Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. It's my pleasure to present the Public Services Ombudsman (Wales) Bill to the National Assembly for Wales for its approval. I hope, indeed, that Members will support the Bill this afternoon because the Bill will strengthen the ombudsman’s role in order to protect the most vulnerable in our society, improve social justice, and, of course, drive...
Llyr Gruffydd: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Can I first of all thank Mark Isherwood for his contribution and the way that he as well has engaged in this process? You are right: I have, sort of, recognised some of the issues that you raised and hopefully the revised explanatory memorandum, as you referred to, will be borne out to be true to what I believe is the situation and I'm sure that is the case. Can I...
Llyr Gruffydd: I therefore want to add to the thanks that I gave earlier to everyone—or almost everyone—who has engaged in this process. I want to thank, in particular, the Commission staff, particularly the clerks, the clerking team and the legal services team of the Finance Committee, for their great support and for all the work that they have done to bring us to this point in the process. With those...
Llyr Gruffydd: Will the Minister make a statement on how the Welsh Government is looking at raising salary levels in Wales?
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you, Llywydd. Back on 7 November last year, Minister, when we heard the news that the Planning Inspectorate for England and Wales intended to scrap the role of the executive director for Wales, you agreed with me that it was about time for us to have an independent planning inspectorate for Wales. I think 'now is the time' were the words you used here in the Chamber. Since then, can you...
Llyr Gruffydd: Well, can you confirm therefore that that is the Government’s policy still? Because you were the Minister at the time, and I would hope that commitments that you made were ones that the Government would adhere to. So, I would like to hear that as an answer to that particular question. Another area where Wales needs to have more influence and more of a grasp on its own future, in my view, is...
Llyr Gruffydd: Well, I would ask you to do more than just pick out certain elements; I would be eager to see this forming the foundation for an energy policy that is far more ambitious and radical than we’ve had from the Welsh Government to date. And, in that spirit, I would be eager for you as Minister to be leading from the front in trying to deliver much of what’s contained here. Because I am...
Llyr Gruffydd: With thanks to the Llywydd and to Darren Millar for the opportunity to ask the question.
Llyr Gruffydd: 9. Will the Minister make a statement on the provision of houses for people who find themselves homeless in Wales? OAQ53677
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you for that response. Of course, in light of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014, there is a duty on local authorities for everyone who finds themselves homeless—that they are given temporary accommodation whilst the council finds them a home. That is something to be welcomed. But, as a result, the cost of providing temporary accommodation in Denbighshire, for example, has increased from...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you for allowing me to make a short comment. I think it’s worth reminding people also that rugby has always been a national game, because for those who perhaps don’t know, Bangor rugby club was one of the founding members of what is the Wales Rugby Union back in 1881—one of the 11 clubs. So, north Wales has always had a prominent role in national rugby.
Llyr Gruffydd: 1. Will the First Minister make a statement on burying radioactive waste in Wales? OAQ53729
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank for your answer. According to your Government's geological disposal of radioactive waste consultation document—and I quote, 'Radioactive waste disposal is a devolved matter—the Welsh Government is responsible for determining the policy for this within Wales.' Now, I'd ask for greater clarity on that, because I've been given contradictory advice on that particular issue. We know that...
Llyr Gruffydd: The truth of the matter, of course, is that you've had two years to sort this out—over two years, in fact. The UK Government published their plans for an environmental safeguarding office last year. The Welsh Government was supposed to publish something in the summer, that became the autumn, and then it moved into the New Year—10 days before what was to be the Brexit departure date, your...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you very much, Llywydd. I am very pleased to contribute to this debate to outline the Finance Committee’s recommendations in relation to the financial implications of the Bill. We have made four recommendations, and I hope that the Counsel General will take these on board as the legislation progresses. The committee considered this Bill back in January, and, at that time, given the...
Llyr Gruffydd: 3. What is the Welsh Government's policy regarding disinvesting from fossil fuel companies? OAQ53730
Llyr Gruffydd: You’ve not said anything about disinvesting in fossil fuel companies, as far as I can see. We are falling behind in Wales in this context because the Government in the Republic of Ireland has decided that they will be the first nation in the world to disinvest and to sell all of their investments in fossil fuel companies after a Bill was passed recently, with the support of all parties...
Llyr Gruffydd: May I ask, therefore—? Clearly it's not a decision that the Commission can make, but I'm sure that the Commission has a view on this issue, or I'd like to think at least that the Commission has a view on the issue. Would the Commission be willing to co-ordinate correspondence from all Assembly Members, which they could co-sign, to the pension board, asking them to look at this and to look...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd. It's my pleasure to lead this debate this afternoon on the report by the Finance Committee on the implementation of fiscal devolution in Wales. The timing of this debate is very timely, of course, because in three days income tax rates decided in this Chamber will come into force. I'm sure that not many people would have thought we would have reached this...
Llyr Gruffydd: From this Saturday, Welsh taxpayers will be paying these Welsh rates of income tax, and while taxpayers here in Wales will see little noticeable difference in the coming tax year, the committee feels that it is important that everyone knows about these changes and understands them, and we are concerned, perhaps, that the message is not reaching some Welsh taxpayers. The committee heard that...
