, Plenary
90-second Statements
After the disappointment of the 1979 referendum, my father and others were very keen to do something positive to lift the spirits of Welsh speakers in our capital city. The intention was to create a Welsh-speaking club, like our friends in Pontypridd, who…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Thank you very much, First Minister. I'm very pleased to hear that; as you know, the numbers voting can vary a great deal, even within one ward. In the previous Senedd elections we saw the greatest interest in the activities of this place, but some polling…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
6. What progress has been made on the development of automatic voter registration pilots in Wales? OQ59957
, Petitions Committee
Updates to previous petitions
Diolch yn fawr, Cadeirydd. This is the third time this petition has been considered and, before I became a member of the committee, it was paused back in last autumn, and that turns out to have been a very wise decision, because things have moved on quite a…
, Petitions Committee
Updates to previous petitions
Diolch, Cadeirydd, and I should declare that I've met Mr O’Brien on a number of occasions. He's a tireless advocate for unpaid carers. This is the third occasion this petition has been considered by this committee. We've had a response from the Welsh…
, Petitions Committee
New petitions
Diolch, Cadeirydd. And thank you very much for this very important petition, which has had quite a bit of publicity, with microplastics being found in the most bizarre of locations, as is mentioned in the petition. It's a very serious issue. We know the Welsh…
, Petitions Committee
Evidence session - P-06-1307 The Welsh Government should commit to the adoption of the maintenance of new housing estates by local authorities
Thank you, Mr Harris. That's particularly interesting, the final point, and certainly something I think we'll look into as a committee. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
, Petitions Committee
Evidence session - P-06-1307 The Welsh Government should commit to the adoption of the maintenance of new housing estates by local authorities
So, you're saying if it's done properly it can be a way to empower local communities to make their own decisions, rather than rely on a council or a distant management company.
, Petitions Committee
Evidence session - P-06-1307 The Welsh Government should commit to the adoption of the maintenance of new housing estates by local authorities
Okay. Thanks for that. We've heard some really terrible stories about management companies, for example, an invoice being sent to households without a breakdown of costs and house buyers saying that they weren't aware of the costs when they bought the house…
, Petitions Committee
Evidence session - P-06-1307 The Welsh Government should commit to the adoption of the maintenance of new housing estates by local authorities
And I take it it doesn't say why, but we can all gather that it's due to the squeeze on local authorities.
, Petitions Committee
Evidence session - P-06-1307 The Welsh Government should commit to the adoption of the maintenance of new housing estates by local authorities
Okay. Can you give us an example of a local authority that has this at the moment?
, Petitions Committee
Evidence session - P-06-1307 The Welsh Government should commit to the adoption of the maintenance of new housing estates by local authorities
I just want to touch on something that Peredur mentioned. He asked you whether this is an issue across Wales—I think that's what he was trying to get at. With regard to the supplementary planning guidelines, is this something that councils across Wales are…
, Petitions Committee
Evidence session - P-06-1307 The Welsh Government should commit to the adoption of the maintenance of new housing estates by local authorities
I think what I wanted to check with you is whether there's some building reason that, when you start a development, you're not quite sure how things will be and whether that's the reason. But from your point of view, from a builder's or a developer's point of…
, Petitions Committee
Evidence session - P-06-1307 The Welsh Government should commit to the adoption of the maintenance of new housing estates by local authorities
No, okay, fine. Why can't the costs be agreed beforehand? What stops the costs being agreed between the local authority and the house builder or the developer at the time that the planning permission is granted?
, Petitions Committee
Evidence session - P-06-1307 The Welsh Government should commit to the adoption of the maintenance of new housing estates by local authorities
Okay. So, do you know—and say if you don't; don't worry, we certainly don't want to try and catch you out—whether this was an issue 20 years ago?
, Petitions Committee
Evidence session - P-06-1307 The Welsh Government should commit to the adoption of the maintenance of new housing estates by local authorities
Diolch, Cadeirydd. Thank you very much for attending today. Those were very useful answers to our colleague Peredur. I just want to ask a few supplementary questions. When did this start to become an issue? When did you realise that this was becoming an issue?
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Diolch, Weinidog. I wanted to touch on some concerns you alluded to with regard to the mobile dental unit in your answer to James Evans. I'm sure you're aware there was an article in Nation Cymru over the summer months about mobile dental units being…
, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: The Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill
Unlike Heledd Fychan, I didn't go to school the day after—I stayed at home after staying up so late for the Carmarthenshire result. But this was the exact argument that was used against establishing the Assembly in the first place. There is never an ideal…
, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: The Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill
Sorry, Llywydd. I just hope that a Labour Government at Westminster will not cause delays in this. We are keen now on reform because of who's in Westminster at the moment.
, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: The Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill
The other important impact of this Bill, and the future gender quota Bill, is providing representation for new and unique perspectives. Part of fixing the democratic deficit in Wales must be fixing the representation in our electoral system. I’ve written to…
, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: The Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill
When can we expect, Counsel General, the anticipated format of committees and the new roles that the Cabinet members will have within the reformed Senedd? I know it can't be definitive, but just so we can have an idea of what we can expect.
, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: The Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill
In a letter I wrote to the Prif Weinidog over the summer, I raised some concerns about the international evidence regarding the efficiency of zipping alone as a method of bringing equality of opportunity for candidates, but I'll save that for another debate…
, Plenary
Statement by the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution: The Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill
Thank you, Counsel General. I very much welcome your statement about the Bill. I understand why the Bill has been divided, but I hope that no government of any stripe would hold the view that it's a good idea to challenge a Bill that tries to make this place…
, Plenary
Business Statement and Announcement
Trefnydd, please could we have an oral statement on bus services across Wales? In my region, in Cardiff, the decision by Cardiff Bus to cut the main bus service—the No. 32—serving St Fagans village has caused great concern. This means that we don't have…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
First Minister, it's sad to note that Cardiff has lost one of the last nineteenth century streets in the centre of our capital city. The residents of Cardiff of a particular age will speak longingly about the Victorian swimming pool, the Guildford baths, that…
