Mike Hedges
Welsh Labour Group Gŵyr Abertawe · Welsh Labour and Co-operative Party · Wales
“For the second time this week, I'm asking a question on the importance of life science. The Swansea bay city deal has formed key relationships with companies in the health and well-being sector ready for procurement.”
“A visitor levy is common across Europe. There are more than 60 destinations around the world where this type of tax is already in place. These vary from a nationwide tax in Iceland to various towns across the US. Some have been in place for a long time. France did it first in 1910, but most were introduced during the last few decades.”
“I'm asking for two statements. The first relates to the M4 between Llandarcy at junction 43 and junction 38, which has only two lanes. I spend a lot of time when I am travelling between my home in Swansea and the Senedd in a traffic jam between those junctions.”
“It is unfortunate that it appears the Cabinet Secretary took from our correspondence that the committee has called into question whether or not civil servants had been working hard on this matter. That is not the case.”
“Members will know that the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee considers all subordinate legislation laid before the Senedd, as well as all Bills introduced here. The committee has had first-hand experience of the volume of subordinate legislation being made or proposed by the Welsh Government.”
“Thank you, First Minister. Primary care is the basic building block of the national health service. It is estimated that 90 per cent of patient health contacts are with general practice. Swansea East is covered by some excellent GP practices.”
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“For the second time this week, I'm asking a question on the importance of life science. The Swansea bay city deal has formed key relationships with companies in the health and well-being sector ready for procurement. Led by Swansea University, the project has also utilised funding opportunities available for a skills and talent pilot project and been awarded £1.5 million from the digital infrastructure programme's 5G innovation fund. The project will deliver research and development, trials and testing facilities, enabling co-location of research and industry alongside clinical infrastructure and investment opportunities. Can the Minister give a further update on the £22.4 million bioscience grant for a training programme involving Swansea University?”
“It is unfortunate that it appears the Cabinet Secretary took from our correspondence that the committee has called into question whether or not civil servants had been working hard on this matter. That is not the case. As a wider issue, the Welsh Government will know of the committee’s views on Bills that hand over power to the Executive to fill in large legislative gaps using subordinate legislation. With more and more delegated legislation doing the heavy lifting, governments need to not just propose and secure the Senedd's approval of the primary legislation, but also bring forward on time the regulations that may actually deliver the overall policy intention. Again, in closing, I thank the Cabinet Secretary for the response to all our reports and for further information given to us via correspondence.”
“The committee’s predecessor in the fifth Senedd was also a key participant in the extensive amount of work required to make and approve the volume of legislation that was needed to deliver both the UK’s exit from the European Union and to support public health interests during the COVID pandemic. As such, it also understands the work undertaken by Government on these big issues. Nonetheless, the Senedd passed primary legislation in 2017 for the purpose of improving public health, which required the Welsh Ministers to bring forward subordinate legislation in order to fully implement the policy approved by the Senedd. Seven years is not an insignificant delay. It was for reasons of promoting good legislative practice that we raised concerns.”
“Members will know that the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee considers all subordinate legislation laid before the Senedd, as well as all Bills introduced here. The committee has had first-hand experience of the volume of subordinate legislation being made or proposed by the Welsh Government. More subordinate legislation has been considered by the committee this year compared to roughly the same point in the fifth Senedd. When the committee expressed concerns to the Cabinet Secretary and the First Minister about the time frame within which the licensing scheme associated with special procedures has been implemented, which is over seven years, we did so understanding that the Welsh Government as a whole has been bringing forward significant numbers and pieces of subordinate legislation.”
“Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. The Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee has reported on each of the draft regulations being considered this afternoon. Each of the committee’s reports is available via today’s Plenary agenda, as well as the correspondence we exchanged with both the Cabinet Secretary and the First Minister. I will direct Members of the Senedd to the committee’s reports for the specific matters we raised, both as technical reporting points and merits points. But I will take this opportunity to thank the Cabinet Secretary for the responses the committee received to its various reports. This afternoon my comments on behalf of the committee will focus on the Welsh Government’s approach to legislating.”
