Jeremy Miles: I thank the First Minister for that answer. And on the subject of voting, I thank him for his leadership of the Welsh Labour election campaign, which, in contrast to that of the party opposite, was both strong and stable. [Interruption.] Another feature of the campaign was an increase in turnout, and yet one in three people did not vote. Compulsory voting is no substitute for political...
Jeremy Miles: 5. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of compulsory voting? OAQ(5)0643(FM)
Jeremy Miles: On Monday evening, I attended, together with my colleague, David Rees, the volunteer awards evening of Neath Port Talbot Council for Voluntary Service. I had the honour of presenting awards to many of those whose contribution was celebrated that evening, and, as I looked out at the room on Monday evening, I realised that a good number of the people I have met and who have inspired me in my...
Jeremy Miles: A good childcare offer is, of course, crucial to supporting women into work, and perhaps the Cabinet Secretary would join me in welcoming Neath Soroptimist International to the Senedd today, which does so much to support girls and women in my area and beyond. Childcare is only one part of the key offer that we need to make to young families. The other, as programmes like Flying Start...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you for another example of a double standard. Thank you for that. At the end of last year I convened a conference—[Interruption.]
Jeremy Miles: At the end of last year, I convened a conference in Neath looking at the local economy, and I’m grateful to the Cabinet Secretary for the economy and the Minister with responsibility for the Valleys taskforce and for skills for making time available with their officials to discuss the findings of that event and the report that arose from it. As they will know, people in the Valleys...
Jeremy Miles: Communities in Neath Port Talbot, in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, in Ogmore, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, in Blaenau Gwent, in Caerphilly, and in Torfaen know one fact, and that is that if Plaid Cymru had its way the money available to those local authorities would be less, not more—money taken away from Valleys councils to other parts of Wales. So, when they come to the Chamber and beat their...
Jeremy Miles: I will, yes.
Jeremy Miles: And communities—. And communities in—[Interruption.] I won’t be taking interventions.
Jeremy Miles: I welcome this debate and welcome Plaid Cymru’s interest in our south Wales Valleys communities. Indeed, I gather from the press that the Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr is holding a public meeting in Neath this evening, so I commend to him the Gwyn Hall as an outstanding performance venue. It has a lot to offer in terms of theatre, film and, of course, pantomime [Laughter.] I’m...
Jeremy Miles: I thank him for that answer. Exploitative employment conditions are a major scourge of the modern economy and finding a way to outlaw exploitative employment is an absolute priority for us on these benches. I welcome commitments by the UK Labour Party to use reserved powers in Westminster to ban exploitative employment across the UK. Given his answer about the competence of this place, what...
Jeremy Miles: 3. What assessment has the Counsel General made of whether the Assembly has the legislative competence to ban the use of zero-hours contracts in Wales? OAQ(5)0036(CG)
Jeremy Miles: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on sixth form provision in Wales?
Jeremy Miles: This Bill is about the kind of public services that we want to see in Wales. Do we want public services where collaboration is the mark of them, or do we want public services where that is ever harder? We, on these benches, want strong public services, effectively delivered, and fair employment. We believe in the social partnership model that we have heard so much of today, and I was struck...
Jeremy Miles: When the external affairs committee visited Brussels last year, we met with the Canadian trade delegation and I was struck by the role of the Canadian provinces in the negotiation and the approval of the CETA deal with the European Union. We also know, of course, since then, of the role of the Wallonian Parliament in approving the deal. Trade negotiations with the EU and, indeed, beyond are...
Jeremy Miles: Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his reply and thank him also for the decision that he has taken in the last few days, and thank him for the time that he and his officials have made available to myself and others to discuss this important matter? The health, emotional relationship and social consequences of an HIV diagnosis can be very, very serious, and although many, many people are...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you, Deputy Llywydd. The Llywydd has shown great wisdom in selecting questions, as usual.
Jeremy Miles: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement about his decision to approve the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis in Wales as part of a study? TAQ(5)0155(HWS)
Jeremy Miles: Can I thank Lee Waters for bringing forward this important debate today? These debates are a valuable opportunity to look at the bigger picture and also, occasionally, to scan the far horizons of an issue, which I hope to do in these remarks. The advance of technology presents opportunities for our economy, and that’s doubtless. The city deal for the Swansea bay city region is predicated on...
Jeremy Miles: Yes.
