Andrew RT Davies: I made this specific point when I opened my remarks by saying that there has been progress on ambulance response times in certain categories, but it is undeniable that, week after week, we are seeing cases, both in the press and reported here in the Chamber, of extreme waits that are hugely distressing to the paramedics, the teams who manage the ambulance service and, importantly, the...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer. First Minister, in relation to ambulance response times, with the new categories, the Government does seem to have made progress. But we do know over the last couple of months, across the United Kingdom, ambulance response times have been under pressure. Recently in the press, there have been examples of extreme waits that patients and people have had to wait for...
Andrew RT Davies: First Minister, it's unable to pay the initial capital that you made available to it of £6 million, or its annual running costs of £2.5 million. In its first year, it was only able to attract £330,000 of levy money, as you put it. It has missed virtually every target that was set in its first year—it's now in year 3. By any measure, what could have been an exciting National Procurement...
Andrew RT Davies: I take it from that that there will be Welsh Government support coming forward for local authorities, First Minister, in particular some of the ones here in the south, which seem to have had the biggest quantity of snow dropped on them. But I would like to ask you a question about the National Procurement Service, which the Public Accounts Committee looked at yesterday and which the auditor...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. First Minister, I join you in your comments earlier, when you answered question 1, on the heroic efforts of the emergency services and everyone over the winter weather that we had back last Thursday. There have been some heroic stories, but also some heart-warming ones as well. Equally, it boils down to the fact that what local authorities, health boards...
Andrew RT Davies: I'm grateful to you for taking the intervention, and I note the comments from the leader of the house, responding on the Government's position on this, but it's a complete contradiction to the answer that the First Minister gave to me in First Minister's questions on 30 January, where he said—and I've got the Record here in front of me, and I've read it while you've been speaking. It says...
Andrew RT Davies: I do believe that we need to reflect on the evidence that is before us, in particular when we look at the comment around the reshuffle that, as I've drawn attention to before, via social media, via text messages, via comment from commentators, are there for all to see. I could offer any one of 101 different examples of such comment. These comments were all referring to sources that were...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer. I rise to move the motion in the name of my colleague Paul Davies on the order paper today that: 'Calls on the Welsh Government’s Permanent Secretary to publish, with appropriate redactions to ensure anonymity of witnesses, the report into her investigation on "whether there is any evidence of a prior unauthorised sharing of information—i.e. a 'leak'—by the...
Andrew RT Davies: With questions tomorrow, leader of the house, you're earning your crust this week, in fairness to you. Can I ask for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance around the non-residential land transfer tax? I've had extensive correspondence over the half-term recess, and I know that the Cabinet Secretary has had similar correspondence from the sector in relation to the impact that...
Andrew RT Davies: I'm grateful for an element of clarity. I appreciate the public inquiry is still ongoing, but obviously I'm basing my questions on the letter that was received by Members on another transport issue that came to light over the recess, which was Abellio's withdrawal from the rail franchise that is currently up for negotiation and tender from the Welsh Government. A bitterly...
Andrew RT Davies: In fairness, I'm basing my questions on the letter, obviously, and the letter indicates that the Government has set its mind on the type of debate we'll be voting on. It doesn't tie into the public inquiry, it talks more about the timings of the debate based on legal advice. But, you do indicate that it doesn't seem as if it's in the Government's mind at the moment to bring forward a budget...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer. Leader of the house, just before we started today, a letter came from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport highlighting the Government's intention to have a vote on the M4 relief road, and I welcome that movement on behalf of the Government. In the letter—it's three paragraphs long, so it's not particularly long—it indicates that the Cabinet...
Andrew RT Davies: One thing we know, Cabinet Secretary, is that the footprint of diplomatic activity across the European Union will change from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and they are resourcing their footprint to a greater degree. Obviously, it's vital that that new footprint does recognise the devolved context that the United Kingdom operates under, and I'd be grateful to understand what...
Andrew RT Davies: I think it's fair to say that, in the time that I've been elected to this institution, from a Vale of Glamorgan perspective, the Barry incinerator has undoubtedly been the largest campaign, and across party political divides, I might add as well. I commend the community around the incinerator, and the wider Vale of Glamorgan community, for the actions they have undertaken to fight this...
Andrew RT Davies: Can I move a point of order?
Andrew RT Davies: The First Minister has misrepresented—
Andrew RT Davies: First Minister, you talk about Members looking at changes. One of your own Ministers has said that she would vote against any changes that would come forward from the consultation. So, from within your Government people are casting aspersions about the consultation process. I have put to you twice now the escalation in the deficit situation that Hywel Dda faces: £70 million, £148 million of...
Andrew RT Davies: First Minister, my question was: what's gone wrong? This is a health board that was put into—I think the words are—'targeted intervention' some 18 months ago, along with three other health boards, and obviously the special measures health board of Betsi up in the north. So, four of our health boards are under some form of Government intervention. This escalation in the deficit up to £70...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer. With your permission, could I extend a welcome to the new Member for Alyn and Deeside on behalf of the Welsh Conservatives in the National Assembly, and wish him well in his political career? First Minister, last week Hywel Dda came forward with a projected deficit at the end of the financial year of some £70 million. This builds on two previous deficits of...
Andrew RT Davies: Actually, the roads were closed today because the bridge had not finished its maintenance work overnight—that was the long and short of it. I do take the point, but that's a reason more to have a debate here, so that we can all participate in that debate and that substantive decision on whether to press the button for this project to go ahead or not.
