Mike Hedges: 2. Will the Minister provide an update on Welsh Government proposals for Flying Start? OQ59206
Mike Hedges: Can I thank the Minister for that response? I'm a vociferous supporter of Flying Start. It's not possible to overestimate the importance of a good start in life for a child. There are children starting nursery classes at three with a development age approaching four, whilst others have a mental age of just over two. How demoralising for them. Because of the way sensitive information is...
Mike Hedges: As the Minister I'm sure will say in her response, not all road construction is being ended. But again, we look at the issue in isolation. A road review needs to be part of a transport review. A bus plan is especially important because a lack of a bus plan and adequate bus services means there is often no alternative to driving except moving from the area in which you currently live. Also...
Mike Hedges: Please.
Mike Hedges: I cannot say that because, as you pointed out, or Darren Millar pointed out earlier, I have not been involved in any of this; the whole discussion takes place between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru, from which many of us on our benches are left out. If, however, the Government believe that additional roads create more traffic and pollution, why couldn't they close the Cardiff eastern...
Mike Hedges: 5. Will the Minister provide an update on Welsh Government support for the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon? OQ59237
Mike Hedges: I would like to ask for a Government statement on co-operative housing. Co-operative housing is popular in places as diverse as Scandinavia and New York, but has failed to become a standard form of accommodation in Wales. It's not accommodation only for poor people; John Lennon lived in the Dakota building, which was co-operative housing. The development agency, Cwmpas, the country's co-op,...
Mike Hedges: Can I welcome that answer? When the Swansea tidal lagoon was rejected by the Conservative Westminster Government, gas prices were low, and expected by the Government to remain low for ever. As we all know, they got that wrong. We know that tidal energy is reliable and capable of solving some of our energy needs. We also know that it does not involve expensive decommissioning or have a limited...
Mike Hedges: The second supplementary budget is a relatively minor movement of money, and completes the budget system for the year. I want to just make three very brief points. I welcome the areas prioritised by the Welsh Government in this supplementary budget and the approach taken by the Minister in managing the resources available as we near the end of the financial year. I would like to agree with...
Mike Hedges: I'm very pleased we're having this statement today. As the Minister is aware, it's been a cause of concern to my constituents living in Altamar and South Quay, and it's generated many e-mails and requests on the business statement from me for a long period of time. I welcome the statement today and the progress being made with the developers. Everyone should feel safe and secure in their...
Mike Hedges: 11. Will the Minister provide an update on the Welsh Government's invest-to-save programme? OQ59284
Mike Hedges: Can I thank the Minister for that response? I know that, at one time, it was being used by Natural Resources Wales to fill their gaps because of the cost of the merger. But, generally, I believe it's a very good thing, invest-to-save, and it is an opportunity to help the Welsh public sector and get as much as we can for what we spend. The question I've got is: how do we ensure that what works...
Mike Hedges: It is very expensive to be poor; almost everything costs more. If I'd been having this discussion about 20 years ago, I would have said that everything costs more, but the German discount-rate retailers arrived, so not everything does cost more, but very few things don't cost more, for being poor. It makes good business sense for the energy suppliers to have prepayment meters. They get a...
Mike Hedges: Oh, thank you, Presiding Officer. You caught me out there.
Mike Hedges: Russell George and I were both elected in 2011. Eluned Morgan is the best health Minister we've had in that time. This is the most difficult job in Government. The structure we have now is the one that she inherited. As merger mania hits the Senedd across parties, big is always better, isn't it? I've had Conservatives tell me that we should only have two health boards in Wales, and a former...
Mike Hedges: Well, first of all, I disagree entirely with what you just said, Jenny. I didn't say anything about having 22 individual boards; what I said is that primary care and secondary care don't work well together, and we've had a serious problem with it, and the very big board in north Wales hasn't worked. My advice is to keep Betsi Cadwaladr for back-office functions and primary care, not the 22,...
Mike Hedges: I would like to ask for a Government statement on the future of the Heart of Wales railway line. I'm told by constituents that trains are regularly cancelled, and that, during summer, they are overcrowded. Can the Government outline its plans for the Heart of Wales railway line? I would also like a Government statement on how the Government decides on funding to support tourist businesses....
Mike Hedges: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I welcome the statement today. Anything that helps the economy of the Swansea bay city region I will support. Using the site of Port Talbot to build and then take out to sea offshore wind turbines will benefit our fight against global warming and create well-paid jobs. I agree with the Minister that, as well as maximising the growth potential of the local...
Mike Hedges: I very much welcome the statement today. The access commitment introduced in April last year, requiring a GP practice to adopt a planned approach to meeting patient need, moving away from the, 'Release all appointments at 8 a.m., and if you happen to be eighty-first, and they're only taking 80 appointments, then tough, no matter what was wrong with you'—. But how is this being implemented?...
Mike Hedges: 7. Will the Minister make a statement on the provision of public services to those with hearing loss? OQ59329
