Rhys ab Owen: If we are to maximise our renewable potential, we must do so with our own two feet and our own two hands; we cannot rely on others, especially a disinterested Westminster Government. The resources of Wales should be governed by the Government of Wales—
Rhys ab Owen: —for the people of Wales, for the future generations of Wales.
Rhys ab Owen: It's as simple as that. Thank you.
Rhys ab Owen: The Crown Estate's control of our seabed, let alone large tracts of our land, means that Wales is losing out on a green goldrush that is currently benefiting Scotland, and this is the same thing that's happened across the centuries. And that's the irony of the UK's neoliberal energy market—state-backed energy companies from across Europe are taking advantage of Wales's resources and are...
Rhys ab Owen: Having been shocked by the progress made by the SNP after the independence referendum, the Crown Estate was devolved in Scotland, but the so-called voice of Wales in the Cabinet, Simon Hart, is against that; Wales isn't good enough for those powers, according to him. But the figures are striking. Listen to these: 27 per cent of Welsh energy comes from renewables, as compared to 61 per cent in...
Rhys ab Owen: We cannot allow yet again the resources of Wales to be exploited by others. Over a decade ago in this place, Leanne Wood said this: 'During the height of the coal industry, enormous profits were generated from the natural resources of Wales yet almost all of the money bled out of the country and lined the pockets of people elsewhere.'
Rhys ab Owen: We cannot allow this to happen again.
Rhys ab Owen: Wales can produce the power we need from renewable sources and export energy across the world. From this place, the port of Cardiff, global Wales, international Wales, exported coal to the four corners of the world. We can be a powerhouse yet again. What we cannot do is to wait and wait for meagre handouts from a disinterested Westminster Government. As seen in the future ports report,...
Rhys ab Owen: The stark warning from the chair of the Environment Agency in England is 'adapt or die', and we all know there is no Offa's Dyke when it comes to climate emergency. But we need to find Welsh solutions here for global realities. To do so, we need the control. We need the levers to make a real difference. Improvements in our constitutional arrangement have been frozen by the Tory Government in...
Rhys ab Owen: To tackle this crisis, the Welsh Government must seek the devolution of full energy powers. The Welsh Government should govern Welsh resources for the people of Wales and for the environmental and economic benefit of Wales, today and for the future.
Rhys ab Owen: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm fortunate enough to be able to walk along the River Taff to the Senedd, and, as I walk, I often reflect on how many of the areas around the river might be flooded within a few years unless we work together. And this is more important than party politics. We must work together—Governments on a global level and also the Welsh Government, the...
Rhys ab Owen: Thank you very much, Minister, as it is crucially important, isn't it? That's why we're here—we're discussing the future of these young people, and it was a huge disappointment, I'm sure, to most of us here today how few young people did vote: about half of 16 and 17-year-olds. Less than half of 16 to 17-year-olds registered to vote. Another problem is accessibility in voting. I remember...
Rhys ab Owen: 5. What discussions has the Minister had with the Counsel General regarding working with schools and colleges to ensure that more young people register to vote? OQ56947
Rhys ab Owen: When will the Welsh building safety fund be made available for applications?
Rhys ab Owen: Because this is the forgotten sector, the care sector—defunded, undervalued, and its workforce and the carers being underpaid. As Members of the Welsh Parliament, we must send a clear message to people out there today. What's the purpose of us otherwise, unless we can tell families, carers, residents in care homes and everyone living with dementia that we are going to change things, that we...
Rhys ab Owen: Can the Minister, in the future, outline to us how she will address this, the increase in the capacity and the calls by the Royal College of Psychiatrists for this to be done? I am glad that the unique work in Wales aiding early dementia diagnosis is being spread out nationally. I'd like to know when that will take place. As mentioned by Sioned and by Luke, charities like the Alzheimer's...
Rhys ab Owen: 'The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.' Sioned Williams, it's true that there is huge pressure on people like your mother as she cared for your father. I remember reading a diagnosis letter for my father in 2013, and I had no idea what the future held. And that's entirely true; you are entirely right that nothing prepares you for life with dementia. We need early support, and we need to...
Rhys ab Owen: Jenny Rathbone mentioned the need for more research—in this case, into air pollution and junk food. I can only give anecdotal evidence here, but out of three siblings, my father and his sister who lived throughout their lives in Cardiff had dementia, and their elder sister who is nearing 90 now and lived most of her life in a rural location did not. I think there's something in it, Jenny,...
Rhys ab Owen: As everyone else has done, I thank Luke for pursuing this, for tabling this debate. It was a hard debate to listen to—a very hard debate to listen to—you must have a very hard heart if you haven't been touched by the debate today, but I'm heartened to see cross-party support, to see us all willing to work together to tackle this important matter.
Rhys ab Owen: Paul Davies mentioned people with dementia not feeling like part of their community, and that's true even in an area like Preseli Pembrokeshire, where there are so many close-knit communities. I'm sure things are even worse in certain other areas. Paul mentioned the need for people to receive training on dementia. I've experienced on too many occasions responses that have been negative to...
