Huw Irranca-Davies: I just want to turn, and I’m not sure, madam deputy speaker, how many minutes we have—
Huw Irranca-Davies: Thank you, Chair. Can I say what a good debate this has been? We’ve had seven contributions, including myself, plus, of course, the Cabinet Secretary, and I’ve been struck by the level of consensus on the potential for this technology in Wales and, as Lee Waters, who introduced the debate, says, to use this, as I think his phrase was, ‘western furnace of innovation’. I think he’s...
Huw Irranca-Davies: My apologies, I don’t intend to intervene too much. But would he agree as well that one of the exciting opportunities of this, with the exponential growth in big data, is actually what we could do on the environmental aspect, because the endless rounds of inspection, inspection, inspection and monitoring, monitoring in the traditional form could be, to some extent, done away with by the...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Will the Member give way?
Huw Irranca-Davies: I thank very much Lee Waters for introducing this debate and securing this debate and also for giving way here. But, would he agree as well, in his opening remarks, that this is also an issue of social justice? Precision agriculture and all it entails can confuse people, but it’s actually been identified as part of the solution of how to feed that estimated growing population—to 9.1...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Will the Minister make a statement on the outcomes for Wales of the COP22?
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Lywydd. Can I welcome the statement in its entirety? It is a matter of judgment and some anticipation on the fees level, but I accept not only the high principles but the bulk of the substance of Professor Sir Ian Diamond’s recommendations as hugely welcome, and the comment made by my colleague here on my left about bringing this forward in a timely way is also well made. I...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Our thoughts go out to all those affected by the floods over the weekend, including many in my own constituency in the Llynfi, Garw and Ogmore valleys, and on lower lying areas in Heol-y-Cyw, Pencoed and elsewhere. And our thanks and praise go to all those who’ve helped respond to the emergency and to the clean-up, which is ongoing. Much of this is as a result of flash flooding, which is a...
Huw Irranca-Davies: I very much welcome that response and I know that funding for the successive phases of the roll-out is now a little bit more precarious, post Brexit. But it does provide some exciting potential here, the hub within Bridgend, which is still sitting along that area, which is the sixth biggest manufacturing area and employment area within the UK as well. It has enormous potential. If we’re to...
Huw Irranca-Davies: 4. Has the First Minister considered the potential of the 'Bridgend Hub' transport proposal as part of the phased roll-out of the South Wales Metro? OAQ(5)0276(FM)
Huw Irranca-Davies: I speak in this debate today in my capacity as Chair of the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee. At the end of the fourth Assembly, the committee suggested in its legacy report that we should consider exploring issues surrounding the appointment and accountability of commissioners. It did so because it saw these as important matters of constitutional principle. Following our...
Huw Irranca-Davies: I’m not sure if I have time. My apologies. We have created some of the tools to do this in Wales. We are leading the way in legislation and policy. We have the environment Act. Part 1 describes the sustainable management of natural resources. It enables Wales’s resources to be managed in a more proactive, sustainable and joined-up way. It helps to tackle the challenges we face. It’s...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Lywydd. Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for the tone and the positivism in her quite comprehensive response there? But could I also compliment all of the speakers today, many of them, and those who sought this debate, not least of all, Simon Thomas, who referred to how we’re in the anthropocene era? But he had a positivity about his contribution, which said that if we choose to...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Will the Cabinet Secretary take a question?
Huw Irranca-Davies: Could I ask on that very point: because the Welsh Government is so focused on biodiversity, could she give some assurance to us today that, at the forthcoming Cancun convention on biological diversity, there will be a strong representation from the Welsh Government there, either in person, ideally, or, if not, by senior officials?
Huw Irranca-Davies: I very much welcome this statement, because it’s a signal of early intent on the high principles from the committee. I particularly welcome the clear statement that the funding that is currently there and that was very much promised within the referendum by those campaigning to leave should actually be delivered, but not only that, that the policy that surrounds that should actually be made...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch. I and Llyr Gruffydd, and many others throughout the land, are currently sprouting facial hair at this very moment, this very Movember, to raise awareness and funds for research into prostate cancer, and also wider issues of men’s health, including mental health and testicular cancer. Why the moustaches? Because people ask us what it’s all about: are we doing it for a bet, or...
Huw Irranca-Davies: I welcome this statement by the Counsel General, and also his stated intention to intervene at the Supreme Court. But, before I turn to some matters of detail, it’s been an interesting week, and there have been undoubtedly some attempts to cast aspersions on the integrity of this High Court decision and on the independence of the judiciary. I’m a fan of social media, and I don’t think...
Huw Irranca-Davies: I don’t want to fight climate change battles with climate change sceptics and climate change deniers again. I would simply say, for those who are interested in looking at where the science is on this—a very good lecture was given by Lord Stern at the Royal Society on 28 October this month on the criticality of the next 10 years, and, by the way, the challenges and the opportunities that...
Huw Irranca-Davies: I can see that my good friend’s speeches are going to be very popular stocking fillers this Christmas, undoubtedly. [Laughter.] But he’s mentioned that he’s had time already to do some other reading—of the House of Lords report. I should make clear that there is still the opportunity to improve this Bill if there is a will to do it in the remaining stages in the House of Lords and in...
