22 April 2024 , Equality and Social Justice Committee
Governance of Fire and Rescue Services: evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Local Government and Planning, and the Chief Fire Adviser
I’m very familiar with two of the commissioners, as I think probably many of you on the committee are. I’m not familiar with the other two. I know one of them quite well and I don’t know one of them at all. So, I know two extremely well, one quite well, and…
22 April 2024 , Equality and Social Justice Committee
Governance of Fire and Rescue Services: evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Local Government and Planning, and the Chief Fire Adviser
Thank you, Julie. The commissioners have done quite a few things already. They’ve already replaced several senior managers who were implicated in the failings. They’ve appointed a director of transformation from outside the service. They’ve undertaken a…
22 April 2024 , Equality and Social Justice Committee
Governance of Fire and Rescue Services: evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Local Government and Planning, and the Chief Fire Adviser
Good afternoon.
22 April 2024 , Equality and Social Justice Committee
Governance of Fire and Rescue Services: evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Local Government and Planning, and the Chief Fire Adviser
It will include everyone with lived experience of it who wants to share their story. Sorry, I should have made that clear. But that’s what I mean. I want to make sure that everyone who has a story to tell is able to tell it.
22 April 2024 , Equality and Social Justice Committee
Governance of Fire and Rescue Services: evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Local Government and Planning, and the Chief Fire Adviser
I completely and utterly agree with that. What we need to do is a number of things here. First of all, we need to make sure that the committees understand thoroughly their task and are able to carry it out in a manner that means that we can have reassurance…
22 April 2024 , Equality and Social Justice Committee
Governance of Fire and Rescue Services: evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Local Government and Planning, and the Chief Fire Adviser
As I said earlier, this isn't the first time I've held this brief, and I think there is an issue with combined joint authorities in general, and not just fire and rescue services; the national parks have a very similar problem. On the national park, the Welsh…
22 April 2024 , Equality and Social Justice Committee
Governance of Fire and Rescue Services: evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Local Government and Planning, and the Chief Fire Adviser
Yes, I agree, and so what we'll be making sure happens is that the terms of reference for the various inquiries are fit for purpose. I don't believe that the other fire and rescue services think they're in a position to have a review that simply underlines…
22 April 2024 , Equality and Social Justice Committee
Governance of Fire and Rescue Services: evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Local Government and Planning, and the Chief Fire Adviser
It's an internal matter for the fire authority in the first instance, of course, but one of the things I want to do when I speak with the constituent authorities and with the commissioners is understand what we're looking at here. Fire and rescue services are…
22 April 2024 , Equality and Social Justice Committee
Governance of Fire and Rescue Services: evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Local Government and Planning, and the Chief Fire Adviser
We've lost him.
22 April 2024 , Equality and Social Justice Committee
Governance of Fire and Rescue Services: evidence session with the Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Local Government and Planning, and the Chief Fire Adviser
Can I start as well by just saying that I've been in this post one working week, and a small part of recess, and so I've not yet had a chance to form many of the views that I would like to form on my own? This week, I have scheduled appointments with the…
16 April 2024 , Plenary
Debate: Stage 4 of the Infrastructure (Wales) Bill
Diolch, Llywydd. Once again, I'd like to thank all the Members, stakeholders and officials for their work on this Bill. I will just make one or two remarks in response to the two contributions that we've had. I think, Janet, that you have fundamental…
16 April 2024 , Plenary
Debate: Stage 4 of the Infrastructure (Wales) Bill
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm delighted to move the motion before the Senedd today for Stage 4 of the Infrastructure (Wales) Bill. Before I move on to talk about the detail of the Bill, I would like to begin by expressing my thanks to the committees and Members…
16 April 2024 , Plenary
The Infrastructure (Wales) Bill: Signification of His Majesty’s Consent
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I have it in command from His Majesty the King to acquaint the Senedd that His Majesty, having been informed of the purport of the Infrastructure (Wales) Bill, has given his consent to this Bill. Diolch.
20 March 2024 , Plenary
Short Debate: A national plan for flood resilience
Diolch, acting Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank you, Carolyn, for the opportunity to respond to this debate and set out how the Government is supporting communities at risk of flooding. The Welsh Government, as many people have mentioned, has a national…
20 March 2024 , Plenary
Debate on petition P-06-1367, 'Fund the removal of quarry rocks and the restoration of sand and groynes to Llandudno North Shore'
Timber groynes, more importantly, are constructed from tropical hardwood; they have to be, because it's the only timber that survives the harsh marine environment. They would need to be replaced every 20 years, and you would need to chop down more tropical…
20 March 2024 , Plenary
Debate on petition P-06-1367, 'Fund the removal of quarry rocks and the restoration of sand and groynes to Llandudno North Shore'
Yes, certainly. I just want to acknowledge that a sandy beach can provide a cost-effective coastal defence. The recent Rhos-on-Sea programme has demonstrated that. But the difference is, as Carolyn pointed out, the beach recharge scheme at Rhos-on-Sea is…
20 March 2024 , Plenary
Debate on petition P-06-1367, 'Fund the removal of quarry rocks and the restoration of sand and groynes to Llandudno North Shore'
Llywydd dros dro, I will happily provide the figures that I'm quoting here, as a letter to the Member, which she's more than happy to—. Well, I'll place it myself in the Library; I'm very happy to do that.FootnoteLink The point about it is that the scheme has…
20 March 2024 , Plenary
Debate on petition P-06-1367, 'Fund the removal of quarry rocks and the restoration of sand and groynes to Llandudno North Shore'
If you want to intervene, you can intervene, yes.
20 March 2024 , Plenary
Debate on petition P-06-1367, 'Fund the removal of quarry rocks and the restoration of sand and groynes to Llandudno North Shore'
It is a matter of public record where the shingle was sourced from, what it is. You can look it up on the council's own website. I think the council acted extremely properly at the time. The risk of coastal flooding is why, in 2016, the Welsh Government…
20 March 2024 , Plenary
Debate on petition P-06-1367, 'Fund the removal of quarry rocks and the restoration of sand and groynes to Llandudno North Shore'
Well, Janet, it is a matter—[Interruption.]
20 March 2024 , Plenary
Debate on petition P-06-1367, 'Fund the removal of quarry rocks and the restoration of sand and groynes to Llandudno North Shore'
And nor was it not open and transparent. A simple Google search will show you the public record that they replaced like with like. The council acted perfectly properly. They replaced like with like. The material used in 2014 was the same design specification…
20 March 2024 , Plenary
Debate on petition P-06-1367, 'Fund the removal of quarry rocks and the restoration of sand and groynes to Llandudno North Shore'
Diolch, Llywydd dros dro. Timber groynes were first installed on Llandudno North Shore in 1938. They were installed to manage fluctuating beach levels, which increased flood risk for the town. Following a public consultation in 1996, those timber groynes were…
20 March 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Yes, indeed. Thank you, Janet. As I know you know, we became the first nation in the UK to roll out a free nationwide scheme for fishers to dispose of and recycle end-of-life fishing gear at a number of sites right across the country, and we’ve so far…
20 March 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Thank you, Janet. A very important question. The Welsh Government are taking a range of steps to ensure harbour porpoises are protected from threats. This includes a commitment to deliver the bycatch mitigation initiative to reduce entanglement, the fisheries…
20 March 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Thank you, Paul. I'm very well aware of it, as you know, and we had a brief discussion about it just very recently. My understanding is that there's an enforcement notice on the site and that that requires compliance by 6 April. A number of measures are being…
