Huw Irranca-Davies: I welcome the statement today and also the preparations being taken forward by the First Minister and his Government in the event of a 'no deal' Brexit. This is definitely a case of hoping for the best, but anticipating and planning for the worst. I'm pleased, as well, to take over from Julie in having some role in the allocation and oversight of regional funding, but also the future shaping...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Could I turn to the performance of ABMU in respect of one of their prime assets, which is Maesteg Community Hospital? There's a plaque in the hospital with my name on it; it celebrated its hundredth anniversary only a few years ago. I intend, with the sustenance of our national health service and breakthroughs and innovation in health, to be there when it celebrates its second hundredth year...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Many of my constituents, particularly to the east of Ogmore in Llanharan and Gilfach Goch and elsewhere, will be served by Cwm Taf health authority, both in primary care and secondary care and acute pathways as well, and it is worth reiterating that, up until now, of course, Cwm Taf have indeed been a high-performing board and organisation right across the piste with much to praise, so this...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Thank you very much, Russell, for giving way. It's an important point, particularly in respect of the Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013, which he mentioned. When it was passed back in 2013, it talked about making walking and cycling the most natural way of getting about in Wales but, of course, we know that when roadworks are done on existing road infrastructure, it's very often the walkers and...
Huw Irranca-Davies: I thank the Minister for giving way. I couldn't as a Labour Co-operative Member let the debate go without actually putting a shout out for co-operative housing solutions and also community land trust models. If you look back to the 1980s, Bernie Sanders—I think he describes himself as a democratic socialist; I think in America they called him a communist—actually brought forward one of...
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Minister has given us some degree of optimism, certainly in the respect that, again, the Welsh Government is making sure that it stands by Ford Bridgend, which it has done over many, many years. As to why Ford has been a success, its two biggest strengths are (1) the Welsh Government standing with it, but paramount the skilled, committed, highly motivated workforce, which have adapted...
Huw Irranca-Davies: I welcome those comments in response to Professor Graeme Reid's report, which was a little while ago—not too long ago. He said in that report that he encountered 'long-standing structural weaknesses in the research and innovation ecosystem that put Wales at a disadvantage compared with other parts of the UK in funding competitions.' And he pointed to the fact that that had been somewhat ...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Could I ask for time for one debate and one statement? I wonder if there'll be time for a debate on the importance of grass-roots community groups to regeneration. I attended a meeting last night of the Ogmore valley community forum, which brings together clubs and organisations and residents from all parts of the valley, from Evanstown to Lewistown, Blackmill to Nantymoel and all points in...
Huw Irranca-Davies: These are deeply concerning times for the communities we represent, for businesses, for the country as a whole, and they're looking for this Government and other governments to plan our way through it. Now, in the welcome statement this afternoon, you've made—the Counsel General and Brexit Minister has made—very clear that should there be a defeat in the vote tonight, as most...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Can I just begin by commending, overall, the hand that the Welsh Government has played, not just in the final budget, but this year? It's been really difficult. You can only actually play the hand that you're dealt, and we're still—this isn't a political point; it's a harsh reality—in the long tail of austerity. We have a declining budget you can only use in a certain number of ways, as...
Huw Irranca-Davies: I think the Minister's response is of some reassurance, but there is still work to be done, of course. But can I also ask the Minister to give us an update on the settled status pilots for health and for social workers as well and whether the UK Government has shown any unexpected last-minute flexibility towards the issue of the settlement of family members of those workers, as requested by...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Can I commend the Government for coming forward with a series of statements today on preparation for a 'no deal' Brexit? Can I commend the Brexit Minister and Counsel General for, to use a cricketing analogy, staying at the crease, showing stoicism, as his powers of voice fade? [Laughter.] He's doing exceptionally well. There's an old Malay proverb, which is: prepare the umbrella, before it...
Huw Irranca-Davies: 1. Will the Minister make a statement on the Natural Resources Wales approach to reforestation in areas in the South Wales valleys denuded by larch disease? OAQ53261
Huw Irranca-Davies: I thank the Minister for that response. It was very encouraging to see one of the outcomes of the Valleys taskforce work was the idea of a south Wales Valleys woodland and park that would spread across the whole of the Valleys from east to west. Of course, there's amazing potential with that, but the denudation through larch disease has had a significant impact, and I see it in the Llynfi,...
Huw Irranca-Davies: 7. Will the Minister make a statement on water quality in the Ogmore constituency? OAQ53262
Huw Irranca-Davies: I thank the Minister for that response, and I'm glad she interpreted my question as river quality, not general water within the Ogmore constituency. So, thank you for that. It's great to see that we are on an upward trajectory, and it's noticeable over the last couple of decades the improvement in the water quality of the rivers within the Ogmore. I can't take all credit for it myself, I have...
Huw Irranca-Davies: 2. What advice does the Welsh Government provide to local authorities and other housing partners to support small and medium sized house building enterprises? OAQ53260
Huw Irranca-Davies: I thank the Minister very much for that answer. My question partly follows on from the previous question, curiously. Her predecessor announced the £40 million of funding that, because it will quadruple, goes up to £160 million because it's recycled to SMEs over 17 years to help them build more homes in Wales, and I'm really interested in how that is going to be analysed and granulated so...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Thanks so much for giving way, and my apologies for coming in late. I was watching on the monitor—. Llywydd, my apologies; my timing went to pot there. But I've listened with interest, including on the monitor as I was watching, and I welcome the very temperate way that he's laid out his case there. One significant change that has actually taken place subsequent to the timeline he talked...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Oh—
