Mick Antoniw: Thank you, Llywydd. I report on behalf of the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee, and, of course, I commend the Members of the Assembly who have waited here so patiently this afternoon for my report. We reported on the Welsh Government’s first legislative consent memorandum in respect of the Trade Bill in March 2018. In October of that year, we reported on the regulations to...
Mick Antoniw: Will the First Minister make a statement on the impact of economic austerity on the Welsh economy?
Mick Antoniw: 1. Will the Minister make a statement on Welsh Government policy in ensuring that external school activities are inclusive to all pupils? OAQ53970
Mick Antoniw: Minister, thank you for that answer. I know the efforts that have been taken to ensure that there is inclusivity. But, of course, there is the growing concern, arising from the Musicians' Union report, about the accessibility of music lessons, the issues that arise now in terms of the affordability of children being able to attend external trips—arts, culture, and so on. And, of course,...
Mick Antoniw: Trefnydd, I wonder if the Government will make time available for a debate on the situation with regard to the Welsh NHS in light of there being a 'no deal' Brexit. It's becoming increasingly clear that the price of a 'no deal' Brexit may well be to sacrifice the national health service. You will be aware of the concerns that many of us have about the potential for a reserved matter, that is...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you for taking the intervention. In that case, why is it that you're proposing to reject paragraph 3 of the motion, which basically says to reject, 'the idea of a centralised UK-directed fund or one which seeks to bypass the devolved administration', because, effectively, you just said that you actually totally agree with that? So, why are you rejecting it?
Mick Antoniw: 2. Will the Counsel General provide an update on Brexit discussions with the UK Government? OAQ54000
Mick Antoniw: Counsel General, thank you for that answer. There is a growing fear that the national health service is going to become the sacrificial lamb on the altar of a 'no deal' Brexit. When Donald Trump said that the NHS would be a service that would be part of a UK-US trade deal, when Theresa May stood next to him and refused to deny that, when the US have refused to change their negotiating...
Mick Antoniw: 3. Will the Deputy Minister make a statement in response to the announcement that a number of citizens in Wales are likely to lose their entitlement to a free television licence? 321
Mick Antoniw: I thank you for that answer, Minister. For many older people, free tv licences are absolutely vital. Tv often offers companionship and an escape from loneliness, it provides entertainment and access to information, and for many, it is their window on the world. Now, the UK Government knows this, which is why they have passed the buck to the BBC to do their dirty work for them. Would the...
Mick Antoniw: I'm grateful for the opportunity to speak in this debate, as the issue of the M4 and the solution to the traffic issues around the Newport and Brynglas areas is something that I have been involved with from day one, since I've been in this Assembly. In fact, I was part of the environment committee's consideration of these proposals that resulted in a report back in July 2014, which was...
Mick Antoniw: Minister, one of the most congested and polluted areas is of course the A470, and of course there are measures in place there to try, as an interim measure, to control the degree of pollution there by restricting traffic speeds and so on. But of course there are a number of variable speeds along that area. There seems to be a considerable degree of breaching of those speeds. So, any...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you for that. In a world of increasing intolerance and division, and in a world undergoing dramatic technological and social change, it is sometimes easy to become entrenched in narrow beliefs and to ignore the expanse of thought and imagination and the commonality of libertarian belief that there is in the world, whether that be related to a belief in God or a rational belief in none....
Mick Antoniw: Thank you. We considered these regulations at our meeting on 20 May 2019 and we reported on both the technical and merits points to the Assembly. We welcome that the Welsh Government has accepted the technical reporting point relating to the drafting of the regulations, and that it proposes to rectify the issue by means of a correction slip. With regard to the merits points, we noted that...
Mick Antoniw: Well, it's difficult to follow that, really, but I'll do my best. [Laughter.] I'll try and avoid repeating some of things that have been said, many of which I agree with. I very much welcome, Siân, that you brought this debate here. It's something I wrote about a while back after doing a number of talks in schools on historical issues and was surprised, actually, at the scale to which local...
Mick Antoniw: Minister, can I ask for two statements? The first one relates to the announcement with regard to the NHS England long-term plan that some 14 NHS gambling centres are to be set up, part funded by the Gambling Commission. It seems to me this is an area that we should actually be taking action on ourselves, and I wonder if we could get a statement as to what approaches have been made for funding...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you, Llywydd. We considered the Welsh Government's legislative consent motion in respect of the Bill at our meeting on 10 June, and we laid our report before the Assembly on 24 June. We have noted the Welsh Government's reasons as to why, in its view, making provision for Wales in a UK Bill is appropriate, and we are content. Additionally, we welcome the fact that the Bill, for the...
Mick Antoniw: 5. Will the Minister make a statement on living-wage accreditations in the education sector in Wales? OAQ54164
Mick Antoniw: Thank you for that answer, and I'm sure you would welcome the University of South Wales becoming the two-hundredth employer in Wales to implement the living wage. We obviously want to see more institutions having the same level of accreditation, but would you also agree with me that there is still, even with those accreditations, more work to be done to ensure that areas of work and service...
Mick Antoniw: 7. Will the Minister make a statement on the provision of services to tackle gambling addiction in Wales? OAQ54152
