Huw Irranca-Davies: I’m slightly less—[Interruption.] I’m slightly less pessimistic than Bethan has been, because I can name individuals who are patrons of the arts: former collier David Brace and his wife Dawn Brace, who put £20,000 a year of their own money—Dunraven Windows is their company, the double glazing, but they fund the entirety of the Bridgend young singer of the year, which is a Wales-wide...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Lywydd. I welcome the opportunity to speak very briefly on this Order—on a small point, but I think it is an important point—on behalf of the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee. Our report to the Assembly identified one point of interest—it was a point of merit—related to the dependence of this Order on a set of regulations yet to be laid by the Welsh Ministers...
Huw Irranca-Davies: I want to focus most of my remarks on the Swansea bay tidal lagoon, but can I begin by congratulating Charles Hendry on his report? Too often, reviews of this type lose themselves in fudges and faffing, coming to no clear conclusions and adding to the fog and to the delay, but not this one. This is the very model of what a decent review should do. It’s carefully considered, it’s delivered...
Huw Irranca-Davies: The issue of consolidation is something that took the attention of the predecessor Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee. Codification has now taken our attention very much. Indeed, there are many advantages to Wales on the simplification and transparency of legislation, but it is quite a Sisyphean task in many ways. In fact, if you try to do it in one big chunk, it might be...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. I want to talk for 90 seconds about Men’s Sheds Cymru and the men’s shed movement. The original concept of men’s sheds was established in Australia 11 years ago as part of a health infrastructure that supports programmes to improve men’s health and well-being, and to assist in tackling social isolation. Now, we’re all familiar with the saying, ‘From little...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I don’t think anybody will criticise this Bill for suffering from a lack of scrutiny as I step forward as the third in a triumvirate of committee Chairs. I do want to thank my fellow committee members for their assiduous scrutiny of this and their consistent assiduity in scrutinising the various Bills that come in front of us. We reported on this Bill...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on funding for the training of health care professionals in Wales?
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Lywydd, and can I thank you for granting this urgent question today? It is a matter that’s caused a lot of concern, but can I say the concerns are not new only today, based on these press reports; they’ve been ongoing for some time? I thank the Cabinet Secretary for, first and foremost, recognising the skills, the loyalty and the sacrifices that the workforce have made already in...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. As we celebrate our national day, St David’s Day, it’s an ideal opportunity for me to speak on behalf of the committee to outline our current inquiry on Wales’s devolution journey. While looking back, we will also examine how the National Assembly and the Welsh Government, now and in future, can work with counterparts across the UK to further improve the lives...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Can I very much welcome David’s response to the statement, and can I just put on record my appreciation, not only of his approach to the work of the committee, but also of other Members as well? It is genuinely a committee that strives in a hugely non-partisan way to look at the effective operation of both our constitution and the legislation we see in front of us, and that does make it a...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Dai. If I can begin at the end with one regent and move on to another then, certainly the Henry VIII powers, we consistently—and in line with our predecessor committee as well—try to push back on the use of Henry VIII powers. It’s a constant dialogue with Ministers and with Government, but our principles are very firm on the committee, for very good reasons, that we want to...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Yes, indeed. David, thank you very much. Very, very briefly, we’ve already trialled this, and our team that supports us have brought together people with different experiences from the community sector, the private sector, from different parts of Wales, different age groups, different genders—they’ve tried to experiment with a mix of people and it’s not the usual. It’s actually...
Huw Irranca-Davies: I think mine is a straightforward question and may have a straightforward answer. It’s fantastic work being done by Superfast Business Wales in their roadshows and their workshops right across the country, and as I look through a tremendous list of places they’re going to, it’s quite impressive how they’re raising the potential on how to get those connections up. But the one place...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Sport, as we know, has so many, many upsides, but I wonder if we can find time for a statement or a debate on the issue of sport and behaviour, both on the sports field and off, following the unfortunate coverage of the on-field brawl during a rugby league 3 match during the weekend. As somebody who’s followed and even played rugby as a hooker as a youngster, and come off on the worst end...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Can I welcome this statement, but also the remarks that the Cabinet Secretary made about the role of the ambulance service here and the quality of care they provide? And also, he will have seen that at his visit last week to Bryncethin ambulance station, and he could see the dedication and the professionalism of all of the people involved there in responding to the needs of the communities...
Huw Irranca-Davies: 4. What assessment has the Cabinet Secretary made of the impact in Wales of recent UK Government policy announcements on welfare reform? OAQ(5)0116(CC)
Huw Irranca-Davies: I thank the Cabinet Secretary for that answer and for clarifying the impact. He will know that, a year ago, before the last March budget, the then Secretary of State for Work and Pensions resigned over the then pending cuts to personal independence payments—the PIPs—arguing that the cuts were indefensible in a budget that benefitted higher-earning taxpayers. And in resigning, he said:...
Huw Irranca-Davies: 2. What consideration has the First Minister given to prioritising energy efficiency in homes as part of national infrastructure policy in Wales? OAQ(5)0504(FM)
Huw Irranca-Davies: There is a lot of excellent work already being done in Wales, but putting domestic energy efficiency alongside other nationally important infrastructure programmes could have multiple benefits, including dramatically boosting efforts to tackle fuel poverty, providing those warm and cosy homes, improving the health and well-being of our older citizens, reducing the carbon emissions through...
Huw Irranca-Davies: I draw Members’ attention to my register of interests and my wife’s employment as a radiographer. Can I welcome his reassurances today, but also the fact that he’ll bring forward a more detailed written statement? I suspect that we may have to come back at some point in the future as well with an even more detailed statement. Perhaps some of the questions I have might help guide his...
