Mr Simon Thomas: Can I, first of all, associate myself and Plaid Cymru with the remarks that the Minister made regarding Martin Bishop? He will be sorely missed during the Royal Welsh, where he was a very familiar face and had a welcome always to discuss woodland and the environment in Wales. Can I turn to the statement of the Minister? First of all, just to, of course, reiterate that woodland creation of the...
Mr Simon Thomas: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the waiting times to register with NHS dentists in Ceredigion?
Mr Simon Thomas: Formally.
Mr Simon Thomas: I don't want to speak, no.
Mr Simon Thomas: Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. Can I, first of all, thank the Assembly for allowing us to debate this no named day motion now? I think, in light of the events over the last week and the decision making of the Westminster Government, it is appropriate that we debate this motion. I understand not everyone will support the content of the motion, and there are amendments before us, but I think...
Mr Simon Thomas: He does indeed, and most recently to the committee on which Mike Hedges serves with myself, the Finance Committee. I am not going to list the failures of one individual here. There are many, and I could list—[Interruption.] I haven't got the time in the next hour. I'm concentrating on the two big commitments that he failed to deliver, which were in the manifesto and which he personally...
Mr Simon Thomas: I'm sure my colleagues are more than capable of doing that in Westminster, but does he not realise that his own Prime Minister consistently uses the Welsh NHS to attack Jeremy Corbyn?
Mr Simon Thomas: Exactly. Exactly.
Mr Simon Thomas: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I’m grateful to everyone who took part in the debate. Like Mark Drakeford, I was busily seeing this wizard appearing on the horizon with a wand that could change the course of Welsh politics. But the reality here, of course, is that decisions, or a lack of decisions, taken by the Westminster Government have held back two projects that would have been...
Mr Simon Thomas: I'll take a quick intervention.
Mr Simon Thomas: I remember putting together such a motion. I led a backbench debate on such a motion. Every single person in this Assembly supported that motion, and what did the Westminster Government do in response to that motion? It said, 'No, thanks.' We passed a motion here, all parties in favour of the tidal lagoon, and it's been rejected by Westminster. I'm not against what the Member has suggested,...
Mr Simon Thomas: If I could turn to some of the more positive points made. Paul Davies, welcome to your first event as leader of the Conservative group—[Interruption.] Pro tem or however you want to describe the role. Paul has clearly stated that there is still an opportunity for tidal energy, but what investor now is going to come to Wales and have negotiations with the Welsh Government and the...
Mr Simon Thomas: Thank you very much, temporary Deputy Presiding Officer. I’m pleased to move the motion, which is based on work commissioned by me using the Assembly’s research funds. It’s being published as a report, ‘The Potential of Hydrogen in the Decarbonisation of Transport in Wales’. If any Member wants a copy, then they are welcome to contact me. I would also like to thank Riversimple, the...
Mr Simon Thomas: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I was just mentioning water, so I hope you didn’t miss too much there. The technology is available and I am particularly interested in seeing what role hydrogen has as a fuel in the mass transportation system. So, we’re looking at buses and trains, and opportunities with the Wales and borders franchise coming into the hands of the Welsh Government for...
Mr Simon Thomas: What we hope to see here is that the Government, and Wales itself becomes a nation that is in the vanguard and leads in developing the hydrogen industry. It is something that is swiftly expanding across the world. It is something that is very much developing in nations that are interested in research and new methods. There is a hydrogen community at a global level where information is shared,...
Mr Simon Thomas: Could the Member give way?
Mr Simon Thomas: I don't wish to correct him in that sense—I think he's broadly correct—but what I think he misses, and that's why I'm not completely content with his amendment, which I understand is trying to be a constructive amendment—. I think he misses the opportunity in Wales in particular, where we do produce surplus renewable electricity—we would have certainly had it with the tidal lagoon,...
Mr Simon Thomas: Just on that point, I see the welcome announcement this week of a test facility for rail, also in south Wales, quite close, as it happens, to Baglan and to sources of hydrogen. Would that be a potential area where this could be explored?
Mr Simon Thomas: Thank you. Can I thank everyone who took part in this debate? It was a short debate to note the publication of the report, but I can promise you I'll bore you about hydrogen for some time to come, and I've got a few enthusiasts around as well, so that's good to see. This is a technology that I think does a lot to tick a lot of boxes that we're interested in in Wales. It's innovative. It...
Mr Simon Thomas: 4. Will the First Minister make a statement on the future of marine energy in Wales? OAQ52467
