David Rowlands: I will begin by confirming that UKIP will be supporting this motion today. You will, of course, not be surprised that I wish to point out that this debacle is the result of European Community regulation 1071/2009, which is being imposed on the UK and takes no account that community transport is an almost unique British solution to plugging gaps in our commercial transport provision. The...
David Rowlands: Diolch, Llywydd. By sheer coincidence, my question somewhat follows on from some issues raised by Sian Gwenllian earlier on. In April 2015, the Welsh Assembly passed the Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act 2015. This was a laudable piece of legislation designed to protect, in particular, female victims of domestic abuse. As with any piece of...
David Rowlands: I thank the leader of the house for her comprehensive answer, but the figures with regard to sexual violence and domestic abuse do not make good reading. In March 2017, data showed a 23 per cent increase in this form of crime over the previous three years. Even given the fact that people are more readily reporting such incidents, it still shows worrying trends. However, what is far more...
David Rowlands: Well, again, I thank the leader of the house for her answer, but the stark fact is that agencies such as the Domestic Abuse Safety Unit and Welsh Women's Aid state that far from funding being adequate to fund extra refuges, they are now fearful that some refuges will have to close. Is, therefore, moving funding from these projects to local authorities a sensible alternative, given the...
David Rowlands: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Firstly, can I thank all those who have contributed to the debate, and in such a positive manner on most occasions? Can I take this opportunity to congratulate those behind WASPI for the work they have done, and are doing, to raise the awareness of this wholly unsatisfactory state of affairs? Legislation passed by the UK Government has meant that some 2.6 million women...
David Rowlands: Firstly, I wish to point out that UKIP has been the only major UK-wide party to oppose any military action in the middle east, including the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. We in UKIP acknowledge that the political scenarios in almost all the nations of this region are far too complex for western countries to get involved. Even where there has been some success, for instance Afghanistan,...
David Rowlands: What consideration has the Cabinet Secretary given to changing the way schools are funded?
David Rowlands: I thank the Cabinet Secretary for her statement. Can I say it receives a broad welcome from both me and my party? We were particularly pleased to hear about the involvement of businesses and the funding for Welsh universities in your proposals, as well as your emphasis on prioritising superfast broadband provision in Welsh schools. I also welcome the fact that the scheme 'Cracking the...
David Rowlands: What plans does the First Minister have to launch an investigation into car wash services in Wales, in light of the announcement by the chair of the House of Commons' Environmental Audit Committee that it intends to look into the issue at a UK level?
David Rowlands: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Could the Cabinet Secretary give us an update on micro-hydro schemes in Wales?
David Rowlands: In 2015, Chris Blake of the Green Valleys (Wales) said his company had identified at least 500 sites in Wales suitable for micro-hydro projects. The Guardian in that year highlighted a hill farmer in Wales who said the installation of his 18 KW generator had doubled the income of his farm and was effective 24 hours a day. Given the parlous state of our hill farmers due to common...
David Rowlands: Well, Cabinet Minister, it appears that one of the major obstacles to these micro schemes and the larger community schemes is—. According to Western Distribution in 2015, the grid for rural Wales was at full capacity. Is this still the case, and, if so, is the Welsh Government able to do anything to alleviate this problem? Scotland is now a world leader in renewable energy, and part of this...
David Rowlands: Can I thank the Cabinet Minister for his statement which, in the wake of the Secretary of State for Transport's announcements, updates us on the Welsh Government's ambitions for the Great Western and north Wales main lines? You say, Cabinet Minister, that this commitment is welcomed, but it appears that this announcement simply deals with the development of business cases for rail...
David Rowlands: We welcome the Welsh Government's generally good response to our report, though of course we are disappointed that it chose to reject some of our recommendations. The Enterprise, Innovation and Skills Committee's inquiry into apprenticeship delivery in Wales showed that there is now a consensus across both industry and the education sectors that apprenticeships have, for far too long, been a...
David Rowlands: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the development of energy-generating projects in Wales?
David Rowlands: I'm afraid my analysis of the situation may not be in accord with my Chair of the committee, so I hope he will take it in good part. Can I thank the leader of the house for her statement today, updating the Chamber on digital connectivity in Wales? Firstly, I would like to congratulate the Welsh Government on the excellent progress made so far through their Superfast Cymru programme,...
David Rowlands: What discussions has the Welsh Government had with the UK Government regarding investigating the exploitation of car wash services workers in Wales?
David Rowlands: Diolch, Llywydd, and I promise you, leader of the house, I will not mention digital infrastructure at all. In October 2017, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary produced a report entitled 'Stolen freedom: the policing response to modern slavery and human trafficking'. In that report, it says that today and every day, thousands of men, women and children are being degraded and...
David Rowlands: Well, I thank the leader of the house for those comments, and I fully endorse exactly what she has just said about those complexities, and that anybody who comes forward should have the necessary help and should not be punished for the situation they're in. But the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, Kevin Hyland, highlighted that those in modern slavery are hidden in plain sight, housed...
David Rowlands: Well, again, I thank the leader of the house for her answer, and I fully endorse the fact that Joyce Watson has done a great deal of work with regard to this, and I acknowledge that, of course. But there have been numerous observations on the inadequacy of the agencies concerned in obtaining convictions of those engaged in the various aspects of exploitation, particularly with regard to...
