David Rowlands: I will; just one sec. Not to recognise this is, quite frankly, a folly of the first magnitude. The stark fact is Europe needs us far more than we need them. Yes, I'll take an intervention now.
David Rowlands: Perhaps the first question with regard to this document is why the First Minister and the leader of Plaid Cymru, the Party of Wales, chose to launch it in London, given their oft-stated desire to demonstrate the Assembly’s independence from the London establishment. We may also note at this point that the two other parties in the Assembly were not even given a sight of this massively...
David Rowlands: I thank the Cabinet Secretary for that answer, and would like to acknowledge here that the Welsh Government has done a great deal to open up the countryside over recent years, but this has largely been concentrated on land usage rather than on water access. It is some nine years ago when the Sustainability Committee published its report in response to a 10,000-signature petition received by...
David Rowlands: 6. When will access to the inland waters of Wales be back on the Welsh Government’s agenda? OAQ(5)0094(ERA)
David Rowlands: Will you take an intervention please?
David Rowlands: Won’t you take an intervention?
David Rowlands: I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his answer, but I understand that Torfaen County Borough Council has pledged some £11 million to the project. Does he honestly feel this level of investment gives good value for money, given what he’s just outlined?
David Rowlands: Again, I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his answer, but can I urge him, perhaps, to make some improvements to the infrastructure in Torfaen? For instance, the Pontypool Road railway station is particularly uninviting: it’s cold, it’s dark and, actually, it’s well outside the town. So, would he consider at least upgrading the facilities on Pontypool Road or, indeed, consider moving it...
David Rowlands: Diolch, Lywydd. As the Cabinet Secretary knows, I’m very enthusiastic about the metro plans and look forward to its implementation. However, can he outline exactly what specific structural improvements the metro will make to one of my constituencies, namely Torfaen?
David Rowlands: I think we must all welcome and acknowledge the financial help afforded by the Welsh Government to businesses affected by the recent valuation process and indeed over the preceding years. However, we in UKIP are concerned that, given the scale of the recent valuation process and its consequences, the present funding levels may well prove inadequate. However, whether this funding is adequate...
David Rowlands: Following on from the comments of the Assembly Member for Neath, as a former justice of the peace, I know that the closure of Abergavenny court, in my area, makes it almost impossible for defendants to attend the two remaining courts at Cwmbran and Newport, given that many will have to use public transport. Do you know whether these factors were taken into account, and was your predecessor...
David Rowlands: Well, I make no apologies for reiterating a lot of what’s been said in the Chamber today, because I think it’s such an important factor to the Welsh economy. My colleague’s outlined very effectively the legal position with regard to the Government’s proposal to retain the bridge tolls after the transition date. I would like to concentrate on the financial situation with regard to the...
David Rowlands: Given that the new rolling stock is an essential demand within the franchise decision, is the First Minister in a position to specify to any interested parties whether, and to what extent, light rail stock will be required as opposed to standard rail stock, given the implications of the proposed metro system?
David Rowlands: Cabinet Secretary, UKIP concurs with the Welsh Government’s decision to review or end the Communities First programme. This was a Government flagship strategy designed to eradicate deprivation in Wales. Whilst there are some examples of success, there are also glaring examples of mismanagement. For instance, the 3Gs Development Trust programme in Merthyr spent £1.3 million on staff...
David Rowlands: Firstly, Cabinet Secretary, can I confirm that my party wholeheartedly believes in the concept of a Wales development bank? That said, we believe that its remit must be specific and designed to deliver its primary objective, which is supplying funds to the small business sector, where they cannot access funds without the direct intervention of the WDB. Having read the feasibility study, which...
David Rowlands: Will the Assembly Member please recognise the fact that mass immigration is a huge factor in lowering the wages of the very worst off in society? It’s those people who are paying the price of 330,000 people a year coming into this country with no skills, and they are taking the jobs of the worst off in our society.
David Rowlands: We meet again, Cabinet Minister. ‘Taking Wales Forward’ includes plans for transport in Wales, with the metro being the most comprehensive and ambitious project ever envisaged by the Welsh Government. I am sure the whole of the Chamber applauds you for your vision on this, but will the First Minister please tell us when will the major works included in this project—[Interruption.] I’m...
David Rowlands: Well, again, I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his reply, but this is such a fundamental part of what we want to sell Wales as to the tourists who come here. And to see the verges in the absolute state that they are, that does not encourage or give a good impression of Wales generally. Something ought to be done about this, and quite urgently.
David Rowlands: Well, I thank you for your answer, Cabinet Secretary, but the reason for my inquiry is that the general condition of the verges of such roads is, quite frankly, appalling. Nick Ramsay raised the matter of the A449 with your predecessor, and a temporary clean-up took place. However, soon after, it returned to its usual deplorable condition. Now, I know that the Cabinet Secretary is fully...
David Rowlands: Diolch, Lywydd. Turning to some more mundane matters, but nonetheless important in their own right, Cabinet Secretary, could the Cabinet Secretary inform us as to who is responsible for clearing litter from the trunk roads in Wales?
