James Evans: And, of course, it's very important to support your local breweries, Russ, which will be in the beer tents, but it is a great opportunity going around summer shows to meet your constituents, as you said. And, as many people and a few in this Chamber know who have stood in the great seat of Brecon and Radnorshire, if you don't go around the summer shows, you're just simply not going to get...
James Evans: I will take an intervention from my friend.
James Evans: I am so happy to take part in this debate today. Summer shows are a part of the fabric of life in Brecon and Radnorshire. It's just what we do, is summer shows, and as somebody who was born and raised in my constituency, I spent a lot of my youth running around summer shows, in and out the beer tent when I was 18 and also going around taking part in the sports and everything else. It is just...
James Evans: Minister, I'm sure you'll agree with me that sport is extremely important for our young people right across Wales not just in terms of their physical health, but also their mental health. It's great for people to get out there in the fresh air and experience that. It really opens people up as well—the talking about their problems. You're talking about social prescribing, and actually...
James Evans: Will the Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's support for the hospitality industry?
James Evans: Diolch, First Minister, and before I just ask the rest of my supplementary, I'd just like to welcome some of the young carers in the gallery who I met earlier, and the truly inspirational work that they do, supporting their families. First Minister, last week I heard first-hand, along with a number of my colleagues from across the Senedd, from Cymru Versus Arthritis and the Royal College of...
James Evans: 7. Will the First Minister provide an update on service transformation to improve orthopaedic care across the NHS? OQ58350
James Evans: Will you take an intervention?
James Evans: Even Labour don't even want to join the single market any more. So, I say to the Plaid Cymru Members today: wakey, wakey—Brexit is done. Wales voted to leave.
James Evans: We have now left the European Union, the customs union and the single market, so get over it—[Inaudible.]
James Evans: I think there's a great opportunity for our businesses right across the country. Yes, there are issues that need to be ironed out, and that is what the UK Conservative Government are planning to do. If we listened to the nationalists and socialists in here, we would become an insular country with no international presence whatsoever. A lot of important work has already been done to establish...
James Evans: I'll just make this point and then I'll take it. Digital trade, intellectual property, public procurement, aviation, road transport, energy, fisheries, social security, law enforcement, judicial co-operation and more. And Mabon, I will take your intervention.
James Evans: Diolch, Llywydd, and I'm pleased to contribute to this debate this afternoon. I'm sure it will come as no shock to Members in this Chamber that those of us who sit on this side will not be supporting the motion this afternoon. Of course, I'm not surprised to see that Plaid Cymru has taken the opportunity to raise yet again its political obsession with the European Union. It's a...
James Evans: I do believe that Airbnbs are a problem, but there are genuine hospitality businesses that are going to be affected by these changes. I note that the Welsh Government are looking at exemptions, but I don't think they go far enough. What about holiday lets that are not in holiday hotspots, that only have very short tourism seasons? How are we going to cope with that? What about the businesses...
James Evans: That's totally correct, and that's what we must get here. That's why the Welsh Government exemptions are going to be very key, and I want to hear more from the Minister on that. The Welsh Government have opted here to press on with their tax plans despite receiving evidence about the damaging impact to the sector. The organisations that were with us today surveyed more than 1,500...
James Evans: Before I get going, let me be very clear; we all know across this Chamber that there is an issue with second homes in Wales and stopping our local young people and our key workers, as Mabon ap Gwynfor has said, getting on the property ladder. But I do not believe that attacking genuine holiday businesses is the right way to address the problem. I've been inundated with correspondence from...
James Evans: Minister, it's very pleasing to hear you say you want to keep farmers on the land, and I think that's what we all want to see, and that's what our farming industry wanted to see. In paragraph 2.3.5, it's stated that: 'All farmers should be able to access the Scheme. 'It is important the Scheme works for all types of farms. The Scheme is designed so all farm types can access it, including...
James Evans: I want to thank Jack Sargeant for bringing this very important question here today. Few people in this Chamber know I was actually a member of Unison once upon a time, so I actually do care about the interests of our public sector workers across Wales. This Senedd passed the Trade Union (Wales) Act in 2017 under conferred powers, and since the 2017 Wales Act, the devolved competency was...
James Evans: Diolch, Deputy Lywydd. I'd like to thank the First Minister for his statement. There's a lot in there I welcome, and a lot in there I've yet to be convinced on. But, on other matters, First Minister, you said during the statement that you do work constructively with the UK Government to legislate on certain areas—something like building safety and the Environment Act—where the Senedd does...
James Evans: Trefnydd, could I ask for a statement, please, from the climate change Minister on the phosphates summit that's happening at the Royal Welsh agricultural show? I know there was a commitment to provide a written statement to this Senedd about the findings from that summit, but this is an important issue not just for my constituency, but a number of constituencies right across Wales. So, I...
