Alun Davies: Minister, I'm almost speechless. I'm delighted that you referenced both the station in Abertillery and also four trains an hour. Those are exactly the objectives that we all want to see. You will know, perhaps better than I, how we've all been let down by the Westminster Government—successive UK Governments have refused to invest in the rail infrastructure in Wales. And I think we're all...
Alun Davies: Will the Minister make a statement on how his economic programme will support areas such as Blaenau Gwent?
Alun Davies: Yes, I've just asked it.
Alun Davies: I'm sorry. Will the Minister make a statement on the release of documents yesterday that showed that the UK Government has deliberately sought to keep information from the devolved administrations in terms of their plans for Brexit, and their plans for the internal market Bill?
Alun Davies: Thank you very much for your patience, Presiding Officer.
Alun Davies: I'm grateful to the Minister for that response. I'm also grateful to the Minister for his statement yesterday. Blaenau Gwent is a part of the country, of course, that will lose out more in terms of funding than almost any other county borough. Blaenau Gwent has relied on funding from the European Union in terms of connectivity, both investing in railway and the dualling of the A465. People in...
Alun Davies: I'm grateful to you, acting Presiding Officer. I have to say that this report is an excellent piece of work and I think all of us should be very grateful to John Griffiths as Chair, but all Members across all sides of this Chamber who contributed to this report, and, of course, the staff who worked on it as well. I think it reflects poorly on some of those Members who were here to contribute...
Alun Davies: The findings, acting Presiding Officer, are as stark as any of us would expect and anticipate and any of us have seen in our own communities over recent months—the impact that the virus, the pandemic, has had on people living in poverty, on older people, on ethnicity in and across Wales. We've seen how the virus has not been a virus that has hit people equally, but has had a...
Alun Davies: I move formally.
Alun Davies: Thank you very much, acting Presiding Officer. I was surprised to hear both Nick Ramsay and Mark Reckless refer to my advocacy of a legislative process. My own notes here read that I came to this from the point of view of having no preconceived ideas and no principled approach to start with but to listen to the evidence. Perhaps I listened a little more, how shall I say it, actively than I'd...
Alun Davies: Thank you very much, acting Presiding Officer. I should say at the beginning that Dawn Bowden has asked to take a minute of my time, and I've agreed to that. I wrote in the Western Mail this morning that one of the certainties of political life in Wales is the launch of a Valleys programme by an incoming Government or administration, and in saying that I should also, of course, declare my...
Alun Davies: Since then, since 2016, myself and the Minister stood in Ebbw Vale in 2017 and launched the Tech Valleys programme in my own constituency. We've seen the Cardiff and Swansea city deals progress uncertainly, I think is probably fairest to say. We've heard talk of a shared prosperity fund but, to date, I'm not convinced that any of us taking part in this debate knows what it is or where it's...
Alun Davies: 5. What discussions has the Welsh Government had with the UK Government regarding the extension and expansion of the job retention scheme for areas under local restrictions? OQ55770
Alun Davies: Thank you very much, First Minister. Of course, the question precedes the announcement yesterday on the approach being taken over the next few weeks. I'm sure you share my disappointment that the United Kingdom Government is not stepping into the breach and providing seamless support for people who are affected by that. But it would be useful, I think, First Minister, if you could outline to...
Alun Davies: The most offensive part of this Bill, of course, is the way in which it steamrollers our constitutional settlement, and does so without consent. The Counsel General will be aware, of course, of the Statute of Westminster, enacted in December 1931, which gave independence to the then Dominions. Is it not time, Counsel General, for a new statute of Westminster, that gives us the legal...
Alun Davies: I'm grateful to the Counsel General for his clear explanation of that vision. It's one, he won't be surprised to know, that I share. I hope, in the conversations that he's having with the United Kingdom Government and with the Lord Chancellor, that they will emphasise the outcomes that we've seen during this last year in the way that the coronavirus has affected Welsh prisons, that we've not...
Alun Davies: I'm sure the Minister would want to join me in welcoming the news that Prescoed prison football team has been now allowed to play in the Sunday league in the Gwent Central League. It was a real tragedy that they were told, after 20 years, that they weren't able to re-enter the league for the coming season. But doesn't this reflect poorly on how we manage rehabilitation in Wales and how we...
Alun Davies: I'm grateful to the Deputy Minister as well for the statement he's made to us this afternoon. I was especially grateful to hear him state so clearly that support for buses is a matter of social justice for this Government, and I think that that is absolutely essential, particularly when you're considering some of the communities that many of us will represent. Many of the communities I...
Alun Davies: Oh, well, Neil, it won't matter to you; we're not in Wiltshire anyway. This is a matter for us who actually seek to represent the people who thought they were electing us. Let me say this: when I looked at this proposal from the First Minister, I quite honestly was unsure. I asked myself three questions. The first question was, 'Is there any alternative?', secondly, 'Is it proportionate?' and...
Alun Davies: 2. Will the Minister make a statement on support for businesses affected by Welsh Government regulations? OQ55763