“What Taiwan has is a well-educated workforce, a strong semiconductor industry ecosystem, a Government that has offered generous incentives to companies that locate or expand their operation in Taiwan, and it’s worked to develop a robust supply chain for the industry and well-developed infrastructure. Can Wales create a strong semiconductor manufacturing base by copying what they’ve done in Taiwan?”
“Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I welcome the statement on compound semiconductors. The world produces more than 1 trillion chips a year, and modern cars need anywhere between 1,500 and 3,000 chips. The iPhone 12 reportedly has around 1,400 semiconductors. The top five countries manufacturing semiconductors are Taiwan, which is the largest, South Korea, China, USA and Japan; 90 per cent of all semiconductors are built in these countries. What we can see from that is that locality and closeness to market is not the key factor driving growth. What size market is Wales aiming for?”
“Why would a visitor levy affect Wales when it does not affect Spain, Greece and France, the three most visited destinations in Europe?”
“A visitor levy is common across Europe. There are more than 60 destinations around the world where this type of tax is already in place. These vary from a nationwide tax in Iceland to various towns across the US. Some have been in place for a long time. France did it first in 1910, but most were introduced during the last few decades. On holiday in Italy, Greece and Spain, I have paid the tourist levy. The argument against it is that it would increase the cost of rooms and reduce visitor numbers. That does not appear to have happened in the countries I have just named. As someone who stays in Gwynedd regularly, prices vary significantly. Staying in a chain hotel in Caernarfon, I have paid under £50 and over £100 per night for exactly the same room. Tourists add costs to the local council that are currently paid by the local residents.”
“I'm asking for two statements. The first relates to the M4 between Llandarcy at junction 43 and junction 38, which has only two lanes. I spend a lot of time when I am travelling between my home in Swansea and the Senedd in a traffic jam between those junctions. Will the Welsh Government consider banning lorries from using the outside lanes at peak times? Far too often, a slow lorry passes a very slow lorry, causing serious congestion. The second is a statement on life sciences, which is a rapidly growing part of the world economy. This should include the growth of life science employment in Wales and the Welsh Government's strategy to increase the number of life science companies and the number employed to numbers similar to the south-east of England, which would increase gross value added and the median wage in Wales.”
“Thank you, First Minister. Primary care is the basic building block of the national health service. It is estimated that 90 per cent of patient health contacts are with general practice. Swansea East is covered by some excellent GP practices. When it goes wrong, and patients cannot get appointments, then pressure increases on accident and emergency departments. The ability to get an appointment varies by practice. When someone says they need an urgent GP appointment, a practice telling them they need to go into A&E does not help the system. The system is also not helped by inappropriate referrals to a consultant. General practice needs to feel valued. Protecting a share of the health budget spent on general practice would be a good place to start. I have regular complaints about one GP practice.”
“against 20 mph; supporting the manifesto of one party; expressing a view on events being investigated by the ombudsman service. I would say that No. 1 is fine, No. 5 definitely is out. You now have to decide where in the middle you draw the line. I think that is something that we as the Finance Committee will need to have further discussions with the ombudsman about, because I think that it's only fair for the staff and the public in Wales that they know exactly what can and cannot be done.”
“While this case was straightforward and resolved thanks to the action of the ombudsman and the independent investigator, the ombudsman clarified that she believes there's a difference between expressing a view on a policy that affects everybody and actually making specific comments about a political party, which is the situation we were in. I will end by asking about five different actions, and would they be considered as showing political bias by ombudsman staff. Would the level of seniority matter? Would the area they're responsible for matter? On social media, liking a Daily Telegraph headline and article; opposing a major part of the Welsh or UK Government’s budget proposals; liking Senedd politicians’ political posts, e.g.”
“The committee agreed that this incident had negatively impacted the ombudsman's reputation and had the potential to undermine public confidence in its work going forward. I hope that won't happen. The committee unanimously agreed that the committee has confidence that the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales is able to undertake its work with impartiality and fairness. Should the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales staff code of conduct policies and practices relating to social media use be more comprehensive in relation to setting out the circumstances in which social media activity by an employee amounts to misconduct, both in their work and private life, with consideration of current case law in relation to freedom of expression and other relevant precedent cases? Most people working in the public sector will hold political views.”
