, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: Update on the Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle (Wales) Bill
Thanks to Vikki Howells for highlighting those important points. I think it goes to the heart of the tension of what we're trying to do here, because, as Vikki points out, taxis provide a public service, but they are privately run, and they're often run by…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: Update on the Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle (Wales) Bill
Thank you. Those are very fair points and concerns we share. I'm pleased to say that, in the consultation, our proposal for disability equality training was widely supported, so I think that will be a central point of the approach that we bring forward, and…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: Update on the Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle (Wales) Bill
Thank you. I think it’s a false comparison between Wales and London, simply on economic grounds. The reason why two boroughs of London have as many EVs as Wales is because they are wealthy and they are able to afford expensive cars, and the market then…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: Update on the Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle (Wales) Bill
I'm tempted to say I had that Donald Duck in the back of my cab the other day, but that wouldn't be true. [Laughter.] So, thank you for those points you raised. So, the issue of cross-bordering I think is a tricky one, and I think there are two primary ways…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: Update on the Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle (Wales) Bill
Thank you. Again, thank you for the broad support of the approach and the constructive way that you've engaged with it. I'll try and answer some of those points. So, I think, on the issue of women's safety particularly, the issue of CCTV is something that I'd…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: Update on the Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle (Wales) Bill
I'd like to thank Natasha Asghar for the broad support for the approach we're taking and for the constructive way in which she has engaged with it. She's asked me a number of questions and I'll do my best in the time to answer them. On the issue of safety for…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: Update on the Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle (Wales) Bill
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. To meet the urgent challenge of climate change, we need to make sustainable forms of transport a more attractive choice for people. So we need to join up bus, rail and active travel to make them the easy choice to get around, and a key…
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Deputy Minister for Climate Change
But, Llywydd, this is the biggest change in the rules of the road since wearing seat belts became compulsory in 1983. That, too, was highly controversial and strongly resisted. Many people found it hard to adjust, but it became accepted, and nobody has…
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Deputy Minister for Climate Change
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Llywydd. I recognise the strength of feeling that is against the change in the speed limit. The number of people who've signed the Senedd petition speaks for itself, and we certainly take it seriously. I understand that lots of people are…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Thank you. It's a very good question and one of the things we're going to investigate with the authorities, as we now try and find a way to keep some services going, is what options there might be for applying for other funds. I'm not aware, off the top of my…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Well, Rhun ap Iorwerth, as a party leader party to the co-operation agreement has seen the books, so to speak; he knows the state of the public finances and the state of Welsh Government budgets. So, he knows that our choices are severely constrained. This is…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Well, as I've explained, this particular service was funded by EU funding from the beginning, and there was a small contribution from the Welsh Government. Now that funding has fallen away, because we're also facing a real challenge with overall bus funding…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
While I have a great deal of respect for Professor Fothergill and his work, the fact remains that this is a revenue-funded scheme by the EU that hasn't been replaced, and the funding has come to an end. Now, my understanding is that the services were lightly…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Well, obviously I understand the sentiment and support it, because that's the intent behind the policy in the medium term, as you know. But this is a funding decision for this financial year, and in this financial year we are still building roads, despite the…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Well, the service was run by the local authorities, not by the Welsh Government, and they have been clear for some time that they had no resources to keep it going. The resources from the European Union have come to an end as a result of Brexit, and that is a…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Thank you for that, and the Member is right to note the irony, because this is going in the opposite direction of where our policy wants us to go. We do not want this to happen, just to be very clear. Bwcabus has been a really important project and it has, in…
, Plenary
Topical Questions
Yes, thank you. I was very sorry to hear that the Bwcabus service will be coming to an end. Despite promises that Wales would be not worse off after Brexit, the UK Government has failed to replace funding for rural transport schemes previously supported by…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Well, I completely understand the frustration, and I'm disappointed by the slightly churlish comments that the Member has made there. I would have hoped that he would have thought that, in terms of my commitment and relationship with him—[Interruption.] The…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Diolch. The North Wales Transport Commission is drafting its report on improving resilience of the Menai crossings, and we hope to receive this as soon as it is ready. I understand that the commission will recommend a range of actions to be taken to achieve…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Thank you for the question and I'm sure Llyr Gruffydd, like many Members here, have a great number of concerns raised by constituents about the speed of cars and the danger traffic poses to pedestrians. It certainly has historically been one of the biggest…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Thanks. Well, I'm very sympathetic to what the Member says, and as he mentions, we've had correspondence, and I've already agreed to carry out a pedestrian assessment at Pwllglas. I'm afraid, because of austerity pressures, we don't have funding in this…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Yes. Thank you. We take road safety very seriously and regularly review police collision data to inform the need for additional measures. We are currently updating the 'Setting Local Speed Limits in Wales' guidance and will review the speed limits across the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Well, in terms of the pilot we ran in Flintshire, the whole point of a pilot is to try things, and part of trying involves failing and learning from the failure, and I don't see any problem with that. In fact, that's the whole point of doing it. Now, we…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Thanks for the question. The policy was four years in the making. We've examined international evidence, benefited from the work of an expert taskforce, and trialled the policy in eight areas ahead of a national roll-out. We estimate that the policy could…
, Plenary
Motion to agree the financial resolution in respect of the General Principles of the Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill
Diolch. I thank the Chair for his comments, and of course we will consider his request. I ask the Senedd to agree the financial resolution in respect of the Bill.
