Mr Simon Thomas: I am tempted, given the events of the past few weeks, to say that it’s not young people who need to improve their understanding of politics, but perhaps older people. But, certainly, we as parties are duty bound to disseminate information and to encourage people to participate in democracy. But, specifically on this point, you’ve already mentioned the purpose of the new curriculum, and...
Mr Simon Thomas: I would like to welcome the Secretary of State, as well as tell him that, although he’s always welcome in this Assembly, this debate today looks extremely pointless, I have to say, not only because the purpose behind the debate is done away with in the Wales Bill, but also, as has been mentioned by many speakers this afternoon, because the political landscape has changed so drastically...
Mr Simon Thomas: Would the Member give way?
Mr Simon Thomas: I’m grateful to the Member. Can I just take him back a couple of minutes to when he talked about the funding floor, which is a political agreement and is not in legislation as such? But, of course, before we receive the Wales Bill for final approval here and pass the legislative consent motion, does he agree with me that we need to see a fiscal framework in place—an agreement between the...
Mr Simon Thomas: He knows that I agree with him completely in his analysis of why we can have a separate or a distinct legal jurisdiction in Wales. Why on earth did the Labour Party oppose it in the vote this week?
Mr Simon Thomas: 1. What are the Counsel General’s priorities for the fifth Assembly? OAQ(5)0001(CG)[W]
Mr Simon Thomas: 2. What discussions has the Counsel General had with other law officers regarding the legal implications of the UK leaving the EU? OAQ(5)0002(CG)[W]
Mr Simon Thomas: I welcome the fact that we’re having an opportunity to discuss this issue. Throughout my political life, I have campaigned for a parliament or a ‘senedd’ for wales, and although we did formulate an Assembly, I think the rationale for calling it an Assembly in the first place was to make it subordinate in some way to what was thought to be the real Parliament in Westminster. It’s true...
Mr Simon Thomas: Thank you, temporary Deputy Presiding Officer, and I thank the Cabinet Secretary for her statement today. It’s appropriate, I’m sure, that she should set out before the summer some of the steps that Government will take in order to deal with these exotic animal diseases. They’re called ‘exotic’, but they’re not as exotic now, given the impacts of climate change. We’ve already...
Mr Simon Thomas: Certainly, I’ll give way.
Mr Simon Thomas: You’re simply incorrect. You’d have 0.7 member. That’s what D'Hondt would have worked out for you. On a smaller committee, you would not have had a member—for example, public accounts or finance, which you have members on.
Mr Simon Thomas: Not now. I’ve responded to your question. Plaid Cymru’s response to this has been very clear. We want to see political balance across the committee structure. We think it’s very important that opposition Chairs are in charge of vital committees such as finance and public accounts, and we think it’s equally important that we have arrangements on policy and legislative committees that...
Mr Simon Thomas: I note at the end there that UKIP are opposing the membership of the committees but are taking up the chairmanship of a committee, which has been very beneficial to them. The fact that—every Member must know this—we have an Assembly with 60 Members, 29 from the Government and 31 from the opposition, means that you cannot replicate 29 and 31 on committees of eight. You have to go to a...
Mr Simon Thomas: I move.
Mr Simon Thomas: Formally.
Mr Simon Thomas: May I ask you, business manager, and in your role as leader of the house, for a statement by the Minister for the environment? There was an event held, as we’ve already heard, with environmentalists and farming and agricultural interests yesterday, and it was very interesting to hear that it is the Welsh Government’s intention to develop a specifically Welsh agriculture and fisheries...
Mr Simon Thomas: Thank you for that confirmation, First Minister. I do hope that you will publish the letter that you’ve written to the Home Secretary, as well as her response to that letter. Despite what we’ve heard in the Chamber today, a spokesperson on behalf of Theresa May said yesterday, in explaining the position expressed in the Commons: nid ydym ni eisiau datgelu ein sefyllfa negodi ar y cychwyn....
Mr Simon Thomas: One of our best known agricultural products in Pembrokeshire, and part of these nitrate-vulnerable zones, is potatoes of course. Pembrokeshire earlies have protected geographical indication status under the current European regime, which allows farmers and producers to sell their produce as something that is unique from a particular area. From what I understand, PGI goes along with membership...
Mr Simon Thomas: Following a statement by the UK Government on the future of EU citizens living in the UK, will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government’s position? EAQ(5)0105(FM)[W]
Mr Simon Thomas: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I thank David Melding for opening this debate. It is a crucially important debate, as he’s already outlined. The link between air pollution and health is now robustly developed and one that we must tackle. I stand here as someone—. As we are admitting what cars we drive, I have a diesel vehicle. When I bought that vehicle five years ago, there was...
