Jeremy Miles: Carwyn Jones.
Jeremy Miles: The emphasis that the Welsh Government has given on access to GPs is to be welcomed, of course. Does the First Minister agree that we could encourage primary care practices to collaborate with local transport providers to encourage this even further, particularly in more remote areas?
Jeremy Miles: Will the First Minister join me in giving good wishes to Tŷ’r Gwrhyd language centre in Pontardawe in my constituency, which has just been launched with significant from the Welsh Government? Does he agree that there is a fundamental role for language centres in developing the need in our communities for public and business services through the medium of Welsh?
Jeremy Miles: I thank the leader of the house for her statement. The Government in the fourth Assembly welcomed the conclusions and recommendations of the Welsh Co-operative and Mutuals Commission, chaired by Andrew Davies. Will the Government bring forward a statement outlining what steps it will take in the fifth Assembly to take those recommendations forward?
Jeremy Miles: Can I thank the Secretary for her statement—such a positive statement? She referred to the 30,000 potential jobs in this sector. As she may know, Neath Port Talbot, in my area, has secured the second-highest number of jobs in reprocessing under WRAP Cymru’s EU-funded ARID programme, which highlights the practical reality of the job creation potential here. What assessment has the Welsh...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you, Minister, for the statement. Returning to the question of the apprenticeship levy for a moment, you referred to it as an employer tax in your statement. Is there any analysis of the potential risk to jobs in Wales of this levy on employers, being mindful that the point of apprenticeship, of course, is to get people into high-skilled, decently paid jobs?
Jeremy Miles: Among the questions in this Bill that will feel very far removed from everyday life is the question of legal jurisdiction. It will seem like a concern for academics and lawyers alone, but there are practical aspects of this that should be grappled with within this Bill if we are serious about strengthening the foundations of devolution to deal with the enhanced powers that this Chamber will...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the leader of the house for her statement. The Welsh Government’s success in rolling out superfast broadband through Superfast Cymru is to be welcomed as a key investment in critical modern infrastructure. However, despite the very high coverage levels, the advantages of superfast broadband are binary, if you like—you either have it or you don’t. So, will the Minister for Skills...
Jeremy Miles: Diolch, Lywydd. I thank the Secretary for her statement. It’s such an important sector for us in Wales, so it’s great to hear of the rapid growth in the sector. For those of us who enjoy food, the renaissance of local food production in Wales is a thing of great joy even if it leads to rapid growth of a slightly less welcome kind perhaps. [Laughter.] You’ve spoken about skills quite...
Jeremy Miles: I’m slightly diffident in rising to speak on the topic of the integration of health and social care, given the immense contribution that my predecessor as Assembly Member for Neath, Gwenda Thomas, has made in this particular policy area in Wales, and in particular with regard to the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 itself. So, I’ll take this opportunity to pay tribute to...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you, Presiding Officer, for the opportunity to contribute to this important debate. Roedd canlyniad y refferendwm yr wythnos diwethaf yn siom enbyd. Mae'r ffaith y byddai Cymru yn dewis gwrthod y berthynas sydd wedi bod mor amlwg o fuddiol iddi yn her i bob un ohonom yn y lle hwn, ac mae'n rhaid i ni ymateb yn bendant, ac nid â rhethreg hawdd. Byddai’r golled i Gymru o gannoedd o...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you for that intervention. I do take the point that there’s been very unhelpful comment in some of the press about the response of our communities. I don’t take the other point that you raised, but I take that point, certainly. In fact, promises have been made in this campaign, and they’ve been mentioned again today on many occasions, and in my view, what the people of Wales voted...
Jeremy Miles: I nominate Lee Waters.
Jeremy Miles: May I welcome the Cabinet Secretary’s statement and, particularly, his comments on the fiscal framework, and the commitment that this Senedd will have an opportunity to discuss and to agree or otherwise the framework in due course? In looking at the agreement between the UK Government and the Scottish Government, it is clear that it’s the result of a great deal of work, and I’m pleased...
Jeremy Miles: Can I firstly commend the Government on its approach to the delivery plan, and in particular the extensive formal consultation and the engagement with stakeholders, carers and users of services? As many people have mentioned today, one of the most significant contributions to the improvement of mental health services was the passage of the Mental Health (Wales) Measure 2010 and, in...
Jeremy Miles: Will the FirstMinister outline the benefits of the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon to Neath?
Jeremy Miles: 1. Will the Minister provide an update in relation to Creative Wales? OAQ(5)0035(EI)
Jeremy Miles: Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. The creative industries is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the Welsh economy and has seen a massive increase in employment. Will he indicate whether, and, if so, how, Brexit is likely to affect the Welsh Government’s ongoing commitment to its media investment fund and other production incentives? And will he undertake to work with the UK...
Jeremy Miles: Diolch, Lywydd. Thank you for the opportunity of winding up this important, and, as the Minister said, rich debate. Part of the reason why it is so important is, as Bethan Jenkins outlined in her opening remarks, the value that we attach to the BBC as an asset, a national asset, for us in here in Wales and across the UK generally. Jenny Rathbone referred to the strength of the BBC brand, and...
Jeremy Miles: I just want to use the minute that I think I have to draw the attention of the Chamber to an evaluation of co-operative housing developments in Wales, which was published at the end of March. It looked specifically at the early developmental stages in co-op housing, echoing what Mike has said, and I’ll use my time to continue to plead the cause of co-op housing. It looks also at the...
