John Griffiths: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm pleased to open today's debate on the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee report on fire safety in private sector high-rise residential buildings. I would like to thank all those who contributed to our inquiry. We can all agree that the safety of the place you call 'home' is one of the most important foundations to a happy and healthy life....
John Griffiths: I will now move on to some of the key areas in our report. I am not intending to go through each of our recommendations, but instead will focus on building management, the need to update fire safety legislation and the need for robust building control. Effective building management is critical to ensuring fire safety in high-rise residential buildings. We were reassured by the evidence we...
John Griffiths: Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. I thank Members for their contributions, Dirprwy Lywydd, and the committee members for their focus and commitment to this work. As everybody who has spoken today has stated, it's very obviously extremely important that we understand as best we can the issues around fire safety in high-rise in general, in private high-rise in Wales, identify necessary action and...
John Griffiths: What further action will the Welsh Government take to support city and town centre regeneration?
John Griffiths: 3. What further steps will the Welsh Government take to reduce air pollution? OAQ53245
John Griffiths: Thank you for that, Minister. I wonder if you might say a little more about Welsh Government policy on greening our inner urban areas, whether that be tree planting, such as community orchards, or other greening measures. It seems to me that, partly, that will directly affect air quality and improve air quality, but it's really important that we connect our people in Wales more directly with...
John Griffiths: 4. Will the First Minister set out his priorities for the environment in Wales? OAQ53324
John Griffiths: First Minister, most people in Wales live in urban areas, and many of our inner urban areas lack sufficient green space. If they were greener, I believe quality of life would be improved, air pollution would be lessened, people would be encouraged to have more of an outdoor life, taking more exercise and enjoying better health, and they would also, I think, feel more strongly linked with...
John Griffiths: Yes, certainly, Dirprwy Lywydd. I very much welcome your statement today and the action plan, Deputy Minister, and I think the 'Nation of Sanctuary' is very welcome as a title, because I think it's indicative of the ambition of Welsh Government to drive progress in providing a welcome and the support and services that asylum seekers and refugees need. Just to pick up on what you said earlier,...
John Griffiths: 4. Will the Minister set out the Welsh Government's policy in relation to developing taxation measures? OAQ53314
John Griffiths: Minister, taxation powers offer the opportunity to introduce change to the tax system to help create a fairer and more equal Wales. At the moment, private schools sustain an institutionalised unfairness and inequality, working against social mobility by entrenching educational inequality that feeds through to careers and life chances, with ex-private school pupils disproportionately featuring...
John Griffiths: 4. Will the Minister set out the Welsh Government's initial priorities for Wales's international relations? OAQ53312
John Griffiths: Yes, Minister, I think it's very important to continue to open Wales to the world and the world to Wales, which I think has been an important benefit of devolution. One aspect of that has been the programme for Africa, and I think the evaluation of that shows that it is punching well above its weight. We have, I think, 20 per cent of the hospital-to-hospital links, UK to Africa, in Wales. We...
John Griffiths: 8. Will the First Minister outline the Welsh Government's priorities with regard to developing participation in sport? OAQ53371
John Griffiths: First Minister, success at a professional level is very important in terms of inspiring greater grass-roots participation, and in that context, I wonder if you would join me in acknowledging the success of Newport County in returning to the football league in recent times, in achieving a miraculous escape from relegation and then going on to the fourth round of the FA Cup last year, defeating...
John Griffiths: Minister, I think many people do share a very strong feeling that it is simply morally indefensible that in the fourth, fifth, sixth biggest economy in the world, we have so many people homeless and sleeping rough, and I think that manifests itself in the sort of voluntary response that Jenny Rathbone mentioned earlier. And I know that at Christmas time, for example, so many people came...
John Griffiths: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. May I begin by thanking all Members who've taken part and contributed to this debate? I do feel that there can be little doubt of Members' commitment to the steel industry in Wales, regularly evidenced in this Chamber in debates and at questions in general. Obviously, foremost amongst those contributions, always, is Dai Rees's, so it was entirely fitting that David...
John Griffiths: What further action will the Welsh Government take to prevent ill-health?
John Griffiths: It's good to speak in this debate today as Chair of the Equalities, Local Government and Communities Committee, Llywydd, because, as has already been mentioned, this is the second debate in short succession covering work the committee that I chair is currently undertaking as to whether prisoners in Wales should have the right to vote in Assembly and local elections. As part of that work, we...
John Griffiths: On the same subject, Minister, given that Welsh Government removed prisoners from the priority need category, and then there was a protocol set in place that should have joined up organisations and agencies to make sure that prisoners upon release did have a roof over their head, it seems that that isn't working very well, given the statistics that Leanne Wood has referred to. I just wonder...
