David Rowlands: For over 40 years, ever since the then Minister, Geoffrey Rippon, deliberately misled the British public by promising that British fishing grounds would remain sacrosanct if we entered what was then the Common Market, our former sovereign fishing grounds have been plundered by foreign fishing fleets. Under the common fishing policy we lost almost all control over the fishing quotas, even...
David Rowlands: Diolch—I'm not sure if I should be saying 'Dirprwy Dirprwy Lywydd'. Can I thank all those who’ve made contributions to the debate? There are those, obviously, who have been involved in this for some period of time—both Bethan Sayed and Lynne Neagle have been very involved in these matters. Lynne Neagle mentioned the cost of appeals and the planning inspectorate flying in the face of...
David Rowlands: The second petition to the Assembly, P-04-575, calls for all opencast mining planning applications to be called in and determined by the Welsh Government. It was submitted by the United Valleys Action Group, led by Terry Evans, and collected 180 signatures. The Petitions Committee would like to acknowledge the conscientious, determined and patient way in which both sets of petitioners have...
David Rowlands: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Thank you for the opportunity to have this debate about the Petitions Committee's report on two petitions concerning opencast mining. Both petitions were submitted during the previous Assembly session and have been under discussion for a considerable length of time. Therefore, I would like to begin by acknowledging the work that has been done on these issues by...
David Rowlands: I thank the leader of the house for that answer as well. In case you were having withdrawal symptoms, leader of the house, my last question concerns digital infrastructure. So, given that there are still a number of communities, such as Llangenny village in Powys, that are not able to benefit from the Superfast Cymru digital roll-out, is the leader of the house in a position to indicate how...
David Rowlands: I thank the leader of the house for that comprehensive answer. For the year 2016-17, over 10,000 adult survivors and nearly 4,000 children and young people were provided with support by domestic abuse services in Wales, which include refuge and community-based advocacy. Figures show the national domestic abuse helpline received over 28,000 calls. It is therefore extremely disturbing to...
David Rowlands: Diolch, Llywydd. Leader of the house, last Tuesday, I attended the cross-party group on human trafficking. It was gratifying to note the progress being made in combating this evil trade. Whilst we may differ on the causes of these manifestations, we all find this scourge on our society, and its attendant human misery, an abhorrent one. Leader of the house, can you assure us that your...
David Rowlands: Thank you. Well, I hope, First Minister, you're not going to disillusion me now, because I've just heard from Plaid Cymru that the fact that the remainers lost the referendum lies squarely on the shoulders of the First Minister.
David Rowlands: Britain has a proud tradition of welcoming refugees, from the Huguenots in the seventeenth century to the Ugandan Asians in the 1970s. We should—indeed, must—maintain that tradition. The problem we have today is that the distinction between true asylum seekers and economic migrants has become blurred. This is especially true for the general public. We therefore have an unfair backlash on...
David Rowlands: It's a well recognised fact that Japanese knotweed is one of the most pernicious plants ever to be introduced to the British isles. I understand that local councillors have a duty to control knotweed infestations. As these infestations can blight private houses, it is essential that these controls are in place, and yet even a cursory observation of mostly urban areas show that control...
David Rowlands: Shall I say that we are a party that thinks out of the box? [Laughter.] And therefore we're a party of free minds as well. Well, I thank Plaid Cymru for bringing this debate to the Chamber, and the establishment of a not-for-profit Welsh-based energy company or companies must work in the interests of the Welsh public. Many of the private companies supplying Welsh homes are foreign-owned. This...
David Rowlands: Of course.
David Rowlands: Firstly, may I say I'm supporting this motion in a personal capacity? My party will have a free vote on the proposals, and my contribution to this debate will be brief and succinct. I believe it is essential that the people of Wales have the broadest—[Interruption.] I'm sorry. I believe it is essential that the people of Wales have the broadest possible range of choice with regard to energy...
David Rowlands: You make an eloquent defence of the matter, as you always do, Cabinet Secretary, but again I reiterate: is it right that we allow a quarter of our population to live in poverty when we have a natural resource worth billions of pounds lying dormant beneath our feet? It is estimated, Cabinet Secretary, that there may be up to 34 trillion cubic feet of gas in Wales, with at least 12 trillion...
David Rowlands: Gas fuel is far cleaner than any other fossil fuel and, indeed, given recent evidence, possibly far cleaner than the wood chip we use to heat this establishment. The dangers relating to extraction have been extensively exaggerated, as statistics from the USA have proven over a number of years. Surely, Cabinet Secretary, the people of Wales have the right to at least have this huge resource...
David Rowlands: I thank the Cabinet Secretary for that explanation, which, of course, reiterates the same old policies. The United States is at the forefront of the shale gas extraction industry, and it has brought enormous wealth to that country. Many other countries around the world are now seeking to exploit this new resource, including China, Canada, Mexico and Indonesia, as well as countries in Europe,...
David Rowlands: Diolch, Llywydd. Cabinet Secretary, statistics consistently confirm that Wales has the highest number of families classed as living in poverty, which at 24 per cent is the highest in the UK, yet those who occupy this Chamber and who are in well-salaried employment have decided that there will be no extraction of shale gas in Wales, period. However, in light of the situation highlighted above,...
David Rowlands: I thank the leader of the house for this statement. Of course, UKIP welcomes any project that promotes employment opportunities in some of our most deprived areas. It is especially appropriate that it is in design to engage those who have not been employed for some time and that there is a mention of work for disabled people. However, on the subject of the disabled, would it not have been a...
David Rowlands: Well, perhaps I ought to point out that those wonderful trains that Rhun ap Iorwerth referred to on the continent were probably paid for by the billions of pounds Britain has poured into Europe over the last 40 years. But, to move on, can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for this statement, which gives a comprehensive overview of what the new franchise is expected to deliver over the coming...
David Rowlands: One of the recommendations of the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee report, 'City Deals and the Regional Economies of Wales', stated, 'There is a real danger that the creation of Regional Boards and structures to support them add an additional level of bureaucracy to economic development in Wales.' We now understand that north Wales, south-west and mid Wales, and the South Wales...
