David Melding: I’ll just finish this bit. So, that means that there was a seven-month time lag before the UK carbon budget levels were implemented. I give way.
David Melding: I certainly do expect it to continue. I can’t speak for the DUP but I can speak for the Welsh Conservative Party, and we acknowledge man-made climate change. So, our approach is one of supporting and encouraging the Welsh Government, actually, to go further. But, anyway, we could move more quickly here, and it’s a pity that we haven’t. I realise I’m going to run out of time if I’m...
David Melding: Well, we are, at the moment, dealing with the general election result, and it did generate only two viable options. One was a minority Conservative Government—the one I, incidentally, favoured, but that would have been fragile, obviously—or, secondly, a combination with the DUP to create a confidence and supply agreement. There was no other combination that could have produced a...
David Melding: [Continues.]—but one that represents a very particular part of the United Kingdom and doesn’t have a wider mandate than that. I’d rather not, and I think you’re going to speak in the debate, but if you press me, I will give way, but I still have a few things I want to say that I think the Assembly would like to hear. Do you want me to give way?
David Melding: Well, time will tell on the stability of this whole arrangement. My own view, and I’m now going to get into awful trouble, is that it’s anyone’s guess after the Brexit negotiations are over. But I do think we need to stand up for Wales. That’s why the National Assembly is here. In times of debating the allocation of resources of the UK state, of which we are part and we’ve generated...
David Melding: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Cabinet Secretary, section 17 of the Planning (Wales) Act 2015 introduced a requirement for applicants to carry out pre-application consultations—I’m now going to refer to them as PACs—with the community and technical consultees. Have you made any assessment of how this is operating now that it’s been in place for 15 months?
David Melding: I’m relieved that it is being undertaken, because this was an important reform to make the planning process more efficient and effective. Members will know that it is a requirement on major developments, such as housing developments of 10 or more houses, or developments on a site of one hectare or more. Now, one of the prime intentions is to engage the local community and enable them to...
David Melding: I agree with you because I think the advantage of a pre-planning process is that the very real concerns a community may have can then be addressed, and then can shape the application, but the thrust of the application can continue in a moderated, adapted form. Another thing I think you need to look at, because, in the discussions I’ve had, for instance with housing associations, architects...
David Melding: I’m delighted to also commend the regeneration of Aberdare town centre. [Interruption.] I like being generous. It really is one of the best examples I’ve ever seen of use of this sort of money, and it does remind people of ‘the Queen of the Valleys’, as I think Aberdare used to be called. I want to talk about housing renewal. Will you assure us that this will still be a central...
David Melding: First Minister, Natural Resources Wales’s report ‘Tree Cover in Wales’ Towns and Cities’ found that 1 per cent of all tree cover is found in areas of high-density housing, and the Welsh Government’s own report on local air quality management in Wales identified increasing tree cover as key to improving general well-being, reducing greenhouse gases and improving air quality. Are you...
David Melding: Can I welcome this statement from the Cabinet Secretary and can I thank him for the briefing he gave opposition spokespeople this morning and the promise of further briefings from him and his officials? I do think it’s important we are kept informed of, as he said, what is a rapidly changing situation. Can I ask him, in terms of the immediate assessments that have been carried out, what...
David Melding: What are the First Minister's priorities for economic development in South Wales Central?
David Melding: Cabinet Secretary, can I add my support to this growing trend as well? I understand there are over 80 companies and organisations now throughout Wales who are paying the foundation living wage, including, Presiding Officer, the National Assembly and Cardiff council. I think the point you make there is exactly the right one. We do have a productivity crisis in this country, and a lot of it is...
David Melding: Can I warmly welcome this proposal and commend Bethan for bringing it forward and speaking so eloquently and with great passion in this cause? I do think schools are key to supporting young carers and ensuring that their caring roles do not reduce their life chances through poor educational attainment. Often, they will need a lot of flexibility, they will lack a certain structure, and they...
David Melding: I want to concentrate on the first part of our motion and just say that when regeneration is well thought through, it can bring great benefits. Aberdare town centre is an example. Here in Cardiff Bay, we have seen over the last 30 years a most astonishing transformation in our capital city, and, Llywydd, I’m very pleased to say this building itself is a great example of that regeneration,...
David Melding: First Minister, this is a very important issue, and I commend the education Secretary’s announcement, earlier this year, to pilot these lunch and fun clubs for primary schools at first. But I just wonder if it’s going to be a scheme you will examine for the secondary school sector, because helping those that receive free school lunches, in terms of healthy nutrition, eating, and a healthy...
David Melding: What plans does the Welsh Government have for the future of Cardiff Airport?
David Melding: Wagner was shorter than that. [Laughter.]
David Melding: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer, for calling me to move this very important motion, which is proposed also by Caroline Jones, Rhun ap Iorwerth, Dai Lloyd and Julie Morgan. I’m also very grateful to those Members who have supported this motion. I’d like to open this debate with the story of a young girl from Haverfordwest. Her name is Aimee, and some of you may have met her...
David Melding: Chair, we need to build more homes—many more homes. This is the only way to meet the housing crisis. Demand for housing has outstripped supply in Wales, as across the UK, for many years. The extra requirement for housing is mainly due to the increase in the number of households, especially one-person households, but also other factors such as the increase in the overall population. The...
