Jeremy Miles: On the subject of empty rhetoric, will he accept that people in the Chamber will find the premise of the debate and the motion brought forward by UKIP completely incredible, given that their leader in the Assembly here spent a whole political career in Parliament denouncing and calling for the deregulation of working conditions? I’m afraid that most of us will find what you’re saying...
Jeremy Miles: Diolch, Lywydd. I wanted to pick up on one of the points in the motion that drew attention to the gross value added performance of Wales against the UK average. It seems to me that what we’re looking at here is actually a fundamental question of the inequality of the UK as a country—it’s uniquely unequal in comparison with other countries, for example, within the European Union. We...
Jeremy Miles: In an economy event in my constituency, which I held before Christmas, and which was addressed by the Minister for Skills and Science, one of the issues identified to improve productivity was the question of skills acquisition, and importantly skills progression through the employment journey. So, they will have been pleased to hear the emphasis on that in the new apprenticeship plan. But,...
Jeremy Miles: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the midwifery profession in Wales?
Jeremy Miles: Can I add my voice to those who’ve congratulated the Cabinet Secretary on the bus summit, which, if I may say, demonstrated a great deal of foresight? And he’s gone beyond foresight to a predictive capacity today in his answers to Russell George. But I recently held a forum in Neath, before Christmas, to discuss the local economy, and one of the priorities that was discussed by the...
Jeremy Miles: The leader of the house may know that Neath Port Talbot council has become the first organisation in Wales to sign the voluntary charter of the TUC’s Dying to Work campaign, which protects staff facing terminal illness. Sadly, I know from the personal experience of a close friend who is no longer with us how vital it is for people in that situation to have peace of mind and a sense of...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you, Llywydd, and thank you to all contributors this afternoon for the wide range of contributions that have been very thoughtful. If you had told the version of me 10 years ago that I would be standing here as a proud gay man on the floor of the Assembly in Wales, he would have been shocked and would have been frightened. Frightened at the shame that the 10-year-old version of me would...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you, Counsel General, for that comprehensive answer. If I may just seek clarification, in the committee earlier this week, David Jones, the Minister of State at the Department for Exiting the European Union, posited the possibility the great repeal Bill itself might be a short Bill and there might be a number of individual Bills that follow from that. Given what the Counsel General has...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his reply. He highlighted in his earlier responses the damaging effects of Tory austerity policies. There will be increasing pressure on public finances in the years ahead, and the complexity of tackling the challenges will not get any easier. Would he agree that a clear and comprehensive picture of all public spending—local, Welsh and UK-wide Government,...
Jeremy Miles: 4. What information does the Welsh Government hold on the amount of public expenditure spent in any defined geographic area within Wales? OAQ(5)0100(FLG)
Jeremy Miles: 6. Will the Counsel General clarify the legal status of the Sewel Convention as it applies in Wales following the Supreme Court judgement on Article 50? OAQ(5)0027(CG)
Jeremy Miles: I'll take the intervention.
Jeremy Miles: I would echo that; I think that we need fast progress on that. But what isn’t disputed is that climate change is one of the biggest threats to marine biodiversity in any event. So, I think that's the broader context for that discussion. But the lagoon is a manifestation of a much broader opportunity, which is to turn Wales’s most abundant natural resource into an economic asset and to...
Jeremy Miles: I want to put the tidal lagoon in the broader context of Wales’s blue economy, but, before I do that, I think it’s worth noting that Charles Hendry’s backing for the lagoon in Swansea bay has not only been widely welcomed in this Chamber but also, speaking personally, by my constituents and also by businesses across the supply chain and potential supply chain of the region. I believe...
Jeremy Miles: Will the First Minister join me in celebrating the recent anniversary of one of the leading third sector organisations in my constituency, Tiddlywinks children's centre in Ystalyfera, where I recently visited and saw for myself the excellent service that’s provided by an organisation that was the first of its kind in Wales and is now a self-sustaining social enterprise? There are many...
Jeremy Miles: Well, I think it’s vital that in schools and colleges students and pupils have a very clear understanding of what the options are for them, what the progression opportunities within those career choices are and what course options and so on they should take to get them there. And I think there’s a place for much more integration between the world of work, the local economy and schools and...
Jeremy Miles: Yes, certainly.
Jeremy Miles: Just before Christmas, I convened a meeting in my constituency in Neath of players in the local economy. I had the further education college there. In fact, they hosted the event and it was hosted very beautifully and very effectively buy them, so I thank them for that. We also had universities, businesses in the local economy and unions to come together to discuss what we wanted from a...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Minister for that question and commend him on his work on the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Bill, which I know we all hope will lead to improved outcomes and experiences for children with autism on the school journey. I know he shares my sense of priority about making sure that the physical environment in schools is also appropriate for children with...
Jeremy Miles: 2. What is the Welsh Government doing to ensure an accessible and inclusive physical learning environment for children with autism? OAQ(5)0089(EDU)
