Paul Davies: First Minister, these are figures from the Welsh branch of the NASUWT union, and this is despite having a funding settlement that allows £120 to be spent per person in Wales for every £100 spent in England. But it's not just your decision to underfund schools that has led to a decline in standards, it is the failure of your Government to set a clear direction for education here in Wales....
Paul Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, why does your Government spend £678 less per pupil than in England?
Paul Davies: Not at all. This is just absolute complacency from you and your Government, as usual. We know that, without timely treatment, a person's mental health, just like any other condition or illness, is likely to worsen. Time and time again, children and adults have to display a serious level of illness, often to the extent of harming themselves, before they can access timely services. But, sadly,...
Paul Davies: Well, First Minister, clearly, it's not a top priority for your Government, otherwise these people wouldn't be waiting so long. When your Government laid its budget last month, there was no clarity on how you would improve Wales's mental health service provision. This is in huge contrast to the UK Government, who made clear its decision to invest further in the NHS to support those with...
Paul Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, as you may know, this week is International Stress Awareness Week and November is Men's Health Awareness Month. Considering that over 63 per cent of adults and over 55 per cent of children in Wales are waiting longer than four weeks to access mental health treatment, and given that the Equality and Human Rights Commission believe that getting timely access to...
Paul Davies: Cabinet Secretary, I was privileged to host the joint briefing session you referred to earlier with NFU Cymru and the Farmers Union of Wales, and I was pleased to see you at that particular event. Now, what I believe came across loud and clear at the event was that farmers across Wales are concerned that the Welsh Government is not listening to them, and this consultation is seen as a...
Paul Davies: Cabinet Secretary, there is a local campaign calling for the reinstatement of a bus service from St Dogmaels in my constituency to Cardigan, which has recently been axed and replaced with a new route that sees the final bus back from Cardigan to St Dogmaels now at 4.24 p.m. I'm sure you will recognise the difficulties that this can present for the local community, and I appreciate the Welsh...
Paul Davies: I'm not going to take any lessons in spending from the leader of the house and her party, which nearly bankrupted this country in 2010. Now, leader of the house— [Interruption.]
Paul Davies: Leader of the house, the environment Minister is not the only one to contribute to the red-on-red fire. The Minister for Welsh Language and Lifelong Learning recently said, and I quote, 'we must put our hands up and admit that one area where we have failed to make the impact that we...should have, is the economy'. Well, I couldn't have said it better myself, Minister. The Welsh Government has...
Paul Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. To add to that, yesterday, the First Minister planned to hold a Labour-only exclusive meeting with council leaders who were also urging the Welsh Government to rethink the budget settlement, despite the fact that these were the very councils that had the better side of the deal because of Welsh Government cronyism. [Interruption.] Six of the seven authorities that maintained...
Paul Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. Leader of the house, do you agree with me and the Minister for Environment that the current local government settlement is fundamentally unfair?
Paul Davies: Leader of the house, the environment Minister is absolutely right: this local government settlement is unfair and imbalanced. The local government finance settlement reveals that all six of the north Wales authorities will receive a year-on-year reduction in their funding, and, in comparison, seven—seven—of the 12 south Wales authorities will receive an increase in, or continuation of,...
Paul Davies: The Cabinet Secretary will be aware of the hugely successful Hafod project following her recent visit to Ysgol y Preseli in my constituency. As she will know, the Hafod project aims to improve the well-being of pupils and promotes positive attitudes to learning, which I feel is vital to assist pupils to progress and reach their full potential. Given the great interest the Cabinet Secretary...
Paul Davies: The reason we've had to cut spending, as a UK Government, over the last few years is because of the shambles—the shambles—that you left, as a party, in 2010. And we're still paying—[Interruption.] We're still paying the price for that. Now, First Minister—[Interruption.] First Minister, clearly—[Interruption.] Clearly—
Paul Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, clearly, flooding is not a priority for your Government, because the remit letter from the environment Minister, which sets the priorities for Natural Resources Wales each year, does not prioritise flooding, flood-risk management or water management at all. This is the latest in a long line of failures at Natural Resources Wales, and a weakness of your...
Paul Davies: Well, First Minister, it's about time that you take responsibility for what you are actually responsible for here in Wales, instead of talking about England. Let me give you some of the figures. [Interruption.] Let me give you—[Interruption.] Let me give you some of the figures. Between 2015-16 and 2016-17, capital spending on flood defences was cut from £18 million to £9.5 million, and...
Paul Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. Can I also associate myself with the remarks made by the leader of Plaid Cymru and send my sympathies and my party's condolences to Corey Sharpling's family? First Minister, in light of this weekend's devastating floods, do you consider your decision to cut capital spending on flood defences by almost 50 per cent in 2016-17 wise?
Paul Davies: I'm grateful to the leader of the house for also attending a public meeting in my constituency earlier this year to discuss my constituents' concerns regarding broadband. She will be in no doubt about the frustrations that my constituents feel in being unable to access sufficient broadband service. I appreciate that she will be making a statement on the new contract next week, but can she...
Paul Davies: 3. Will the Leader of the House provide an update on the latest roll-out of broadband in Preseli Pembrokeshire? OAQ52707
Paul Davies: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm pleased to move the amendment tabled in the name of Darren Millar. It remains the view of Members on this side of the Chamber that the Welsh Government has had sufficient time to introduce a programme that enhances the lives of the people of Wales, but, sadly, the Welsh Government's legislative programme simply hasn't done enough to address some of the...
