David Rowlands: As usual, Minister, your comprehensive answers to many of the questions before leaves very little room for me to bring any unique angle to the debate, but I have to say that we must all realise that the ageing population means all aspects of public service will come under increasing strain over the coming years and therefore free bus passes must be affected by these changes. I believe the...
David Rowlands: My colleagues and I would like to put on record our sympathy with the 252 employees of Triumph Furniture. It's deeply sad that a family business that has been in existence for over 60 years has ceased trading, and I'd like to compliment Merthyr Tydfil council, who are reportedly working with local employers to host a recruitment day for the workers affected. Such a rapid loss of employment in...
David Rowlands: Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, after the Plaid Cymru conference, what assessment have you made of the financial impact that—?
David Rowlands: Sorry?
David Rowlands: I'm sorry—
David Rowlands: I do apologise, Presiding Officer.
David Rowlands: 5. What assessment has the First Minister made of the financial impact that independence from the rest of the UK would have on Wales? OAQ54510
David Rowlands: I thank you for that, First Minister. Given that the UK national debt is around £2 trillion, which, of course, is not an English-only debt—. So, with one in 20 people in the UK living in Wales, that would make Wales's share of that debt £100 billion, with a daily interest of £7 million. Does this not make the case for independence a little less desirable than that which was espoused so...
David Rowlands: Minister, I note with great concern the UK Government's decision to increase the Public Works Loan Board interest rate by a full 1 per cent—in fact, moving from 1.8 per cent to 2.8 per cent with immediate effect. This has the effect to take away the ability of local councils to borrow at a lower rate than that provided by private lenders and will inevitably lead to councils having to...
David Rowlands: Would the Minister join me in congratulating the pressure group the Friends of Cwmcarn Drive on proving the case for reinstating the facilities at Cwmcarn forest drive to Natural Resources Wales, and the time and effort the people who constitute the group put into securing the drive for the benefit of the Wales tourist industry in general, as well as the local economy?
David Rowlands: The Commission installed four charging points in the Tŷ Hywel car park in spring 2018 for use by staff and visitors. Since then, they have been used 692 times to supply over 6,500 kWh of power to electric cars. This has saved more than 5.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide being emitted to the atmosphere. The Commission believes that the designated parking spaces provide an incentive to use an...
David Rowlands: Well, it's absolutely right, there are two systems of charging. I can't exactly answer your question with regard to that, but can I tell you that the Commission staff are there to give information with regard to CV cars to anybody and everybody in the Assembly, as both Assembly Members and the staff themselves? They do have extensive information that you can glean from them, and if you are...
David Rowlands: Well, can I say, again, that there's a lot of technical information that you require there? And can I say that the information is available from the staff of the Commission, who are very au fait with exactly what's going on with regard to the charging facilities and the ability to use CV cars in general?
David Rowlands: Since its formation, the Commission has sought to reduce its environmental impact. Our environmental strategy has resulted in carbon emissions reducing by 42 per cent since 2012, building on our previous achievement of a 30 per cent reduction. We have minimised single-use plastic cups and cutlery, replacing them with biodegradable alternatives, and food containers where currently possible. As...
David Rowlands: Well, can I say the Assembly Commission has signed a memorandum of understanding to join the proposed Cardiff district heating scheme to invest in our estate—? Sorry, this will remove a significant proportion of our carbon footprint from the otherwise hard-to-tackle activity of heating on the estate.
David Rowlands: We must be careful, in any debate on the use of plastic, not to throw the baby out with the bath water. There are many legitimate cost-effective and sensible uses for plastic. So, if we are to be effective in our fight against plastic pollution, we have to concentrate our efforts on those uses that are totally avoidable, or on those whose use is extendable. It is the single-use plastic items...
David Rowlands: We must rightly acknowledge the recent extensive work put in by the Welsh Government in putting in place the infrastructure that will produce a better skilled workforce for the future. Can I ask, however, what progress has been made by local authorities in developing skill pathways by integrating vocational training into the wider education system?
David Rowlands: We must acknowledge that there have been some remarkable successes to celebrate in the promotion of tourism in Wales over the last five years. The themed approach was inspired and inspiring and, I think we would all agree, each, in its own way, gave a substantial boost to the tourist economy of Wales. The future plans and indeed those being implemented at this moment all have merit and should...
David Rowlands: Yes, I will. First of all, would you not agree that you've had 40 years to prove to the British people that the European Union is their best option? And after 40 years of being in the European Union, the British people said, 'That is not the option we want. We want to come out of the European Union because we believe that Britain would be better off outside of that union.'
David Rowlands: Very, very quickly—if that referendum, the next referendum, said, 'We leave the European Union', would you then accept that?
