Andrew RT Davies: First Minister, the allegations are levelled very much at your office, and the allegations, or the people making the allegations, state quite clearly that they raised these allegations with you on numerous occasions and just gave up. They just gave up; they believed that they weren't being taken seriously and these issues were not being addressed. Indeed, in an Assembly written question to my...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer. First Minister, recently, we've had allegations put by a former cabinet Minister and by a senior special adviser that, in the last Assembly Government that you were First Minister to, there was bullying, mind games, favouritism, deliberate personal undermining, and that that culture was allowed to flourish unchecked. Also, the special adviser cited the behaviour...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer. This is not an occasion that I ever thought that I would be speaking to in this Chamber, and, indeed, in the whole 10 years that I have been a Member of the institution, Carl always sat opposite me. Whether I was sitting in the corner there, in my first seat when I came into this Chamber in 2007, or by progression around the Chamber, Carl was always opposite,...
Andrew RT Davies: No, no. He spoke in English because it was my intervention.
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you very much for taking the intervention. The contradiction in your opening remarks is amply amplified by, obviously, Adam Price, as remarks in the budget statement that came, where he did say that there was merit in looking into a tourist tax and delivering a tourist tax here in Wales. So, he was speaking in his capacity as the Plaid Cymru spokesperson, surely that is what he’s...
Andrew RT Davies: Could I seek two statements, if possible, please, leader of the house? The first is in relation to the review that the Cabinet Secretary for the economy announced of the Heads of the Valleys—it’s the stage on the eastern part of that road. There do seem to be significant ramifications both on cost and time, and businesses in my region have already commented at the dire transport situation...
Andrew RT Davies: Why are waiting times that much better in the UK as opposed to what’s happening here in Wales?
Andrew RT Davies: I used figures to—. Well, you say they’re not, First Minister. A&E—the 12-hour wait in England—there are 78 people waiting out of a population of 55 million people 12 hours or more in A&E. In Wales, the figure was 2,438 out of a population of 3 million. They’re not my figures; they’re your figures. What I’m just trying to seek from you, First Minister, is some ability to have...
Andrew RT Davies: Well, First Minister, with the greatest respect, in their own board papers, which I presume you have sight of and, obviously, help put together because it’s under your control, this health board, they are projecting a deficit in this financial year of £50 million. It’s not my calculation; it’s their calculation, and they say that unless there are mitigating measures and actions...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer. First Minister, there are pressures across the United Kingdom when it comes to the health service. In June 2015, your Government took in to special measures the north Wales health board, Betsi Cadwaladr, and, in March this year, you said that actually where deficits run out of control and problems exist in other health boards across Wales, you might well have to...
Andrew RT Davies: Leader of the house, could I have two statements if possible, please? One in relation to the Welsh Government’s proposals about extending the eastern bay link, which is the missing part of the road network around Rover Way and joining on to the old A48 and M4. I’d be grateful if the Minister for transport or Cabinet Secretary for transport would consider issuing a statement to indicate...
Andrew RT Davies: First Minister, economic intelligence and input and output tables are well understood in the development of public policy the length and breadth of Governments around the world. It was a relatively straightforward question that I opened this series of questions with. When you look at the challenges that the Welsh economy faces—putting Brexit to one side—on automation, for example, which...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. First Minister, why doesn’t the Welsh Government use economic intelligence, and, importantly, input and output tables, when creating policy and deciding where to support the Welsh economy?
Andrew RT Davies: I have to say you do not use economic intelligence or input or output tables. I haven’t been able to find an academic, a businessman or woman—there is no-one who can support what you’ve just said, First Minister. If you look at the Scottish model, they have a dedicated unit at the University of Strathclyde that they established some years ago that informs Scottish Government policy...
Andrew RT Davies: Yesterday, Cabinet Secretary, there was a huge pile-up on the M4, and one of the things, for business, vital to success is moving its people and its goods around a particular area, indeed around a country. This summer, the traffic jams on the M4 have been literally horrendous, and the loss to industry and the loss to all sections of society by those blockages have caused huge problems. What...
Andrew RT Davies: Could I seek two statements, please, leader of the house? One, first of all, from the Cabinet Secretary for health. As it’s world Mental Health Awareness Week, I think it would be appropriate for the Cabinet Secretary for health to provide a statement as to exactly how Government interacts with businesses and works to provide mental health solutions in the community, in particular talking...
Andrew RT Davies: I agree with you, but what is firmly in your court is the ability to make progress in this area. So, I welcome that you will be writing to me with more information in this particular area, but what is quite clear from the evidence that’s before us all of the crimes that have been perpetrated against animals that are defenceless—they can’t defend themselves—the number of investigations...
Andrew RT Davies: It is a fact that one case that was highlighted by the RSPCA was how a man fed his dog cocaine and then cut the ears off that particular animal, and had a 24-week sentence imposed on him. That cannot be right, First Minister. That’s the most that could have been attributed to that particular individual. There are plans afoot in other parts of the United Kingdom to substantially increase the...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer. First Minister, last year, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals reported that they’d seen nearly a 10 per cent increase in animal cruelty cases that they’d had to investigate. The legislation and the ability to regulate in this area firmly rest with the Welsh Government. Following that 10 per cent increase in complaints, there was a 35...
Andrew RT Davies: Minister, thank you for your answers to date on this. I take the point that there’s a body of evidence out there that is worth exploring, but I agree with the sentiments that you’ve put that proportionate action is what is required. As someone who likes to think he’s benefitted from contact sport over the years and whose children have been involved in all sorts of sports as well, I see...
