David Rowlands: How many thousands of steel jobs have we lost in Wales whilst we’re in the European Union and because of the regulations coming out Europe? And do you not agree that this manifesto that your leader, Corbyn, is suggesting is for the benefit of the people of Wales and for the benefit of the people of the UK, and yet he cannot implement this because he’s prevented from doing so by us...
David Rowlands: 2. Will the First Minister make a statement on the additional funding recently provided to the Welsh Government by the UK Government? OAQ54326
David Rowlands: Well, first, First Minister, perhaps I should have welcomed you back from your Brexit bunker today. But I thank the First Minister for that answer. We all understand that whatever funding is given is never enough, but isn't it true to say that a less profligate approach to financial control by the Welsh Government would release more funding into our public services? By this I mean the losses...
David Rowlands: Could the Minister make a statement on the problems encountered by my constituents with regard to the obligatory application to renew their bus pass, which has to be completed by the end of December? Apparently, there has been a complete shutdown of the site where they could complete the application online, and the telephone service has also crashed. Surely, the volumes of applications should...
David Rowlands: What did you campaign for in 2016?
David Rowlands: The Welsh Government undoubtedly made a strategic error when ditching the successful Welsh Development Agency. It had the skills, the expertise and the contacts to serve Wales on a long-term basis. All the expertise, skills and contacts developed by competent and experienced staff was discarded and lost forever, and it could be said that Wales has never recovered from that disastrous...
David Rowlands: Can I thank the Minister for the statement? You say in your statement that your first task is to address the legacy of historic lack of investment in improving the railways in Wales. We wholeheartedly support you in your endeavours in this regard. Wales has always suffered from a lack of funding necessary to improve the rail infrastructure, so it is right that we should look be masters of our...
David Rowlands: Will the First Minister outline the timetable for improving prosperity levels in Wales?
David Rowlands: May I also add my sympathies to the staff, as outlined by Bethan and by Russell—those staff working in the shops in Wales, but also to the staff in the whole operation of the airline? Would the First Minister not agree with me that, even if it were desirable to bail out Thomas Cook—and given the apparent appalling management structure, it probably wouldn't be—the UK Government could...
David Rowlands: I want to concentrate on particular benefits that come from our union with England and the two other nations that make up the United Kingdom, and therefore I'll give you an example of how we can benefit from that union. The trans-European network, TEN, was created with the stated goals of the creation of an international market and the reinforcement of economic and social cohesion. It made...
David Rowlands: Yes.
David Rowlands: Well, you can argue that, but, of course, the funds were not available. That's what I'm saying, and coming from the European Union, they weren't available. And I'm just going to point out how they can be available within the United Kingdom scenario. The M4 in south Wales has the same effect on business and leisure as the A55, and when announcing the decision to scrap the improvement scheme at...
David Rowlands: I find it very difficult to understand why Plaid Cymru would prefer to be a region in a huge conglomeration of regions that stretches from the Baltic to the Aegean, rather than be a nation in a unity of nations we call the United Kingdom. You have been told quite categorically that you will not be recognised as a nation in Europe.
David Rowlands: Well, I thank the Minister for his statement and acknowledge the prudence of forward-planning, but I have to say that, sitting in this Chamber today, listening to Ministers of the Labour Government informing us as to how they're preparing for a 'no deal' Brexit has been exasperating. Why do I say this? Because it is the Labour Party who are partly to blame for the scenario that now exists. A...
David Rowlands: Thank you. They say they believe in democracy, but deny the largest democratic exercise in British political history, and continue to call for a people's vote so that people who voted 'leave' are left asking themselves, 'Are we not people?' Does the Minister not agree with me that the Labour Party at Westminster has now become a party of vacillation, calling for one thing on one day and...
David Rowlands: Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, outside of the UK, the European Union is now officially a low-growth economic region. Even the once-mighty German economy is now stagnating because, unlike the UK, where a large percentage of our business base is taken up by small and medium-sized enterprises, Germany's economy is dominated by large multinational corporations and it is heavily dependent on its...
David Rowlands: I thank the Minister for his answer although, of course, I wouldn't particularly agree with his conclusions. Yesterday evening, Minister, I had a very interesting conversation with an Italian bartender. [Interruption.] I shall say at this moment that I was quite sober when I had this conversation—well, at least I wasn't inebriated. But having holidayed many times and being a lover of the...
David Rowlands: The refusal of any Assembly Member to accept the findings of the standards committee is completely reprehensible, because it means that the code of conduct becomes obsolete. We would, in fact, practice being a ruleless Assembly. We must remember that the whole of the Assembly voted to introduce this code of conduct. I also find the comments on social media with regard to the standards...
David Rowlands: —that decides whether to agree with this finding. Yes, of course.
David Rowlands: Well, of course. There was an opportunity for the Assembly Member to talk to the committee and to explain her views, and we took those views into account before we made a decision. But it's the standards committee that decides whether to agree with his findings and, if so, set the level of sanctions that it feels are appropriate. It is also important to note that the Member agreed with the...
