Gareth Bennett: You are partly correct, but I would actually advise you to look at the original piece that Martin Shipton wrote, because I didn’t solely blame ethnic minorities; I also blamed students as well.
Gareth Bennett: Yes, we—. I would have to look into that, but when I had a—. [Interruption.] Thank you, Joyce. To continue, when I had this exchange with the Minister responsible, Lesley Griffiths, we did actually have this difference of opinion over data. So, I apologise; I will look into it. I am being given data; I haven’t actually—. I can’t personally verify where it came from at this point....
Gareth Bennett: Certainly.
Gareth Bennett: Yes, it could well be that there is a case for better advice given to householders, and if there is going to be some meaningful programme of doing that then we wouldn’t rubbish that policy. But I merely point out that sometimes good intentions can lead to worse consequences, so we do have to be very mindful of the fly-tipping problem, but I do appreciate the point you’re making.
Gareth Bennett: Yes.
Gareth Bennett: Thank you—diolch, Lywydd. I move the amendments tabled in the name of David Rowlands. We don’t support the Government today because we do have profound doubts over where they are going with their recycling policies and what the effect will be on householders. We do support the Plaid amendment 5, but we will be abstaining on Plaid’s amendment 2, relating to the deposit-return scheme....
Gareth Bennett: I am indeed. I am indeed, Deputy Presiding Officer.
Gareth Bennett: There are other issues, such as leaving the EU. I see that the EU forces member states to allow international investors to buy into their housing markets. This may now change. Is this a welcome development, therefore, noting that two Cardiff postcodes are in the top 10 for properties being owned by offshore companies? So, that could be addressed by us leaving the EU. So, a series of...
Gareth Bennett: Well, I will start to introduce some questions. Thank you for reminding me, Deputy Presiding Officer. So I wondered, Minister, what you thought about this as part of your joined-up approach, presumably, to the housing issue. Because perhaps you can comment on this when I suggest that what we don’t really want are endless new private estates on the green belt, with only grudging and very...
Gareth Bennett: Thanks to the Minister for his statement today. In UKIP, we do broadly support the right to buy, but we also recognise the practical difficulties that this policy has led to. It’s interesting that the right to buy has become an ideological battleground between Labour and the Conservatives, because it was actually Labour that first proposed this kind of scheme in their 1959 general election...
Gareth Bennett: What discussions has the Welsh Government had with the financial services industry to secure investment and jobs in South Wales Central?
Gareth Bennett: Thank you for that information, Cabinet Secretary, and, in itself, yes, that is a good performance. The problem is that, as councils advance towards recycling targets, frequently fly-tipping rates rise. In the two years up to 2016, fly-tipping rose by 10 per cent in Conwy, by 22 per cent in Gwynedd and, in Pembrokeshire, by a massive 47 per cent. In the light of these figures, is it time for...
Gareth Bennett: 1. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on performance against municipal waste recycling targets across Wales? OAQ(5)0115(ERA)
Gareth Bennett: I welcome your reference to mental health issues, which was what I was going to raise. One effective measure in treating mental health problems is talking therapy, which can reduce the need to prescribe medication, which would itself enhance the ability of people to enter the job market. What is the Welsh Government doing to assist with the provision of talking therapy in Wales?
Gareth Bennett: What discussions has the Welsh Government had with housing associations in order to deliver more affordable homes for Wales?
Gareth Bennett: The issue of zero-hours contracts is a major one for many people in the job market in Wales; so, I welcome the debate brought forward today by my colleague David Rowlands. UKIP’s UK-wide policy, as outlined in the 2015 general election manifesto, is to end the abuse of zero-hours contracts. We do not call today for an outright ban as we recognise that some workers may benefit from them, but...
Gareth Bennett: Thanks, Minister, for your statement yesterday on improving the bus services. I was interested in your plans to improve the bus stop experience, particularly by providing more electronic information. This could be variable due to geographical factors. For instance, in the south Wales Valleys, the stops tend to be relatively smaller with a lack of shelters, plus there is also the issue of the...
Gareth Bennett: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thanks to the Minister and the various committees for bringing the Bill forward to the current stage. I was going to talk about obesity, but I feel several other people have spoken on that so I don’t want to labour that point. I think the public toilets issue is a moot point, not just for people with medical conditions but people in general. I was...
Gareth Bennett: We had a petition delivered to the Assembly last year by a pupil at Treorchy comprehensive in the Rhondda. This petition was calling for rail travel to and from school to be restored—free rail travel, I should say—by Arriva Trains, who had decided to end the scheme. With the rail franchise up for renewal next year, I wondered if thought might be given by the Government to giving Arriva a...
Gareth Bennett: Will the First Minister make a statement on the 21st Century Schools Programme in South Wales Central?
