Russell George: 2. Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on plans for the new Dyfi bridge? OAQ52806
Russell George: I think, leader of the house, that there will be many people up and down Wales who will be delighted to now receive superfast broadband over these next few years. I think in that regard you should be congratulated. It makes a massive difference to people's lives. I think the biggest disappointment to me in your statement today is that figure of 16,000 premises being just so low. In your...
Russell George: Leader of the house, I was speaking to some constituents from Newtown this lunchtime, who own a small business in Newtown, and talking about being able to offer flexible working hours. Can you outline how the Welsh Government is supporting small businesses in particular to see the benefits of flexible working, and do you understand that there can be obstacles to flexible working? I see the...
Russell George: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'd like to thank the Cabinet Secretary for his response. The committee did intend this report, really, not just to make recommendations to Government but it intended it to be a report and inquiry that raised awareness of some of the key ideas and concepts. We also wanted to challenge not just Government but business as well, and the third sector, because...
Russell George: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I move the motion in my name. Now, all the inquiries that we do as a committee are interesting in their own way, but of all the inquiries that we've done on the committee since I've been the Chair of the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee, I have to say this is the one where I have had my eyes the most opened—this is the work in regard to...
Russell George: Will the First Minister outline how the proposals in the Brexit and Our Land consultation will benefit Welsh farmers?
Russell George: Thank you. My concern would be—. I agree with Siân Gwenllian that people are often—. My constituents get confused between the different phrases—Welsh Assembly Government, Wales Government—and this is the issue. So, for me, I would very much like to see this place called the Welsh Parliament in English and Welsh, because I believe what the issue would be—for non-Welsh...
Russell George: Cabinet Secretary, you've just acknowledged the difficult challenges that local authorities have across Wales, and I appreciate that, but rural local authorities receive the deepest cuts to their revenue support grant year on year. Powys County Council, for example, has received the joint deepest cut for the past 10 years. You will appreciate the challenges that rural local authorities have...
Russell George: There is a need, I think, to look at how rural bus services are delivered because they'll never be run commercially, of course. Now, Welsh Government and local authority operators, I believe, need to come together to form a partnership, and that partnership doesn't exist at the moment. Can Welsh Government take a leading role in forming such a partnership?
Russell George: Thank you, Presiding Officer, for allowing me to ask a question on this, as this issue significantly impacts my own constituency, and I certainly do not welcome the decision or congratulate the Minister. There has been mention of a negative impact on the industry, but has it been considered—the knock-on effects on other sectors as well? I'm thinking of bed and breakfasts, small hotels,...
Russell George: Earlier this year, Minister, I had some constituents come to me waving the Welsh Cycling facilities strategy at me, and they were quite pleased with the strategy because it identified on page 11 of that report there being big gaps in provision—particularly around the mid Wales and Newtown area specifically, it mentioned, and there being a big population there and very proactive clubs...
Russell George: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. Can I perhaps ask that, if you are meeting Transport for Wales later today—can I ask you to put on the record that you are completely confident that Transport for Wales has the correct managerial, administrative and financial resources at its disposal to ensure the effective delivery and oversight of the new Wales and borders franchise from 15 October?
Russell George: Thank you for the answer, Cabinet Secretary. I think the concern will be that 'transformational change' is a word that has been bandied around, and expectations have been significantly raised. This summer, you stated that the new Sunday and early morning services would be launched this December. Timetables across the UK, as I understand it, change only two times a year, and December 18 is...
Russell George: Diolch, Llywydd. I will feel left out if I don't get congratulations myself, Cabinet Secretary. In just a few weeks, the running of rail services, of course, will be handed over from Arriva to the new franchise operator KeolisAmey. Given the scale of public investment in the new franchise agreement and the importance, too, of rail services for passengers and businesses across Wales, I'm...
Russell George: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. I've been contacted by a number of constituents and tourism organisations about the prospect of having observation carriages as part of the Cambrian and Heart of Wales lines rolling stock, so that our magnificent scenery—I'm sure the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport will agree with me—can be enjoyed in a similar way as enjoyed in Canada, in the Rocky...
Russell George: 2. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on whether any new rolling stock will be introduced on the Cambrian and Heart of Wales lines? OAQ52623
Russell George: What assessment has the Cabinet Secretary made of how prepared Wales is for electric and hybrid vehicles?
Russell George: Thank you for your answer, First Minister. Back in March, I questioned the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services on ambulance response times in Powys, following delays in the time it takes for an ambulance to arrive following a 999 call. This has been partly attributed to ambulances waiting outside hospitals to transfer patients into the care of hospital staff. In a letter to me on...
Russell George: 1. Will the First Minister make a statement on ambulance response times? OAQ52627
Russell George: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. It was interesting—I hadn't really considered the fact that it was 11 years ago that a petition was handed in, with Lee Waters handing that petition in, not as a Member of the institution then, but on behalf of the people signing it, and that being the start of the active travel journey. I would like to thank all of those who gave evidence, actually, to...
