Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you. In March, Minister Hannah Blythyn AM raised the anomaly that people who work in local government are not able to put themselves forward for election for that same authority and that this would be addressed in the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Bill. Now, according to section 24, a person who holds a relevant paid office or employment is disqualified from being a member of a...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you. I recognise that it is pantomime season.
Janet Finch-Saunders: I welcome the fact that our farm workers are set to receive more pay, but, obviously, this will impact on increased farm costs. What actions are you taking to co-operate with buyers to help ensure that they take the increased farm payroll burden into account when setting prices for farm produce?
Janet Finch-Saunders: Of course, Scottish farm workers were given a positive boost this week as they are now in line for a 3 per cent wage rise. Here in Wales, the agricultural advisory panel proposed that the minimum rates of pay for agricultural workers increase by 1.8 per cent across all pay bands. [Interruption.] The consultation into this closed on 16 October 2019 and no summary of responses is going to be...
Janet Finch-Saunders: 7. What steps is the Minister taking to enable local authority employees and office holders to stand for election to that authority? OAQ54830
Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you to the Deputy Minister for introducing the report and the Government's response. Now, there are major achievements that we can all be proud of here in Wales, and that is the recognition and the work of our Children's Commissioner for Wales. When you think of some of the projects that she's worked on—. We now have the election of Youth Parliament, which we've worked together with...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you for taking an intervention. Recently, I've been contacted by somebody working within the medical profession in north Wales, and they state now that the health board under our health Minister is already, in terms of knee and hip replacements, actually dealing with America in terms of the provision of those knees and hips, and they're patented in America. So, why are we not buying...
Janet Finch-Saunders: —if it's so bad?
Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you. With Wales celebrating Small Business Saturday this weekend, it is essential that the Welsh Government, and you as Minister, are doing everything you can to support business development, and Aberconwy certainly does have a fantastic range of small businesses. Now, according to the Welsh local shop report 2020, 73 per cent of independently owned convenience stores fund investments...
Janet Finch-Saunders: 2. Will the Minister make a statement on grant funding for local businesses in Aberconwy? OAQ54790
Janet Finch-Saunders: Sorry, I beg your pardon.
Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you, Minister. The Welsh NHS saw the highest ever percentage of patient pathways waiting between 26 and 36 weeks to start treatment for oral surgery in September 2019. This is directly impacting on my constituents, such as one lady who has a seriously decayed tooth causing facial swelling, severe pain and high infection levels. She's already waited 33 weeks for a simple extraction....
Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. The Welsh NHS—[Interruption.] To be honest, if you really want to know—
Janet Finch-Saunders: Okay, well I'm quite concerned about the question I'm going to have to ask. The Welsh NHS saw the highest ever percentage—
Janet Finch-Saunders: I would like to endorse the thanks that have been given here today to praise Bangor University for its exceptional efforts to support student carers. It just shows what can be done—in four years, the university has, for example, created a student carers booklet; as has been pointed out, they've introduced a red wristband to help lecturers identify carers; and they've awarded £1,000...
Janet Finch-Saunders: 2. Will the Minister make a statement on urgent dental surgery provision in north Wales? OAQ54751
Janet Finch-Saunders: This brings me to the first priority—safely reducing the number of children in need of care. It is noted that, despite reports having researched the cause of increased numbers of children in care, these numbers continue to rise. It is too early to say that this is despite the First Minister's reduction in expectations. In July the Deputy Minister made a statement advising that only 16 local...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Wales, of course, has the highest number of looked-after children on record. There were 6,845 children as of 31 March this year, a 65 per cent increase since 2003. The change has been even more extreme in some particular local authorities such as Anglesey, seeing a 190 per cent increase, Torfaen 195 per cent, and Monmouthshire 250 per cent. Moreover, Cardiff had 380 more looked-after...
Janet Finch-Saunders: I'm proud to contribute to this debate, just knowing how invaluable our hospice movement is, and I would like to endorse Helen Mary's comments about the fabulous work that Mark Isherwood has done on behalf of the hospice movement. Long before I became an AM, I knew of Mark because of the work he did, so thank you, Mark. The Dying Matters coalition has concluded that 'It is in communities that...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you, Minister. Of course, the archival records of designated public record bodies in Wales are either transferred to the National Archives for preservation or in fact retained in Wales in approved local places of deposit. A number of Welsh Government records are held in Kew, such as board minutes and papers of the Welsh Development Agency, the Wales Tourist Board and the Land Authority...
