Mark Drakeford: The Superfast Cymru scheme has facilitated the roll-out of superfast broadband access to over 134,000 homes and businesses across the region, delivering average speeds of over 79 Mbps and investing over £38.1 million.
Mark Drakeford: The Welsh Government has followed the principles of openness in government for many years. The Welsh Government has demonstrated it is committed to both the open data agenda and the wider open government agenda. Welsh Government complies with relevant legislation such as freedom of information.
Mark Drakeford: Anti-social behaviour blights communities and we are committed to tackling it. We are working with the south Wales police and crime commissioner and social landlords to develop a self assessment tool. Two landlords are involved in the pilot. The evaluation report due in May will inform further implementation across Wales.
Mark Drakeford: The Welsh Government’s position on this was covered in the response to your short debate of 19 October 2016.
Mark Drakeford: I met with a group of technology entrepreneurs and business leaders to discuss emerging technological trends and their implications for the Welsh economy. They emphasised the importance of skills and high quality infrastructure to ensure Wales is ready to face the technological challenges in the coming decades.
Mark Drakeford: We are considering the recommendations of the recent report, and have committed to publish updated guidance on accessibility by the end of March. My officials continue to work with the office of the children’s commissioner and will meet with her representatives in April for discussions on future policy.
Mark Drakeford: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I would like to start this debate on the general principles of the Law Derived from the European Union (Wales) Bill by acknowledging the significant challenge facing Assembly Members in trying to tackle such a complex piece of proposed legislation in such a brief period of time.
Mark Drakeford: Can I begin, against that background, Dirprwy Lywydd, by paying tribute to the work of both Assembly committees who have had a chance to undertake some consideration of the Bill? I was very grateful to David Rees, the Chair of the External Affairs and Additional Legislation Committee and its Members for being willing to explore a series of very important issues in the Bill on the basis of...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, having said that the Bill is a complex piece of law, I should also say that, in its broad aims—indeed, in its general principles—I believe that it is clear and simple. It is intended to deal with the inevitable consequences in domestic law of withdrawal from the European Union by preserving EU law covering subjects already devolved to Wales. It will enable Welsh Ministers to make...
Mark Drakeford: Certainly.
Mark Drakeford: Can I thank Dr Lloyd for that intervention? I'll address that point directly and immediately, Llywydd, because in terms of recommendation 3 of the CLAC report that asks for a justification of the powers in section 11 of the Bill, a major justification for needing these powers at this point in time lies in the volume of subordinate legislation that we are likely to face. This Assembly will...
Mark Drakeford: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Can I thank the three committee Chairs who've taken part in this afternoon's debate? It's immensely helpful to the Assembly to have the expert view that the different committees bring to this subject, and I think all three committee Chairs were able to set out the positions established by their committees. John Griffiths drew attention to the charter of fundamental...
Mark Drakeford: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Members will have noted from the regulatory impact assessment the current uncertainty regarding the administrative and other costs of the Bill. The Bill operates to preserve EU law by way of regulations made by Welsh Ministers. It is simply not possible, in the uncertain circumstances in which we find ourselves, to quantify accurately the volume of the secondary...
Mark Drakeford: Yes, by all means.
Mark Drakeford: I think that's a principle we'd be happy to endorse. Llywydd, the answer takes me back to a point that David Rees raised in his original contribution, which is that while this Bill allows us to transpose the whole of EU derived Welsh law through the vehicle of this Bill, it doesn't require us to do that. And if there were examples where it was more cost-effective to allow the UK to legislate...
Mark Drakeford: We expect health boards to provide evidence-based care. Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board provides multiparametric MRI in line with the current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline for prostate cancer. The guideline is under review and we expect this to conclude in early 2019.
Mark Drakeford: We are working to make it quicker and easier for people to secure adaptations when needed. We are collecting data to help understand how to further streamline processes. The Wales Audit Office recommendations will inform the work under way to improve people’s experiences and make the system more user-friendly.
Mark Drakeford: We provide significant investment in all housing tenures across all areas of Wales, including the south Wales Valleys. Help to Buy—Wales, rent to own and the innovative housing programme are making new home ownership more accessible and sustainable. Our social housing grant and Wales property development fund continue to support small and medium-sized enterprise developers and social...
Mark Drakeford: The eight-minute 'red' target has been achieved for 22 consecutive months across South Wales Central, with a typical response to life-threatened patients arriving at scene in five to six minutes. Detailed work is under way to ensure that the right response is sent at the right time to patients in amber and green categories.
Mark Drakeford: The 'Prosperity for All' national strategy and economic action plan sets out the actions we are taking to improve economic development across Wales, including Newport.
