, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Well, thank you. I note that we have supported, through Business Wales, some 288 businesses on the island, and I acknowledge the impact that the closure has had at a time that is already difficult for businesses and this has been another pressure on many of…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
The emergency programme of works to reopen the Menai suspension bridge began on 5 January. The programme is scheduled to be completed within four weeks, subject to weather conditions. The 7.5 tonne weight limit will remain in place when the bridge reopens.
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Touché, Presiding Officer. [Laughter.] The extra information Natasha Asghar was trying to provide was hard to hear. The fact is, the fundamental question we need to ask ourselves is do we think Wales should have an airport. If we think Wales should have an…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Well, I'd rather not, Presiding Officer. It's very distracting to have these constant noises-off—to ask a question when she won't listen to the answer.
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Well, it is a staggering level of ignorance, really, about the set of realities facing us. The private sector are not interested in an airport that isn't making money. Very few airports, across the world, make money, and I would challenge Natasha Asghar to…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Okay. Well, I completely reject that characterisation. The T9 bus service, as the Member should know, has had a significant drop in demand, as many bus services have right across the bus industry, right across the country, for every government. Passenger…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Thank you very much. Well, nobody saw it coming because it was a decision by the company, in the face of what they described as macroeconomic conditions, to withdraw from the airport; they've withdrawn from other airports too. The whole industry is facing…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Yes, thank you, and Russell George is right that there have been some difficulties on the Cambrian line. The whole rail system across the country has had a difficult autumn. The new trains that we are bringing in on the Cambrian line next year will be able to…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Climate Change
Yes, thank you. The Welsh Government is investing £800 million on a new fleet of trains that will serve passengers across Wales. This will improve passenger comfort and facilities, and these brand-new trains are now running in north Wales, and will be…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Minister and Deputy Minister for Climate Change - part 1
Okay. Well, Andy, feel free to correct me, but my understanding is that preparatory work is beginning next week, that the main work will happen early in January. I'm assuming Andy telling me the end of January means that there's some comfort built into that…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Minister and Deputy Minister for Climate Change - part 1
I think I'll ask Andy to answer, please.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Minister and Deputy Minister for Climate Change - part 1
Maybe Andy can give us some timelines.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Minister and Deputy Minister for Climate Change - part 1
What the tests have shown and Andy's tried to explain is that, because this is a very old piece of kit, it's quite hard to monitor, in the way you could with a newer bridge joint, to be able to test its resilience. So, the amount of information available is…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Minister and Deputy Minister for Climate Change - part 1
Perhaps I can begin to answer this. Janet, it is a very old bridge. We do rely on very old infrastructure in many parts of the country, and that is going to be increasingly an issue for us, especially as the impacts of climate change become more acute. Now…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
General scrutiny of the Minister and Deputy Minister for Climate Change - part 1
There's a lot there, and quite a bit of it already on the public record. We've given detailed explanations of how we've ended up in the situation that we have. I was able to visit the bridge myself last week, and fully recognise the impact it's having…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: Bus Reform
I've been very encouraged by the work in Newport, in Swansea and in Cardiff on offering free bus travel at certain periods, and it's worked. We now have data to show that it is successful and there is plenty of international evidence, as well, from Dunkirk to…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: Bus Reform
Certainly, and I'd be very happy to brief Members and encourage Members to take part in a round-table themselves with me on any ideas they have to help shape our thinking. Essentially, this is part of the Wales transport strategy. We set out some initial…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: Bus Reform
Well, I completely agree that flexibility is the key here, and as we do the work with TfW and the local authorities identifying where an optimum bus network goes, there will be a place for standard scheduled services and there will be a place for…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: Bus Reform
Well, thank you to Carolyn Thomas for her continued championing of buses. It has been a neglected policy issue for too long, and not seen as fashionable, and I think it's time we changed that, and she's doing great work leading the cross-party group on public…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: Bus Reform
Yes, I obviously don't know at which point you lost me, and I'm not going to set a test to see who was paying attention, because I'd be disappointed with the result, I'm sure. [Laughter.] So, I mentioned the point of transport poverty—I'm not sure if that was…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: Bus Reform
I apologise.
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: Bus Reform
Sorry, can you hear me now?
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: Bus Reform
Forgive me. Are you having difficulty hearing me?
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: Bus Reform
Well, thank you for that series of well-targeted questions. So, as I say, we need to make bus use normal again. It used to be normal. It's stopped becoming normal. Over half of people never use a bus. It is by definition something that lots of people have no…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: Bus Reform
Thank you for those questions. There are many of them, and I'll do my best to answer them, but I warmly welcome Natasha Asghar's statement that she accepts the role of franchising and asks how we make it affordable, sustainable and deliverable, and this, I…
