http://www.southwaleslibdems.org.uk/speecharchive.php Recent Speeches from Peter Black AM and South Wales West Liberal Democrats en-GB Peter Black AM and South Wales West Liberal Democrats http://www.southwaleslibdems.org.uk/ Prater Raines Ltd http://www.praterraines.co.uk/ (c) 2008 Peter Black AM and South Wales West Liberal Democrats 2008-11-18T15:08+00:00 United Kingdom http://www.southwaleslibdems.org.uk/speeches/000070/the_current_economic_situation.html Peter Black: Concentrating on housing issues, it is important to recognise that one of the biggest impacts of the economic downturn is that on people's housing and people's ability to afford either to stay in their present accommodation or to acquire new accommodation. The amount of negative equity is huge, though I do not think that we have quite reached the levels of the 1990s recession. Also, the level of repossessions is rising, and the Assembly Government has to address that issue, although we will also look to the UK Government to address the issue. 2008-11-12T00:00+00:00 http://www.southwaleslibdems.org.uk/speeches/000069/fuel_poverty.html Peter Black: I agree with Alun Davies's penultimate point, on the need for a level playing field in terms of the price that people pay for energy in this country. That has not been the case, as evidenced in the report and in other available evidence, simply because energy companies charge people differently, depending on the methods by which they pay. In doing so, they discriminate against those who do not have bank accounts, who rely on meters and who, effectively, are among the poorest in society. That is entirely wrong. 2008-10-08T00:00+00:00 http://www.southwaleslibdems.org.uk/speeches/000068/yes_for_wales__make_it_happen.html Deputy Presiding Officer I have had a request from Lesley Griffiths to intervene in this debate after I have finished speaking. 2008-10-08T00:00+00:00 http://www.southwaleslibdems.org.uk/speeches/000067/learner_travel_measure.html Peter Black: It has been a steep learning curve for me today in proposing the Liberal Democrat amendments. However, it has also been very instructive. We are, effectively, approving the Assembly's first Measure and putting into law an important aspect of safety in terms of learner transport. 2008-09-30T00:00+00:00 http://www.southwaleslibdems.org.uk/speeches/000066/learner_travel_measure__guidance_on_types_of_vehicle_and_their_operation_section_15.html Peter Black: Having listened to the arguments from Alun and others on the radio and elsewhere over the last couple of days, when I came to look at the amendment before us and consider what it tries to do with the guidance, I got the impression that everyone was talking about the wrong thing. I will explain what I mean by that. There are two levels on which transport to school is provided. There is the transport that is provided under local authority contracts, where the local authority has the power to stipulate various conditions for the type of bus to be used and whether those buses should have seat belts, closed circuit television, and so on-as long as they are prepared to pay for it, and that is the crux of this, is it not? Then there are service buses, which do not come under the remit of local authorities. Pupils will get onto these standard service buses to go to school, and pay their fare as they would for any other journey. Clearly, local authorities have no control over those buses, because they are provided by a private company on an independent basis. The power to legislate for those buses is not in the competence of this National Assembly for Wales but currently lies at Westminster. 2008-09-30T00:00+00:00 http://www.southwaleslibdems.org.uk/speeches/000065/debate_on_affordable_housing.html Peter Black: I propose that the National Assembly for Wales: 2008-09-24T00:00+00:00 http://www.southwaleslibdems.org.uk/speeches/000064/the_broadcasting_committees_report_on_the_future_of_public_service_broadcasting_in_wales.html Peter Black: First of all, I concur with the general conclusion that this is a substantive report, and one that has been drawn from very high-quality evidence and discussion, both among committee members and from witnesses. I must say that there has been some robust scrutiny of that evidence, producing a number of excellent recommendations, which I am hopeful that the Minister will largely be able to adopt when he comes to respond to this report in the autumn. 2008-07-16T00:00+00:00 http://www.southwaleslibdems.org.uk/speeches/000063/communities_and_culture_committee_report_on_the_voluntary_sector.html Peter Black: Like Dai Lloyd, I welcome this report, and I wish to thank my fellow committee members and all of those who came to give evidence. Their contributions were invaluable and helped us to put together the set of recommendations that we have before us. 2008-07-16T00:00+00:00 http://www.southwaleslibdems.org.uk/speeches/000060/youth_services.html I want to start by acknowledging the good work that is already going on around Wales by local Councils and young people's partnerships, in providing vital services for youngsters. This work helps to promote crime prevention, working across disciplines and within communities, it provides mentoring and positive role models, youth forums and play facilities, working in schools and promoting the involvement of children and young people in community regeneration. 2008-07-10T00:00+00:00 http://www.southwaleslibdems.org.uk/speeches/000061/alcohol_abuse.html Peter Black: It is not alcohol use that concerns the Welsh Liberal Democrats but alcohol misuse. Most people who drink alcohol do so responsibly, and respect their own health and that of other people. It is not a case of cracking down on people's freedom to spend their time as they wish; it is about ensuring that everyone can do so without there being a problem. 2008-07-09T00:00+00:00 http://www.southwaleslibdems.org.uk/speeches/000062/one_wales_government_anniversary.html Peter Black: A few Ministers, over the last few weeks, have said in response to several attacks that you have to be in government to change things. However, what is clear and what has been demonstrated in the 'One Wales' celebrations, and over the last year, is that it is no good being in government if you cannot deliver on your own targets and agenda. That failure has been laid out starkly for us in the Welsh Liberal Democrat contributions today. 2008-07-09T00:00+00:00 http://www.southwaleslibdems.org.uk/speeches/000059/the_housing_crisis.html Peter Black: I propose the following amendments in the name of Kirsty Williams. Amendment 3: add as a new point at the end of the motion: 2008-07-03T00:00+00:00 http://www.southwaleslibdems.org.uk/speeches/000058/the_enterprise_and_learning_committees_report_on_arrangements_for_school_funding.html Peter Black: I welcome this debate today and that the Enterprise and Learning Committee has undertaken this report. Had that not happened and we had not had this second report, there was a real possibly that the report of the Committee on School Funding would have been lost forever and that many of its recommendations would never have been implemented. The jury is still out as to whether they will be implemented, as it is out as to whether this latest set of recommendations will be implemented, but we need to remind ourselves that it is now over two years since that ad-hoc committee reported on this particular issue, and yet the vast majority of the recommendations have not been implemented. As is pointed out in the current report, some of the recommendations have had to be repeated, in the hope that the Minister will take notice of them this time. Some of these are key recommendations. For example, recommendations 19 and 21 of the report of the Committee on School Funding on grants stated that, 2008-07-03T00:00+00:00 http://www.southwaleslibdems.org.uk/speeches/000057/an_integrated_and_sustainable_transport_network.html Peter Black: I wish to thank Alun Davies, particularly, for his support on the cross-border issues. It is important that we start to tackle those; it seems to be something of an anachronism where you have free bus passes in England, and free bus passes in Wales, but cannot travel between the two countries using a common bus pass. That needs to be on the agenda for discussions between the two Governments, and should be resolved as soon as possible. 2008-06-25T00:00+00:00 http://www.southwaleslibdems.org.uk/speeches/000056/school_effectiveness.html Peter Black: I propose amendment 3 in the name of Kirsty Williams. Add as a new point at the end of the motion: 2008-06-24T00:00+00:00