Mr Simon Thomas: Plaid Cymru will be supporting the amendments in the name of Julie James. We agree that there is a gap in the legislation as it stands not to have a repeal clause if agreement is reached with the Westminster Government—that’s the main political reason that may arise, in those circumstances. We should treasure the second when David Melding spoke against a superaffirmative process. That’s...
Mr Simon Thomas: Thank you, Llywydd. On this issue we have reached agreement, and therefore I'm pleased to see the amendment tabled by the Government. As Julie James has outlined, our main concern yesterday was to ensure that there was regular reporting back to the Assembly, but that should happen in a way that was reasonable for the Government and in a way that made sense for Assembly Members too. So, the...
Mr Simon Thomas: That's a bit rich. It's not—
Mr Simon Thomas: Would you like to intervene again and explain? You persuaded this Assembly to support the Bill that went straight to the Supreme Court.
Mr Simon Thomas: Such an important piece of legislation that your ex-natural environment Minister just yawns and says he's tired and bored with it. [Interruption.] That's how important it is. [Interruption.] I'm starting to think that maybe the Conservatives have a point here: maybe the Government's not taking this seriously.
Mr Simon Thomas: Well, amendment 9 will not—. If it is included in the Bill, amendment 9 will not damage the Bill in the Supreme Court, because the Member who did bring forward the asbestos Bill, and was the Counsel General for a while, knows full well that the Supreme Court does not throw out whole Bills when one amendment is found, or one clause is found, to be defective. It simply adjusts the Bill. He...
Mr Simon Thomas: I'm boring you, am I? Well, I'm sorry I'm boring you. I'm sorry I'm boring you about something that you think is so important that you'll bring it forward as emergency legislation. I'm so sorry it's boring you.
Mr Simon Thomas: From Alun Davies? Certainly.
Mr Simon Thomas: From Mick Antoniw. I was just about to deal with Mick Antoniw's points, but if he wants to intervene before I deal with them.
Mr Simon Thomas: From a Member who introduced an asbestos Bill that went straight to the Supreme Court and cost £60,000 to this Assembly, that is a bit rich.
Mr Simon Thomas: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Can I start with the positive and just say that I do welcome the political statement, if I can put it that way, made by the leader of the house, around no dilution of environmental standards and—what she has just concluded in saying—to seek an early legislative opportunity—presumably after we have left the European Union, that is—to restate some of these...
Mr Simon Thomas: Thank you very much, Llywydd. I move amendment 9. I make no apologies for returning to an area that we discussed yesterday, but I won't rehearse everything that was raised yesterday either, but I just wanted to emphasise why we have returned to this issue. As Members will hopefully recall, although a great deal has happened since yesterday, the Bill as it currently stands doesn't include a...
Mr Simon Thomas: Can I just say, on some of the contributions to the debate that, obviously, I warmly welcome those Members who support the Bill, and the Finance Committee will want to take on board all the comments that have been made, but I'm particularly struck, I think, by comments from people such as Mike Hedges and Janet Finch-Saunders and behind me here with Gareth Bennett—everyone who's interacted...
Mr Simon Thomas: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I’d like to thank the Members who’ve taken part in the discussion today. May I first of all just recognise and be clear about the contribution by the two committees, of course? I’m very pleased to welcome their responses on the general issues with regard to the powers in the Bill that’s before the Assembly today, and also the warm...
Mr Simon Thomas: The Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee has made 19 recommendations, and I'm able to accept every one apart from one of these recommendations. I am very pleased to see that the committee has recommended that the Assembly agree to the general principles of the Bill and I very much hope that Members will support that decision this afternoon. In responding to the report, I...
Mr Simon Thomas: Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd. First of all, I’d like to thank the members of the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee and the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee for their detailed consideration of the Bill at Stage 1. I'd also like to thank everyone who has contributed to the various consultations and debates that we have had whilst drafting and...
Mr Simon Thomas: When I asked for a statement on the Gambling Commission yesterday, I wasn't expecting it quite so quickly, so well done for the joint act to get you here to talk a little more about this. One of the things that's emerged from the statement from the Gambling Commission and the response that the leader of the house kindly gave to me yesterday is the fact that there is little that the Welsh...
Mr Simon Thomas: Of course, if I were to move from Ceredigion to Pembrokeshire I would save £300 per annum straight away, but I would live in a county where a national intervention has been required by the Welsh Government in terms of children’s issues and education, and where there have been a number of failings over the past few years because of decisions taken locally to keep council tax low, not just...
Mr Simon Thomas: I've recently been in correspondence with you on planning issues around a development that's very significant in the mid and west region at the moment, which is the expansion of poultry units. We've seen a lot of applications coming in for free-range poultry. It's a response to the market; it's a response, partly, to Brexit, I think. It's something about the industry preparing itself for the...
Mr Simon Thomas: I'm grateful for that political commitment if we don't get the legislative one later on. Today you also announced your five core principles for the future of land and those who manage the land. This includes a new farm support scheme to replace the basic payment scheme. But, we all know that if the money that does get reallocated as we leave the EU is allocated to Wales in anything...
