Mark Reckless: It depends which council you refer to. Some of the activities carried out by unitary councils here would be carried out by states in the United States, which are of course much bigger. But what I would say is: I believe 22 is too many, and I think we should require local councils to merge with at least one other. I think Cardiff and Powys should probably be exceptions on account of their...
Mark Reckless: Will the Member give way?
Mark Reckless: Could I ask him, with his long experience, why he thinks things have changed such that we now have good attendance and participation in debates such as this, whereas in the past they were thinly attended?
Mark Reckless: Diolch, Llywydd. I move the amendments in the name of Caroline Jones. We oppose the devolution of justice and policing. I was pleased to take the time to consider this very impressive report in detail before saying that. I think there is an analogy between the EU and devolution. It comes where there's an interface between, here, devolved and non-devolved services. Clearly, where you have such...
Mark Reckless: I concur in many circumstances that the Member is correct in his diagnosis. In this report, reading chapter 11 on the Welsh language and then chapter 12 on the governance of professions, I'm not convinced that they are linked sufficiently. Currently, legal exams are not available, at degree level at least, in Welsh. This proposes that they should be and people should be able to qualify...
Mark Reckless: Well, that's entirely appropriate if we have a system for Wales. But I would question whether it is a reasonable ask for an England-and-Wales regulator. Although, I would support greater engagement with the Assembly on these issues as proposed, and perhaps these can be discussed. I continue my disappointment with the Supreme Court and the arrangements there about the appointments. The report...
Mark Reckless: Will the Minister give way?
Mark Reckless: Does he think it's reasonable for someone who has only demonstrated proficiency through examination in Welsh to be able to practice across England, in English?
Mark Reckless: Diolch, Llywydd. Stepping back from the specifics of this budget, and the particular difficulties that we've had with the timing of the UK budget relative to our own, what view does the finance Minister take about how our budget process works in the round? How well, or otherwise, does it compare to what we might see as best practice from other legislatures, whether within the UK or...
Mark Reckless: The way the process works, with a draft budget and then a period of at least several weeks of apparent consultation and consideration of what's in that draft budget before we then bring forward a final budget for consideration, I wonder whether that process gives the impression to people outwith the Welsh Government in particular who may receive, or benefit from, funding that there is a...
Mark Reckless: Gerry Adams.
Mark Reckless: First Minister, last night, a few miles south-east of here, councillors voted by 18 to 17 to block Bristol Airport from expanding any further as they say it would exacerbate the climate emergency. With Bristol Airport set to hit its 10 million passenger limit next year, does the First Minister welcome this opportunity for Cardiff Airport to expand its flights and serve passengers who would...
Mark Reckless: I hear what the First Minister says in response, but on climate change, the future generations commissioner has observed that 'The steps the government are taking at the moment do not appear to match the declaration of a climate emergency.' Some taxpayers may welcome that in view of the amount of money you've put into Cardiff Airport; if Cardiff Airport expands to take flights that Bristol...
Mark Reckless: Does the Minister believe that the advantages of consolidation of post-16 education at Merthyr Tydfil College outweigh any reduction in choice or increase in travel times for those students who, in the past, have attended school sixth forms?
Mark Reckless: I congratulate the Member on obtaining the debate and thank him for giving me a minute of his time, and also wish him a happy birthday. The emphasis, to my mind, has evolved and we heard that it was an automotive park, and the Tech Valleys initiative and then I think, latterly, there's been a greater emphasis on cyber security. And I agree with Alun Davies that this Government needs to be...
Mark Reckless: First Minister, in response to Paul Davies, you said that local government, coal authorities and NRW all inspected coal tips. I wonder if you could reflect whether their responsibilities in that area are sufficiently clearly delineated or whether they're overlapping, with any associated potential for confusion. Could I also ask you, First Minister, whether you think changes to flood...
Mark Reckless: First Minister, you were interrupted, but I will also just remind you of the point about the division of responsibilities between local government and NRW and the coal authorities in terms of those inspections. One thing struck me about the RCT-based letters: it was a request to draw supplementary funding above the block grant in a devolved area, and as such could represent a change from the...
Mark Reckless: May I thank the Minister for his statement? When I saw the title 'legislation related to leaving the EU', I had assumed it would focus on the flow of statutory instruments and the approach we were taking to those, so I particularly thank him for the last two paragraphs that do address that issue. And if I may take into account the tone we had from Darren Millar in his response—I recall a...
Mark Reckless: I think it's important to understand that the UK Government appears willing to accept level-playing-field provisions of the type that were included in the Canada and South Korea treaties by the EU, and the broad non-regression and the international conventions referenced in those treaties. What the EU is saying, though, is that we should, indeed, be subservient to the EU on an ongoing basis...
Mark Reckless: Diolch, Llywydd. I move, formally. Ron Davies described devolution as a process not an event. 'An evolving process' is another way of saying 'No stable settlement'. Our constitutional arrangements are constantly contested and that, we believe, is a failure. Welsh Government may assert in its amendment that our current devolved institutions are the settled will of the Welsh people, but that is...
