Mark Isherwood: On 28 October, the Minister for Economy and Transport issued a written statement on the north Wales metro. Within that, much of the content was actually taken from the North Wales Economic Ambition Board's growth vision and growth bid documents—from integrated travel zones to the Wrexham to Bidston route to road and rail infrastructure. Heads of terms on the growth deal were due for...
Mark Isherwood: As you are aware, Tata Steel in Shotton is a dynamic business and major exporter, but dependent upon the supply chain for sustainable British steel, and on feedstock from the heavy end in south Wales. On Monday, I received an e-mail, as did other Members representing the area, from Heathrow Airport, announcing that they're one of the 18 shortlisted Heathrow logistic hub sites, inviting them...
Mark Isherwood: 4. How is the Welsh Government supporting economic development in North Wales? OAQ54626
Mark Isherwood: Diolch, Llywydd. The report refers to a number of matters. We heard reference to substance misuse, homelessness, perhaps education and health as well, which relate to devolved services. You've also made reference to a number of non-devolved matters, such as probation services, but we know that they're being reintegrated with the prison system, and the proposals of the UK Government recognise...
Mark Isherwood: A fortnight ago, as Chair of the cross-party group on funerals and bereavement, I met Rhian Mannings, who is the founder and chief executive of the all-Wales charity 2 Wish Upon a Star, to discuss their work providing essential bereavement support for families who have suddenly and traumatically lost a child or young adult aged 25 years and under, which may be from suicide, or may be through...
Mark Isherwood: I'm sorry, I didn't speak very loudly. I used to work for a building society that’s now part of the Nationwide that you mentioned, and also as a voluntary member of a housing association board. I'm delighted you've brought this forward and emphasised that these are co-operative mutuals, and members pay £1 and they have a vote in their organisation. The transfer associations you've...
Mark Isherwood: You say you've never cut social housing, and I take it you're referring to this Government, because your own Government statistics will prove that they were reduced massively in the first three Assembly terms and flatlined thereafter. The social housing grant was still building social houses through registered social landlords, and by the time the Conservative Government left power in 1997 in...
Mark Isherwood: That was 2007. As the young people in north Wales told us then, mediation and early intervention are needed at an earlier stage—we need to go into schools and work with families before people become homeless. Several voluntary organisations, including Shelter Cymru, expressed concern then that many homeless or potentially homeless people were not being included in the homeless statistics....
Mark Isherwood: As our motion states, current policies to tackle homelessness and rough-sleeping are falling short of what is required. But none of this is new. Homelessness figures doubled during the first Assembly term, between 1999 and 2003. The then Welsh Assembly Government introduced non-statutory homelessness prevention measures during the second Assembly term to tackle this. Homelessness figures...
Mark Isherwood: Of course, I share your sentiments and pass on my condolences to the families of these people who've suffered a terrible, terrible experience, whatever their motivations in coming here might have been. It's actually several years since I first raised in this Chamber a concern raised with me that Holyhead was a soft spot for people smuggling into the UK. Haven of Light, a non-profit...
Mark Isherwood: Thank you. At the beginning of this month, all Members received an e-mail from the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists highlighting the risks if speech and language communication is underdeveloped. I'll mention a couple of things they did, but, for example, without effective help, one in three children with speech, language and communication difficulties will need treatment for...
Mark Isherwood: 8. What support is available for pupils with additional learning needs in Wales? OAQ54570
Mark Isherwood: Well, given the 53 per cent who voted in 2016, and the development of your arguments—a presumption that people knew more by the following years, and particularly up to 2019—19 out of 22 council areas saw a majority voting for the Brexit Party in the European election. In the Brecon and Radnorshire election, over half of those who voted, voted for strong, pro-Brexit candidates. Views...
Mark Isherwood: Can I call for a single statement on children educated at home? If a child is arrested they cannot be forced to give evidence. So, where a child is at serious risk of harm, a court order is required if the parent declines to consent to the child being interviewed. However, a concern's been raised with me that the Welsh Government's draft statutory guidance for local authorities on home...
Mark Isherwood: I've just finished.
Mark Isherwood: Literally my last words.
Mark Isherwood: Sorry, could you repeat that?
Mark Isherwood: We have to start establishing whether this has been properly monitored and enforced, and, if so, then look at this further. But I suspect that this isn't being properly monitored and enforced, and that's where we need to begin.
Mark Isherwood: During the second and third Assemblies, widespread concern about the impact on tourism businesses of the then Welsh Assembly Government proposals to change the qualifying criteria for self-catering accommodation was expressed by trade bodies including the Welsh Association of Self Catering Operators and Welsh Tourism Alliance members. Further to this, Welsh Government legislation recognised...
Mark Isherwood: Well, the social model of disability, developed by disabled people, says that people are disabled by barriers in society, not by their impairment or difference. Barriers can be physical, like buildings not having accessible toilets, or they can be caused by people's attitudes to difference. With that in mind, and as our report states, 'Blue badges provide a lifeline for a range of people in...
