Lee Waters: I just want to make the point that we did improve in maths. I think it’s only fair you recognise that some progress has been made.
Lee Waters: I welcome the moves in the budget to implement some of the key pledges in the Welsh Labour manifesto from last year, specifically, the £53 million towards delivering 20,000 affordable homes, the £15 million for widening access to apprenticeships as part of the move to implement 100,000 all-age apprenticeships, as well as some of the smarter economic measures—the £40 million for energy...
Lee Waters: In 2011, along with a number of Members of this Assembly, I took part in the ‘Yes for Wales’ steering committee, along with Leanne Wood and Paul Davies and Leighton Andrews and Rob Humphreys. We worked on a cross-party basis to deliver a referendum campaign that promised that laws that only affect Wales should be made in Wales. Two thirds of the people of Wales endorsed that principle....
Lee Waters: Indeed.
Lee Waters: Absolutely, and, fast-forward a few months, he might remember that, when he was a Conservative Member of Parliament, his Government introduced the Silk commission and it was the Silk commission that took the debate forward, not the referendum of 2011. It was the Silk commission that came up with the report saying that this place should have tax-raising powers. That was a decision that he was...
Lee Waters: Thank you very much for giving way. I hear what the Member says about the pride that Alun Cairns has in his steel-making heritage, but what has he delivered? When David Rees and John Griffiths and I met the chief exec of Tata Steel UK before Christmas, he was very clear: the Welsh Government had delivered, and had delivered practical help, and the UK Government so far have delivered nothing....
Lee Waters: Let us be clear what we’re facing here: we are facing economic blackmail by a multinational company playing off Governments and workers to try and minimise its costs and maximise its profits. I well remember the closure of Ebbw Vale, and the then chair of Corus, Brian Moffat, telling the House of Commons Welsh Select Committee that his company was in the business of making money, not making...
Lee Waters: You’re not going to find me defending Tata in this position, and I have no idea what arrangements Tata have put in place to deal with the eventuality of losing this vote. But they’re not daft and they are very clear in their view that, if they lose this vote, they will go. And then what do we do? This is why I think it is irresponsible to be urging the voters, to be playing on this...
Lee Waters: First Minister, would you welcome the fact the Prime Minister has announced an industrial strategy? It’s better late than never. I’m encouraged that one of the sectors the UK Government intends to prioritise includes robotics and automation. The Bank of England has estimated that there are 15 million jobs across the UK at risk from automation; 700,000 jobs in Wales. And would you work...
Lee Waters: Cabinet Secretary, I do find the criticisms of the lack of an evidence base coming from Plaid Cymru rather ironic when they’ve used the budget process to insist on £50 million for a road scheme with very low benefit to cost ratios to shore up their political base. Any concerns I had about this policy have been assuaged by the changes you’ve made, and I very much welcome the extra...
Lee Waters: Cabinet Secretary, I was pleased earlier that Adam Price quoted this week’s ‘Llanelli Star’, which reported faithfully what I said in the Senedd last week. Since then, Nia Griffith—the MP for Llanelli—and I have communicated further with steelworkers in our constituency, and we have very real concerns that the deal, which is only possible because of the Welsh Government’s...
Lee Waters: 2. What plans does the Cabinet Secretary have to extend the range of allied professionals in primary health services? OAQ(5)0108(HWS)
Lee Waters: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. I was very pleased to welcome you recently to Kidwelly to visit the Minafon surgery, where, a year ago, when the surgery faced a crisis when the doctors left, working closely with Hywel Dda health board, the range of local Labour councillors and the community, it designed a service where there is a pharmacist, a physiotherapist and other allied health...
Lee Waters: I’m always entertained by UKIP debates, because they do paint a picture of a country from a bygone era. I look at the motion that they’ve tabled today and we hear mention only of GPs—we fetishise the family doctor. There is a consistent theme that UKIP paint a picture of the 1950s, and today’s motion is no different to that. It reminded me of some of their most recent policies—the...
Lee Waters: Let me just develop my point a little. Policies they suggested just six years ago of proper dress in the theatre, repainting the trains in traditional colours, more swearing allegiance to the Queen, cheaper beer and bringing back imperial measures. This is the 1950s, where, of course, the family doctor was the lynchpin of the primary care model. Reading UKIP’s motion today, you’d be...
Lee Waters: I’m out of time, I’m very sorry.
Lee Waters: There’s an echo here. I’m out of time, sorry. And accept that the new model can’t simply rely on GPs, as in days of yore. Thank you.
Lee Waters: Minister, I must tell you that workers in Llanelli have very little faith that the DWP proposals will result in no redundancies. They have been told that, if suitable jobs can’t be found in ‘nearby’ locations, they’ll be regarded as surplus, which is code for job losses. The nearby locations, we are told, include Pembroke Dock and Cardiff, which can only be the definition of a man in...
Lee Waters: I take being a member of the Public Accounts Committee very seriously. I think it is one of the key committees in any parliament, and I think it’s imperative it doesn’t become a circus. I have no problem following any evidence and in holding Governments to account with rigour. But that requires all Members to take the committee seriously, to engage in its work, to read the voluminous...
Lee Waters: Will the Member give way?
