Mark Reckless: Will the First Minister make a statement regarding his assessment of the continuation of the common travel area post Brexit?
Mark Reckless: Gosh, that was a lot of new taxes from Mike Hedges. I’m not sure whether the diesel tax would operate quite in Swansea as it might in Newport or Monmouth. But I first looked at today’s motion and read ‘it will be necessary to test this new aspect of the devolution machinery.’ My first reaction was: ‘Why?’ Surely a prerequisite is wanting to impose a new tax, and many people in...
Mark Reckless: Can the First Minister give an assurance that no school that has a successful model for them of supply cover will have that replaced by a top-down model applied across all schools, whether in Wales or by local authority?
Mark Reckless: Will you give way?
Mark Reckless: Can I just say, it wasn’t my report, it’s the committee’s report as a whole? I agree, without subsidy, it will be very, very difficult to see that sort of sheep-farming landscape—upland farmers—survive anything like they do now. One thing we saw in the report is the value of that landscape to tourists and people who come to Wales and I think it should be a priority, with the money...
Mark Reckless: Will you take an intervention?
Mark Reckless: I notice the Cabinet Secretary, in her response, said that it was absolutely crucial to maintain the single market and the free movement of goods, services, and capital—no reference to labour, workers or people in the Government response. I believe the whole Chamber would support free and unfettered access, as frictionless as possible, to the single market, and in particular no tariffs. I...
Mark Reckless: Even if I’m not able to congratulate the Chair of the committee on obtaining the debate, I very much want to congratulate him on his speech and for collecting the cup and what he is doing with the committee. I very much want to distinguish what I said last week about the allocation of Chairs and Standing Orders from welcoming him personally to the position, and I only hope he enjoys it as...
Mark Reckless: I know those 50 to 60 farmers will appreciate that opportunity. Could the Cabinet Secretary say perhaps on what timescale they might be able to do that and whether she then expects there to be expansion of those numbers? And can she also confirm that it’s only infected badgers that will be humanely killed? Does she agree with me that that actually could be the humane thing to do for the...
Mark Reckless: 8. Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an estimate of the number of farms suffering from bovine TB that are able to remove and humanely kill infected badgers? OAQ(5)0159(ERA)
Mark Reckless: What Welsh Government schemes are available to help community groups looking to improve local parks and facilities in Newport?
Mark Reckless: Does he agree with me that, if Plaid Cymru had done a deal with the Conservative Government, it would have given them 322 seats and, excluding Sinn Féin, that would have been an overall majority? We could have got quite some things for Wales with that, couldn’t we?
Mark Reckless: What impact does the Cabinet Secretary expect the specialist and critical care centre to have on waiting times over the medium term and can he confirm when building of this will start and when he expects it to actually open for patients?
Mark Reckless: Cabinet Secretary, you were saying on amendment 18 you’re taking a broader power, by regulation, to modify provisions relating to the taxable weight of material. I wanted to ask you: did you envisage using this in respect of the issue of when the material is weighed—an issue that we discussed at Stage 1—because the initial Bill, at section 20, said that ‘The operator of an authorised...
Mark Reckless: Will the Cabinet Secretary confirm that this has been a real consultation, that she’s listened to farmers and to their representative groups and that the policy has firmed up as this has developed? Some months ago, I was sceptical of the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee doing an inquiry on this; I feared that people would have entrenched positions and that there...
Mark Reckless: Is that the intervention?
Mark Reckless: The motion, Llywydd, that you’ve put forward proposes we should act in accordance with Standing Orders 17.2R and 17.2A, but what about Standing Order 17.2B? That states: ‘In tabling a motion under Standing Order 17.2A, the Business Committee must have regard to the need to ensure that the balance of chairs across committees reflects the political groups to which Members belong.’ If this...
Mark Reckless: Tomorrow, there is a motion from Plaid Cymru proposing that the National Assembly for Wales asserts itself as the national parliament of Wales—except it seems when it comes to a consistent approach to Standing Orders, particularly when they inconvenience—[Interruption.] Particularly when they inconvince Plaid Cymru—[Interruption.] I’m sorry?
Mark Reckless: Would the First Minister reconsider how the Innovation Wales strategy supports a digital cluster in south-east Wales, and, in particular, review what more could be done to support cross-border research and development, given the increasing importance of the Bristol economy in digital technology?
Mark Reckless: Will the First Minister make a statement on the financial priority the Welsh Government gives to health and social care?
