Mike Hedges: Just very briefly, I think if we're going to teach the history of Wales, we need to teach the history of the kingdoms of ancient Wales. They actually mean something to many of us. We seem to have gone backwards. When I did O-level history, we did social and economic history. Now, in their GCSEs, they study America, South Africa and Germany. I think we need to go back. Finally, people need to...
Mike Hedges: Diolch, Llywydd. I'm very pleased to be able to contribute to today's debate on behalf of the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee. The committee has considered the draft Order in the context of its wider work on the UK emissions trading scheme common framework. Our work on the common framework will not be completed until much later this term when all the relevant...
Mike Hedges: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Can I first of all thank the Minister for her statement? Can I start with two long-standing views of mine? We need more housing, especially council housing, to meet the need, and, secondly, we need to return to the Parker Morris standard or a standard very similar to it, which is based on the premise that a good house or flat can never be made out of...
Mike Hedges: Diolch, Llywydd. At approximately this time each year, Senedd Members from all parties don pink items as part of the Wear it Pink for breast cancer campaign. These photographs end up on social media and in local papers. This year, due to the pandemic, we cannot take part in an event in the Senedd, but I do not wish to miss the opportunity to show my support for the breast cancer campaign. I...
Mike Hedges: Can I thank the Minister for her response? Many older people, especially those living alone, are suffering from loneliness. Will the Government promote Zoom sessions for those who are living on their own so they can see and talk to their friends when they have access to ICT? And also, can more be done to increase the number of people getting the benefit from Age Cymru's excellent telephone...
Mike Hedges: 5. What action is the Welsh Government taking to tackle the problem of loneliness among older people? OQ55583
Mike Hedges: I generally welcome the national development framework proposals. The changes proposed greatly improve the draft. As Chair of the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee, I'm pleased that the Welsh Government accepted 47 of the committee's 50 conclusions, although again disappointed that 22 of them were in principle only. And as Llyr Gruffydd said, we'll come back with further...
Mike Hedges: Thank you, acting Presiding Officer. This debate draws us one step nearer to agreeing transitional arrangements for the agricultural sector in Wales. It has been a long journey. Scrutiny of the UK Agriculture Bill has been a central plank of the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee's work on Brexit. Our first report in relation to a UK Agriculture Bill was published back in...
Mike Hedges: Can I ask for two oral Government statements—the first one on the provision of free school meals? We've had a number of written statements on the provision, of expanding it, and I'm very pleased with those, but could we have a full statement on exactly where we are? It's well known that my view is that free school meals should go through every holiday and, when children are not in school,...
Mike Hedges: I believe there's something fundamentally wrong in a society where there are some people with no home, or are living in completely inadequate housing—overcrowded, damp, cold—and others who have two or more homes, at least one of which they use infrequently. I think that's morally wrong. Can I say I support the Welsh Government's amendments, one of which welcomes the Welsh Government's...
Mike Hedges: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I also welcome the report by the Finance Committee. Can I say I agree with almost everything said by Nick Ramsay and by my friend Alun Davies? The only thing I would hold with Nick Ramsay—. If we were to drop the top rate of income tax by 10 per cent, does he not think that England, across the border, would do exactly the same thing, as we engage in a...
Mike Hedges: Thank you for that response, Minister. I, like many others here, am aware of how difficult it is to become fluent in Welsh as an adult. So, what discussions has the Minister had with colleagues on the importance of starting learning Welsh at a young age, particularly in terms of support for Mudiad Meithrin and Ti a Fi and ensuring that they have a positive start through the medium of Welsh?
Mike Hedges: 4. Will the Minister make a statement on promoting the Welsh language among young children? OQ55536
Mike Hedges: First of all, can I thank David Melding for not only giving me a minute in this debate, but for actually raising this very important issue? I would like to raise two very quick points. Firstly, is there any reason why transaction capital cannot be used for funding the necessary work, with a claim made against the value of the property on sale? This is money going to the private sector that I...
Mike Hedges: Will the Minister make a statement on Welsh Government policies to protect hen harriers?
Mike Hedges: Can I first of all welcome the statement by the Minister? It amazes me how little money was needed to protect those who were homeless at the beginning of the pandemic, and I think one good thing that's come out of the pandemic is the idea of trying to deal with homelessness. I'm very pleased that the Minister believes that preventing and ending homelessness in all its forms is a priority for...
Mike Hedges: I thank the Minister for that response. For the record, my sister is profoundly deaf, and I am also president of the Swansea Hard of Hearing Group. COVID has had a serious effect on the deaf community, as masks stop the ability of deaf people to lip-read, or even know that somebody is talking to them. What is being done to promote sign language and sign language interpreters to support the...
Mike Hedges: 6. How is the Welsh Government ensuring support for voluntary groups working with the deaf community? OQ55482
Mike Hedges: I'm also very pleased we're having this debate prior to the publication of the draft budget. This means we're not replying to a draft budget, but putting forward suggestions for consideration. It also means other political parties can produce their own budget proposals. Unfortunately, up to now, all we get is demands for reduced taxation here and increased expenditure there. Can I urge the...
Mike Hedges: Thank you, Minister. Can you confirm that, without a deal with the European Union, under World Trade Organization rules each member must grant the same most-favoured-nation market access to all other World Trade Organization members, not just cherry-pick those they like? My understanding is that, if we have zero tariffs on European steel, that would mean we'd have to have zero tariffs on...
