Rhys ab Owen: Y Dinesydd, at 50 years of age: it’s my great pleasure to note in this Senedd that half a century has passed since the establishment of the first papur bro—community newspaper—in Wales, and that here in our capital city. Y Dinesydd was the vision of the late and beloved Mered, and a number of prominent Welsh speakers played an integral role in its inception, including the very...
Rhys ab Owen: Thank you very much, Counsel General.
Rhys ab Owen: Now, of course, the Gordon Brown commission didn’t go as far as you or I would wish with regard to the devolution of justice, but, nonetheless, probation and youth justice are a very important aspects of the justice system. For that, we need to build capacity and capability within Welsh Government and within this Senedd to deal with those matters. So, is now the time, Cwnsler Cyffredinol,...
Rhys ab Owen: Thank you very much, Counsel General. I was delighted to hear the Welsh tribunals being discussed here in the Senedd last week. This is an important part of the justice system that very often is overlooked, and it’s part of the justice system that’s already devolved to Wales. What I wanted to ask you, Counsel General, is what is the timetable for the White Paper, and when do you hope the...
Rhys ab Owen: 5. Will the Counsel General make a statement on the Welsh Government's latest response to the Law Commission's report on the Welsh Tribunals? OQ59355
Rhys ab Owen: 6. What action will the Welsh Government take in preparation for the potential devolution of some or all justice functions to Wales? OQ59335
Rhys ab Owen: This has nothing to do with reopening old wounds. There’s nothing to do about not accepting the Brexit result. This Bill is a recipe for terrible law making. It will create uncertainty on what the law is, it will bypass parliamentary scrutiny across the United Kingdom, and it is yet another example of a UK Bill that undermines the devolution settlement. How on earth does any Government...
Rhys ab Owen: Trefnydd, I'd like a written statement, please, on rail infrastructure funding. I'd like to know how much money has Wales lost over the years due to the delay in the electrification of the Great Western rail line, the fact that HS2 and probably the Northern Powerhouse rail are classified as England-and-Wales projects. Last week, I raised during First Minister's questions the upgrading of the...
Rhys ab Owen: May I conclude, Deputy Presiding Officer, by quoting my friends, Non and Gwenallt Rees? I've known these two, Non and Gwenallt, for my whole life. These are two people who've contributed a great deal to a number of communities across Wales—they've lived in a number of places across Wales; they've served their communities and the nation. These are two people who deserve to enjoy their...
Rhys ab Owen: Becky Ashwin from Cardiff says: 'I've been living this crisis for over three and a half years, and it has shattered my mental health. I've spent entire days crying due to the bills I have received. I've had to have counselling, as all the structures I believed were there to protect me have turned out to be missing. In fact, doing the right things of earning and saving have actually put me...
Rhys ab Owen: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. My colleagues Janet Finch-Saunders, Mike Hedges and Jane Dodds have asked for a minute each in this debate. Oh, I think Mike has gone, so maybe Mike doesn't want a minute now. We are discussing building safety in this place because of the Grenfell tragedy. Unfortunately, it took 72 people, and the homelessness and the trauma of many others, to expose the building...
Rhys ab Owen: Thank you very much, Trefnydd. A number of constituents in the Whitchurch area of Cardiff have contacted me on the Down to Earth project. What they want to know and what I also want to know too is whether the Minister can explain why rural development funding is being used to build on one of the green sites in the north of the capital city, and how an urban area such as our capital qualifies...
Rhys ab Owen: 7. What assessment has the Minister made of the effectiveness of rural development fund spending on the Down to Earth project? OQ59296
Rhys ab Owen: There is no hearing fee in terms of the tribunals' cases; there is no need for a solicitor for cases in the tribunals. They've been designed so that it's easy for people to understand. It's done in a way that people are advised a great deal. It's much less adversarial than the courts system. So, what are the Counsel General's plans to expand that and to make it even easier for people to...
Rhys ab Owen: Just to finish with the independence point—and I think this is important—as Sir Wyn Williams did say, justice must be seen to be done. The Welsh Tribunals unit—as you mentioned, and as has been stressed in every annual report by Sir Wyn—is independent, but the fact is it is based in Cathays Park, in the headquarters of Welsh Government, which could be a party in a tribunal. If this...
Rhys ab Owen: We often discuss, in this place, about devolving justice, and you'll hear arguments being said that we can't possibly have a Welsh justice jurisdiction, but here we have it. Today, we have proof that there is a small Welsh jurisdiction within the Welsh Tribunals service that deals with—as Jenny Rathbone reminded us—very important aspects of daily life: mental health; education; housing....
Rhys ab Owen: I was very pleased to see that you've asked developers to sign legally binding contracts to complete the work. That was one concern that had been expressed to me with regard to the pact—that the pact itself would not be binding. I notice that you didn't give a timetable to my colleague Janet Finch-Saunders, but when do you expect all 11 developers to have signed the contract? And can I just...
Rhys ab Owen: Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd, and I also welcome the commitments made in this statement as part of the co-operation agreement between Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Government. I also agree with the comments made by Mabon ap Gwynfor. In visiting many of these developments, it's incredible to see how many other problems some of these developments have, outwith the problems in terms of fire safety....
Rhys ab Owen: Diolch yn fawr, Brif Weinidog. I don't want to dwell on the great train robbery that is HS2 for Wales, and I don't want to dwell on the comments of Keir Starmer at Llandudno recently, when he refused to commit to giving Wales its fair share of HS2. I don't expect you, Prif Weinidog, to write the next UK manifesto—albeit I'm sure it would be much better if your thumbprints were on it than...
Rhys ab Owen: 1. What assessment has the First Minister made of the impact on Wales of the two-year delay on the Birmingham to Crewe leg of the HS2 railway line? OQ59295
