Gareth Bennett: 5. Will the First Minister make a statement regarding planning consent and change of building use? OAQ54189
Gareth Bennett: Thank you. The area I'm interested in is pub closures. We were talking earlier about the issue of bank closures in Wales; another problem afflicting the high street is pub closures. We have had a quarter of pubs closing in Wales in the last 20 years. Now, they have taken some legislative measures relating to this in England with the Localism Act 2011. I have asked questions here before about...
Gareth Bennett: 5. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of nitrogen dioxide levels along the A470 corridor in South Wales Central? OAQ54316
Gareth Bennett: Thanks. Thank you for the answer and, of course, there are major concerns over the amount of pollution emanating from the A470. I was listening to your answer earlier to Suzy Davies's question, which was a related one, although hers was about the M4. Now, you say there's compelling evidence; we can have a look at that, of course. The observation of many of my constituents who regularly use...
Gareth Bennett: Thanks to the Minister for bringing today's debate. Now, I appreciate that there is a need to protect children from being physically abused, and I am sure that everyone here agrees on that. But we do have laws that have been in place for a long time that already provide this protection, so I do wonder at the need to create new legislation to tackle a crime that can already be dealt with...
Gareth Bennett: Thanks to the committee chairman for bringing today's debate, and also thanks to all the people who took part, including the prisoners that we spoke to. Now, I'm not now a member of the committee, although I was at the outset of this inquiry. I did participate in the two prison visits and I was on the committee when we started to debate the contents of the report. I think John Griffiths is...
Gareth Bennett: Yes, of course.
Gareth Bennett: Yes, and I'm not disagreeing with that remark that you made, Jenny, and I'm not saying the difficulties are insuperable. But certainly I believe the legislation will add to the burden of prison staff, who probably have enough to do as it is, and we did hear some evidence to that effect when we had the inquiry. There is also the issue of what happens if we have a situation similar to 2017,...
Gareth Bennett: Will the First Minister make a statement on executive level pay in the Welsh public sector?
Gareth Bennett: Will the First Minister make a statement on the provision of relationships and sexuality education in Welsh schools?
Gareth Bennett: Diolch, Llywydd. [Interruption.] Who are you? Diolch, Llywydd. I think I'm one of only a handful of Members who have had direct dealings with Mr Bain. Now, I—[Interruption.] Now, I wasn't intending to speak on this motion today, but I was moved to do so by a member of my staff, who is watching these proceedings from the gallery. My staff member wanted to put on record how he was made to...
Gareth Bennett: This appointment is being pushed through very quickly. What has basically happened is you're—. He's thrown me under a bus, Bain, and now you're trying to get him to bring someone else—you're bringing him in to throw someone else under a bus. He's a political hatchet man and he shouldn't be appointed. That's why I'm voting against this motion today.
Gareth Bennett: I will withdraw it, although I regret that you didn't allow me to give some substance to my remarks today. But certainly, of course, Llywydd, I withdraw it.
Gareth Bennett: 3. Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's priorities for the NHS in South Wales Central over the next 12 months? OAQ54769
Gareth Bennett: Now, we've heard a lot over the past three years about the allegedly disastrous effect of Brexit on all kinds of public services in Wales, including the NHS, and we know that the Welsh NHS is already struggling to recruit enough staff to keep up with demand. But we now discover that the Labour Party's intention is to introduce a four-day week, which will surely exacerbate the problems of...
Gareth Bennett: 3. What steps will the Welsh Government take to support the economy in South Wales Central over the next 12 months? OAQ54789
Gareth Bennett: Thanks. Now, a crucial part of the economy is transport, and we've been hearing a lot already this afternoon about the problem of overcrowding on the rail services. We've heard about it in the Rhymney valley and we've heard about it on the Maesteg line, but, of course, it is a feature of nearly all our railway lines that there is massive overcrowding. Now, you have spoken about increasing the...
Gareth Bennett: 1. What steps is the Welsh Government taking to support businesses in South Wales Central? OAQ54892
Gareth Bennett: Thank you for that update. One factor that has caused a lot of uncertainty for businesses in Wales is Brexit. Now, your party has just contested a general election on a policy of opposing Brexit. You have may have noted, First Minister, that this strategy did not work out very well for you. In fact, let's be honest, Labour got hammered. You weren't just beaten; you were annihilated. But, I...
Gareth Bennett: Will the Minister make a statement on the future of NHS dental care in South Wales Central?
