Speeches by Jones.

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stuart. I congratulate the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Ben Obese-Jecty) on securing this important debate. My constituency is home to General Dynamics, and its site at Pentrebach is where Ajax vehicles are currently assembled. I am here today to try to represent the…”

“I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend’s comment. It is important that we have certainty for those jobs and sustain and increase such jobs across south Wales, because that is integral to this Government’s growth agenda in communities in Wales and across the UK. Merthyr Tydfil has a long, proud and historical associatio…”

“Can I move us on to funding? We have two years, or thereabouts, until the royal charter comes to an end. How confident are you that the next funding arrangement will be adequate to meet S4C’s needs? What opportunities are there for you to input in the forthcoming funding discussions that you are aware of to date?”

“Building on that solid platform that you need, are there any opportunities that you are exploring for alternative funding to that funded by the UK Government? You mentioned the Green Paper. Talking about alternative options to the licence fee, are there any that you consider would be worthwhile to explore going forward…”

“Thank you, Chair. Lord Timpson, youth justice seems to be an area that is working particularly well, with good examples of partnership working. What do you put that success down to? Is there scope to replicate that in other areas of the justice system?”

“Lord Timpson, thank you for being with us. I will start by asking a question about the relationship with the Welsh Government. Could you describe your working relationship with Welsh Government colleagues in the justice area?”

“Is there a difference in north Wales in particular, in terms of capacity?”

“Thank you. Mr Barrow, could you talk a little bit about what plans there are to increase capacity in Wales, particularly for keeping young people who are offenders close to home?”

“I want to ask a question about the connection between the reserved and the devolved areas. Obviously, prisons and probation are reserved, and services such as education and healthcare are devolved. Do you feel that that helps or hinders the experience of Welsh offenders? I am not advocating for any further devolution o…”

“Since you have been in your role, have you ensured that the Ministry of Justice’s policies take the specific impact in Wales into account?”

“I have one final question. Are there any examples that you can think of where UK Government justice policy is particularly out of step with that of the Welsh Government?”

“Minister, it is good to see you. One of the questions that I had was around the local growth fund. You will be aware that local government has had a role in the shared prosperity fund in recent years. The consultation is under way, though I appreciate that it does not end for another week or two yet. Has there been dia…”

“I will move on to coal tips. In 2021, the Welsh Government estimated that the remediation cost around disused coal tips was in the region of between £500 million and £600 million. Could you set out the current position? Is that estimate still the case or has it been reassessed? In particular, could you give a breakdown…”

“As you say, it is two Governments sharing responsibility. That is positive. £220 million has been allocated for coal tip safety. Working with the UK Government, are you confident that the required level of funding will be secured to remediate all the coal tips within Wales?”

“In terms of moving forward and completing all the coal tips, even if the funding was available to do it all, there are contractors that will need to programme that work and there is a timescale involved. I appreciate that this is a little bit outside your portfolio, but do you have any views on that and whether the fun…”

“In terms of moving forward and completing all the coal tips, even if the funding was available to do it all, there are contractors that will need to programme that work and there is a timescale involved. I appreciate that this is a little bit outside your portfolio, but do you have any views on that and whether the fun…”

“As you say, it is two Governments sharing responsibility. That is positive. £220 million has been allocated for coal tip safety. Working with the UK Government, are you confident that the required level of funding will be secured to remediate all the coal tips within Wales?”

“I will move on to coal tips. In 2021, the Welsh Government estimated that the remediation cost around disused coal tips was in the region of between £500 million and £600 million. Could you set out the current position? Is that estimate still the case or has it been reassessed? In particular, could you give a breakdown…”

“Minister, it is good to see you. One of the questions that I had was around the local growth fund. You will be aware that local government has had a role in the shared prosperity fund in recent years. The consultation is under way, though I appreciate that it does not end for another week or two yet. Has there been dia…”

“I fully recognise the seriousness of the situation and the need to fully investigate, which must be the priority, and I fully agree with the Minister’s comments about the need to keep our personnel safe. As he knows, Ajax are assembled at General Dynamics in my constituency, where more than 700 dedicated employees are …”