Hefin David: What assessment has the First Minister made of the Welsh Government's efforts to tackle homelessness?
Hefin David: There have been quite a variety of ideas that have been triggered by this Small Business Saturday debate—some of them cross-party overlapping, which is quite interesting. Today a constituent raised with me the opening of out-of-town retail parks—Russell Jones on Twitter—and he said that it was one of those many challenges facing the high street. Absolutely. And that’s been touched on...
Hefin David: I think that the complexity of taking action and having unintended consequences could then make it worse for other people. It’s almost like a game of Jenga that we’re playing here—you change one thing and the whole thing could come crashing down. So, I think using the next 12 months to look at what’s going on, to get that feedback and to try and make those changes would be a good...
Hefin David: I thoroughly enjoyed the high-level debate that took place between Nick Ramsay and Adam Price at the beginning. I would say that, as an undergraduate, I was taught by Patrick Minford and I remember the time he drew on the board a number of mathematical equations and he said, ‘This, my friends, is a Rolls-Royce theory of the money supply and it’s all you really need to know about...
Hefin David: Will you take an intervention?
Hefin David: It’s a simple question. I’ve asked it before and I’ll ask it again. You can save £13,000 straight away by giving back your councillor allowance for the last year. I’ve done it; why don’t you do it? It would be a great example.
Hefin David: What action is the Welsh Government taking to support people with haemophilia in Wales who were infected as a result of historic treatment with NHS contaminated blood and blood products?
Hefin David: On 4 November, along with hundreds of others, I attended the funeral in Ystrad Mynach of my constituent Cyril Thomas, who passed away on 12 October last year. Cyril was a former assistant headteacher of Lewis Boys School in my constituency, where he taught both history and religious education. The brother of former champion boxer Eddie Thomas, Cyril worked as a miner before becoming a teacher...
Hefin David: I’d like to declare an interest, Llywydd, as an associate lecturer at Cardiff Metropolitan University. I’m going to be supporting this motion today, and I was hopping up and down in agreement with Llyr Gruffydd’s speech. Particularly, I’d like to draw attention to points—it doesn’t happen very often, but there we go. [Laughter.]—4(d) and 4(e) in the motion. Higher education is...
Hefin David: Not in Wales. That wasn’t happening in Wales. I’ll tell you something else: as a Conservative, your policy is usually to get the state out of things. Well, I tell you what: you are using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. If you wanted to resolve some of these things at those colleges where there were misdemeanours, you resolve them with those colleges by shutting those colleges down. You...
Hefin David: Yes, the MBA students are our future doctoral students and they are our future researchers. Yes, absolutely. They have an intellectual value that should remain in our economy. Subjecting EU nationals to the same, already harsh restrictions as non-EU nationals after Brexit could have a catastrophic effect on our university system, and it will be to the detriment of our already stuttering...
Hefin David: 4. Will the First Minister provide an update on plans for the procurement of new rolling stock at the commencement of the new Wales and Borders rail franchise? OAQ(5)0371(FM)
Hefin David: Travelling on the Rhymney to Cardiff line at rush hour on the Valleys lines is a grim experience. I know that from journeys I’ve taken myself, and the Valleys lines generally, I’m told, are the same. Arriva have told me several times that there is simply no rolling stock available to ease the overcrowding. They told me that a new diesel train would take approximately three years to...
Hefin David: 2. What discussions has the Counsel General had regarding the enforcement of Welsh Government legislation? OAQ(5)0016(CG)
Hefin David: A constituent of mine is an ecologist and previously contacted me expressing his concerns about the enforcement of Welsh legislation underpinned by the EU habitats directive once we leave the European Union. This is one example and the Counsel General’s given an example. He’s previously given an assessment of the general effect of triggering article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon on Welsh...
Hefin David: Dirprwy Lywydd, this is less a debate today and more a call for action. We are calling on the Government to act on behalf of those who seek justice for themselves and for their families. In her opening contribution, Julie Morgan mentioned a constituent of our colleague, Mick Antoniw—Mr Leigh Sugar—who passed away from hepatitis C. Mr Sugar’s aunt is a constituent of mine—Mrs Dorothy...
Hefin David: 9. Will the First Minister make a statement on recognition given to those who carried out their national service as Bevin Boys during and after the Second World War? OAQ(5)0418(FM)
Hefin David: I thank the First Minister for that, and I was recently contacted by my constituent Mr William Beer of Llanbradach, who turns 91 this year and was a Bevin boy during the second world war. When the Bevin boys programme was wound up in 1948, they didn’t receive any medals and their efforts went unrecognised until the VE Day fiftieth anniversary celebrations in May 1995. In June 2007, the UK...
Hefin David: 7. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on grazing rights on common land? OAQ(5)0099(ERA)
Hefin David: I’m told by planning officers at Caerphilly County Borough Council that disputes over grazing rights are a private matter between interested parties. The local authority holds a register of common land and village greens, but it has no statutory powers to protect or enforce an individual’s right to graze animals on common land, or so they tell me. The local authority says any such...
