Mark Isherwood: Diolch. First time I’ve been described as a question, but I’m very happy to be described by such an eloquent person as yourself. The European Commission planned to allocate structural funds for the period of 2014-20 to Wales, including a 27 per cent cut, indicating a lack of knowledge of Wales. The UK Government allocated some of the funding from England to rebalance some of that...
Mark Isherwood: 5. How does the Welsh Government intend to tackle poverty in Wales? OAQ(5)0008(CC)
Mark Isherwood: Thank you. I think, when you last held this portfolio, I held the shadow portfolio, and I’m still spokesperson for my party on this issue. Can I start by giving credit to people who aren’t here: Jocelyn Davies, who led on this for Plaid Cymru in the last Assembly, and Peter Black, for the Liberal Democrats, who worked with me to strengthen the Bill with the Minister, particularly at the...
Mark Isherwood: I’m sorry if I gave you the impression I said it was a separatist argument. I didn’t say it was a separatist argument. I said it was the motivation perhaps for the separatist party, as opposed to the motivation that you might have.
Mark Isherwood: I’ve actually finished my speech. [Assembly Members: ‘Oh.’]
Mark Isherwood: One, yes.
Mark Isherwood: We shall see about that once they’ve got settled into their jobs, won’t we? The previous four somewhat modified their views on this. Labour’s call for devolution of policing, backed by the separatists, would actually deliver the opposite of real devolution. The First Minister refers to the proposed devolution of policing to the future mayor of Manchester as a model for Wales, but of...
Mark Isherwood: The omission of the devolution of policing from the Wales Bill is welcomed. I took part in two committee reviews of police structure a decade ago here. It reported that criminal activity does not recognise national or regional boundaries. Commenting on calls for police devolution in the Wales Bill, my contacts in both North Wales Police and the North Wales Police Federation told me that they...
Mark Isherwood: As a Minister he can bring forward proposals and if the House of Commons passes it as the sovereign body with elected politicians it will happen, and the Prime Minister himself made that commitment. After all, non-EU countries like Switzerland and Norway actually give more support to their farmers than the UK and Wales do. The EU is a shrinking market for the UK, with exports of goods and...
Mark Isherwood: Oh, heck. Diolch. Apologies, Presiding Officer. We don’t need to be in the EU to co-operate with European partners. Wales in Britain must be a sovereign partner of Europe not a province of the EU as part of an outward-looking global community. If we leave, nothing immediately changes during the first two years. Both farm support and structural funding would then be a matter for the UK...
Mark Isherwood: In fact, it’s three years since the Minister for Economy, Science and Transport in the previous Government announced her revised preferred route, whilst still investigating a business impact assessment, despite concerns raised by local businesses and employers that that revised preferred route and its predecessor would damage local business and jobs, and there was an alternative route that...
Mark Isherwood: Thank you. Clearly, the opportunity to have further debate would be welcomed if this goes through. Unfortunately, again, that will not be binding. I hope that you would confirm that, if the arguments you hear—some of which I’ve rehearsed today—are persuasive, that that might actually lead to the Welsh Government revisiting this subsequently with a view to making further regulations or...
Mark Isherwood: Diolch—thank you very much indeed. I’ve long called, for many years, for temporary blue badges, representing the views of constituents and organisations, and, clearly, the proposed amendment regulations are a step in the right direction, but they don’t go nearly far enough, and I will briefly explain that. I’ve received many items of correspondence from constituents over the years who...
Mark Isherwood: I’m delighted to join with you in celebrating the fantastic contribution made by nearly 1 million volunteers in Wales. I note that Volunteering Week was extended this year from 1-12 June, and we must also celebrate the extension associated with the Queen’s ninetieth birthday and her contribution, having been the patron of more than 600 charities and organisations. As you said, we can all...
Mark Isherwood: I call for a single statement on support for Wales’s armed forces veterans, following the ‘Call to Mind: Wales’ report, published at the beginning of this month, which showed that much more needs to be done to support the mental health needs of veterans in Wales. Only a fraction of the estimated 10,000 Welsh veterans living with mental illness of some form are being referred to NHS...
Mark Isherwood: Diolch. Well, of course, local development plans don’t build any houses. Given that, in England, local plans produced in consultation with the community have been the cornerstone of planning reforms, how will your Government engage with the Homebuilders Federation regarding the statement in its Welsh election paper, ‘Building Communities, Boosting Investment’, that, because of the many...
Mark Isherwood: How is the Welsh Government supporting industry in North Wales?
Mark Isherwood: The Wrexham Supporters Trust director, Spencer Harris, said earlier this week: ‘Having Wales in the European Championships is massive for a club like ourselves.... Wales at a tournament is the perfect opportunity to help our club.’ How, therefore, will your Government work with people like Spencer Harris to ensure that that legacy—the Euro 2016 legacy—reaches Wrexham and all corners...
Mark Isherwood: The North Wales Economic Ambition Board was established to maximise the opportunities presented by several large-scale projects in the north Wales pipeline, Wylfa Newydd being the largest. The North Wales Economic Ambition Board, including all six county councils, the north Wales business council and the third sector, has welcomed the UK Government offer of a north Wales growth deal and...
Mark Isherwood: Leanne Wood.
