Burns: Labour-Plaid budget fails Wales

Speech to the National Assembly for Wales.

"I thank the Minister for his motion, but my colleagues and I are totally unable to support it. I trust that he will not be surprised at that, given that the Welsh Conservatives have clearly and consistently highlighted the budget's poverty of ...

Burns: Cut red tape in the farming industry

Speech to the National Assembly for Wales.

"I am grateful for this opportunity to introduce this debate on the excessive burden of bureaucracy faced by farmers. I was delighted yesterday to hear the Minister for Rural Affairs announce a review; that is in line with our motion, calling on the ...

Burns: Frontline services to suffer under Labour-Plaid budget

Speech to the National Assembly for Wales.

"I thank the Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery for his written and oral statements and for the draft budget for the next three years. It really is a draft, is it not? 'One Wales' was recognised as being light on costings ...

Burns: Teenagers deserve respect and support

Speech to the National Assembly for Wales.

"First, allow me to tell you what this debate is not about. It is not about specifics such as child poverty in Wales. Organisations such as Barnardo's Cymru are far more knowledgeable, experienced and eloquent than I am. It is not about ...

Burns: Coalition under pressure from spending review

Speech to the National Assembly for Wales.

"Thank you for your statement on the outcomes of the long-awaited comprehensive spending review, which appears to have caused untold confusion in Wales, in conjunction with the pre-budget report.

The three most important issues for us to take from this are the fact ...

Burns: The need for Withybush hospital

Speech to the National Assembly for Wales.

"I deliberately chose to use the word 'need' in the title of this short debate in an effort to ensure that the listener understands why there has been such a furore over this Labour Government's hospital reorganisation plans, why the streets have ...