extra money for rural schools and to put major road schemes into the Welsh Government Transport Plan, including the Newtown bypass, Buttington improvements, the Four Crosses bypass, and the Glandyfi bends. He also promoted and secured free school milk for key stage one students in Wales, helped to establish the Small Schools Fund, and wrote a Biomass Strategy based on a local project in Llanwyddyn to provide heat and hot water for the school and surrounding houses. On agriculture, Bates designed the unique concept of Farming Connect, a free business advisory service to help farmers throughout Wales. He campaigned successfully for the creation of an independent appeals panel to resolve subsidy disputes. The environment was an important issue for Bates, and he was a founder member of the cross party National Assembly Sustainable Energy Group (NASEG) which sought to promote the development of a sustainable energy industry in Wales. Committee membership Chair of the Sustainability Committee 2007–2010 Member of the Rural Development Committee 2007–2010 Member of Legislation Committee no.5 2008–2009 Member of the proposed Environmental Protection and Waste Management LCO Committee 2007–2008 Chair of the Mid & West Wales Regional Committee 2007 Member of the Environment, Planning and Countryside Committee 2003–2007 Member of the Mid Wales Regional Committee 2003–2005 Member of the Economic Development Committee 2002–2003 Chair of the Legislation Committee 2000–2003 Member of the Environment, Planning and Transport Committee 2000–2001 Member of the Mid Wales Regional Committee 1999–2003 Member of the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee 1999–2002 References Committee Membership National Assembly for Wales Committee Membership External links Mick Bates AM official site Mick Bates AM official biography at the National Assembly for Wales website NASEG National Assembly Sustainable Energy Group Offices held 1947 births 2022 deaths Liberal Democrats (UK) councillors Councillors in Wales Liberal Democrat members of the Senedd Wales AMs 1999–2003 Wales AMs 2003–2007 Wales AMs 2007–2011 Welsh politicians convicted of crimes Independent members of the Senedd People from Loughborough English schoolteachers 20th-century English farmers Welsh farmers 21st-century English farmers