, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Annual scrutiny of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales
And my feedback is that it’s complicated. It took a while just to even learn the name 'future generations well-being Act' and the aims and goals, so I think, if we had that, that would be helpful. You’ve got, looking at this, I think it's 44 public bodies…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Annual scrutiny of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales
Thank you, Chair. I think a lot of the questions were covered earlier regarding support for public bodies and concern regarding you having enough resources as well. Have you thought about maybe public bodies having a champion themselves who could maybe…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Annual scrutiny of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales
Can I just ask how you monitor that, though, that they are having due regard, because it is a legal Act? When councillors have reports presented to them, usually at the end of the report, there are lines about the equality impact and the impact on finance. Is…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Annual scrutiny of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales
Yes, thank you, Chair. You said that now you're talking to finance officers, which is welcome, as well as chief execs. How do you also get political buy-in as well? I know that you say they are concerned about budgets now, and I know, talking to leaders, they…
, Plenary
Debate on petition P-06-1407, 'We want the Welsh Government to rescind and remove the disastrous 20mph law'
Just to correct that, I actually live in the region that I represent, North Wales. Do you agree that that is correct?
, Plenary
Debate on petition P-06-1407, 'We want the Welsh Government to rescind and remove the disastrous 20mph law'
That's below the belt.
, Plenary
Debate on petition P-06-1407, 'We want the Welsh Government to rescind and remove the disastrous 20mph law'
Earlier, I said that councils in north Wales were just waiting for the further guidelines before making their exemptions. I know that Denbighshire have got a list of 25 roads to make back up—rather than do it twice. So, I just wanted to make that point there…
, Plenary
Debate on petition P-06-1407, 'We want the Welsh Government to rescind and remove the disastrous 20mph law'
I've just finished. [Laughter.]
, Plenary
Debate on petition P-06-1407, 'We want the Welsh Government to rescind and remove the disastrous 20mph law'
As a town and community councillor, one of the common complaints I received was about speeding. Implementing the default 20 mph has definitely made drivers more conscious of their speed, and walking along our highways feels safer and more peaceful. When I was…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
I've heard there have been discussions with South Korea—the irony of Great British Nuclear and then letting foreign Governments profit from it while the risk is taken up by public funds. Hinkley B's estimated cost was £18.2 billion. Updated costs are now £31…
, Plenary
Questions to the Senedd Commission
Thank you for that. It’s really pleasing to hear about all that goes on; it would be great to promote it on the Senedd website as well. I did look on the Senedd website and that’s where I heard about the bees, so I went to see them yesterday and really…
, Plenary
Questions to the Senedd Commission
Yesterday.
, Plenary
Questions to the Senedd Commission
1. How does the Senedd Commission promote the importance of sustainability and protecting the natural environment on the Senedd estate? OQ61138
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
The local community is really concerned about that body of water and the structure and with being safe, and they were asking about hydrologists and they want to be reassured by having that information from a hydrologist as well. So, could you address that?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
Okay, thank you. But can you just answer my—? Because we've heard from representatives as well: the concerns going forward that there are £75 million held in the account of the company, it looks like. We talk about accepting something that isn't acceptable to…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
Yes, but they are really concerned now about remediation. It sounds like they're not involved at the moment and that you're looking at going forward with something that is not acceptable to the community and that there are £75 million sitting in an account…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
So, it appears to them that the authority is working in the best interests of that organisation rather than the community.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
Yes, okay. I've got it there.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
The local community groups told us that during the planning process for the site, they were sent a leaflet from the local authority stating that if the opencast plans did not go ahead, local residents would face a one-off council tax payment of £900 per…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
Good.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
Okay. And you got those back.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
It sounds like you've wasted a lot of money going to the High Court to battle for funding, which must the authority lots of money, if you can't get it all back. It seems, really, enforcement's—
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
Can I just ask: who is in charge of enforcement—enforcement of making sure that remediation happens, that there's funding in place? So, you have a regional planning service, but then enforcement falls to the local authority, doesn't it? So—.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
It feels like there's no, I don't know, accountability or tracking and tracing.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Restoration of opencast mining sites - evidence session 6
Just in your opinion, do you believe that using mining as a way of remediation of a site is a risk?
