Speeches by Ranger.

“To build on this point, how does the OFI evaluate its activity in Wales in terms of effectiveness and value for money? Is there a mechanism that does that, or is it across the UK?”

“On that question, how future-proof are those markets to potential shocks, given global insecurity? Is that a consideration you look at?”

“The debate around the devolution of rail in Wales is absolutely worthy of further consideration, but I am not convinced that it would be right to do so as part of this Bill, which surely has to reflect the current situation, as the Minister is rightly pointing out. We heard evidence from a Transport for Wales official …”

“Some engagement officers are dealing with nine schools and several other things, and in other places you have almost a 1:1 ratio. How does that work in reality?”

“Thank you both for coming today. To add to that, you have the One Wales strategy, but it frequently treats community games like a monolith. What works for a small population club in Bala, for example, does not scale for a city like Wrexham, which is my area. How is the strategy nuanced to help with the differences betw…”

“You talked about investing in community organisations. FAW is doing lots of aggressive investment in 3G pitches, but rugby clubs are miles behind. Without those, they cannot generate passive revenue and all that kind of thing. That capital investment is really needed. The other thing I want to quickly flip to is whethe…”

“Last year, the Welsh Labour Government introduced a £1 bus fare cap for young people. Since then, these reduced fares have been used on 2 million journeys. Earlier this month, Welsh Labour announced in my constituency that after the Senedd election in May, we will build on that success with a £2 bus fare for all fares …”

“Q It is a very quick one, so you could please just give me a one word answer. It is a question to the whole panel. After all we have discussed, in your opinion, will this Bill produce a railway service that better serves its passengers? Emma Vogelmann: Hopefully. That is my one word answer. Michael Roberts: Not by itse…”

“Q I want to build on the points about mayors and the mayoral authorities, in the context of the devolved nations. There is a really complex picture there, particularly with cross-border travel and the different ownership of companies that may operate across the border. Do you think the Bill covers that adequately and c…”

“As per my entry in the register of interests, I am a member of Unite the union.”

“Q Mr Reeve, do you have anything to add? Bill Reeve: My Welsh colleague’s point about the importance of culture and behaviours and how that is given effect through the MOU will be the real test. As drafted the primary legislation seems fine, and there is indeed an obligation to consult on services that cross the border…”

“Q I live in north-east Wales, but across many other parts of the country the complexity of cross-border services is also significant. In the Welsh case, the Welsh Government own TfW, which carries out lots of services in north-west England and Manchester; there are other such examples around the country. Are the mechan…”

“Q On the devolution aspect, how does the Bill reflect the interests of passengers and businesses’ needs, particularly in Wales, and ensure that the Welsh Government have sufficient input into decision making? Keir Mather: The Bill requires the Secretary of State to obtain the consent of Scottish and Welsh Ministers bef…”

“Q Thank you both for coming in. This question is for both of you. Clause 80 of the Bill puts a duty on GBR to consult Scottish and Welsh Ministers if it appears that a decision that it makes would “significantly affect the interests” of the Scottish or Welsh economy, or persons living in, working in, or visiting Scotla…”

“Q When do you think the memorandum of understanding will be ready? Keir Mather: That is a very good question. The answer eludes me at this moment, but I am happy to either let you know or inform the Committee in writing.”

“I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this excellent debate and on his excellent speech. One of the most important and exciting aspects of SDCs, such as the excellent Xplore! Science Discovery Centre in my constituency of Wrexham, which neighbours his constituency, is their ability to reach those from disadvantaged…”

“That is a really important point. In north-east Wales there is various good third sector work going on.”

“I might be coming on to that. Is that the Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation (Wales) Bill?”

“I want to return to housing, which we touched on earlier when we were talking about probation. Minister, the UK Government’s decision to freeze the local housing allowance is potentially going to leave many low-income households at greater risk of homelessness. Do you feel that this could have an effect on prison leave…”

“So you do not think the housing allowance is really going to have an impact in terms of that work.”