Hefin David: I'm not taking an intervention. The National Autistic Society have made no attempt whatsoever to address the inaccuracies in these comments. I've written to the National Autistic Society, and they said, 'We don't monitor our feed 24 hours a day. We will remove any profanities and posts that are inappropriate.' The inappropriate posts are still there and the profanities are still there. They...
Hefin David: In the first point of the motion, he actually refers to legislatures plural; he's not just referring to the House of Commons. Can he clarify what he means by 'legislatures'?
Hefin David: I'd like to just draw attention to the clarification that Mark Reckless made over point 1 of his motion, where he said the criticism of the impartiality of the presiding officer of the legislature was directed at the Speaker of the House of Commons. I'd say, let's be absolutely clear that the Dirprwy Llywydd and the Llywydd act impartially in this Chamber, both here and outside the Chamber in...
Hefin David: Will you take an intervention?
Hefin David: One question that constituents have raised about Parc Penallta and what's being offered there is the amount of money spent and what is actually going to be based there. How will it engage with people in the immediate area and the immediate community? What exactly is planned?
Hefin David: I thank the Minister for his reference to Parc Penallta. I don't think we should have any doubt of the national interest that is taken into some of our Valleys parks and landmarks. Indeed, I took part in the winter of 2015 in a BBC national programme in which I was invited to be interviewed on the pit pony, which is the sculpted mound at Parc Penallta built in the honour of the pit pony...
Hefin David: The discussion around the report has, understandably, focused on the importance of endoscopy services to the treatment of bowel cancer in Wales, and, in response, the Welsh Government points out that it's also important for the treatment for serious non-cancerous conditions, such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and I know that Crohn's and Colitis UK have campaigned for better...
Hefin David: Let's remember where this is coming from: this is motivated not just by an issue people care about, but by massive frustration on the behalf of young people and fear—and fear—it's fear for the future that they have. It isn't something they're just campaigning on. It's something that is very material and real to the lives of our children and their future. And think about it, they're seeing...
Hefin David: Okay. Well, I'd also say that Coleg y Cymoedd in Ystrad Mynach is holding a protest at 12.30 p.m. to 1.30 p.m. at the UCU campus, and staff and students at the college are taking very clear actions to deal with that issue too. Apologies, I thought I had longer. So, I wanted to highlight attention to that, but, really, what I'm saying is: listen to these people and change our system to help them.
Hefin David: I agree with Russell George, and with some of what Rhun ap Iorwerth said. I welcome this broad-ranging discussion. The future of the railways does look secure, but we do need to consider the current situation too.
Hefin David: With that in mind, what dialogue does he have with Transport for Wales with regard to the Rhymney-to-Cardiff line, because we have seen some steps back in progress in recent months? Complaints about seating, particularly, have increased, and that is disappointing given the extra work that Transport for Wales have done to improve seating. What dialogue has he had about that? Also, can he...
Hefin David: 8. Will the Minister provide an update on the roll-out of online personalised assessments for learners and schools? OAQ54362
Hefin David: In addition to that, the Minister will know I wrote to her on 16 July on behalf of a cluster of schools in Caerphilly county borough, particularly Glyn-Gaer in my constituency. They had concerns about the way the tests were happening in the school, the fact that you couldn't carry out certain activities within the tests, and that the results were difficult for teachers to interpret easily and...
Hefin David: With regard to that approach to nurture, I wanted to share an example in my constituency of exactly the same whole-school approach to nurture. Nant-y-Parc primary in the Aber valley involves daily efforts to understand the emotional needs of pupils by teachers, emotional literacy groups and support for staff well-being. The school runs emotional literacy groups throughout the year groups of...
Hefin David: I've had contact from constituents in the Lansbury Park estate in Caerphilly who value the Arbed scheme and are waiting for the work to be done. I wrote to the Welsh Government on 14 May regarding those delays, and discussions had been taking place between the Welsh Government and the Arbed delivery team following the submission of Caerphilly County Borough Council's bid to complete those...
Hefin David: 3. What discussions has the Counsel General held regarding Brexit following the UK Supreme Court's recent prorogation judgment? OAQ54426
Hefin David: This Brexit-created failure in the constitution suggests that when the courts need to intervene, the constitution isn't working, and the truth is it hasn't been working for some time. Therefore, would the Minister agree that we need a written constitution, a reinvigorated federal state that is the United Kingdom, with Wales as an equal partner within that state, with a protected role, and the...
Hefin David: I feel like I've been existing in a parallel universe for the past 15 minutes, Llywydd. What I would say—. What I'm about to say has no bearing on the previous debate, in my mind. I'm reflecting upon my experience and what I would like to say with regard to my views and this particular standards commissioner's report. It is my view—and I know, from what's just been said, that it's not the...
Hefin David: 3. Will the First Minister make a statement on the disciplinary process for senior officers in local government? OAQ54487
Hefin David: Disreputable, dishonest and should have been dismissed long ago—these are the views of Caerphilly residents about Anthony O’Sullivan, the disgraced and now finally dismissed chief executive of Caerphilly County Borough Council. He was sacked last week after being found by the whole council of being guilty of gross misconduct. There were concerns raised about the way he was appointed by...