“The ombudsman welcomed the report and the confirmation that decision making in respect of code of conduct complaints is free from political bias. She added: 'This review recognises the excellent work done by the Code of Conduct Team and we are pleased that the Independent Reviewer has stated that it should provide reassurance, to the public and elected members, that they can trust and have confidence in the work of PSOW.' The committee unanimously found this episode shocking and deeply regrettable. Independence, impartiality, fairness and openness are fundamental principles underpinning the role of the ombudsman. Any action that undermines confidence in the ombudsman is a cause of concern for all of us. Delivering on these principles is essential to ensure that the work of the office has integrity and public confidence.”
“That motion included an instruction to the Finance Committee, proposing that the Senedd, 'In accordance with Standing Order 17.2, instructs the Finance Committee to urgently review the operations, processes and investigation carried out by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales to ensure: 'a) that impartiality and fairness are present throughout the employment of the former Head of Investigations; and 'b) that the Senedd can have confidence that the office is able to undertake further investigations with impartiality and fairness.' Following allegations of political bias, the ombudsman announced on 9 April 2024 that an independent review would be conducted to provide assurance that its code of conduct processes were sound and free from political bias. The report of the independent review was published in September this year.”
“Just over a year ago, on 26 March, the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales received a substantiated complaint setting out allegations that a team leader in the code of conduct team had expressed a personal political opinion that included offensive language on social media. This was widely reported in the media. The team leader was initially suspended and subsequently resigned. In April this year, the Senedd considered and agreed a motion tabled by the Welsh Conservatives relating to Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.”
“For the final time, I’m requesting publicly that the First Minister brings forward proposals to postpone Senedd reform until after the elections of 2026.”
“Could voice-to-text be used for Plenary and committee meetings and then be checked for errors and corrected? Secondly, I support the committee’s recommendation that the Senedd Commission provides a list of planned projects for 2025-26, with estimated allocated funding for the start of the 2025-26 fiscal year, and for such an approach to be adopted for future budgets; that a capital programme plan is produced, and, if slippage occurs, projects can be brought forward, and, if the projects overrun on costs, then projects can be slipped into future years. The third point is that, if we go ahead with Senedd expansion in 2026, the costs involved are inevitable. I believe that Senedd expansion is being rushed and we all know that, when something is rushed, mistakes are made.”
“The Finance Committee noted the Senedd Commission’s draft budget 2025-26, and, by a majority, recommended that the Senedd supports this budget, subject to the comments and recommendations in the report, which the Commissioner responded to earlier. I was one of those who supported the budget proposals. I wish to raise three points. Firstly, the Commissioner explained how the Commission seeks to improve processes and efficiency. I believe that the Commission would benefit from a flatter structure. I know, from conversations that I’ve had with the Commissioner, that he doesn’t agree. What is the role of artificial intelligence and how can it reduce costs? Is there a role for the use of a computer translation service and then a check and correction of it by a translator, rather than using translators to translate all of it?”
“The relevant committees in the UK Parliament have suggested to us that laying a Welsh language instrument in the UK Parliament should be procedurally possible, and the new Secretary of State for Wales has indicated a willingness to take this issue forward. The committee wished to draw this matter to Members' attention this afternoon to highlight that, hopefully, we will see some positive development in this area.”
“Diolch, Llywydd. The Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee considered this draft Order in Council on 11 November. The committee report contains just a single technical reporting point in which we note that the draft Order was laid on behalf of His Majesty's Government before each of the four legislatures in the United Kingdom and is therefore in English only. This is permissible. That's not the question. Members of the Senedd may be aware that the LJC committee and its predecessors have for many years made attempts to seek clarity from the Welsh and UK Government and UK Parliament as to why legislation that affects Wales and was laid in this Senedd is being made monolingually in English. Some progress has been made.”
