David Lloyd: 3. Will the Minister make a statement on plans by councils in South Wales West to provide Welsh-medium education? OAQ53535
David Lloyd: Trefnydd, in a Brexit statement on 22 January, the Minister for local government stated that the Welsh Government were, 'continuing to work with local authorities to identify and plan for impacts across all services' of a 'no deal' Brexit. We were told that the Welsh Government is funding the Welsh Local Government Association to support councils to prepare for Brexit. My understanding is...
David Lloyd: For many years now the accepted wisdom was that market housing built by developers would deliver the affordable housing needed to meet demand. Now, on these benches we want to challenge that, because, for all the promises made and targets set, delivery hasn't matched the demand. In fact delivery—as we've heard from Leanne, delivery of affordable housing hasn’t matched the numbers that...
David Lloyd: I’m pleased to contribute to this debate as a member of the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee, and may I congratulate the Chair for an excellent summary of the situation, because this agreement is crucially important? This is an agreement between ourselves as the legislature and our Government here to ensure that we know what’s happening so that we can promote the scrutiny...
David Lloyd: And as the Llywydd will remember, when Wales beat England in Twickenham for the first time in 20 years in 2008, 13 out of the 15 players that day were Ospreys. So, I'll just leave it there in terms of—. But it would be good to reflect this overwhelming community concern about a potentially devastating merger—on, off, whatever—in any consultations you have with the WRU. And in...
David Lloyd: Very much in the same frame, actually—I declare an interest as an Ospreys season ticket holder. Very much in the same frame as David Rees, the Ospreys is more than the 15 guys on the pitch. There's a whole umbrella of teams from under eight upwards, of both sexes, playing all the time, not just at half time during Ospreys home matches. It is really a huge community event, which totally...
David Lloyd: Thank you very much for that response. Now, naturally, recently, in responding to the fact that Labour MPs had left that party in London and their parliamentary group, the First Minister, Mark Drakeford, and I quote, said that 'If you are elected as a representative of a particular party and you decided that you do not want to do that in the future, you should go back to the people that put...
David Lloyd: Minister, the Welsh Local Government Association is always pleading with the Welsh Government to reduce the amount of specific hypothecated grants allocated to councils on an annual basis. They argue, obviously, that this funding should instead be provided directly by the revenue support grant, giving local authorities as much freedom as possible to respond to local need. Now, do you...
David Lloyd: Minister, you will be aware that funding has been invested in trying to regenerate Swansea High Street. However, while there have been some improvements, we are still faced with a row of deserted crumbling old buildings in that area, as you know. Among them, we have the site of the historic, but now overgrown, Palace Theatre still dominating the area, which is a sad reflection on the city....
David Lloyd: 1. What assessment has the Commission made of the impact of political defections on democratic engagement? OAQ53486
David Lloyd: Will the Minister make a statement on developing international trade?
David Lloyd: Trefnydd, you will be aware of local concerns in Swansea over a planned consultation meeting by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, which was due to take place next week on 12 March. The meeting was due to discuss the potential siting of a nuclear geological disposal facility. Such were the protests in Swansea that the meeting has now been cancelled—it appears online. But what has become...
David Lloyd: Thank you for that.
David Lloyd: But I've received representations from individuals who have expressed concerns over the quality and timeliness of several organisations in dealing with the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Even after referring the matter to the Information Commissioner's Office, the wait took so long that, by the time the information was received, it was no longer required or events had overtaken....
David Lloyd: As you are aware, under section 20 of the Equality Act 2010, service providers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for a disabled person in the way they deliver their services. However, I am aware of an example where a local authority has refused to install a disabled access gate at a public park. Now, this seems wholly unreasonable and clearly prevents wheelchair users in the area...
David Lloyd: 3. What assessment has the Counsel General made of the way local authorities are complying with the Equality Act? OAQ53481
David Lloyd: 5. What assessment has the Counsel General made of public bodies' compliance with the Freedom of Information Act? OAQ53479
David Lloyd: Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. I was slightly sidetracked there for a moment, but there we go. I'm glad to be able to take part in this very important debate. Obviously, it was also a very important debate when we had it last September as well, and I take on board both what Huw Irranca-Davies and Russell George have just said. So, just to reiterate the points, really, that it's about physical...
David Lloyd: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. In the few minutes that I have, I'll just concentrate on replying to some of the contributions in what has been a difficult, at times, but very powerful debate. I think this Senedd is at its best, sometimes, when we have to confront issues that are very difficult and challenging for us all, and we manage to debate in a very mature and considerate way with one another,...
David Lloyd: To close, there is a lot of work being done to raise awareness of the risks of suicide and I would like to praise the excellent work being done by third sector organisations in putting support in place for those affected. There is a momentum building, but greater direction is needed to really drive forward the change still needed, and the committee is committed to ensuring that suicide...
