Andrew RT Davies: ....] At least the UK Government have put on the table what their aspirations are. What have you done in this document? Fifteen pages of just fine words, but little or no substance. That cannot be a Government that is—[Interruption.] I will not take an intervention at the moment. If I have time, I will take it a little later, Joyce. But that cannot be sign of a confident Government—a...
Suzy Davies: ...Welsh Conservatives here in the Assembly also welcome the improvements in the draft charter and agreement. I won’t rehearse them all again. I think the re-focus on the rights of nations to fair representation, in both senses of the word, present an interesting test for the Assembly. In supporting all the Plaid amendments, I’m going to concentrate on the last of them. The Welsh...
Alun Davies: ...role that we have to play in supporting and enabling the BBC to continue to perform these functions. In doing so, it’s also important, I think, for us to recognise what is right and proper for us not to do as well. It is not right and proper for any elected politician, in my view, to either abuse or to bully BBC journalists because they do not follow the line that some of us would prefer...
Kirsty Williams: ...the Brexit vote. That is why I have set up a higher education and FE group, which will advise me, as education Minister, with regard to these challenges, and why there is a significant level of HE representation in the First Minister’s European reference group. We are looking very carefully to ensure that any applications that Welsh HEIs already have in the system are approved as quickly...
Jane Hutt: ...respect of Assembly elections—included in the Wales Bill currently before the Lords and should come into effect from Easter 2018, if that Bill becomes law. But I think the issues around political representation and around—and you raised issues about our representation in this Chamber—changes to parliamentary and European representation as well, the loss of MEPs, and significant...
Julie Morgan: ...the job properly here in this Chamber and that all these items should be considered together? Wouldn’t having had a constitutional convention have been the ideal opportunity to look at all these representation issues in the round?
Suzy Davies: ...chains in what should be an ambitious vision for this region. I met the Association of British Ports at a recent reception in Cardiff Bay and was surprised to hear that, at that stage, they’d not been involved in any discussions on the city bay deal vision at all. Could you remind the Assembly how the membership board was decided, and do you have any concerns about whether the very...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, the funding formula is reviewed every year. A group of people with expertise in this field, including representation from local government look, every single year, at the formula. They look at all the component parts of it: demography, geography, economy and social factors and, every year, they bring forward proposals, and governments, in my experience, accept the advice that they...
Carl Sargeant: ...for people suffering from domestic violence, and other causes are supported through Wales and across the UK. I’m very concerned that supported accommodation, including women’s refuges, is not exempt from the local housing allowance cap. We have made representations to the Department for Work and Pensions. I do hope that this pause in the appointment of this policy may give the Minister...
Mark Isherwood: My question was, rather, what representations you would be making. Clearly, I appreciate how the budget round works and was not seeking to score party-political points. I fully supported the protection of that budget last year and I will continue to do so into the future, not just because of homelessness, but because of the related impact of early intervention on substance misuse, on domestic...
Mark Isherwood: ...and treatment now has given me an opportunity at life once again’. Do you recognise, as I’m sure you do, that these projects save money for statutory services, and will you be making representations accordingly as we move towards the draft budget for next year?
Mark Isherwood: Thank you for your statement. My party, the Welsh Conservatives, do believe that Wales must benefit from at least as much funding as we go forward and we’ll continue to make those representations in our discussions here and elsewhere. You refer to your being pleased that the Treasury has announced that the common agricultural policy pillar 1 funding for farmers has been settled until 2020...
Mr Simon Thomas: .... So, I’ll turn to ask the business manager for a couple of statements on something more immediate, because last night the House of Commons completed its work on the Wales Bill and sent it to another place. Now, the First Minister in July, to the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee, described this Bill as something that could never be a lasting settlement, nor provide the...
Suzy Davies: Following representation by the Prime Minister, Theresa May, the G20 members agreed to set up a forum to tackle the issues of overcapacity and production in the global steel market, so the UK is moving ahead and getting world leaders to confront and answer the central question as well as dealing with the issues they’ve already been acting on until recently. Now, I accept that the Welsh...
Mark Isherwood: ...a new support system that recognises the distinct challenges faced by farmers in Wales and provides the financial support necessary to support the industry’s long-term sustainable future. Welsh representation must have a central input as part of the negotiation process for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, where all UK nations face unique, separate challenges. The rights of all EU...
Hefin David: ...ideas with interest. In the meantime, and by the same token as the leader of the opposition has said, the new Prime Minister must work with our elected Government here to ensure that Wales does not lose out by our leaving the European Union. A distinctive Welsh exit plan and our economic strategy must be integral to the negotiations to leave the European Union. This motion today sets some...
Jeremy Miles: ...forward to further discussions as part of that committee. The debate goes to the heart of our sense of ourselves as a nation and how we see ourselves reflected back at us in the media. That’s another reason why it’s so important. There’s also the issue of the economic impact of the BBC within Wales. Rhianon Passmore talked about the property investments in Wales, which are...
Rhianon Passmore: ...ACW—stated that three in five people, which is 62 per cent, in Wales, ‘feel the TV licence fee offers value for money, while more than four in five people in Wales would miss the BBC if it was not there’. That is 83 per cent. So, today I rise to speak in this debate, as I know my colleagues have, out of a shared desire to see the BBC achieve its full potential in twenty-first...
Ken Skates: ...this important issue, and perhaps invite her to write to me formally regarding the bus service from Tredegar to Aberdare, which I’d like to take a closer look at, if I may, and perhaps make representations on behalf of her constituents. Further devolution in respect of the traffic commissioner’s functions over bus registration will give us the opportunity to consider changing how bus...
Ken Skates: .... I’ve also been clear that the workers at the museum—the people who ensure that visitors have the best experience possible—are better represented at the most senior level. That includes representation at boards of trustee meetings. I think it’s essential that employees are represented and heard and taken notice of.