“The Welsh Government committed to write to us to advise whether the CMA has raised any concerns in relation to the LTT relief and, if so, to provide the Government’s response. The committee received a letter from the Cabinet Secretary on Friday, which we considered yesterday afternoon. While the committee notes the CMA made a number of observations in relation to the assessment of the wider free port scheme, we acknowledge the Government’s confirmation that the CMA has not raised any specific concerns in relation to the new LTT relief.”
“To achieve alignment of both these things on the chosen date of 26 November, the Welsh Government told the committee the regulations were required to be laid before the Senedd prior to the conclusion of the CMA’s consideration. The Welsh Government has acknowledged a potential to create a risk of claims of pre-emption. However, as it will not be possible to provide any LTT relief to the Celtic free port special tax site prior to 26 November 2024, the Government said this mitigates any risk. On the second matter, the initial Welsh Government response to the committee's report noted that the CMA’s report on the scheme was published on 1 November, and the Welsh and UK Governments had five days to pay due regard to its content.”
“The committee asked the Welsh Government to explain why the draft regulations had been laid prior to the conclusion of the CMA’s consideration. We also asked for confirmation on whether the CMA has raised any concerns in relation to the new LTT relief. On the first matter, the explanation the committee received from the Welsh Government stated that the Welsh and UK Governments want to align the coming into force of the proposed LTT special tax sites relief with the coming into force of the UK Government’s designation of the Celtic free port special tax site and the availability of the reserved tax incentives. Both the designation and the LTT relief regulations are due to come into force on 26 November 2024, subject to the relevant procedures.”
“Diolch, Llywydd. The Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee considered these draft regulations on 4 November. The committee’s report contains three merits reporting points. It was only to the third point that a Government response was requested. I thank the Cabinet Secretary for providing that response in time for our consideration of the draft regulations. In our third reporting point, we highlighted that the new land transaction tax relief is a subsidy and, as such, a proposed subsidy control scheme for Welsh free ports has been submitted by the Welsh Government to the Competition and Markets Authority. The explanatory memorandum notes that a report from the CMA on the proposed scheme was expected by 1 November.”
“In the early 1990s, Wales experienced a golden age of animation production. S4C was integral in helping produce a number of popular animated shows: SuperTed , The Shoe People , Sam Tân and Gogs . If you watch Cyw today, you will see programmes such as Peppa Pig dubbed into Welsh. Those are two very important sub-sectors. Can the Minister outline how the Welsh and UK Governments are working together to develop the creative industries sector, especially gaming and animation?”
“I very much welcome the Minister's statement. The creative industries have a high median income for those working in them. This is an area where Wales has underperformed compared with the UK, and especially London and the south-east, in terms of employment. I welcome the latest statistics from 2023 on sectors supported by Creative Wales, showing an annual turnover of £1.5 billion has been generated, an increase of over 10 per cent on the previous year. But I want to raise two sub-sectors. Computer games generate more employment and revenue than any other part of the creative industries. Dundee has created Grand Theft Auto . What is the Welsh equivalent? What progress is being made on esports? I know the Minister's got a personal interest in that. The other sub-sector is animation. S4C at one time showed large numbers of Welsh animations.”
“Thank you for your statement on winter fuel allowance. As someone who won't be getting it this year, on the first time he was eligible to get it, I think I can tell you I don't actually need it, and there are lots of people like me who don't actually need it. And to quote—[ Interruption .]—and to quote one of your colleagues, Darren Millar: why are we giving these things to millionaires? Same question: why are we giving these things to millionaires?”
“My constituents living there are frustrated about the amount of time Bellway are taking to carry out the necessary work. I welcome that you are meeting developers and impressing on them the importance of remediating fire safety issues. Will you be asking developers for an updated timeline for the remediation of each building, because it seems to be a very long time since Grenfell?”
