Mr Simon Thomas: Will the Member give way?
Mr Simon Thomas: I heard what he just said about how the roll-out will allow these issues to be ironed out, going forward. Can he understand, therefore, why we have it trialled in Torfaen and Flintshire here in Wales, and today, in fact, in the last 10 minutes, the Welsh Local Government Association has said, on the basis of those trials, it should be paused in Wales for reflection?
Mr Simon Thomas: Can I first of all extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Carl Sargeant, and particularly those on the Assembly estate who knew him very well and with whom he was also friends? I do that on behalf of myself and my Plaid Cymru colleagues here, but also the Plaid Cymru colleagues who are no longer here who worked with him in the past as well. I first came to know Carl, like...
Mr Simon Thomas: 9. Will the First Minister make a statement on preparatory work for the process of awarding the Wales and Borders franchise? OAQ51291
Mr Simon Thomas: I thank the First Minister. I have read that statement, of course, which was released as a result of the fact that Arriva Trains Wales had withdrawn from the franchise process. Now, reading between the lines and the reports around that, that turns around the fact that Arriva had decided that there was no commercial value now in that franchise, including, of course, the metro and building upon...
Mr Simon Thomas: I’d also like to welcome Julie James to her new role and congratulate her on her appointment and also thank Jane Hutt for the way in which she has dealt with all parties in this Chamber over many years. I very much hope that that tradition will remain in place. I have a few questions for Julie James, if I may. First of all, I note, differently to your predecessor, you have other...
Mr Simon Thomas: I’m afraid that Plaid Cymru can’t agree to this motion in the current context at the moment. May I say, first of all, that I’m not questioning the ability or appropriateness of Jeremy Miles for this position in any way? Rather, I’m asking a more fundamental question as to why we are appointing a new Counsel General. I want to pay tribute to Mick Antoniw. I think he carried out the...
Mr Simon Thomas: Those who want to change the constitution should have changed the Wales Act. You had an opportunity in the House of Lords to change the Wales Act in order to remove the ability of this parliament to approve the appointment of the Counsel General. If you are so vocal, you should have done it elsewhere where you have another job to do. You clearly didn’t have an eye on the constitution at...
Mr Simon Thomas: You were wrong five years ago when Theodore Huckle was appointed, and you are wrong today. When it comes to an Assembly decision and a parliamentary decision, I have every right to discuss this. It is included in the law of the land that you voted for, and that’s why we’re discussing it.
Mr Simon Thomas: That's why we're discussing it. It's in the law of the land—[Interruption.] The second—
Mr Simon Thomas: Thank you, Llywydd. The second reason why Plaid Cymru wants to change the system here is that we would want to see a system of pre-appointment hearings for a Counsel General. It is a system that is provided in those nations where law officials are appointed by the Congress—in the United States for example, where there is an open hearing. It is a system that has been experimented with in...
Mr Simon Thomas: Exactly, because we’re not questioning the nomination process here. What we are questioning here is the fact that the Assembly should approve this nomination, which would then be passed to Her Majesty. That is something that should be agreed. If we’re only here to rubber-stamp these things then what’s the point of this debate? What is the point of the motion? What’s the point of a...
Mr Simon Thomas: Well, I think—and I appreciate the Member might not have heard what I said—we have the Welsh constitution, which is that the Counsel General is an appointment of this Assembly. It has to be approved by this Assembly—recommended by the First Minister, appointed by Her Majesty, but approved by this Assembly. Now, you could make a coherent argument—I'm not saying you couldn't make a...
Mr Simon Thomas: I thought I'd finished and sat down, but shall I just carry on so that that can be read as an intervention?
Mr Simon Thomas: Will you give way?
Mr Simon Thomas: I specifically, five years ago, challenged the appointment of Theodore Huckle.
Mr Simon Thomas: 11. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on university funding? OAQ51290
Mr Simon Thomas: Thank you for that response. I’m particularly interested in what we can do to expand beyond what Diamond, even, is suggesting on the funding of universities. If you look at Aberystwyth University, I welcome the fact that there’s been recent investment in a veterinary clinic in that university, and there’s been investment in moving towards establishing veterinary courses at the...
Mr Simon Thomas: May I also congratulate the Minister on his new role? I'm in a little bit of confusion now because I want to ask about Bodlondeb and Powys, but I won't get away with that. So, I will say it in these terms: that I support retaining the Bodlondeb home open, for the time being, whilst we seek a broader assessment of the situation in terms of care and nursing beds in mid Wales, and ask...
Mr Simon Thomas: 3. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on action taken to protect wild animals in Borth zoo near Aberystwyth, in light of the death of two of its wild cats? 62
