David Rowlands: 5. Will the First Minister outline how the Welsh Government measures the success of its wealth creation policies? (OAQ51116)
David Rowlands: I thank you for that answer, First Minister, but in measuring not only wealth creation, but also health, education, housing provision et cetera, is Ron Davies, the former Labour Welsh Secretary, correct when he says that, after 20 years of a Labour-controlled Welsh Assembly, Wales is now poorer than it was 20 years ago? This former Labour luminary went on to say that he is not able to name a...
David Rowlands: How will the Cabinet Secretary measure the success of the 'Education in Wales: Our national mission' action plan?
David Rowlands: I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his statement. Of course, we in UKIP fully support the Welsh Government’s free transport policy. Indeed, this was one of only two Labour policies that seem to have stuck in the minds of the Welsh electorate in the many years that I’ve spent campaigning, the other being, of course, free prescriptions—a policy, incidentally, that UKIP does not support,...
David Rowlands: Diolch, Llywydd. I make no apologies for the fact that I have raised the theme of my question a number of times before in this Chamber, because I believe it is fundamentally important if we are to expand the economy of Wales. We have heard recently the criticism of the levels of grants, as opposed to loans, that the Government has advanced to companies since 2010, together with the...
David Rowlands: I thank the Cabinet Secretary for that assurance. Can I now ask how the Cabinet Secretary intends to make sure that funding for start-ups, particularly in the innovative sector, is readily accessible, especially once the Wales development bank begins to operate?
David Rowlands: Well, again, I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his assurances, but one of my constituents who is seeking funding for a very innovative product with huge commercial potential was recently told by a Business Wales representative that the product was insufficiently developed for funds to be made available. This hardly seems to be in accord with the Government’s affirmed policy to be involved...
David Rowlands: I, of course, fully endorse the recommendations of this report, and would also like to acknowledge here the contributions made by those organisations and individuals who took the time and effort to address the committee. However, in contributing to this debate, I wish to make a number of personal comments and suggestions that I feel may help to alleviate this very serious problem. In so...
David Rowlands: First Minister, whilst the recruitment of police officers must remain a high priority, we cannot overlook the hugely important factor of retention. Ninety one per cent of Gwent officers say there is not enough manpower, 80 per cent say that they have unachievable deadlines, and 76 per cent say that they cannot meet demands. All of this, of course, leads to low morale and disillusionment with...
David Rowlands: UKIP fully supports and applauds the Welsh Government’s strategies on recycling in Wales, and acknowledges the outstanding progress made so far. There is, of course, more to do if we are to achieve the ambitious target set for the next few years. Given that the Welsh public has, to a great extent, taken on board the whole concept of recycling, is it now time that the Welsh Government began...
David Rowlands: Cabinet Secretary, following on from the comments earlier, I’m sure you’re aware of the potential for conflict that free access to Wales’s waterways may bring between those who use them in differing ways, in particular anglers and canoeists. I would say that David Rees is quite right in that if we can get some consultation between these two groups, that’s the best way forward....
David Rowlands: 5. Will the Cabinet Secretary outline the Welsh Government’s priorities for ex-service people in Wales, following his discussions with the armed services expert group? (OAQ51192)
David Rowlands: I thank you for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. I’m sure that you’ll agree with me that we in Wales are proud of our armed forces and the work they do on our behalf. We must remember it is the politicians who sent them into conflict, therefore it’s incumbent upon politicians to ensure they’re looked after when they leave the service. Even given all the interventions that I know the...
David Rowlands: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the funding barriers preventing renewable energy from reaching its potential in Wales?
David Rowlands: 7. What assessment has the First Minister made of the impact that any changes to immigration controls following Brexit will have on the NHS in Wales? (OAQ51229)
David Rowlands: Well, I thank the First Minister for his observation, but the latest figures show that immigrant workers from the EU amount to just 1.55 per cent of employees in NHS Wales, and, given that the Welsh population of immigrants from the EU amounts to 3.3 per cent, it would seem that controls on immigration may well have a positive effect on our health service. But, I have previously brought to...
David Rowlands: Whilst we in UKIP recognise that the public sector pay cap must be brought to an end and all employees, not just a chosen few, should be paid commensurate with their work grades, we also believe that there are huge opportunities to avoid the high levels of waste in some parts of the public sector. Bureaucracy and waste are still prevalent in the NHS and, in some instances, could be said to be...
David Rowlands: Can I thank the committee Chair for his statement and, indeed, the honesty of his report? In 2001, the Welsh Government launched its regeneration strategy for the south Wales Valleys. Amongst the many initiatives envisaged the flagship proposal was the Communities First programme. This, as the name suggests, was to be a communities-based set of interventions that were designed to eradicate...
David Rowlands: 10. Will the First Minister confirm that it is the policy of the Welsh Government not to allow any new opencast developments in Wales? OAQ51261
David Rowlands: I thank the First Minister for that confirmation because, First Minister, we've seen a number of instances where companies involved in the opencast industry have failed to honour their obligation to reinstate sites, either partially or wholly, once activities have ceased. It seems incredible, then, that the company previously owning Ffos-y-fran opencast in Merthyr has been allowed to rescind...
