, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, of course I don't agree with the Member, nor, do I imagine, do those people who sit around him on the Conservative benches who are elected here on the closed party list system. What does he say to his colleagues? Let them read what he said to me this…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Llywydd, the Bill will increase the frequency of elections and ensure that every vote counts, with all Members elected through a single proportional system.
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I simply don't accept that point, and I don't think it's borne out by any serious analysis. I continue to believe that one of the strongest cases for the United Kingdom is that, in the right hands, it acts as a great engine for redistribution. It's not been…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
As I've said, the strategy is being consulted on, which is why people are contributing their views. The Welsh Government has very deliberately created this opportunity for us to hear from people with direct expertise in the field. Then, of course, we will be…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
This Government is committed to doing everything that we can within the powers that we have and the resources available to us to tackle child poverty. My colleague Jane Hutt will be making a statement later this afternoon, which will focus on a number of…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
The powers in that Bill are powers to do with improving air quality. I've heard the Member make very positive contributions on the floor of the Senedd about the importance of improving air quality in Wales. We know it is a public health issue. We know that…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Llywydd, let me make this absolutely clear to people who may have been misled by information that purports to inform them about plans in Wales but does no such thing: we're very used in Wales, on a single journey, to moving from a speed limit that might be 40…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I think that all petitions should be taken seriously, and that is exactly how the different petitions in relation to the 20 mph zones will be viewed by this Government. The process is the one set out by the Llywydd. The petitions are to the Senedd, not to the…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, I thank Altaf Hussain for his recognition in starting his question about the success that has been created in the SA1 development. I think it is true everywhere that, if you are engaged in massive investment, and certainly the investments in Swansea…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Llywydd, I thank Mike Hedges for what he said about the success of SA1. He's absolutely right—it is that mixed development. There are 1,500 residential units either completed already or in the process of being constructed. And it has that great mix of new…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I thank Mike Hedeges, Llywydd, for that question. Over £250 million has been invested to date by the public and private sectors in delivering new mixed-use developments on this former docklands site. Developer and occupier interest remains high in a scheme…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, first of all, can I thank Russell George for his endorsement of that principle that co-location, where that is possible, and certainly alignment between timetables of different public transport elements, is absolutely to the advantage of the travelling…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
In relation to the more general point that the Member made about HS2, Llywydd, in many ways, I don't think I can do better than to quote Paul Johnson, the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies. He said in an interview on Times Radio: 'This whole thing…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, I thank Cefin Campbell for that supplementary question, and I hear the points that the Member makes, and I read his article in the newspaper earlier this month. And I agree, Llywydd, with what Cefin Campbell said, that the Heart of Wales line is a very…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, thank you, Llywydd, and good afternoon, Cefin Campbell. Rail connectivity in mid and west Wales has not met the required standards over the summer. Action has been taken by Transport for Wales and the service has improved in recent weeks. Further…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, Llywydd, I've seen the letter—the letter came from the Member to the Minister, and I've seen the Minister's response to him as well. I can say that officials met with the sector recently, and we'll continue to co-design a scheme to ensure that the…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I thank Llyr Gruffydd, Llywydd. Organic farming practices align well with the principles of sustainable land management, our framework for agricultural support in the future. Organic farms already adhere to the principles of sustainable land management…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I'm happy to give that commitment, but to do it in the way that we have tried to advance here in Wales over many years. The best way of reducing waiting times is to have fewer people needing to be referred to those tier 4 services, as they're called—sorry to…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Peter Fox makes an important point. Suicide figures across Wales are a matter of genuine concern. They have been for some time. They're concentrated, as he knows, amongst particular groups in the population and amongst particular occupational groups. I was…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
In addition to significant and sustained funding for mental health services, we are providing dedicated mental health resource in the new NHS executive. This includes a national mental health programme director leading the efforts to deliver constant…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I do thank Sarah Murphy for that very important supplementary question. Let me deal first of all directly with the point that she makes about democracy itself, because here in Wales we will be bringing forward legislation to strengthen Welsh democracy—the…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
The nature of online disinformation changes rapidly, with the emergence of new threats and new hostile actors. I hope that Ofcom's extended role and responsibilities as part of the implementation of the UK Government's Online Safety Bill will be used to…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I thank the Member for that supplementary question. I'm very familiar with the issues that she describes, because they have been very regularly communicated to me by Buffy Williams, the Senedd Member for the Rhondda. I commend her for the very energetic work…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Thank you for the question. The Deputy Minister for Climate Change has ensured, earlier this year, that £46 million was available from bus budgets to prevent the widespread disruption of bus services. Local authorities, Transport for Wales and operators are…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, Llywydd, I commend the older person's commissioner for her pension credit campaign. Joel James is right that the benefit least likely to be claimed in Wales is pension credit, and the older you are, the less likely you are to claim it. So, the campaign…
