Darren Millar: Will the Minister make a statement on how the Welsh Government's budget supports businesses in Wales?
Darren Millar: 3. Will the First Minister provide an update on Welsh Government support for the armed forces? OAQ54157
Darren Millar: Thank you for that answer, First Minister. I welcome the publication of that report and the action that's been taken by the Welsh Government to date. As you will know, it was Armed Forces Day on Saturday and there were communities across the UK and, indeed, across Wales that were celebrating and commemorating the contribution of the armed forces to the nation. And on Monday last week, I held...
Darren Millar: I welcome the action that's been taken to date but, of course, we can always do more, and I would absolutely want to see some more of the investment from the gambling industry, via the Gambling Commission, coming into Wales in order to develop our services and treatment centres for those with addictions. I hosted the annual conference with Beat the Odds last week on problem gambling, and it...
Darren Millar: Will you take an intervention?
Darren Millar: I heard what you said there and I think it was very uncharitable. When was the last time you tabled a debate on eye care, and did you have any plans to do so before today?
Darren Millar: One of the things that I find in my own constituency is people receiving letters cancelling their appointments, sometimes on the day of the appointment, and, very often, those letters not even being suitable for the visually impaired. They're in small font sizes and things. Is this the sort of problem you're also having in Cardiff and Vale?
Darren Millar: Can I thank my colleague Jack Sargeant for giving me a minute of his time? I too read through the Carnegie report, and was very pleased, actually, to see that Wales is a kinder place, perhaps, than many of us sometimes think. We know and see acts of kindness and civility in our own communities, but very often, we think that it's just confined to our own immediate area, and that's clearly not...
Darren Millar: Will the Minister make a statement on access to NHS facilities in north Wales?
Darren Millar: First Minister, can I congratulate your Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport for the refreshing honesty that he displayed last month when he admitted that your Government and, indeed, the predecessor Labour Governments did not have a clue what they were doing on the economy? Now, I understand that he's since apologised for those comments and backtracked on them. He's not the only person...
Darren Millar: 5. What assessment has the Minister made of the economic impact of tourism in north Wales? OAQ54199
Darren Millar: I'm sure, like me, you'll welcome the fact that we've been seeing rising numbers of international visitors, particularly from places like Japan in recent years. You may be aware that, last month, the Prime Minister announced plans to create five tourism zones in the United Kingdom in order to boost the sector and boost visitor numbers by 9 million, and to create 130,000 new hotel room...
Darren Millar: Diolch, Llywydd. What opportunities has the Welsh Government identified as a result of Brexit?
Darren Millar: Well, the truth is that, despite the constant doom and gloom from the Welsh Government, and from you, Minister, the reality is that there will be some fantastic opportunities for Wales, once the barriers that are currently in place and the shackles that are currently there as a result of our membership of the European Union have been removed. We will no longer have to walk on eggshells,...
Darren Millar: It speaks volumes, frankly, Minister, that this administration here in Wales will take every single opportunity that it can to criticise the UK Government, no matter how unfair that criticism is, and yet you jump at the chance to praise the European Union no matter how undeserved that praise might be. We heard this week that the Welsh Labour Party's priorities are clear. It's the European...
Darren Millar: I appreciate the response of the Minister, actually, because, of course, the UK Government was simply trying to respond to requests from this Government, and the Scottish Government as well, about the way in which Whitehall and UK departments operate. And we very much welcome the fact that the Prime Minister has responded in such a positive way by announcing this review. Number 10 has made...
Darren Millar: I just want to speak very briefly about this Bill. I rise with a heavy heart to say that I'll be voting against the general principles today, not because I don't agree with most of what's in this Bill, as I've had many conversations with the Llywydd in the past, but because of this principle of extending the franchise to younger voters aged 16 and 17. And it's not because—[Interruption.]...
Darren Millar: You know what I find fascinating? I hear this challenge on a regular basis. When I go to schools and people ask me what my views are on this, and I explain to them—[Interruption.]—and I explain to them that my principal point is this: it's not that I'm necessarily against 16 and 17-year-olds having the vote, it's that I'm for a common age of responsibility in this country, and that's what...
Darren Millar: I would happily be for a consistent age of responsibility. At the moment, that age of responsibility is deemed to be 18 for most things: for drinking, for example. Even for using sunbeds; we've legislated for that here in Wales, and, as a result of that, therefore, I think that it's recognised that young people below the age of 18, including in their mental abilities sometimes, are not fully...
Darren Millar: 3. Will the First Minister make a statement on accountability in the Welsh NHS? OAQ54256
