Mike Hedges: Can I thank you for that response? I believe high-quality social care is actually preventative spend because it stops people ending up in the final place of hospitals, which low-quality social care can mean, or no social care can mean, that they end up in. What is the Welsh Government's intention regarding social care being provided either directly by local authorities or via care co-operatives?
Mike Hedges: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Office. I've given a minute in this debate to Jack Sargeant and Joyce Watson. On Monday next week, I can register myself as a builder. On Tuesday, I can register as a hairdresser. On Wednesday, I can start a carpentry business. On Thursday, I can start a beautician business. On Friday, I can seek work as a solicitor or barrister. On Friday, the full force of the...
Mike Hedges: More recently, Nia Griffith, the MP for Llanelli, called in an adjournment debate for compulsory state registration, but that was rejected by the UK Government Ministers, who said registration would cost the industry £75 million. In November 2013, the matter was debated in the Senedd. Keith Davies, the former Member for Llanelli, brought it for one of these short debates. It was noted in the...
Mike Hedges: 7. Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's policy on council housing? OAQ53589
Mike Hedges: Can I again stress the importance of building council houses to deal with the housing crisis facing Wales? Will the First Minister join me in sending congratulations to Swansea on their new council homes new being occupied and also those under construction? But what more can the Welsh Government do to overcome the constraints on councils building council dwellings in large numbers, which is...
Mike Hedges: 4. What discussions has the Counsel General had with the Minister for Education on the future of standardised qualifications in Europe? OAQ53590
Mike Hedges: I couldn't agree more. In fact, most of what I was going to say was on that—that we do need to make sure that people have equivalences, that people can move from country to country in order to carry out skilled work and that the qualifications are treated as equal. That is incredibly important. How is the Welsh Government, working with either the Minister for Education or with the...
Mike Hedges: Dawnus was actually in my constituency, in Swansea vale. It was a medium-sized construction business, and if there's one thing that we need in Wales it's medium-sized private businesses. Employing 700 made it, in Swansea East terms at least, a large employer. And if you look at the list of companies in Wales, it was in the top 50 in the Western Mail list up until the last list. It's going to...
Mike Hedges: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I won't repeat anything that Dai Lloyd or Suzy Davies have said, but can I say that we've oft spoken as one on this for the whole period of time? There are not many other issues that you can say that about. But we really have stood together, because we realise how really important this is to the economy of the Swansea bay city region. Will the Welsh...
Mike Hedges: 8. Will the Minister make a statement on the effect of non-native plant species in Wales? OAQ53646
Mike Hedges: Can I thank you for that answer? Swansea has been described as the knotweed capital of Britain. And whilst we have other non-native species, such as Himalayan balsam, it is knotweed that is the big problem. Could the Minister give an update on the use of a natural predator that is being trialled on a number of sites, and also on the use of pesticides that are being developed at Swansea University?
Mike Hedges: It's always difficult when you come third to speak on one of these debates. Can I just say I agree with everything Andrew R.T. Davies and Dai Lloyd have said? That's a good place to start. Can I talk about three positives of Welsh rugby? We've got a very successful national team and a very well-supported national team. The Millennium Stadium can sell out for all internationals, even if the...
Mike Hedges: Of the 20 best-supported rugby teams in Europe, Wales has got none.
Mike Hedges: Would you accept that Powys has far more per head than Cardiff does?
Mike Hedges: The same thing.
Mike Hedges: I welcome this opportunity to discuss local government. In fact, I welcome any opportunity to discuss local government and I wish we had more of these debates on local government. I might not agree with what's been said by Mark Isherwood, Suzy Davies and Russell George, but I think it's important we get this debate and discussion taking place in front of everybody. Can I say, first of all,...
Mike Hedges: Please.
Mike Hedges: I'd make it more 4 to 5 per cent, but, yes, I agree with your general premise. Some council areas are net contributors to the national business rates, most notably Cardiff, which pays in roughly twice as much as it gets back. Just looking at Swansea in terms of income, the rate support grant reached a stage where it's paying less than 60 per cent, on its way down to 50 per cent, of the...
Mike Hedges: Not only do I think it should, I thought it did. I think that part of the formula was percentage of population above a certain age, percentage of population at school age, so I think it does. I think that, really, councils protect social services and education, and one of the saddest things about local government is that most local authorities are getting very much the same. Swansea used to...
Mike Hedges: Normal service resumes now though, Andrew. [Laughter.]
