David Rowlands: In Plenary, a few days before recess, the First Minister said that leaving Europe would raise the cost of food for us in Wales. Well, perhaps the next time you shred the cabbage for Sunday lunch, or dice the carrots, you should spare a thought for the human cost of putting these and many other products on your table. I want you to picture a scene at a BP petrol station. It's 4.00 a.m. on a...
David Rowlands: The situation was vastly exacerbated with the accession of the east European states to the EU. Estimates of the likely numbers expected to come to the UK were often quoted as just tens of thousands. These have proved to be totally inadequate. We now have more than 4 million from eastern Europe in the UK. These are official figures and mask a huge underbelly of illegal immigrants who, being...
David Rowlands: I am, indeed, yes. I'm sorry, Dirprwy Lywydd; I thought Joyce had indicated that she would like some time to speak.
David Rowlands: I am, in this case.
David Rowlands: [Inaudible.]
David Rowlands: I'm appalled that you don't take these figures. These are figures that I have investigated and are in the local and national press at all times. All the figures can be verified, I can assure you.
David Rowlands: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Can I start by fully endorsing all the sentiments expressed so eloquently by Dai Lloyd earlier on? As a sitting magistrate for 13 years, I saw the devastating effect that drugs and alcohol can have on individuals' lives and, very often, those individuals came from chaotic backgrounds and really did not have the sort of start in life that most of us enjoyed. Therefore,...
David Rowlands: Diolch, Llywydd. Cabinet Secretary, we constantly hear from the First Minister that we need to remain in the single market and the customs union. Do you agree with the situation that, regardless of the booming markets outside the European Union, that is the case?
David Rowlands: Well, I thank the Cabinet Secretary for those observations. And I can see that the EU is a very important market for British and Welsh products. But the fact is that our trade with Europe is falling rapidly, whilst our trade with the rest of the world is rising rapidly. So, does the Cabinet Secretary not agree that freeing ourselves from the shackles of EU legislation, and being able to...
David Rowlands: Well, let's have an honest and frank discussion about this European Union and our dependence on it. The Office for National Statistics figures show that 80 per cent of our overseas earnings comes from the services sector, which is outside trade deals. So, even if the EU was to cut off its nose to spite its face and choose to implement tariffs on UK goods, the overall cost to the UK economy...
David Rowlands: Can I say how proud I am to have taken part in the production of this report and to also make note of the very adequate way in which the Chair has taken us through the procedures needed? The EIS committee's report on digital infrastructure throws up a number of questions, but first I would like to acknowledge the excellent progress that the Welsh Government has made with the massive expansion...
David Rowlands: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the Welsh Government's priorities for developing businesses in Wales?
David Rowlands: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for bringing forward this debate on a vitally important aspect of business development in Wales. I would like to say at the outset that we will be supporting the Plaid Cymru amendments to this debate. Entrepreneurship is the driver of all industrial enterprise. Without it, we would not be able to enjoy all the social benefits that we...
David Rowlands: Diolch, Llywydd. Leader of the house, I have raised the question of car washes a number of times in this Chamber, but I make no apologies for raising it yet again. As long as people are being exploited in this way and the Welsh Government buries its head in the sand on this issue, I shall continue to press for action. So, will the leader of the house outline any actions the Government is...
David Rowlands: Well, I welcome that small amount of intervention, Minister, but I have to say, Dawn Frazer of the Car Wash Advisory Service said that everything bad you can think of for the British labour force is present in car washes—slavery, low wages, debt bondage, tax evasion and even sex exploitation of young women. So, just looking at that one aspect of low wages can hardly be said to be addressing...
David Rowlands: Quite frankly, it's out there in the media all the time. And I'm not quoting; I know you've called into question my statistics on this in the past, but it's out there with such things as the BBC, The Guardian, the Office for National Statistics, the New Statesman and The Independent. All of them have written about this and castigated the situation on a number of occasions, so the statistics...
David Rowlands: Diolch, Dirprwy Llywydd. Can I say that I'm extremely pleased to open this debate on behalf of the Petitions Committee? This the second debate that has been held since the Petitions Committee agreed to consider referring any petition that gathers more than 5,000 signatures for a debate in the Plenary. The petitioners, led by Victoria Griffiths, are seeking to oppose the development of a new,...
David Rowlands: Yes. First of all, can I thank the Members for their contributions to the debate and the petitioners for bringing this petition forward? David Rees pointed out the appropriateness—or non-appropriateness—of the site with the flood zone and that it was designated as an enterprise zone, and job numbers are not really a measurement of what it would bring in the way of prosperity to the...
David Rowlands: —there were employment opportunities with this prison coming to Baglan.
David Rowlands: She also noted that it is a low-category prison, and that the ultimate decision on that is that it will, in fact, be decided by local planners. Dai Rees pointed out that nine Members in this Chamber only voted to stop the prison in an earlier debate. He also pointed out the other matters, with regard to the Swansea bay barrage and electrification of railways, which would have been much more...
