Mick Antoniw: Will you take an intervention?
Mick Antoniw: Your argument brings us on to, really, one of the big arguments that's been put by the Brexiteers, and that is, 'Well, of course, what we really want is a fantastic trade deal with America.' Have you yet started to acquire a wonderful taste for chlorinated chicken?
Mick Antoniw: 4. What discussions has the Minister held with the Minister for Housing and Local Government on local authority budgets? OAQ53482
Mick Antoniw: Minister, one of the consequences of Tory austerity is not only does the Assembly have less money, but also it means that local government has less money. And, of course, one of the pressures is on the leisure centres that are provided, which are of considerable public value to our communities. We are already seeing leisure centres having to close or be transferred into trusts. What I'm...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you, Llywydd. I'm pleased to open this discussion. It was important to the committee that this agreement that has been reached, which is constitutional in nature, relating to the scrutiny of the Assembly, was made available on the floor of this Chamber so that Members became aware of it, members of the public became aware of it, because, in the difficult times that we are operating at...
Mick Antoniw: In February 2018, we issued our report 'UK governance post-Brexit', and its purpose was to examine existing inter-governmental relationships to determine whether they are fit for purpose and to assess whether they need to change. Our inquiry took place against the backdrop not only of 20 years of devolution, but also the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union and our desire to ensure that...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm very grateful for the detailed contributions that have been made by the members of the committee and by Dai Rees, the Chair of EAAL, and also for the very detailed response from the Government. I don't delude myself, and I think none of us do, that these constitutional and structural arrangements arouse enormous interest, either in members of the public or,...
Mick Antoniw: 1. Will the First Minister make a statement on social cohesion in Wales? OAQ53553
Mick Antoniw: First Minister, thank you for that answer. In Wales, we have seen how the Brexit process has accelerated the trend towards a less cohesive and more fragmented society, where intolerance has become normalised, and this growing intolerance is not only aimed at people who have recently made Wales their home, but is increasingly towards anyone who holds a different viewpoint. This trend is deeply...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you, Llywydd. We reported on the Welsh Government’s first LCM in respect of the Trade Bill on 16 March 2018, and in October 2018 we also reported on the regulations to be made under the Bill. We considered the supplementary legislative consent motion at our meeting last week. We were, of course, not in a position to take evidence from the Minister due to the tight timescale for...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you, Llywydd. We reported on the Welsh Government's legislative consent memorandum on the UK Government's Healthcare (International Arrangements) Bill in January 2019, making seven recommendations, and we are grateful to the Minister for his subsequent response to that report. And whilst we had no time to report on the supplementary memorandum, my remarks will reflect on its contents...
Mick Antoniw: I am glad to be able to participate in this important motion, and, just as we have previously discussed issues relating to Spain and Catalonia, as I have previously raised issues relating to Ukraine, just as we discuss issues around genocide in the Balkans, so it is right that we speak up today on behalf of our Kurdish community and the current situation in Kurdistan, in Kurdish communities,...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you for taking the intervention. Do you accept, though, that the crux of this issue is that many, many women were not notified of the changes, and that that's where the injustice lies? And if that is proven to be correct, then the UK Government should be compensating those women. Do you agree with that? [Applause.]
Mick Antoniw: Thank you for taking the intervention. It's really an opportunity to correct what I thought was misleading information on the position of the DWP that was made by the Conservatives. There is no reason at all, when there is a judicial review, why the DWP can't comment, because it's about process and procedure. If the DWP recognises that the women have been treated unfairly, they can say so....
Mick Antoniw: I wonder if you could give me an assurance that the Government will make time available for a debate on one of the most important issues affecting all our communities, and that is the issue of housing, but specifically on the desperate need I think we now have in our communities for a twenty-first century ethical housing policy. We've discussed a number of matters around housing, whether it...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you, Deputy Llywydd. We considered these regulations at our meeting on 25 March and reported on 28 March, and we considered the Government’s response yesterday. Our draft report has one merits point, which questions the use of supplementary powers to make changes to the appointment process that applies to the president of the education tribunal for Wales. The Additional Learning Needs...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you, Deputy Llywydd, and I just remind the Chamber that one of the functions of CLAC is to scrutinise the constitutional efficacy process and procedure, which sometimes means our reports are not necessarily the most exciting of reports, but are relevant in terms of the approach to scrutiny of what is important legislation. We considered these regulations at our meeting on 25 March and...
Mick Antoniw: Well, thank you, Llywydd. Firstly, I'd like to thank the Counsel General for the evidence and the sessions that he attended, and the precise answers he had to the various questions that we put during the process of this very important piece of legislation, which is a marker on the path of the development of a Welsh statute book, of a Welsh legislative system. So, the legislation is not only...
Mick Antoniw: The Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee began its scrutiny of the Legislation (Wales) Bill last December, and, during December and January, we held a public consultation to inform our work. Throughout January, we heard oral evidence from a number of stakeholders, and we're grateful to the Assembly's outreach team who also interviewed a number of stakeholders on behalf of the...
Mick Antoniw: Minister, I'm very glad that you mention PONT and the work done by people in my constituency, particularly people such as Dr Geoff Lloyd, who has done so much on health in places like Uganda. And I wonder if you're aware of the proposal emerging from those who are involved in the Wales for Africa Health Links network, which suggests that Wales could adopt 3 million people in sub-Saharan...
