Hefin David: And everybody was still listening.
Hefin David: When I write my Hollywood screenplay blockbuster, I will be using the Ger-y-Gors story as an example. We took evidence on 19 January from Duncan and Ray Taylor, and they told us the story, with no telecommunications experience whatsoever, of how they established a mast that delivered broadband. I've been looking on their website, and what they did was negotiated and accessed a number of...
Hefin David: Thank you for that. I'd like to welcome the Minister to his post—a Minister for spreading joy around the nation. [Laughter.] And who better? Earlier this year, I wrote to the Cabinet Secretary, when he was responsible, regarding a Cadw local residents scheme, which you just mentioned. That was because residents in Caerphilly were unable to access Cadw sites on geographical boundary reasons,...
Hefin David: 1. Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on Welsh Government plans to improve access to Cadw-maintained heritage sites for local people in their respective areas? OAQ51325
Hefin David: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the role of travel plan co-ordinators in promoting flexible working patterns in Wales?
Hefin David: I would argue that it's important that we address housing need far more, in fact, than we address housing demand. And housing need is those people on lowest incomes who aren't even recognised on the demand curve. Local development plans hopelessly fail to address housing need, and instead deliver expensive executive accommodation in areas like Caerphilly, in the south of my constituency....
Hefin David: I'd like to echo the Minister's statements about his predecessor, about Carl Sargeant. One of the lessons I've learnt from Carl Sargeant about how to deal with Ministers was during the election campaign, when I had a difference of opinion with the Government and I came here, on the invitation of Jeff Cuthbert, to meet with Carl Sargeant, and I said, expecting a big row, 'I have a difference...
Hefin David: I appreciate some of the nuances in this debate today. Communities First has played a role in my area and I don’t recognise the language of failure, because many people in my community will say that Communities First didn’t fail, but actually provided a great deal of uplift to people who live in my community. I’ve seen in the report the evidence of strengths. There’s a lot about the...
Hefin David: Darren Millar’s main question is quite timely for me. I have a constituent who is in the sixth form. He is 18 years old and his dream is to go to Oxford and all he wants to do is sit the admissions test. Not only is his conceptual knowledge excellent, he also predicted Trump, he predicted Brexit, he predicted the Corbyn surge and he can give detailed demographic explanations for why these...
Hefin David: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the use of national indicators in delivering performance improvement for local government?
Hefin David: That’s a very thorough answer. The centralised system to coincide with the devolution of teachers’ pay and condition, I have to say, is very welcome. I was surprised it wasn’t mentioned in the Welsh Government press release, because I think that’s a fundamental issue that will be of benefit to supply teachers in these circumstances. So, you are recognising, therefore, which was going...
Hefin David: This afternoon, I chaired the cross-party group on small and medium-sized enterprises, and it was our pleasure to welcome the Federation of Small Businesses to launch their report, ‘Going Solo: Understanding Self-employment in Wales’, written by Professor Andrew Henley and Dr Mark Lang. There are a number of recommendations for Government there, but one of the stark issues in the report...
Hefin David: 5. Will the First Minister make a statement on patterns of self-employment in Wales? (OAQ51252)[R]
Hefin David: Diolch, Llywydd. On Friday last week, I attended the annual service at the Welsh national mining memorial in Senghennydd, which is in the Aber Valley ward of my constituency, and I had the honour of laying a wreath at the memorial. The service is held every year on or near the anniversary of the Universal Colliery disaster of 1913—a tragic incident that claimed the lives of 440 men and...
Hefin David: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on how the planning system can be used to build new homes?
Hefin David: I welcome this legislation as it will undoubtedly make it easier for social landlords—registered social landlords, such as United Welsh, which is based in my constituency—to deliver on the Welsh Government’s affordable housing target. If there’s one thing we need in Wales and in my constituency and in the northern Valleys and in appropriate places, its affordable housing. I also,...
Hefin David: Yes, of course.
Hefin David: And this is part of the improvements that are being carried out. In order to achieve that, you also need a modal shift. But, if you’re going to achieve a modal shift, that doesn’t happen quickly, and some of the improvements that are being introduced at this point will actually address some of the things that you’ve mentioned. However, my point is that there is political risk involved...
Hefin David: I’d support the general thrust of comments that have been made so far. If we are going to connect east and west, trains are not going to be the answer, as has already been recognised. In his response, accepting consideration 1 of the report, the Cabinet Secretary specifically mentions pinch-point removal funding to address congestion on the bus network, and this funding is very welcome....
Hefin David: Llywydd, the Counsel General has anticipated my question—absolutely fantastic. What steps, though, can the Welsh Government take to further enhance gender and ethnic diversity, both in the Supreme Court and in the in the sphere of legal jurisdiction as a whole?