“I agree with the Grenfell Tower inquiry phase 2 on the need for urgent and decisive action. I'm pleased that the Minister and the Welsh Government accept the recommendations of the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee. I welcome the commitment to introduce the building safety Bill before the summer recess in 2025 and to involve local authorities, who will regulate, in the development of the Bill. The involvement of wider stakeholders, including leaseholders, representatives of managing agents, and most importantly residents, is obviously welcome. I welcome the work being done to buildings needing remediation. Can I just talk about the Altamar building in Swansea, which is in my constituency? It's one of the buildings needing remediation.”
“Can you ensure that the people in the department that is responsible for it actually know they’re responsible for it, rather than passing my questions on to somebody else?”
“If we want to help the people who need help, then we desperately need an oral statement explaining how we can simplify it for those who have got serious conditions. The second oral statement I request is on the SA1 development in Swansea. This has been very successful, with the University of Wales Trinity Saint David acting as the development anchor, with both housing and businesses—including technological development, hotels and retail—opening on the site. It’s a very successful development on a brownfield site and can be used as an exemplar. Finally, could it contain an update on passing the development to Swansea Council, and support for the leaseholders on the site, and the work that needs to be done on the high-rise developments?”
“I would like to join with Carolyn Thomas and Mark Isherwood in asking for a statement on blue badges. I’m sure that everyone wants to ensure that blue badges are not being abused. Can the statement explain why people with a degenerative condition need to complete the whole application form again, as opposed to confirming they still have the same condition? There are a number of conditions that people don’t get better from. 'I am still blind' would be an answer—they don’t actually need to fill the whole form in—or 'I still have MS.' I completed it for my 93-year-old father-in-law a few years ago, who was registered blind and could not have got anywhere near completing that form himself.”
“Again, I reiterate that this scheme is very important to the area I represent, and, may I say, to the area you represent, First Minister.”
“Thank you for that response. The Swansea bay and west Wales metro has had considerably less discussion in the Senedd and in the media than the Cardiff city region metro and north Wales metro. Transport is as important into the Swansea city region as anywhere else in Wales. Will the First Minister provide an outline of the up-to-date plan for the Swansea city and west Wales region metro? Can it include the railway stations, bus interchange sections, and where buses and trains can be co-ordinated to aid passenger movement? In my constituency, I’ve got a railway station—the only Transport for Wales railway station—and the bus stops about a quarter of a mile away, which is fine in the summer, not so good when it’s raining. Can it also include a programme of work to identify when each stage is planned to be commenced and completed?”
“We have a duty to observe international obligations—the Government of Wales Act 2006 is absolutely clear on that—and how international obligations work on the ground is a key question for us all. When we considered withdrawal agreement compliance for the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill debates in 2022, Welsh Ministers left no doubt of the risks posed by non-performance of international obligations to Wales and to the UK. Here in the Senedd, we have a strong record of holding our international obligations in the highest regard. The LJC is the guardian and gatekeeper of this work. We'll continue to follow the matters debated here today with great interest, and I thank the Equality and Social Justice Committee for tabling this debate. Diolch.”
“The court held that pre-settled citizens, those with a temporary status, should not automatically lose their rights because they had not made a second application to upgrade their status to a permanent one. There have been around 125,000 applications from EU citizens in Wales to the EU settlement scheme. Some of them have been granted a permanent status, some a temporary one, and some no status at all. Others have not yet applied, and nobody knows who or where they are. Yes, the EU settlement scheme is complicated. But that should not mean that we shy away from implementing our obligations, nor fail to grasp what it means for the people and for us as a Senedd.”
“Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. The LJC committee is responsible for international obligations, including UK-EU agreements, and the withdrawal agreement is one of them. The committee is also responsible for the constitutional aspects of external affairs, and there are many resulting from the UK’s exit from the European Union. The withdrawal agreement governs this exit and, with it, guarantees the rights of European Union citizens and their families. Many of us will have followed the High Court case mentioned by Jenny Rathbone earlier, which held that the former UK Government’s approach to citizens’ rights was unlawful under the withdrawal agreement, a matter that should concern us all.”
