Huw Irranca-Davies: What assessment has the Cabinet Secretary made of the potential for improvements to the rail service on the Maesteg to Cardiff rail line?
Huw Irranca-Davies: Could we find time for a statement on the detrimental impact on Welsh Government policies of well-being and promoting prosperity, of cuts—existing cuts and possible future cuts—to disability benefits in the south Wales Valleys and throughout Wales? A £30-a-week cut to some new claimants of the employment and support allowance came into effect last month, so disabled people put in a...
Huw Irranca-Davies: I thank the First Minister for that response and I do commend the Welsh Government on taking very early steps to deliver on this pledge to raise the capital limit to more than double over the life of this Assembly term, to £50,000. We know very often that the only asset many of our constituents have is that home, so more than doubling it has a disproportionately great benefit on what they...
Huw Irranca-Davies: 3. Will the First Minister make a statement on the progress of the Welsh Government commitment to raise the capital limit for those entering residential care? OAQ(5)0598(FM)
Huw Irranca-Davies: Indeed. [Laughter.]
Huw Irranca-Davies: I refer Members to my register of interest and my honorary role as vice-president of Ramblers Cymru. Last weekend, as if we hadn’t all done enough walking during the local elections, I and Suzy Davies AM attended the Ramblers Cymru Big Welsh Walk, also known as ‘the “Hinterland” challenge’, located as it was near Devil’s Bridge. Using as our base the lovely Tynrhyd Retreat, an...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Llywydd, and I thank Llyr for raising this under topical questions. Part of the issue around this was discussed at our cross-party group on universities back on 1 February and that’s what I want to focus on for the moment, because the Cabinet Secretary is right that we do have a world-class offer here but something is going wrong, and I just want to touch on this briefly. We know...
Huw Irranca-Davies: I thank the Cabinet Secretary for that answer. Cabinet Secretary, as a long-time supporter and advocate for members of the armed forces and their families in Wales, you will be well aware of the huge contribution our service personnel make to our communities. Estimates suggest that the armed forces community in Wales numbers anything between 250,000 and 350,000 people, and a proportion of...
Huw Irranca-Davies: 2. Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on the educational support being provided to children from families in the armed forces in Wales? OAQ(5)0113(EDU)
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I’m grateful as well that I’m following my colleague, John Griffiths, who has covered in detail the policy context that his committee has considered. The Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee has a much more narrow remit in looking at this Bill and I’m going to speak to that particular remit. Can I, in so doing, thank, as always, my fellow committee...
Huw Irranca-Davies: I wonder if we can find time for a debate, ideally in the next couple of weeks, on the Welsh Government's role in community safety. We all know, as Assembly Members within this house of all parties, the importance of community safety, particularly in terms of a uniformed presence on the front line, and I was fortunate, or unfortunate, enough to spend 13 weeks on the Home Office Bill that...
Huw Irranca-Davies: No, in my constituency. [Laughter.]
Huw Irranca-Davies: David, will give way on that? Thank you for giving way. I note as well—and I’m looking towards Neil as well for clarification on this, perhaps visually, as he nods or shakes his head—but it is my understanding as well that it is still UKIP’s national UK policy to support coal as part of the solution going forward. And I’m really interested, in the opposition that there is to wind...
Huw Irranca-Davies: I’m very pleased to speak in this debate, and welcome the debate, as well, I have to say, and I’m going to try and respond to some very particular parts of the motion in front of us, but, before I start, I think I heard—. And I do understand that this is a debate on a UKIP motion, and I assume, as a UKIP motion, it represents UKIP policy. If I am unclear, I’m happy to take an...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Oh my goodness.
Huw Irranca-Davies: Could I—?
Huw Irranca-Davies: Thank you. I thank David for giving way so very early in the debate, but I just wanted to clarify, at the outset of this debate, whether it is still UKIP’s national position to repeal the Climate Change Act 2008 entirely and to ditch decarbonisation targets. Because that’s not in the spirit of what you just said, David.
Huw Irranca-Davies: I thank the First Minister for that answer. In household terms, as he outlined in response to an earlier question, we’re all very used to the idea of balancing the books, managing income and outgoings, and, critically, managing debt, whether that’s on the mortgage on our home, or on our family car. Now, Government borrowing is far more complex, of course, but the basic principles remain,...
Huw Irranca-Davies: 4. What assessment has the First Minister made of the benefit to Wales if the UK Government were to borrow more to invest, at the current low rates? OAQ(5)0563(FM)
Huw Irranca-Davies: I congratulate Simon on bringing this legislative proposal forward, aiming to reduce waste through placing additional requirements on food producers and retailers. It builds on the good work already undertaken by the Welsh Government and this Assembly to tackle an issue that affects us all, and we all do have a responsibility to tackle not least the islands of waste now growing in our oceans...
