Extract from Welsh Assembly question on the 39 Lorry deaths in
Essex Rhun ap Iorwerth AM: What we need to do immediately, I think,
is to start to ask some of the practical questions about how and
why. These questions need to be asked alongside the police
investigations that clearly will be beginning immediately. How is
it that this lorry was able to pass through Holyhead undetected in
this way? Why did those on board, or others associated with this
tragedy, decide that Dublin-Holyhead was to...Request free trial
Extract from Welsh
Assembly question on the 39 Lorry deaths in Essex
: What we need to do
immediately, I think, is to start to ask some of the practical
questions about how and why. These questions need to be asked
alongside the police investigations that clearly will be beginning
immediately. How is it that this lorry was able to pass through
Holyhead undetected in this way? Why did those on board, or others
associated with this tragedy, decide that Dublin-Holyhead was to be
the chosen crossing? I've heard people complain that somehow EU
membership was to blame for Holyhead being a rather too open
border. Let me say that decisions to cut jobs over the years at
Holyhead have been nothing to do with the EU and far predate any
discussions on Brexit; they've been about cuts and austerity and
nothing else. So, what assurances have you sought, Minister, about
the level of border control staffing at Holyhead, including a lack
of permanent immigration enforcement officers? I and others, like
the Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales, , have long raised concerns about
fears of a lack of border resources at Holyhead. The commissioner
got a response from the Home Office when he pursued this, saying
the Government is aware of the vulnerabilities of the common travel
area—aware, perhaps, but what did they do about it in terms of
increasing resource...
Extracts from Welsh
Assembly debate on tackling LGBT hate crime
:...There is good work
happening and I am pleased that our police and crime commissioner
in north Wales, , is doing laudable work. North
Wales Police have two hate crime diversity officers providing
training to new officers to identify hate crimes. And the hate
crime justice board has also been doing good work across Wales.
Therefore, although the increase in the number of hate crimes
recorded by the police is heartbreaking, this may mean that there
is greater awareness and that that increase is emerging because of
greater awareness among the police and the public and that that has
led to an increase in reporting. And, of course, it is better for a
victim to be supported through these services, rather than
suffering in silence...
: I'll just say
that I'm not yet convinced of the link to points 2 and 3 of the
motion, and for that reason I don't propose to support the motion
today. It's unfortunate in terms of timing, because I'm very much
looking forward to hearing Lord Thomas tomorrow; I think he's
launching his commissioner's report on the Justice Commission for
Wales from 8:30 tomorrow in the Pierhead. I hope to see some
colleagues there, and I really want to listen to, read and digest
that report before considering our position on devolution of
justice. We're not yet convinced of it; in particular, I'd worry
if we were then to go from Police and Crime Commissioners who are
elected to a Wales-wide force. I know that Wales's Government is
doing some good things in some areas here, but that of itself
doesn't strike me as a sufficient reason to devolve the whole of
justice, but I will be reading very, very carefully what Lord
Thomas and his team say tomorrow. Thank you.
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Extract from Welsh
Assembly debate on homelessness
:...Amendment 11 asks the
Welsh Government to join us in campaigning for the abolition of
the vagrancy Act. It cannot be justified that we criminalise
poverty, and instead of using the criminal justice system in this
manner, Plaid Cymru would prefer to support people. So, I'd like
to ask the Minister, would you be prepared to instruct your
own Police and Crime Commissioners to
do what Plaid Cymru Police and Crime Commissioners have
done and support the revocation of the vagrancy Act and for the
police not to use those powers? I would imagine that there are
some Tories who may well now be regretting the creation of those
political police and crime commissioner posts now that they are
undermining Tory policy...
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