Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer. Organiser, could I seek two statements, if possible, please—the first one in relation to the evidence given to the Public Accounts Committee yesterday by the, I think it was, director general Andrew Slade, from the economy department of the Welsh Government, in relation to Cardiff Airport? He touched on two very important issues. One is that, certainly for the...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Commissioner. Thank you, Deputy Minister, for your statement this afternoon. It is right to say the mindset change that we've seen in Wales over the last 10 to 15 years has been something that can be proudly held up as an exemplar to other parts of the world, but we can't let any progress slip now. Obviously, progress needs to be made, and it's worth noting that recycling rates did...
Andrew RT Davies: Minister, with the school reorganisation code, as revised, when business cases come before the Welsh Government to be signed off, what weight does the Minister place on the policy imperatives that Welsh Government have put in place at that stage of the process? Or is it merely that you're looking at the financials around such an application? I'd be grateful to understand exactly how big a...
Andrew RT Davies: Minister, in April the Government brought forward the circular economy fund—a £6.5 million fund. Two windows for the small grant element of that fund have now closed, and the one window for the larger grant has just finished. Are you in a position to give us an update on how those grants have been—. Have they been successful in the uptake that the industry and consumers have taken on...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Minister, for your statement this afternoon, in particular the details that you've been able to provide to the Assembly today. I'd also appreciate a bit of an update, because I notice in your statement you cite 9 September's meeting, but as I understand it, there was an inter-governmental meeting on 24 September as well that involved the devolved administrations/Governments....
Andrew RT Davies: Minister, I hear what you say about public transport, and it's very important that we invest in good models of public transport, especially the experience that people get to make that change from the car on to buses. I was in the village of Creigiau recently, and whilst there are bus stops in the village, it was raised with me that they cannot get bus shelters or dropped kerbs for disability...
Andrew RT Davies: What's important, again, in a follow-up to my first question to you about buses, is the overall experience when it comes to the rail network. When I was in an earlier mode of a transport spokesman for the Conservative group, I always remember speaking to Network Rail, saying that a lot of the CCTV cameras that sit in stations are not court compatible, i.e. they cannot be used as evidence...
Andrew RT Davies: 2. What discussions has the Counsel General had with European Union officials regarding Brexit? OAQ54436
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you for that answer, Minister. I noticed yesterday that you said that we needed a referendum before we had a general election. Do you not believe that European officials would appreciate a general election so that we can have a Government that will deliver on the referendum of 2016, and any muddying of the water by yourself or other Welsh Government Ministers when they meet European...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer. I rise as a member of the standards committee and speak to the report, obviously, that's laid before the Assembly this afternoon. It is, without question, unparliamentary language that the report refers to. I have a huge amount of sympathy for the situation that Leanne presented to the committee—that she and other Members across all parties face here. Only this...
Andrew RT Davies: I'm just making the point that it was a third party. [Interruption.] Well, I don't know whether the person was a mate or not, but it could have been someone not associated at all. But that's an important consideration that this Chamber needs to reflect on. There are three things that need to be reflected on with this report that's before us today. One: is the report contested for its...
Andrew RT Davies: I've asked twice for an intervention.
Andrew RT Davies: Of course, the simple answer that you could have given to the latter part of the Member's question was that we need a general election, First Minister, and your party's stopping that happening. But, on the principal question of people's assemblies, surely what we need to be looking at is how we can take along with us community councils and county councils here in Wales, many of whom have...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer. This morning, Minister, I met Hope Rescue centre. After meeting them, it highlighted the importance around puppy farming and the regulations around puppy farming. And many of us are aware, obviously, of the BBC programme that shamed, I would suggest, Wales's image around the rest of the UK, and indeed the world, when we saw such images coming out. The Welsh...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you for the agreement on the images; I think any sane person would say the same, Minister. And I offer no criticism of the actions you've taken to date, because they seem to be actions that should be taken: engaging with people who will be involved in the enforcement—local authorities—the profession, i.e. veterinary surgeons, and obviously the puppy-breeding sector itself. I think...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you for that indicative timeline, and I look forward to receiving the letter, Minister. One thing that is crystal clear is, sadly, enforcement agencies—and I talk of local authorities here—have been hollowed out over many years, especially in trading standards departments, and whilst we might wish to put regulation in place and laws in place to stamp out this practice, unless...
Andrew RT Davies: Minister, obviously people are conscious that the way they eat could have an effect on climate change and the climate change emergency that the Government here and in other parts of the UK have declared. What we do know is that the red meat sector here in Wales is predominantly a grass-based production cycle, which is actually positive for the environment. Have you had any requests from Hybu...
Andrew RT Davies: Will the Minister make a statement on the potential reinstatement of paragraph 6.2 of Technical Advice Note 1 following its temporary dis-application?
Andrew RT Davies: If I could endorse the sentiments raised by the Member for Cardiff Central, I too have come across this in the Vale of Glamorgan, where surgeries have not so much withdrawn the service, but when their equipment has become antiquated and dilapidated, they haven't replaced that equipment and therefore they say that they cannot perform the procedure at the surgery. And the point that the...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you for your statement so far, Minister. I'm speaking, obviously, as the rural affairs spokesperson, and obviously the support to the workers who've lost their jobs is of critical importance. To hear the drop-in event that is arranged for Monday—hopefully it will be a first stepping stone to getting many of those individuals back into employment. But if I could just raise two issues...
