Huw Irranca-Davies: Can I just begin by thanking Plaid Cymru for bringing this debate, as Jenny indeed did, and also to agree with many of the comments that have been made, both by Delyth in her introductory remarks, and also by Heledd? They stressed very much that this is a matter of social and environmental justice, or if you want to put that into layperson's terms, it's the individual at the top of the Garw...
Huw Irranca-Davies: I think I've heard the intervention now, Llywydd. It was a long intervention. Maybe the Member wasn't here yesterday in the debate that we had in First Minister's questions, where the hard reality is that, at this moment, in real terms, we are £900 million down—£900 million down—and in terms of actually developing a new fleet of electric buses and so on, we've been given £1 million...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Thank you. [Laughter.] I genuinely feel more like a citizen of Wales because of that universal provision, but the challenge the Minister has is to work over the next few months—and he is working hard with those bus operators and with local authorities—to actually use this very short breathing period to find a way forward that is sustainable. I don't envy him his task in that. Let me...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Will you give way?
Huw Irranca-Davies: I wonder if you could tell me how the UK Government—sorry, the England Government—has dealt with this, with the cancellation of the emergency bus scheme and the 10 per cent drop now in services being provided immediately?
Huw Irranca-Davies: Alun, thank you very much for giving way. Would he agree with me that, as we try to transition to this better future with public transport, what we do need to do is to join up all those modes, including not just Fflecsi bus but community transport as well? We put several hundred thousand pounds into the very good Bridgend volunteer-run community transport, but linking those into the scheduled...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Could I ask for two statements, please? The first is on the support that's available for swimming pools to get us through the runaway costs that they are facing at the moment. Swimming pools tend to be something of a money pit to run at normal times; at the moment, they're under intense pressure. Some of the public pools in my area have contacted me to ask the question, which is a genuine...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Thank you, Llywydd and Minister.
Huw Irranca-Davies: I'm going to keep my comments brief on this item this afternoon, and I think that some of my comments have actually been prefigured by the remarks of the Minister, and, indeed, my fellow Chair, John Griffiths. When we spoke last month, during the first debate we had on a legislative consent motion for this Bill, I focused on the large number of memoranda laid by the Welsh Government—it's...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Thank you, Llywydd, and good afternoon, Minister.
Huw Irranca-Davies: We produced two reports covering the five consent memoranda that have been laid by the Minister on this Bill, and we laid the first report in October 2022, and our second report on 14 March this year.
Huw Irranca-Davies: Minister, I think I'm right in saying that we still have not received a formal written response to the three recommendations we made in our second report to better inform this debate today. But I do thank you for the detailed opening remarks you've already made, which turned some of our remaining concerns and, indeed, I have to say, some of your outstanding concerns, as you just phrased...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. Our committee has produced one report on the first three memoranda for this Bill. We weren't able to report on memorandum No. 4 and produce something that could have meaningfully assisted Members during this afternoon’s debate. Whilst this is unfortunate, it is a direct consequence of amendments being made at a late stage to Bills in another Parliament that affect us here...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. It's because I'm not in the Chamber waving my arms at you. I think that's why it is. I've only got a few brief comments, but I do welcome the opportunity to say a few brief remarks this evening, as we conclude our consideration of the very first Welsh consolidation Bill. At the close of a late Tuesday evening in the Senedd, this Final Stage debate on the Historic Environment...
Huw Irranca-Davies: 2. Will the final recommendations of the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales influence the Welsh Government's input into future proposals for UK constitutional reform? OQ59332
Huw Irranca-Davies: Thank you, Counsel General. It's long struck me that some of the most innovative proposals for necessary reform of the union are coming from Wales, rather than coming from Westminster and Whitehall itself. But be that as it may, would he agree with me that, if reforms are brought forward that are seeking not only to have a different relationship but a more modern relationship between the...
Huw Irranca-Davies: 9. How does the Counsel General ensure that the Welsh Government complies with international law and conventions on equality and human rights? OQ59333
Huw Irranca-Davies: I welcome that response, and I noted the earlier response of the Counsel General to a question by my colleague, Joyce Watson, in respect of the UK Government's aptly titled Illegal Migration Bill. Can I note how strangely ironic it is that UK Ministers highlight in the very title of that Bill that the proposals that they're bringing forward are judged by many international authorities to be...
Huw Irranca-Davies: 5. Has the salary-sacrifice scheme for electric vehicles been introduced for MS support staff and Senedd staff? OQ59331
Huw Irranca-Davies: I have to say that's quite taken my breath away. I will now expect that every time I ask a question in the Senedd demanding something, it gets provided immediately. So, Ministers take note. But, seriously, can I thank Ken and the Commissioners and all the staff for the work behind the scenes that has gone into this? And if I could ask now for that active engagement with those staff members,...
