Rhun ap Iorwerth: We are facing a shortage of housing, but, simultaneously, there are parts of Wales, including my constituency, where a substantial number of homes are second homes or holiday homes. The figure is one in 10 of all homes on the whole of Anglesey, and over 40 per cent of the homes in Rhosneigr, for example, are vacant or are holiday homes. I can refer you to a recent development, which would...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: What written assurances have you had?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you, Llywydd, and I formally move the amendment. I’m pleased to participate in this debate, because I do think it’s an opportunity for us to explain some of the principles at the heart of what we are discussing. I was reading an interesting article earlier today on the relationship between the price of tobacco in the US and smoking habits and on the population there. It takes us...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 'Pricing and price related promotions are among the most important marketing tools employed by tobacco companies. Future tobacco control efforts that aim to raise prices and limit price related marketing efforts are likely to be important in achieving reductions in tobacco use'.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: The reason that conclusion doesn’t surprise us is that we know instinctively now that smoking tobacco is bad for your health and that an increase in the price is clearly a useful tool in the challenge of encouraging more people to give up tobacco. What we have here, if truth be told, is the beginning of a real debate on how we can use price and financial incentives to influence how much...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Will you take an intervention?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Do you understand that this piece of legislation isn't really aimed at getting alcoholics to stop drinking? Alcoholics will, you're quite right, seek alcohol out in any way they can. Efforts need to be made—more efforts—from Government to help alcoholics come off alcohol, but we are talking here about hazardous drinkers, who can be persuaded through price incentives to perhaps behave in...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I'm just making the point that I don't drink when I'm down in the Assembly, so, you know—.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Will you take an intervention? I said the complete opposite, actually.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 8. Will the First Minister make a statement on support for the port of Holyhead? OAQ52207
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much. This Friday, a group will be reconvened bringing together various users of the port. It will be jointly chaired by myself as Assembly Member and the Member of Parliament for Anglesey, and I’m grateful for the confirmation over the last three quarters of an hour that the Welsh Government will send an official to that meeting. But prior to that meeting, I would like to...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Will you take an intervention?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Whilst the devolution settlement might be different for Scotland than it is for Wales, whilst there might be different questions of what to do with different powers in Scotland and in Wales, the principle is one and the same, and the principle here is that, in relation to Scotland, senior figures in your party, including your party leader, believe this is an affront to democracy, whereas in...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Will you take an intervention?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Will you take an intervention?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you for the intervention and for drawing attention to our narrow nationalism versus your wide nationalism, if that's the case. One thing that we certainly did propose was a disputes mechanism. You have a Council of Ministers on an EU level; we need a disputes mechanism on a UK level, which we don't have.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Will you take an intervention?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you. Just on a basic point, will you understand that the purpose of Plaid Cymru is not to break up the United Kingdom? It's to build up Wales.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Will the Member give way?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Just picking up on something the finance Secretary said earlier on, he basically said that we need to note, in considering different actions taken in Wales and Scotland, that Wales voted to leave the European Union, whereas Scotland voted to remain. That, to me, sounds like an admission that, in terms of what it means for devolution, what the Welsh Government is settling for is inferior to...