“Thank you for that answer, Minister. In terms of co-operative housing, Wales and the rest of Great Britain have substantially less co-operative housing than Europe and North America. Why is co-operative housing so popular in places as diverse as New York City and Scandinavia, but has failed to become a standard form of accommodation in Wales and the rest of Great Britain? As we all know, John Lennon lived in the Dakota building, a co-operative apartment in Manhattan. Some progress has been made, but I believe Vancouver still has more co-operative housing than the whole of Great Britain. The Welsh Government has prioritised registered social landlords as a means to providing social housing. What further action can be taken to increase the number of co-operative housing units?”
“The Welsh Government has also committed to addressing the merits point as part of the 'correction prior to making' process, by inserting a hyperlink to improve the accessibility of the regulations. Diolch.”
“Diolch, Deputy Presiding Officer. The LJC committee considered these draft regulations early in October. The committee produced a clear report on the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research (Registration and De-registration of Tertiary Education Providers in Wales) Regulations 2024, which can be found on today’s agenda. Our report on The Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022 (Designation of Providers) Regulations 2024 contains two technical and one merits reporting points. The two technical reporting points in the committee’s report highlighted potentially defective drafting. The Welsh Government has accepted both points and has committed to make the necessary corrections prior to formally making the regulations, should they be approved this afternoon.”
“I would just like to remind people that a lot of those tips were made by Welsh coal mine owners. Will the Cabinet Secretary confirm that this is outside the Barnett consequential and can be added to in future years?”
“Taxation is not a burden, it's our entry fee to a civilised society. I welcome many of the measures in the budget, I especially welcome the increase in the minimum wage, for far too many people that is the hourly rate they will receive. I'm disappointed that capital gains tax and dividend income were not merged into income tax and taxed accordingly. Has the finance Minister discussed a technical change in how debt is calculated with the Chancellor? If borrowing to fund council housing was balanced by the value of the property, then, like financial transaction capital, it would not count against the public sector borrowing requirement. I welcome the acknowledgement of the safety threat disused coal tips pose in Wales and the provision of £25 million in 2025-26 alongside the Welsh Government's continued investment.”
“While I understand that this amendment was only tabled in the UK Parliament last week, it is not clear why the Welsh Government has not laid a supplementary legislative consent memorandum. I would be grateful if the Cabinet Secretary could confirm why he considers that the requirement for a supplementary legislative consent memorandum has not been engaged.”
“Given these statements, we recommend that the Cabinet Secretary should confirm whether this forthcoming primary legislation on railways has been considered as an opportunity to align the Senedd’s legislative competence with the existing executive competence of the Welsh Ministers in this policy. In the response to our report, you said you will continue to work with the UK Government on the detail of railway reform expected in forthcoming legislation. This doesn’t answer our specific query, and, so, I wonder if the Cabinet Secretary could provide clarity in his closing remarks. Before closing, I would like to address the Cabinet Secretary’s written statement that was issued on Friday. In it, the Cabinet Secretary states that the UK Government has proposed an amendment to the Bill that would add a new clause.”
“In our view, there are benefits to the alignment of the Senedd’s legislative competence with the executive competence of Welsh Ministers, not least in terms of coherence for law making and ensuring that law applicable to Wales is accessible. Paragraph 6 of the LCM states that 'The UK Government inquired whether the Welsh Ministers want these provisions to apply to their powers under the 1993 Act as well as those of the Secretary of State'. There is also reference in the draft explanatory notes to the Bill to the prospect of further, more extensive primary legislation on railways.”
“Diolch. The LJC committee reported on the Welsh Government’s legislative consent memorandum on the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill in mid October. The committee agrees with the Cabinet Secretary’s analysis in the memorandum that clauses 1 to 4 of the Bill as introduced, and its Schedule, are provisions that require the consent of the Senedd in accordance with Standing Order 29, in so far as those provisions made in relation to Wales have regard to devolved matters. In coming to this conclusion, the committee acknowledges that this legislation falls across what is devolved to the Senedd, what is devolved to Welsh Ministers only, and what is not devolved at all. We therefore agree with the Cabinet Secretary’s assessment that the Senedd could not legislate on the matters included in the Bill.”