Speeches by Medi.

“I have another question for Nadia and Mary. What are the challenges in ensuring that potentially contaminated sites in Wales are investigated and remediated?”

“Nearly 24,000 women and children have been killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023. In the light of evidence submitted to the UN Human Rights Council showing Israel’s use of starvation as a method of war, the denial of human rights and humanitarian assistance, and a concerted policy of destroying Gaza’s healthcare system, …”

“Wales has a higher percentage of disabled people and a larger public sector workforce than the UK, so we will be hit hardest by these cruel cuts. All that damage for self-imposed fiscal rules. There have been five major changes to fiscal rules since 1997. Will the Chancellor change the fiscal rules now, so that she doe…”

“I appreciate the Government’s intention to speed up the planning and development process to build the clean infrastructure that we need, but we should not be rushing through such a huge Bill, given its impact on our communities. Currently, under the Planning Act 2008, applications for development consent orders on nati…”

“I rise to speak in support of these Lords amendments, and I will speak today on those that would protect small businesses with up to 25 employees. In Wales, more than 99% of all businesses are small or medium-sized enterprises. Of those, nearly 95% are micro-sized, meaning that they employ between one and nine people. …”

“Wylfa is the best nuclear site in the UK, but the new national policy statement for nuclear energy has scrapped the list of best- suited sites. May we please have a debate in Government time on whether this Government are still committed to developing a new nuclear project at Wylfa?”

“Decisions made in London are risking the future of farming in Wales. Changing the funding model for agriculture from one that is needs-based to one based on the Barnett formula could lead to a cut in funding for Welsh farming of about 40%. That is despite Wales having a higher proportion of farmers than other parts of …”

“Looking back at historic underfunding, £2.4 billion is a figure that has been used for the underfunding for Wales. Would you recognise that amount of money?”

“Also investing in that fairly across the countries.”

“To come back on that, you mentioned the amount of money that has been spent recently, but obviously the underinvestment for decades now also has an impact. It needs to be recognised that the underinvestment of money coming into the infrastructure in Wales has been challenging as well. Having that conversation moving fo…”

“To follow up on the first part of that question, are you more persuaded by the case for devolving rail infrastructure to the Welsh Government now than you were maybe when you were giving evidence back in 2021 to this Committee?”

“Would you recognise that there is a lot more work to do in Wales because of that underfunding and underinvestment, and that there needs to be maybe more spend in Wales now to bring the rail infrastructure back up?”

“Infrastructure—£2.4 billion. In 2021 the Welsh Government said that there was historic underfunding of Wales’s railways amounting to £2.4 billion over the 28-year period from 2001 to 2029. Is that a figure that you would—”

“Thank you, Lord Hendy, for your response on the electrification of the north Wales line back in 2023. My constituency, which is only small, was promised something that was undeliverable and, as you mentioned, that was not funded. It is important for all of our constituents that we know what is possible and what is not,…”

“Diolch, Dirprwy Lefarydd. St David, the patron saint of Wales, was a renowned teacher, teaching his lessons across Wales. He founded monastic settlements and churches in Wales, Brittany and south-west England, teaching his message of discipline and living a simple life that shaped the communities he served. In the Wale…”

“I am not sure if the hon. Gentleman has looked at the ambitious plan he mentions and counted how many times Wales is mentioned: if he puts the word “Wales” into Google and searches that document, he will find that Wales is mentioned about nine times. That shows the lack of ambition for Wales. Wales has immense natural …”

“Small and medium-sized businesses account for 99.3% of all businesses in Wales. It is not simply their economic value that we measure, but the social and cultural value they create in our communities. Those businesses employ local people, keeping wealth in their area, and are a crucial part of a thriving community. Sma…”

“Diolch, Madam Dirprwy Lefarydd. The Government have tried to explain how devolution and the creation of a Welsh Crown Estate would undermine investor confidence, but that has not been the case for the devolved Scottish Crown Estate, which has raised £700 million from offshore wind investments since 2022. A devolved Cro…”

“I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.”

“New clause 1 transfers the management of the Crown Estate in Wales to the Welsh Government within two years of the commencement of the Act. The principle behind it is simple: the people of Wales should control and benefit from their own natural resources. For much of Welsh history, that has not been the case, with reso…”