Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:03 pm on 15 March 2017.
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Can I thank all the Members who took part in this debate today? I think the fact that every single member of the committee, and further Members, not part of the committee, also, took part in the debate demonstrates the level of interest in the national infrastructure commission for Wales, and, indeed, the potential it has, I think, to develop the Wales of tomorrow.
I should like to also put on record my thanks to not only my fellow committee members for their work in this inquiry, but also for the support that we’ve had from the committee clerking team and the wider integrated team. I speak on behalf of all my members in that regard. They’ve offered fantastic support in supporting us in our work.
Adam Price presented some fair views in regard to some of the questions asked in the Government’s consultation, and I wonder if there is an opportunity here where the Government is aware that there is a committee undertaking an inquiry where it could, indeed, consult with that committee and involve that committee in, indeed, asking the committee for its views on its own consultation questions. I think having valid and purposeful questions in a consultation is something that we’d all want to see, and I wonder whether committees in the Assembly have a role to play in supporting Government in that regard. Adam Price also talked about why keep social infrastructure out, and we had a very good session with Professor Karel Williams this morning in that regard as well. I’m grateful to Hannah Blythyn and to Mark Isherwood, both who often fly the flag in the committee in regard to north Wales, and they did so in the debate today as well, and to Mark for expanding in more detail in regard to the recommendations that were only accepted in principle.
Vikki Howells has been a strong advocate in the committee in our discussions in regards to social infrastructure, and very much shaped our report in that regard and prompted the recommendation from us in that regard as well, I think, and I thank Vikki for fleshing that out a little bit more and presenting the examples that she did today as well. I thank David Rowlands and Jeremy Miles and Hefin David for their contributions, and Lee Waters—I thank Lee for taking part in today’s debate; not being a member of the committee, it’s interesting to have views from outside of the committee. I was a bit disappointed that there wasn’t time for Adam Price’s intervention, but if Adam did want to intervene on me to put across the point he was going to make to you, I’d be happy to accept that intervention. [Laughter.]