David Rowlands: No-one listening to him this evening could deny the Cabinet Secretary’s desire and passion to get these institutions to work to the best of their ability. But I have to echo some of the concerns voiced by Suzy Davies and Dai Lloyd this evening. Whilst UKIP is in broad agreement that we utilise all possibilities with regard to generating income from these unique national assets, it is...
David Rowlands: Will the First Minister agree with me that there are many hardworking families in Torfaen who would be delighted with a take-home pay of £400, which may well be the reason why 21 per cent of the unemployed in Torfaen have declared they do not want a job?
David Rowlands: ‘The Arctic ocean is warming up, icebergs are growing scarcer and in some places the seals are finding the water too hot, according to a report to the Commerce Department yesterday from Consulafft, at Bergen, Norway. ‘Reports from fishermen, seal hunters and explorers all point to a radical change in climate conditions and hitherto unheard-of temperatures in the Arctic zone. Exploration...
David Rowlands: I will make one comment: we received this statement just 10 minutes before Plenary. It’s hardly a basis for good scrutiny and to make comments on this statement, but using a little bit of crystal ball gazing and some historical evidence, I would like to say, as a constituent of the Valleys, it saddens me that, yet again, we have to embrace a new ‘Valleys’ strategy. I put the word...
David Rowlands: Cabinet Secretary, I don’t know whether it’s your birthday today but you’ve certainly had a great deal of praise, both in the last debate and in this one. I am unashamedly—[Interruption.] I am unashamedly going to carry on in the same vein. I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his statement on the long-awaited construction of the SCCC at Llanfrechfa, and I’m sure that the news will be...
David Rowlands: Yet again, I have to, Cabinet Secretary, express my surprise that this Government and many of those in this Chamber are supporting a south-east-England-centric project that has no real identified benefits for the Welsh economy. Indeed, I would paraphrase the old holiday adage: what happens in the south-east stays in the south-east. Would it not have been better to have promoted the potential...
David Rowlands: No.
David Rowlands: I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his statement—as usual, succinct and enlightening—but does he not agree with me that the critical element in the operation and effectiveness of bus services is, of course, connectivity with the rail infrastructure? So, can the Cabinet Secretary tell me what efforts are being made to synchronise bus and rail timetables? The question was prompted when one...
David Rowlands: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your statement on the commission. I don’t think it’ll come as any surprise to you that those of us who are outside your cosy friendship with Plaid Cymru might be a little worried about who will actually constitute this committee. Is it going to be a number of apparatchiks from both parties or, indeed, are you actually going to look outside party...
David Rowlands: Cabinet Secretary, UKIP welcomes the fact that there are four bidders competing for the rail franchise. Does the Cabinet Secretary not agree that competition is healthy and should result in the best possible deal for Wales?
David Rowlands: A simple question, First Minister: when will the construction phase actually begin?
David Rowlands: Thank you. Yes, very, very quickly, I understand that some local authorities appear to delay diagnosis of autism because, once a person reaches the age of 18, they no longer have responsibility for that person. Surely an Act could lay down time limits on local authorities to instigate diagnosis.
David Rowlands: I will try to make my comments a little more succinct, I promise. First of all, Cabinet Minister, I would like to thank you for your comprehensive statement this afternoon. First, can I sincerely congratulate the Welsh Government, on behalf of my party, for their extraordinary achievements over the last three years in making Wales the best-performing country in the UK, after England, at...
David Rowlands: Ken Skates—I’ll deal with what Ken had to say. Ken, I echo all of your desires to upgrade the transport system in Wales, and it is precisely this argument that we are putting today: that the funding of this HS2 project will massively impact on the ability of you yourself, using all your skills, which I’m sure you will, in receiving as much funding for the necessary upgrading that we...
David Rowlands: Yes, thank you. Thank you all for your contributions to this debate. I’ll deal with Russell George where he said that we fail to recognise the benefits. But most economic experts say there will be no benefits to the Welsh economy if HS2 is to be built. And then Mark Isherwood went on to talk about this fanciful document, where the UK Government will be making absolutely certain that they...
David Rowlands: Yes, of course, Lee.
David Rowlands: Well, Lee, I don’t know if you’ve noticed the plans for this railway line, but it actually runs in England, not in Wales. [Interruption.] I shall come to the point of how it will affect Wales if you’d just give me the time to get there. Thank you. There are also many who argue that much better connectivity is best achieved by upgrading existing lines and building a number of new...
David Rowlands: Thank you, madam Deputy Presiding Officer. I move this motion in the name of Neil Hamilton. We move the motion that HS2 is abandoned and the resulting savings used to upgrade the existing network throughout the whole of the UK, including those in Wales. We argue that it is not too late to end this potentially disastrous project as although £2 billion has already been spent, not one spade of...
David Rowlands: The very fact that HS2 is designed to run at 240 mph rather than run, like the usual continental high-speed trains, at 190 mph is in itself damaging to the environment, in that it increases carbon emissions by over 20 per cent, whilst reducing the time between London and Birmingham by a mere three and a half minutes. The National Audit Office has itself criticised the scheme, arguing that...
David Rowlands: Would you take an intervention?
