Mike Hedges: Can I thank the Minister for her response? Many older people, especially those living alone, are suffering from loneliness. Will the Government promote Zoom sessions for those who are living on their own so they can see and talk to their friends when they have access to ICT? And also, can more be done to increase the number of people getting the benefit from Age Cymru's excellent telephone...
Mike Hedges: Diolch, Llywydd. At approximately this time each year, Senedd Members from all parties don pink items as part of the Wear it Pink for breast cancer campaign. These photographs end up on social media and in local papers. This year, due to the pandemic, we cannot take part in an event in the Senedd, but I do not wish to miss the opportunity to show my support for the breast cancer campaign. I...
Mike Hedges: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Can I first of all thank the Minister for her statement? Can I start with two long-standing views of mine? We need more housing, especially council housing, to meet the need, and, secondly, we need to return to the Parker Morris standard or a standard very similar to it, which is based on the premise that a good house or flat can never be made out of...
Mike Hedges: Diolch, Llywydd. I'm very pleased to be able to contribute to today's debate on behalf of the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee. The committee has considered the draft Order in the context of its wider work on the UK emissions trading scheme common framework. Our work on the common framework will not be completed until much later this term when all the relevant...
Mike Hedges: Just very briefly, I think if we're going to teach the history of Wales, we need to teach the history of the kingdoms of ancient Wales. They actually mean something to many of us. We seem to have gone backwards. When I did O-level history, we did social and economic history. Now, in their GCSEs, they study America, South Africa and Germany. I think we need to go back. Finally, people need to...
Mike Hedges: 4. What powers does the Welsh Government have to control the use of fireworks? OQ55813
Mike Hedges: Can I thank the First Minister for his answer and clarification of where powers reside? Firstly, I have no problem with fireworks on 5 November, an organised fireworks display, either on 5 November or for events like the Chinese new year and Diwali. My concern is around the all-year use of fireworks, which affect some young children, some elderly, and especially some military personnel, who...
Mike Hedges: I would like to ask for two education statements. Firstly, a statement on free school meals expanding into school holidays. I know the Welsh Government has made a decision on Christmas and Easter of this year, but I think it's something we need to look at being done all the time, rather than just as a one-off. It's something I've been calling for since I was elected. And also, what...
Mike Hedges: Analysis from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board suggest that World Trade Organization tariffs could add anything from 38 per cent to 91 per cent to the price of British sheep meat for European buyers, as well as the non-tariff barriers for trade, which we all know. China, the world's largest importer of sheep meat, impose an ad valorem tariff of 12 per cent to 15 per cent on...
Mike Hedges: I just want to make two very brief points and ask three questions. I think it's important that the Commission, excluding items outside of their control set by the remuneration committee, are not treated more favourably than the public sector as a whole. This is a presentation issue, but I do not understand why we cannot receive the costs set by the remuneration committee separately to...
Mike Hedges: 6. What action is the Welsh Government taking to alleviate poverty in Wales? OQ55856
Mike Hedges: Can I thank the First Minister for that response? Like I—sorry, I had to cough there. We all remember when employment used to be the way out of poverty, but we know now there are a lot of families with people working—in some cases, both parents are working—who are living in poverty. We also see the £20 per week uplift in working tax credit being ended in April by the Westminster...
Mike Hedges: Can I also thank the Minister for her statement? Can I just explain to Rhun ap Iorwerth that borrowing rates are low in Britain, they're not low in the rest of the world? In Armenia, it's over 6 per cent; in Egypt, it's over 10 per cent; in Argentina, it's over 30 per cent. So, although we have low interest rates, it's not low all over the world, because the British economy is considered to...
Mike Hedges: Can I thank the Deputy Minister for her statement and can I say you'll be pleased to know I'm not going to repeat anything that Dai Lloyd said, but I generally agree with everything he just said? As the Deputy Minister said, Interfaith Week celebrates the contribution people of faith across the country have made to our communities and the importance of some of the work done by our faith...
Mike Hedges: Can I thank the Minister for her statement? My second supplementary budget speeches for the last nine years have up until now been very similar, and also very short. The second supplementary budget traditionally dealt with small in-year changes, and very little has happened. That is definitely not the case this year. Some general comments. I do not underestimate the difficulty in dealing with...
Mike Hedges: Can I say I share Siân Gwenllian's concern about second homes, especially when we have a homelessness problem, as we discussed earlier? I will again urge the ending of council tax exemption of houses registered for private holiday letting, which then get business rate exemption and that means people don't pay anything. That doesn't need primary legislation; that just needs action. But...
Mike Hedges: 2. Will the First Minister produce a road map for the return of amateur team sports in Wales? OQ55907
Mike Hedges: I'm speaking as someone who spends a lot of his Saturdays, normally, watching football and rugby—mainly local teams. Can I just talk about the two most popular winter team sports—football and rugby? When do the Welsh Government believe they can realistically expect to be able to commence competitive fixtures? And I realise that football will be able to start before rugby, because rugby...
Mike Hedges: I accept that it would be very difficult to bring in new taxes before the end of this Senedd term, which is only four or five months away, but the Welsh Government can make changes to existing taxes. Will you consider adding more, higher bands to council tax? It seems to me ridiculous that somebody paying £400,000 for a house, or has a house in the £400,000 bracket, is paying the same...
Mike Hedges: 2. Will the Commission make a statement on air circulation within the Senedd and Tŷ Hywel buildings? OQ55936
