Mark Isherwood: I also looked at those police statistics. Did you notice that 3 per cent of the accidents occur on 20 mph roads, but they only account for 2.5 per cent of roads in Wales? So, actually, the accident rate is higher by 0.5 per cent and pretty much aligned with the accident rate on 30 mph roads.
Mark Isherwood: I move amendment 2. Fuel poverty is a long-standing social justice issue in Wales, but the recent global energy price increases have brought the issue to the forefront. National Energy Action Cymru have called for the winter fuel support scheme payment to be made in the autumn so households know they have the funds before they turn their heating on. The Minister has previously stated that...
Mark Isherwood: Will you take an intervention?
Mark Isherwood: Will you recognise that this isn't about second home owners who won't register their home with the Valuation Office Agency and dodge council tax, that this is about Welsh local businesses? Will you recognise that every business that's contacted me—and there's been hundreds of them now—is a local Welsh person, except one, who was born in Gwynedd, is a Welsh language speaker, but is away...
Mark Isherwood: Thank you—an interesting response. Of course, the court of human rights is outside the EU structure completely and, as you know, the UK played an integral part in establishing it, but there we are. Well, of course, the UK Government has been seeking to negotiate an agreement to tackle the barriers that do exist in order to maximise opportunities for low-friction trade and safeguard the...
Mark Isherwood: Diolch. Well, I hope that means, as they said, that that will deliver operational independence from politicians, especially. But, as I said here in March 2019 on a different subject, the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru White Paper, 'Securing Wales' Future', which called for continued membership of the EU single market, would mean no control of our borders, our trade and our laws, and would...
Mark Isherwood: Last September, referring to the Law Commission consultation paper on devolved tribunals in Wales to help shape the tribunal Bill for Wales, designed to regulate a single system for tribunals, I asked you for your initial response to the consultation paper's proposals to reform the Welsh Tribunals unit, the part of the Welsh Government that currently administers most devolved tribunals, into...
Mark Isherwood: Diolch, Llywydd. Although there is no absolute doctrine of separation of powers in the UK, the concept of separation of powers between the legislature, i.e. Senedd, Executive, i.e. Welsh Government, and the judiciary has long applied in and across the UK to prevent the concentration of power by providing checks and balances—[Interruption.] I'm sorry. I didn't hear you very clearly.
Mark Isherwood: I'm grateful to you for agreeing to attend next Monday's meeting of the cross-party on fuel poverty and energy efficiency, which will have a particular focus on vulnerable rural households, including those in rural Ynys Môn and across north Wales. Amongst these, tenants who have their gas and electric included in their rent are likely to have missed out in the last round of the Welsh...
Mark Isherwood: Diolch yn fawr. Thank you very much for your statement. Of course, we welcome measures to introduce, in the terminology used, modern, accessible and bilingual law for the purpose stated. But, of course, often, the devil is in the detail. So, in your written statement yesterday on the introduction of the Historic Environment (Wales) Bill to this Senedd, you stated that you've 'identified...
Mark Isherwood: I fully agree with the first point. The second point, given that I’m speaking as Chair of a committee, perhaps I shouldn’t comment on. We'll be scrutinising these accounts in the future. But I get your general gist and the basis for your concern, because as we’ve heard, over the last five years, the accounts have been signed and laid within the statutory time frame for doing so, and...
Mark Isherwood: Thank you, Mike Hedges, a valued member of the committee, who of course has been party to the attempted scrutiny thus far of this important matter. I think, as I indicated, and as you know from participation in the committee, we hope that we'll be able to scrutinise this now in the autumn, and we hope that by then the accounts will be concluded, will be laid properly, with all the outstanding...
Mark Isherwood: At the time, the Auditor General for Wales also wrote to us, confirming this further delay and stating that he had asked for further information to be provided to him by Welsh Government officials by early January 2022. This was accepted by the committee, and we agreed to await the outcome of this further work, respecting the necessary audit process required. We value the role and work of...
Mark Isherwood: Diolch, Llywydd. Good afternoon and thank you to you, Llywydd, for the opportunity to make this statement today. Members may be aware that there has been a significant delay in signing off the Welsh Government’s 2020-21 annual accounts. To provide context, the previous Public Accounts Committee would usually undertake detailed scrutiny of these accounts annually during the autumn term, and...
Mark Isherwood: Gender budgeting, as you know, promotes gender equity for women, men and gender-diverse groups. A survey by the Wales Tourism Alliance, UK Hospitality Cymru and the Professional Association of Self Caterers UK on the Welsh Government's proposals for self-catering accommodation and how it affects women and/or unpaid carers, to which 83 per cent of respondents were women, found that 71 per...
Mark Isherwood: Minister, after you published the Welsh Government's violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence strategy 2022-26 on 24 May, Welsh Women's Aid stated that they 'support the Government's ambition but need to witness substance in the actions and accountability in the delivery of this strategy that match it, alongside a sustainably funded sector that that's equipped to deliver...
Mark Isherwood: During the passage of the Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act 2015, I moved amendments calling for the national strategy to include provision of at least one perpetrator programme, noting that Choose2Change was the only then current Respect-accredited programme in Wales. Questioning your predecessor First Minister in 2016, I referred to this and stated that...
Mark Isherwood: How is the Welsh Government helping people with the rising cost of living?
Mark Isherwood: Will you give way, please?
Mark Isherwood: Do you also, like me, welcome the fact that many large north Wales businesses are relying on HyNet in the future and fully supporting it, and that, although there are only 50 years' storage capacity for the HyNet project, this is to provide the breathing space to bring forward the green hydrogen technology that will take us into an even cleaner future?
