Julie James: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Well, 'follow that', as they say—I'm not even going to attempt it. I really enjoyed the contribution of Rhun ap Iorwerth, and I can assure you that we are very aware of the really important work that the vessel, Prince Madog, has done in conjunction with Bangor University. I've had the real privilege of speaking to some of the scientists who have been involved in...
Julie James: We’re committed to working with water companies to make water bills affordable for all, and helping households that genuinely struggle to pay for water services. Again, as Joel said, in 2021 the Consumer Council for Water published a review of the affordability and financial support available for water consumers in Wales and England, and I’m very grateful to them for undertaking the...
Julie James: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Thank you very much for the opportunity to talk about the very important and topical issues of both water poverty and water quality. Our water sector is indeed facing an immediate and unprecedented challenge. Climate change means that over the next 20 years Wales faces wetter winters, hotter, drier summers, rising sea levels and more frequent and intense extreme...
Julie James: Just very briefly, we thank the committee for its work. We didn't provide a response as the committee didn't require one, but just to say that Lesley Griffiths and myself have raised this same issue in many inter-ministerial meetings, and indeed, we've written about the working of the framework agreements along very similar lines. I commend the motion to the Senedd.
Julie James: Diolch, Llywydd. I move the motion. The Plant Health etc. (Fees) (Amendment) (Wales) (EU Exit) (No.2) Regulations 2022 amend the Plant Health etc. (Fees) (Wales) Regulations 2018. The 2018 regulations specify fees payable to the Welsh Ministers in relation to plant health services and, in particular, certain fees payable to the Welsh Ministers in relation to checks of imports of plants and...
Julie James: No, I was merely pointing out that Wales went first, and then England followed.
Julie James: And I was making the point that this will be the case—
Julie James: No, I didn't. I said that Wales went first, and England followed.
Julie James: And England followed, and this will happen here. So, Llywydd, I absolutely recommend this motion to the Senedd, and I think it is something that will make the people of Wales safer and very proud of their communities. Diolch.
Julie James: Of course there are areas that will save many, many lives, but you know as well as I do that if there's a road traffic accident close to a trauma centre, the hours of waiting go up for the A&E patients as those trauma casualties come in from road traffic accidents. So, that is not—. That's a completely wrong base on which to base it. This saves lives. This saves NHS resources, of course it...
Julie James: No, because the evidence is, Sam, that for the average journey in Wales, the amount of time it'll take you extra is one minute to save all those lives. It's worth it, isn't it? That's the bottom line. People slow down; you've seen them yourselves. They overtake three cars on a country road and then you end up behind them at the traffic lights. It's really dangerous; they can't see around the...
Julie James: Indeed, absolutely. So, there will be an exceptions process. The exceptions process—. I have to correct my colleague Carolyn Thomas: the exceptions process is not in the gift of the Welsh Government. The exceptions process has been developed by a group working with us and our local authorities to work out the most efficient way of doing the exceptions process, to take into account what is...
Julie James: Diolch, Llywydd. Can I start by thanking the legislation and justice committee for their input into this set of regulations? Just to answer a couple of the questions that were raised by Huw in his role as Chair, we were anxious to avoid any unnecessary challenge to the regulations, so the vires point has quite a lot of weight with us. And then in terms of the impact on enforcement and the...
Julie James: Yes, indeed; I'll get on to that shortly. [Laughter.] The 20 mph programme supports 'Llwybr Newydd', the Wales transport strategy, by making it easier and safer for people to walk and cycle. The process that local authorities have to go through to bring in lower limits, the traffic regulation Orders, is slow, complex and expensive. Despite millions of pounds invested previously, only around...
Julie James: Yes.
Julie James: There are some issues around how you use statistics, obviously, Mark, but actually, if you use the mileage of the road compared to that, that doesn't entirely hold. The evidence shows us that moving to a national 20 mph speed limit for restricted roads would make them safer, save lives and encourage more of us to walk and cycle. Research has shown that public opinion will support the change,...
Julie James: Diolch, Llywydd. I move the motion. Section 81(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 provides that 'It shall not be lawful for a person to drive a motor vehicle on a restricted road at a speed exceeding 30 miles per hour.' Subject to provisions of section 82 and 84(3) of the Act, 'a road is a restricted road for the purposes of section 81 of this Act if (a) in England and Wales, there is...
Julie James: Diolch, Llywydd. In conclusion, I would like to thank Members for their support, I hope, in voting for these. I'm very disappointed, but not surprised, that the Tories don't see fit to support amendments designed to protect tenants' rights—no surprise there, really. Although it is disappointing that we can't get consensus on this. Llywydd, we are now very nearly there in terms of...
Julie James: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. There are three sets of regulations being debated under this motion today. Members will be aware that I had originally also tabled a set of consequential amendments to primary legislation as part of this package of subordinate legislation, but, given the number of reporting points received from the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee, I have withdrawn that...
Julie James: Diolch, Deputy Llywydd. I also want to thank Luke Fletcher for bringing this really important subject to the Senedd for debate today, and of course I fully support the overall intent of the motion, which is to allow more people to enjoy the companionship that a real pet can bring. My own dog recently died, and I have to say that I'm extremely bereft without him, so I very much appreciate the...
