Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:51 pm on 23 May 2017.
Can I thank the business Secretary for her statement and just say that, obviously, we will try and co-operate as much as possible in re-arranging the business as necessary, following recent events, and understand very much why the Government has sought to do so? It may be of assistance if I can share with her, and also the Chamber, that we have a debate in Plaid Cymru’s name, tomorrow, on live music, arising out of the campaigns about Womanby Street and Clwb Ifor Bach and so forth. I understand that that petition from that campaign has been very successful and that the Petitions Committee is minded to bring forward their own debate, as a new feature of this Parliament, where petitions from outside can trigger debate on the floor, and, in that light, Plaid Cymru would wish to withdraw tomorrow’s debate in order to facilitate the more wide-ranging, if you like, debate from the Petitions Committee itself, and to ensure that this campaign, which has been very successful and really energised people in Cardiff, can be seen to be reflected on the floor of the Assembly not as a party-political debate, but as one that’s shared by all Assembly Members to contribute to. So, that may loosen up a little bit of time tomorrow, which may assist the business manager in the work that she has to do.
Can I also just ask a little more around the Champions League and the effects of the awful events in Manchester? I very much appreciate what the First Minister said, and the commitment that has been made already, through questions around the Chamber, around the preparations for the Champions League. I know that that has been thorough and has been taken on board by the local authorities and those in charge here. We see some of the preparations already outside the Assembly, ready for the numbers of visitors that will be coming here. I hope that she’ll join me in sending out a really strong message that says that people are very welcome in Wales. We want to see everyone here, and they will have a very warm welcome when they come here, and we’re ready for those numbers, and our security service and our police and everyone is ready for that and prepared for it. There is, sadly, nothing new in the fact that we have had a tragic terrorist attack in Manchester. We’ve had similar attacks elsewhere in Europe, as well as in London, of course, and we had to prepare for that. But if it is appropriate for the Government to put forward a written statement updating Assembly Members around the preparations for the Champions League final then that would be very welcome.
Also timetabled, I notice, is the long-awaited statement on bovine TB from the Minister for Environment and Rural Affairs. It’s just to ask really whether the Government can say a little more, either by a written statement in advance of that—. Because the Climate Change, Energy and Rural Affairs Committee published its own report on bovine TB this morning, and it would, I think, help us, because there are a couple of weeks to go—I think it’s on 20 June we’re expecting a statement from the Cabinet Secretary. It would be useful to have a response from the Government to that report, either on the day or just before, so that we can have an informed debate and response to the Cabinet Secretary’s statement. If the Government can commit to that in future statements, that would be useful.
The final thing I’d like to raise is of a different nature, but it’s come to my attention from Llanelli—a constituent of mine contacted my office. The business manager will know that the Department for Work and Pensions is looking to close several offices throughout Wales. Presumably, any announcement on final decisions on such closures is now under purdah, and is not expected to be made before the general election. However, the reports that I’ve had from people working in the Llanelli office are that preparation is under way for ‘for sale’ signs to go up on that office. Clearly, staff have been alerted to this, and are concerned, and bring those concerns to me. I wanted to ask the Government whether they’d had any indication from Westminster about any final decisions around the office in Llanelli, or indeed the other offices that are affected in Wales, and whether it is a commitment, as far as she knows and she is aware, that no statement can be made until the general election, and whether she is in a position to make any statement on behalf of the Government in response to those concerns from my constituents.