Alun Davies: Presiding Officer, as the Member has pointed out in his question, policing is not devolved to Welsh Government and, consequently, we've not carried out an assessment of the issues he raises, since this is a matter for the United Kingdom Government. Members will be aware that the First Minister wrote to the then Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, in July 2016 regarding the possibility of an inquiry...
Alun Davies: The Welsh Government has repeatedly pressed the Home Secretary to undertake a review into policing in Welsh communities during the miners' strike. Those requests have been refused. I'm looking carefully into the Scottish inquiry. I will be speaking to my counterpart in the Scottish Government this week and writing, once again, to the Home Secretary.
Alun Davies: I see that the role has delivered accountability. I do see that and I think that is important, but we've just been discussing the future of local government as well, and I regret very much the loss of a direct input from local government into policing in Wales. All too often, we talk about the devolution of powers to this place. We're in different places here; I've spent the whole of my adult...
Alun Davies: I concur with the analysis of the Member for South Wales West, but may I say this? Firstly, policing is not devolved, and so our ability to influence this issue could be impaired on occasion, but I do see that the police are working very hard to reach out to various sectors of society. There are some exceptionally good examples in Gwent Police of that, and I’ve seen great changes in the way...
Alun Davies: Welsh Government funding, along with a contribution from the Gwent police and crime commissioner, provides early intervention and diversionary projects for young people in communities.
Alun Davies: Absolutely. Presiding Officer, it's a fantastic project that has been run in Newport there, and I think it's a testament to the creativity of the police force, working with different organisations in the city, to deliver exactly that sort of process. I pay tribute to Gwent Police in the way that they've worked to deliver this. As well meeting the commissioner for south Wales, I met the...
Alun Davies: I fear, Presiding Officer, that there might be a bit too much agreement between myself and the Conservative frontbench on some of these matters. I'm very much in favour of the devolution of additional powers and responsibilities to local government; it's what I want to see. I want to see more powers held locally and more accountability locally. The Conservative leader will remember one of my...
Alun Davies: Not only do we speak to each other, but we agree with each other. I had a meeting with Vaughan at the beginning of this week to discuss this issue, and I will be seeing him later on this afternoon to continue discussing that. May I say this? I don’t agree with your analysis. For me, if regional collaboration in the way that you describe, and in the way that the parliamentary review demands...
Alun Davies: The role of local government is critical to our society and the well-being of our nation. I am committed to ensuring the sustainability and quality of those services, and the engagement of citizens and partners in that process.
Alun Davies: I thought that as well. There's a difference in tone and words, isn't there? Let me say this: I hear what my good friend and constituency neighbour has to say, and I understand the point that he makes. And I agree, at a terrible risk to myself, possibly, that putting the citizen at the centre of our democracy and how we deliver services doesn't simply depend on structures. I agree with that,...
Alun Davies: We continue to provide significant support to public services in Monmouthshire.
Alun Davies: Absolutely. There is a significant correlation between the distance from home and the number of home visits received, and I think that's something that we do need to reflect upon. In fact, as to many of the young people and children who are held in the young offender institution in Parc, for example, the furthest from home are actually English-domiciled people who come from London or...
Alun Davies: I visited Parc prison last week and spoke to the director of the prison and other members of his staff who deal directly with people who are being held there, and discussed all of those issues with the director. I'm visiting Berwyn prison tomorrow morning and will be having similar conversations with the staff there. I share your concern. I share the concern about not only the report...
Alun Davies: We have read the report by Dr Robert Jones. It presents a very useful picture of what is going on in Welsh prisons and matters concerning Welsh people held in English prisons.
Alun Davies: Presiding Officer, I've met with the Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales twice in the last week to discuss and debate community safety and how we take forward different means of keeping people safe in their homes and wider issues around the whole community. For me, it is important that we continue to support the Welsh Government-funded community support officers not just in this...
Alun Davies: We work closely with the chief constables and police and crime commissioners on matters of mutual interest aimed at making communities safer.
Alun Davies: No, I wouldn't accept that, and, of course, my friend, the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs has just answered questions on these matters, and so I don't wish to pursue any further debate or discussion on the particular issue of planning. What I will say in trying to answer the question in a positive sense is to refer you to the points I've made about the citizens...
Alun Davies: I think there are many arguments in favour of direct democracy and there are examples in different parts of the world of where it works well. California is a very good example, I think, parts of the United States—Switzerland might be an example of where, possibly, it doesn't work so well. But it's a part of a way of doing government—it isn't simply a policy that you can insert into a...
Alun Davies: My views on support of proportional representation are well known and are already on the record. The policy of this Government has not changed since I made an oral statement on this matter in January.
Alun Davies: Members may be shocked to discover that we have conversations between different Ministers on an almost daily basis, and I've discussed this matter with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance this morning. I'll be discussing exactly this matter with the Cabinet Secretary for health at the conclusion of our business today. I'll be discussing these matters with other Ministers on a weekly basis. But,...
