Alun Davies: Yes.
Alun Davies: And an Afghan mother doesn't love her children less than a Ukrainian mother loves her children, and a Syrian mother doesn't love her father less then a Ukrainian mother loves her father. One thing that my Christianity tells me is that you cannot divide humanity and that we love each other, and we all have a responsibility to ensure that we open our homes for people who are fleeing warfare,...
Alun Davies: What consideration did the Minister give to the funding of the Tech Valleys programme in allocating the budget for the economy portfolio?
Alun Davies: 1. Will the First Minister make a statement on the future of the Tech Valleys programme? OQ57800
Alun Davies: I'm grateful to the First Minister, and I, too, look forward to welcoming him back to Blaenau Gwent. The commitment to the Tech Valleys project in Blaenau Gwent, in our manifesto, and in the programme for government, is more, First Minister, than simply an investment in the borough; it is a commitment to the people and the communities in the Heads of the Valleys. As the Welsh Government...
Alun Davies: Minister, I've asked before for a statement on access to dentistry. I'd like to repeat that request this afternoon, and also ask for a debate on the future of dentistry services. I'm glad the health Minister is in the Chamber in her place for this session. I've received correspondence from dentists in my own constituency who are exceptionally concerned about the issue of a new contract. They...
Alun Davies: I'm grateful to you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and grateful to the Minister as well for the introduction he gave this afternoon and for appearing in front of our committee last December. He has, in addition to his appearance in December, responded to a number of additional queries via correspondence and we're also grateful to him for that. This afternoon, Deputy Presiding Officer, I'm...
Alun Davies: 2. Will the Minister make a statement on Welsh Government initiatives to assist households with ongoing increases in the cost of living? OQ57805
Alun Davies: I'm grateful to you, Minister. I asked you about the cost of living; of course, what I should have asked you about was the Tory cost-of-living crisis. This isn't an accident, it isn't an act of God; it's the consequence of a deliberate policy to create more poverty amongst the most vulnerable in this country. We've had a decade of austerity, which failed to meet every objective set for it,...
Alun Davies: 2. What legal advice has the Counsel General provided to the Welsh Government regarding any assistance it can provide to the International Criminal Court investigation into suspected war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine? OQ57802
Alun Davies: Thank you very much for that response, Minister. I know that Members on all sides of the Chamber have already expressed their solidarity with the people of Ukraine and will continue to reach out to people in Ukraine to express that support and solidarity throughout the coming weeks and months. And I know that Members also on all sides of this Chamber will reach out to you, Counsel General, in...
Alun Davies: I'm grateful to you, acting Presiding Officer; I'm grateful to Mark Isherwood as well for the way in which he has opened this debate. There is much of his contribution where I would agree with him. I think we all will share the same sense of service to this country and to our people. So, I think we will all recognise the sacrifices of the generation that he himself described in his opening...
Alun Davies: I actually think that the Welsh Government has moved in a considerable direction over the years in order to deliver that, and I have to say, I think the Welsh Government does have, at the moment, in place significant support structures that are delivering for veterans and their families as well as serving personnel. I think there are things that the Government can do to improve its delivery...
Alun Davies: I'm grateful, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm grateful to the Minister as well for his statement and I've been enjoying the discussion that's taking place here, but I find that the discussion is all about what Government is doing, and nobody has asked, 'Why is Government doing this?' I wonder whether Government has asked that question itself, because I've looked throughout the statements you've...
Alun Davies: The generosity of spirit demonstrated by people in Wales, across the United Kingdom and across our European continent contrasts quite disappointedly with the mean-spirited approach from the United Kingdom Government. Minister, what impact will the Nationality and Borders Bill have on our ability to reach out to Ukrainian families? You will be aware that yesterday Tory MPs in the House of...
Alun Davies: It's a real privilege to join this debate and to follow such strong and powerful contributions to this, a Parliament, which in itself forms a part of a continuum of our history. We talk about our chapels and our churches, but we can also talk about our synagogues, mosques and temples, a part of the tapestry of who we are. And when I think about our religious history, I also, like others here...
Alun Davies: Members are being put in an appalling position this afternoon by the Government, and the Deputy Minister recognised that, I think, in the tone that he used and the words that he used in order to introduce this debate, because whenever we are asked to debate legislative consent motions, we do two things, don't we? Ministers focus on the content, on the legislation, and Members will then focus...
Alun Davies: That's what I was building up to, fortunately, Presiding Officer. One of the difficulties, of course, of contributing from a remote location is that you can't see or hear what's going on in the Chamber, and I think that is something we need to consider. Minister, you've put us in an impossible situation this afternoon. You've held a gun to our heads, and although you will have our support,...
Alun Davies: It's quite something to be told to be brief by Lee Waters, isn't it? You say that you needed to get this onto the statute book as quickly as possible, but that, I'm afraid, Minister, simply is not true. There are procedures in place in the Senedd to enable the Government to get its business through more quickly when that is required, and the Senedd has always taken a very pragmatic approach...
Alun Davies: It could have been my children, to be fair, Presiding Officer. [Laughter.] I speak in support of the Government and the proposition that's being made this afternoon. To start where Rhys ab Owen concluded, of course it is not in our gift to provide consent for the whole of this legislation. This is Westminster legislation designed mostly and generally for UK elections and English elections....
