Andrew RT Davies: Minister, obviously, the Government has a commitment around childcare—to have a universal childcare policy of up to 30 hours—and it’s something that we do welcome and it’s similar to what we had in our own manifesto. Has an impact assessment been made—I appreciate it’s early days for the Government—over the ability to commission that provision and that there is no risk of...
Andrew RT Davies: Minister, I would endorse the comments of the original speaker on this about the speed that the money is being delivered out of the rural development plan into the various schemes. I’d be grateful if you could enlarge on some of your comments in the last answer to say: are you satisfied with the speed that is being developed behind the rural development plan to create that transformational...
Andrew RT Davies: Cabinet Secretary, the LDP process obviously causes great controversy in many areas and is also the plank that is used to develop, stimulate and regenerate large areas as well. But, one of the biggest bones of contention in my own electoral region of South Wales Central is around the housing projections that councils use to arrive at their LDP allocations. Those projections come from the...
Andrew RT Davies: Could I identify with the sentiments raised by the regional Member for Mid and West Wales? It is almost inconceivable, when you think of these numbers, that in excess of 400 of the children identified in this report just have gone missing and cannot be found. It really is incumbent on all the authorities to look at the protocols they have in place and to make sure that there is that safety...
Andrew RT Davies: You introduced CAMHS into the line of questioning—I’d like to move into that area, if I may. Mental health services for young people in particular have seen a massive increase in the referrals to CAMHS—120-odd per cent since 2010. The waiting times in this particular area are horrendous, to say the least, with one in eight people who are referred waiting in excess of 40 weeks, when the...
Andrew RT Davies: What improvements can we see, while those discussions are being undertaken, around the legislation framework? Because there are 34,000 people in Wales who have a diagnosis and the National Autistic Society identify services to support them as ‘patchy’ here in Wales. So, what can we expect in the intervening time, when we will hopefully find agreement to bring forward legislation to...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you for that answer, First Minister. I’d like to pay tribute to my colleague Mark Isherwood who has championed the cause around autistic services here in Wales for many, many years. Whilst those discussions are going on, and certainly you didn’t rule out the opportunity to bring forward legislation, what—[Interruption.]
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer. I, too, identify with the sentiments of the leader of the opposition and the First Minister around the victory last night. It’s caused problems in my office because I had several members out there, and going in a camper van for a week is not a brilliant advert, with five football supporters, and now they’ll have to extend their time for the next match and,...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Presiding Officer. I make no pretence to have known Jo Cox, but the events last Thursday mortified us all. Pure evil visited Jo Cox and her family last week, and her constituency, when she was going about her job, which she cared passionately about, and I think she said, in her own words, it was a job that she thought was a job for which she’d been groomed for life, to achieve...
Andrew RT Davies: Will the First Minister make a statement on developing the economy of South Wales Central?
Andrew RT Davies: I certainly do, and I’d agree entirely with the Member making the case for crown green bowling. In Dinas Powys, for example, in Cowbridge, there are very good teams for bowling, both intergenerational teams and men and women playing as well, and, ultimately, it was a real pleasure at the Commonwealth Games to go along to Dinas Powis Bowling Club, who were hosting the New Zealand team, who...
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Could I thank the Minister for responding to the debate and thank everyone who has participated in the debate this afternoon, and wish the Minister well in her new portfolio? We have had a series of debates this afternoon. Obviously, we have had the European debate as the backbench debate, and we’re going to have the Wales Bill debate after this....
Andrew RT Davies: Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. In March, the A&E waiting times showed that 380 people had waited 12 hours or more at the University Hospital of Wales, as opposed to 111 people in January. Clearly, these figures are clearly very disturbing, and despite what you’ve just said in your first answer to me, something is going very much amiss in the delivery of A&E services here in...
Andrew RT Davies: Sport plays a really valuable role, Minister, in improving public health, but one sector of our society doesn’t seem to participate the same as the other part, which is men versus women—. On a national survey, 100,000 fewer women play sport than men. There’s been an active campaign across the UK entitled This Girl Can to raise participation levels in sport by actually moving beyond some...
Andrew RT Davies: Minister, I appreciate that employment law and issues around employment are reserved matters, but the business advice that the Welsh Government supports, especially to new businesses and in particular to start-up businesses, is a vital component of being able to alert employers and employees within those businesses to what could avert some serious situations that end up costing those new...
Andrew RT Davies: 6. What measures is the Welsh Government planning to implement in order to tackle A&E waiting times across South Wales Central? OAQ(5)0006(HWS)
Andrew RT Davies: Will the Minister outline the Welsh Government's key priorities for the South Wales Central economy during the fifth Assembly?
Andrew RT Davies: Could I raise two matters with you, leader of the house? The first is: could we have a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for local government on the obligation that he believes local authorities have to maintain council roads? It seems, across the whole of the south Wales region, councils seem to have given up filling in potholes and maintaining the surfaces of the public highway. And the...
Andrew RT Davies: As a Conservative, I fully understand that you can borrow, but you have to pay back borrowing and that has a cost in itself, year in, year out. But, I did also ask you about the education commitment that you made, which we welcome. I also made a comment about the £15 million to £20 million that you would have to meet if you were to abolish the Severn bridge tolls, which, again, in some...
Andrew RT Davies: First Minister, it is not unreasonable to ask the question: what will have to give in your spending commitments to meet your new commitments? I’ve identified £42 million that you’ve committed to last week; a potential liability of £15 million to £20 million if you get rid of the Severn bridge tolls at the end of the public concession—the concessions to the current Severn bridge user;...
