David Rowlands: With these prefabs, there was a move away from brick, using instead timber frames, steel frames and aluminium frames. There are indeed certain similarities between the postwar prefabs and modular homes that are going up, albeit in small numbers, today. Modular homes are built in sections in a factory setting, then transported to the site. There, they are placed on a pre-made foundation,...
David Rowlands: The Conservatives, in their amendment, appear to agree with the general theme of our motion, but have also diverged from us on some of the specific proposals, notably the need for the housing development corporation. They favour incentivising local councils and other public bodies that already exist, rather than creating something new. I will examine that specific issue later on in the...
David Rowlands: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Given the prevailing situation, I shall deliver the opening part of this debate on behalf of my fellow AM. Today's debate is on the subject of housing need and how we can use the levers that we have in the Assembly to address those needs. A variety of different kinds of housing is needed to serve the interests of all the population of Wales. We in UKIP are not...
David Rowlands: I thank the Members involved for bringing this debate to the Chamber, though following on from the Cabinet statements yesterday and the responses that followed, I'm not sure there's a great deal to add to what has been said before. But, in the great tradition of politicians, I won't let that deter me. It is universally accepted that Wales is in dire need of a modern integrated transport...
David Rowlands: Can I echo some of the comments with regard to urban conurbation that have been made by the Members here? If you stand on a hill overlooking Cwmbran and Newport, then the actual conurbation itself is often obscured by tree cover, and it would be great to see that echoed in other cities throughout Wales. Woodlands are a unique environmental and commercial asset, so given the environment of...
David Rowlands: Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his updated statement? We all acknowledge that transport, in whatever form, is essential for most aspects of daily life. It provides opportunities for people to gain access to jobs, leisure and social activities, as well as vital services, including health and education. It is crucial as a driver of economic prosperity, connecting businesses with their...
David Rowlands: We in UKIP welcome this plan and recognise such things as the central Cardiff enterprise zone, which has been a major success story for Wales's financial and professional services sector. We would hope that it's a model for further expansion across all sectors of the economy. We also note the Cabinet Secretary's past admission that, with all the challenges that we face in Wales, we can only...
David Rowlands: Would you like an intervention? Oh, absolutely. Sorry, I didn't notice.
David Rowlands: Of course—we will, indeed. We will be taking all of the points made in this debate when we next consider this matter in the committee. I would go on to say that Alun Davies, in answering some of the questions, said in particular that no action by the Government to date has committed the Government to the prison at Baglan bay, but emphasised that the Government would be continuing to engage...
David Rowlands: —there were employment opportunities with this prison coming to Baglan.
David Rowlands: She also noted that it is a low-category prison, and that the ultimate decision on that is that it will, in fact, be decided by local planners. Dai Rees pointed out that nine Members in this Chamber only voted to stop the prison in an earlier debate. He also pointed out the other matters, with regard to the Swansea bay barrage and electrification of railways, which would have been much more...
David Rowlands: Yes. First of all, can I thank the Members for their contributions to the debate and the petitioners for bringing this petition forward? David Rees pointed out the appropriateness—or non-appropriateness—of the site with the flood zone and that it was designated as an enterprise zone, and job numbers are not really a measurement of what it would bring in the way of prosperity to the...
David Rowlands: Diolch, Dirprwy Llywydd. Can I say that I'm extremely pleased to open this debate on behalf of the Petitions Committee? This the second debate that has been held since the Petitions Committee agreed to consider referring any petition that gathers more than 5,000 signatures for a debate in the Plenary. The petitioners, led by Victoria Griffiths, are seeking to oppose the development of a new,...
David Rowlands: Quite frankly, it's out there in the media all the time. And I'm not quoting; I know you've called into question my statistics on this in the past, but it's out there with such things as the BBC, The Guardian, the Office for National Statistics, the New Statesman and The Independent. All of them have written about this and castigated the situation on a number of occasions, so the statistics...
David Rowlands: Well, I welcome that small amount of intervention, Minister, but I have to say, Dawn Frazer of the Car Wash Advisory Service said that everything bad you can think of for the British labour force is present in car washes—slavery, low wages, debt bondage, tax evasion and even sex exploitation of young women. So, just looking at that one aspect of low wages can hardly be said to be addressing...
David Rowlands: Diolch, Llywydd. Leader of the house, I have raised the question of car washes a number of times in this Chamber, but I make no apologies for raising it yet again. As long as people are being exploited in this way and the Welsh Government buries its head in the sand on this issue, I shall continue to press for action. So, will the leader of the house outline any actions the Government is...
David Rowlands: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for bringing forward this debate on a vitally important aspect of business development in Wales. I would like to say at the outset that we will be supporting the Plaid Cymru amendments to this debate. Entrepreneurship is the driver of all industrial enterprise. Without it, we would not be able to enjoy all the social benefits that we...
David Rowlands: Can I say how proud I am to have taken part in the production of this report and to also make note of the very adequate way in which the Chair has taken us through the procedures needed? The EIS committee's report on digital infrastructure throws up a number of questions, but first I would like to acknowledge the excellent progress that the Welsh Government has made with the massive expansion...
David Rowlands: Well, let's have an honest and frank discussion about this European Union and our dependence on it. The Office for National Statistics figures show that 80 per cent of our overseas earnings comes from the services sector, which is outside trade deals. So, even if the EU was to cut off its nose to spite its face and choose to implement tariffs on UK goods, the overall cost to the UK economy...
David Rowlands: Well, I thank the Cabinet Secretary for those observations. And I can see that the EU is a very important market for British and Welsh products. But the fact is that our trade with Europe is falling rapidly, whilst our trade with the rest of the world is rising rapidly. So, does the Cabinet Secretary not agree that freeing ourselves from the shackles of EU legislation, and being able to...
