the Senedd. The technical reporting point related to the clarity of the effect of the regulations. The regulations are...
Mick Antoniw: 7. Will the First Minister make a statement on the support provided to foster parents during the coronavirus emergency? OQ55341
Mick Antoniw: 6. Will the Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's flood recovery and prevention action in Rhondda Cynon Taf? OQ55309
Mick Antoniw: Will the Minister make a statement on planning policy in Wales?
Mick Antoniw: First Minister, thank you for that answer. I'd be grateful if you'd join with me in thanking foster parents the length and breadth of Wales for the contribution that they make every day, especially during the emergency. The lockdown has increased pressures on vulnerable families, with job losses and worsening mental health contributing to the potential for family breakdown. So, does the First...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you for that answer, Minister, and your earlier comments on the flooding issue. The further flooding that was recently experienced in parts of Rhondda Cynon Taf just weeks ago is a warning to us all. If it were not for the proactive response from Rhondda Cynon Taf and from Welsh Water, things could have been, in fact, a great deal worse and even more extensive. Most of the flooding this...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you, Llywydd.
Mick Antoniw: We considered the legislative consent memorandum for the Finance Bill at our meeting on 8 June 2020. We laid a short report before the Senedd on 18 June, and my contribution to this debate this afternoon will therefore be brief. As the Minister said, the highest emitters of greenhouse gasses in Wales currently participate in the European Union emissions trading scheme. A replacement policy...
Mick Antoniw: I wonder if it would be possible to have a Government time debate on the planning system in Wales, and in particular with regard to the role of the Planning Inspectorate. It's becoming increasingly clear to me and many other Assembly Members that there are real question marks about the fitness for purpose of the Planning Inspectorate and whether we should now be moving towards a system...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I intend to keep my remarks this afternoon brief, but I do wish to welcome the fact that the Welsh Government has tabled a motion for debate on this statutory instrument consent memorandum. The reasons for this is that it is an important point of principle that the Senedd makes a decision on whether to permit UK Ministers to amend primary legislation in...
Mick Antoniw: Minister, you will have seen press reports today that free NHS parking introduced in England at the start of the coronavirus emergency by the UK Government is going to be withdrawn. Can the Minister confirm today, in order to avoid the need for a statement, that the Welsh Government has no intention of changing its long-standing commitment to providing free parking for staff, patients and...
Mick Antoniw: Deputy Presiding Officer, that was a very, very comprehensive and full report on what, I think, is an excellent short report that has been to the point, that has provided a considerable amount of very important data on the impact on sport. And the important point out of it, really, to me, is this: firstly, it's going to be the grass roots that are going to be really heavily affected in our...
Mick Antoniw: But it wouldn't be there if it was up to you.
Mick Antoniw: First Minister, firstly, can I thank you for your statement? Can I also thank, and put my own name on record as thanking, really, all those Welsh Government lawyers in respect of the considerable amount of legislation that they've had to work on? I think it's difficult for people to perhaps appreciate the scale of legislation that has been developed and the skills that go along with that. And...
Mick Antoniw: I'll finish. My last sentence is how pleased we all are about the commitment in respect of implementation of Lucy's law. Thank you.
Mick Antoniw: Diolch, Llywydd. Members will be aware that these two sets of regulations amend paragraph 7(5) of Schedule 17 to the Coronavirus Act 2020, to add a number of existing legal provisions in both primary and secondary education-related legislation to the list of statutory provisions that can be disapplied by the Welsh Ministers for a specified period by notice because of the ongoing COVID-19...
Mick Antoniw: I wanted to make some of the points about enforcement that Siân Gwenllian made, so I don't want to repeat those, but just to reiterate how important they are to any particular change. There will obviously be consultations and discussions with our communities. I live in a former mining community, and of course our roads were never designed for the volume of traffic, or the amount of traffic...
Mick Antoniw: Llywydd, I welcome this debate, which, despite its pejorative title, is really about the future structure of the UK and Wales's relationship with the other three nations of the UK. Now, during the COVID pandemic, we have moved significantly beyond our former concept of devolution, to a version of four-nation government. Devolution is a reform that has had its time, and we must now look to a...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you, Llywydd. The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 2) (Wales) Regulations 2020 were made, as has been said, on 10 July under the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 in response to COVID-19 or coronavirus. The regulations revoke the original coronavirus regulations made on 26 March. As has been said, all the amendments made to those original restrictions...
