David Rowlands: First Minister, whilst the recruitment of police officers must remain a high priority, we cannot overlook the hugely important factor of retention. Ninety one per cent of Gwent officers say there is not enough manpower, 80 per cent say that they have unachievable deadlines, and 76 per cent say that they cannot meet demands. All of this, of course, leads to low morale and disillusionment with...
David Rowlands: I, of course, fully endorse the recommendations of this report, and would also like to acknowledge here the contributions made by those organisations and individuals who took the time and effort to address the committee. However, in contributing to this debate, I wish to make a number of personal comments and suggestions that I feel may help to alleviate this very serious problem. In so...
David Rowlands: Well, again, I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his assurances, but one of my constituents who is seeking funding for a very innovative product with huge commercial potential was recently told by a Business Wales representative that the product was insufficiently developed for funds to be made available. This hardly seems to be in accord with the Government’s affirmed policy to be involved...
David Rowlands: I thank the Cabinet Secretary for that assurance. Can I now ask how the Cabinet Secretary intends to make sure that funding for start-ups, particularly in the innovative sector, is readily accessible, especially once the Wales development bank begins to operate?
David Rowlands: Diolch, Llywydd. I make no apologies for the fact that I have raised the theme of my question a number of times before in this Chamber, because I believe it is fundamentally important if we are to expand the economy of Wales. We have heard recently the criticism of the levels of grants, as opposed to loans, that the Government has advanced to companies since 2010, together with the...
David Rowlands: I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his statement. Of course, we in UKIP fully support the Welsh Government’s free transport policy. Indeed, this was one of only two Labour policies that seem to have stuck in the minds of the Welsh electorate in the many years that I’ve spent campaigning, the other being, of course, free prescriptions—a policy, incidentally, that UKIP does not support,...
David Rowlands: How will the Cabinet Secretary measure the success of the 'Education in Wales: Our national mission' action plan?
David Rowlands: I thank you for that answer, First Minister, but in measuring not only wealth creation, but also health, education, housing provision et cetera, is Ron Davies, the former Labour Welsh Secretary, correct when he says that, after 20 years of a Labour-controlled Welsh Assembly, Wales is now poorer than it was 20 years ago? This former Labour luminary went on to say that he is not able to name a...
David Rowlands: 5. Will the First Minister outline how the Welsh Government measures the success of its wealth creation policies? (OAQ51116)
David Rowlands: It must be acknowledged by all parties in this Assembly that the intransigence of the UK Government in both the commitment to funding and the devolution of the necessary powers to the Welsh Government is making procurement and the franchise award infinitely more difficult for the Welsh Government to realise its ambitions for rail services in Wales and the delivery of the metro. This must also...
David Rowlands: Until very recent times, slave labour was virtually unknown in the UK. Is it therefore true to say, Cabinet Secretary, that slave labour is the direct result of uncontrolled mass immigration? The sexual exploitation of women and children has dramatically increased over the last two decades—almost all controlled by immigrant gangs, exploiting immigrant workers. Does the Cabinet Secretary not...
David Rowlands: First Minister, some time ago I brought to your attention the plight of those immigrants who are forced to work in the car valeting trade. I highlighted that they were working for less than £3.50 an hour, 10 hours a day, seven days a week—in effect, under slave labour conditions. Your reply at the time was that this did not fall in the remit of the Welsh Government. Well, given that the...
David Rowlands: Well, thank you for that answer, Cabinet Minister. I asked the question because it appears that, after many years of this institution, we are now relatively poorer than we were at the start of devolution. Why, after billions of pounds of so-called European structural funding, do we find ourselves in such a position? Surely, it is time to address this situation with fundamentally different...
David Rowlands: Thank you.
David Rowlands: Well, forgive me if I show some continuing frustration, Cabinet Secretary, but I have personal involvement with a constituent who is seeking funding for what seems to be a project that fits all the Welsh Government criteria, in that it involves cutting-edge nanotechnology, will have a hugely beneficial environmental impact and has massive growth potential, and yet although some funding has...
David Rowlands: Diolch, Llywydd. I’m not sure whether the Cabinet Secretary recalls it, but as long ago as yesterday I questioned you on the availability of funding, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises in the research and development sector. In evidence to the EIS committee last week, you indicated that the development bank of Wales would be moving away from direct grants to repayable...
David Rowlands: 5. What is the Welsh Government doing to change Wales’s status as the poorest part of the UK? OAQ(5)0212(EI)
David Rowlands: What infrastructure is being put in place to attract businesses to north Torfaen?
David Rowlands: First of all, can I congratulate the Cabinet Secretary and the Welsh Government on their success in attracting both CAF and the world technology cluster to Newport? It is not only good news for Newport, but also for the whole of South Wales East. Unfortunately, of course, there has to be a ‘but’ somewhere along the way, and, in this instance, it is this: as laudable as it is to attract...
David Rowlands: I’m sure all of us in the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee will welcome the announcement by the Cabinet Secretary of the funds for the addition of new rolling stock, particularly as we’ve heard many times in our inquiries the problems of shortages of suitable rolling stock. Cabinet Secretary, as you know, the central Valleys lines are a crucial part of the jigsaw that will...
