David Lloyd: 3. Will the First Minister make a statement on regeneration schemes in South Wales West? OAQ52206
David Lloyd: Thank you for that answer, First Minister. Now, obviously, the Swansea bay city deal is vital in seeking to develop jobs in south-west Wales, yet 12 months on from the city deal agreement by the UK Government, and despite the agreement by Welsh Government that local authorities can retain 50 per cent of any business rates uplift, there are still concerns around finances and governance, most...
David Lloyd: Leader of the house, I bring two issues for your attention. Last night, I attended a packed public meeting in Cwmgwrach in the Neath valley—Jeremy Miles was also there—where universal opposition to a plan to build a garage complex in the village was voiced. Now, we've been lobbying and writing to the local authority for many months. Alternative plans are available. The original planning...
David Lloyd: Will you take an intervention?
David Lloyd: But in terms of—. There is no parity between the devolved nations and England in terms of legislating in devolved areas for England is under the inter-governmental agreement, which is political and not legal, whereas any legislation in devolved areas for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is in legislation, so the treatment is different.
David Lloyd: In Plaid Cymru, we believe that you should respect the result of every referendum, including the 2011 referendum in Wales, when the people of Wales voted decisively for more powers. Since then, we have lost hundreds of powers with the Wales Act 2017. That's why we had to rush through Stage 1 of the minimum alcohol pricing legislation, otherwise we would lose those powers, and we face losing...
David Lloyd: Keep on listening, Chair. Now then, in terms of public procurement, for instance, we have seen large parts of the health service in England fall into private hands already. The public procurement process there has enabled companies such as Virgin Care to run the NHS in several areas, such as Surrey, Kent, Staffordshire and Lancashire. Huge swathes of NHS services are run by Virgin Care, all...
David Lloyd: You know what, Lee? Standing up for Wales means responding to a threat like that and saying, 'Bring it on', because I'm standing up for Wales, all right? [Interruption.] Wales's frozen powers are frozen by law. This trust in a UK Tory Government is a political convention. It's not a law at all. We have Labour AM after Labour AM in recent weeks laying into the UK Tory Government about how...
David Lloyd: Go on, then. In for a penny, in for a pound. [Laughter.]
David Lloyd: I wish I could share your confidence, Mark; I really do. But the inter-governmental agreement is a political convention not in statute, as is the Sewel convention. It's a political convention that is not enshrined in law. Our devolved powers that we've had are enshrined in statute, and we're about to lose them, frozen for eight years—seven plus one. So, that is enshrined in law. Others are...
David Lloyd: 3. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on strategic investment in South Wales West? OAQ52177
David Lloyd: Thank you very much for that answer. The Welsh Government has spent over £11 million trying to develop a strategic business park in Felindre, Swansea. Since the demolition of the steelworks in that area, we have seen many marketing strategies aimed at bringing companies to that business park, but it is still vacant. There’s clear local frustration about the speed of development of the...
David Lloyd: 1. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement following confirmation that the Welsh Government welcomed proposals to rename the second Severn crossing the Prince of Wales bridge? 173
David Lloyd: When the Secretary of State declared his intention to rename the second Severn crossing, a few months ago, the Prince of Wales bridge, I don’t think that either he, you or the royal family had expected such opposition to the proposal. Now, over 40,000 people have signed a petition opposing this proposal, and a recent opinion poll shows that only 17 per cent of the people of Wales support...
David Lloyd: Further to the question, can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for health for responding? I mean, these are huge costs borne personally by GPs. You may recall I did raise this matter under business statements last week, and I'm grateful that some of my questions in this Chamber have elicited a positive response from a Cabinet Secretary. So, I'm grateful for that, but, more importantly, I'm...
David Lloyd: This week is Coeliac Awareness Week. The focus is on getting early diagnosis for more people, because research shows that delayed diagnosis can lead to irreversible neurological problems affecting speech, balance and co-ordination. Coeliac disease is a serious lifelong autoimmune condition caused by a reaction to gluten—a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and some oats. People diagnosed...
David Lloyd: I welcome this debate, and I thank Hefin David for opening the debate and placing bowel cancer under the microscope. Also, as this cancer is so common, I too have some family experience, as my father and grandfather suffered this condition over the years. As we have heard, there is a significant challenge in undertaking a proper diagnosis. The symptoms, such as stomach pains, diarrhoea,...
David Lloyd: Further to the questions and answers so far, a 2016 report published by the Institute for Public Policy Research suggests that problem gambling costs the Welsh Government between £40 million and £70 million every year. Since gambling and advertising are reserved powers, you can't be proactive on gambling, you can only react to the problems. So, for clarity, and following what you said to...
David Lloyd: Leader of the house, as members of the cross-party group on vision, we hear some pretty distressing stories of eye care patients suffering horrendous delays to their treatment, and delays to follow-up care is a major issue across Wales. Last week, I asked Welsh Government to release data around the extent of the follow-up care problem in Wales, by health board, as these figures are not...
David Lloyd: Can I thank the Minister for his statement: transforming social care in Wales—implementation of the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016, RISC? Can I first of all thank him for being willing to listen and to engage with various issues I've had with the regulatory mechanisms as they have been unfolding, and I'm grateful for his meetings and for his advice? In terms of...
