Gareth Bennett: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Could you put your hat as local government Minister on for a second? Hopefully, that’s not my first question. [Laughter.] Cardiff council has managed to raise £4.5 million in the past two years in bus lane fines. Do you think this may be an excessive amount, which could indicate that motorists in the city are being targeted by the council as cash cows?...
Gareth Bennett: Thanks, Minister, for your statement. I don’t want to comment too much on the nature of the landlord registration scheme because that was contained in legislation debated and passed by the last Assembly. However, there is one point that slightly puzzles me, which is regarding the £144 registration charge, which is a flat fee. There are many reluctant landlords who find themselves renting...
Gareth Bennett: What steps are the Welsh Government taking to improve the reliability of rail services in the south Wales valleys?
Gareth Bennett: Thanks, Deputy Presiding Officer. The Severn bridge tolls are not only a tax on established Welsh businesses, but are also a direct disincentive for companies considering setting up in or relocating to Wales. Take, for instance, a company wishing to establish a distribution outlet here. Most companies would have a very high proportion of their clients based in the south-east of England. Tolls...
Gareth Bennett: I would like to thank the Conservatives for bringing forward the motion today. I’m pleased to say that UKIP supports the motion as it has been put forward by the Conservatives. The problems that older people face in our society can be complex, but one of the most commonly occurring issues, as several speakers have already made reference to, is that of loneliness. We know this from the calls...
Gareth Bennett: I apologise, Llywydd.
Gareth Bennett: Thank you, Llywydd, for telling them off. First Minister, are you enthusiastic, as I am, about the future prospects for a post-Brexit Wales with President Trump?
Gareth Bennett: I thank you for your concise answer, First Minister. Now, I understand that arrangements about the new President—the President-elect—visiting Wales are in the future, but, in terms of trade, I wonder whether you would acknowledge that we now have a future President who is in favour of, and he’s vocally enthused about, striking a trade deal with the UK, and this may lead to a better...
Gareth Bennett: 2. What discussions has the First Minister had about welcoming the President-elect of the United States of America to Wales? OAQ(5)0266(FM)
Gareth Bennett: I just wanted to ask the leader of the house why we get embargoed statements, as are a matter of routine, which are not delivered until just before the start of Plenary sessions. I wondered what the reason was behind that. Thanks.
Gareth Bennett: I note that Labour is still trying to flog this dead horse, and Plaid Cymru are now abetting them. The Bloody Sunday inquiry cost nearly £200 million of public money—most of it handed over to lawyers. Orgreave was 32 years ago; nobody died. Why are Labour and Plaid Cymru so intent on handing over more taxpayers’ money to lawyers?
Gareth Bennett: Okay. Thank you, First Minister, for that. I was in the short debate we had just before recess where this was discussed, and I was glad to hear that the standards commissioner is indeed looking at this. Could I just have a guarantee from you, First Minister, that if Gerard Elias decides that action is needed, you will take that action and not kick it into the long grass?
Gareth Bennett: 3. What assessment has the First Minister made of lobbying rules which apply in other UK governments? OAQ(5)0238(FM)
Gareth Bennett: The reality is that, of the 16 to 24 age group, only 30 per cent pay income tax. If you want to extend the tax argument, you could extend the vote to 10-year-olds who go to the shops and pay VAT on a packet of Smarties.
Gareth Bennett: Yes. We support the Conservative amendments.
Gareth Bennett: Thank you, Hefin, and, given the information you have imparted, I may, perhaps, have been mistaken and I do withdraw my comments. This doesn’t actually detract from the substance of the need for a national pay scale, perhaps along the lines of the civil service pay scale. That would be entirely welcome. But we now come to the issue that has only fleetingly been mentioned today—Rhun just...
Gareth Bennett: Sure.
Gareth Bennett: Thanks to Sian for moving the debate today. Some of the Plaid Cymru proposals we in UKIP Wales fully support. Yes, we agree with the first part, that good local government can make—and I paraphrase here—a valuable social contribution. There’s nothing to disagree with there. On point 2, on poverty of ambition of local government, as attested by the Williams commission, well, yes, we...
Gareth Bennett: Thanks. Thanks, Chairman, for your statement. It is a welcome development that the committee is looking closely at the issue of refugees. A lot of the work, though, will inevitably involve hearing from groups who are involved with refugees, groups trying to help them to integrate with society as a whole, groups providing services for refugees, and some of these groups also call for us to take...
Gareth Bennett: I just wanted to raise a technical issue with the Minister. Now, when you made your statement on local government reform recently, you kindly briefed me some days before, and I was grateful for it, and, of course, I respected the embargo. With your local government settlement, to my disappointment, I only received the briefing at 1.30 p.m. today. Could we have an early briefing wherever...
