David Melding: Deputy Presiding Officer, may I move the motion in the name of Paul Davies? Deputy Presiding Officer, if policies are measured by their take-up, then the right to buy has been one of the most outstanding, successfully delivered policies in, really, I think, the history of British and Welsh politics. [Interruption.] Since 1980, 130,000 families have taken the opportunity to buy their own homes...
David Melding: The Conservative Government, and the coalition Government before it, has consistently emphasised that we need to build more houses. We are committed to building—the UK Government, that is, for England—400,000 more affordable houses, which is why I think the Welsh Government finally came forward with their target. Anyway, I just do believe we need more house building, and it’s perhaps...
David Melding: 7. Will the First Minister make a statement on measures to improve the planning process for the provision of housing? OAQ(5)0197(FM)
David Melding: First Minister, rational land-use policy needs to identify land, provide good-quality pre-planning application advice, and then encourage speedy use so that we don’t have speculative land banks being built up. How will the legislation achieve these core aims?
David Melding: I’ll be happy to take an intervention.
David Melding: Minister, I think key here is how we tackle TB in the wildlife reservoir, and I have to say, listening to you, I’m glad that you want to eradicate TB. That is your aim, and that is absolutely appropriate, given the consequences, post Brexit, where we could find that various countries will use this as an excuse not to take our beef. But you’ve now said that you do not see a vaccine being...
David Melding: How will the Welsh Government build on the increased public understanding of mental health issues achieved through events such as mental health awareness week?
David Melding: Can I start by congratulating the new Chair of the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee on leading the committee and the secretariat to produce what I think is an outstanding report? It had to be done very quickly in the earliest days of this Assembly. I think it stands as a powerful document, and I particularly am grateful to all the officials that helped us draft the report....
David Melding: First Minister, the Member for South Wales West was quite right to point out the number of empty or unavailable homes at the moment—over 20,000. That’s actually more than your target for affordable housing in the whole of this fifth Assembly term. It does seem to me that there are lots of people there who are not only in danger of homelessness, but have not been able to form their own...
David Melding: First Minister, can I welcome the review? I think it is important that you look at other jurisdictions, because we should attempt to follow best practice. If that changes current methods, I think that just shows you that the Government is doing the right thing and not acknowledging that past practice was in any way deficient. Standards do change, technology changes, what’s possible changes,...
David Melding: I must say, Deputy Presiding Officer, that that was rather thin gruel after I was expecting a much richer banquet. We now have clarification about what an additional 20,000 means. Your target in the fourth Assembly was 10,000 social homes; you actually did a bit better than that. Your target for the fifth Assembly is 20,000 social homes. Now, according to your maths, that’s an additional...
David Melding: Minister, I think you’ve heard from everyone that underperforming schools are turned round by leadership and expectations. We should expect our youngsters, regardless of their social background, to achieve really good GCSE results, and then many of them ought to have a tutor immediately as they enter their A-levels who takes them through the process of applying for the top...
David Melding: I’m very happy to support this motion, as is the Welsh Conservative party. Can I thank Plaid Cymru for tabling it this afternoon? The Paris agreement, as we’ve noted, is very important. It will ensure, we hope, that we keep the temperature increase below 2 degrees centigrade and aim for a reduction of 1.5 degrees—that’s very, very ambitious and many people feel that those sorts of...
David Melding: 11. What discussions has the Welsh Government had with the government of the Republic of Ireland on trade and transport connections post Brexit? OAQ(5)0255(FM)
David Melding: First Minister, two of the most important trade routes with Ireland run through Wales, north and south, and they've received substantial funding over the years from European programmes, and, as we're seeing the UK Government talk about infrastructure investment as being key now, post Brexit, can you assure us that you are discussing these matters with them and the Republic of Ireland, because...
David Melding: Cabinet Secretary, we know that the major cause of poverty is economic inactivity, and this programme is aimed at helping those most distant from the labour market. They’ve either always been economically inactive or have been for a very long time, and aiming at low skills, aiming to get mentors who can talk to these people and inspire them and give them the confidence to go forward, and to...
David Melding: May I start by commending the work that Lynne Neagle has done in the area of dementia? I think that was a very passionate speech and she challenges her own side, as well, appropriately, which I think is really being an effective champion, then, for those with dementia. I want to talk a little bit about those older people who end up being carers. There are more carers amongst older people in...
David Melding: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Can I start by commending the practice of the Welsh Government to carry out an interim report? This is an important change in public policy, and it seems to me very good practice indeed to thoroughly review the position and then to ask for ways in which the enforcement of the rolling out of the policy could be improved. So, I really think that that is to...
David Melding: It's too late to read it now. [Laughter.]
David Melding: Cabinet Secretary, we’re of the same generation and probably the only two people in this Chamber that remember the 1994 White Paper to establish unitary authorities. I’m sure we’re the only people that would have read it. It said that at the heart of the concept of unitary authorities was that they’d have to collaborate, but a generation later—there have been some partnerships, of...
