Samuel Kurtz: I'm grateful for the opportunity to speak on this matter, considering I'm not a member of the committee, but particularly as the report is rather robust in its analysis and rather damning in its conclusions. My interest in this report is because my Member's legislative proposal is on improving inland waterways, and, obviously, water pollution affects my constituency. The first recommendation...
Samuel Kurtz: What is the Welsh Government doing to support major events in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire?
Samuel Kurtz: What support is the Welsh Government providing to people living with endometriosis in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire?
Samuel Kurtz: I'd like to begin by saying how relevant today's motion is, and I thank the Government opposite for giving us the opportunity to debate such an important matter, because, regardless of which side of the debate you're on, I think we can all agree that the quality of Welsh broadcasting, both in English and Welsh, is second to none. Time and time again the BBC, ITV, S4C and production companies...
Samuel Kurtz: As most of the Members in this Siambr will know, this week marks NFU Cymru's Celebration of Welsh Food and Farming Week, a fantastic celebration of Welsh agriculture, our world-renowned produce and climate-friendly credentials. Welsh farming is the cornerstone of Wales's £7.5 billion food and drink industry, employing over 229,000 workers and contributing millions of pounds to Wales's...
Samuel Kurtz: Diolch yn fawr, Weinidog. I appreciate your update and your earlier written statement on this as well, however I do wish to draw your attention to the support and assistance offered to individuals who have provided their properties as part of the Welsh Government's Homes for Ukraine programme. Having spoken to several Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire families who've participated in this...
Samuel Kurtz: 7. Will the Minister provide an update on the Welsh Government's Homes for Ukraine scheme? OQ58136
Samuel Kurtz: I want to very much echo the comments of the Member for Newport East—Welsh-based journalism and Welsh language journalism can play a critical role in delivering our fantastic language to a really important audience, especially in our rural communities. Having started my professional career as a journalist working for local newspapers—and I'm not sure if I'm now the dog or the...
Samuel Kurtz: Thank you to the Member for North Wales for bringing this forward. As someone who brought forward the statement of opinion on hedges and edges that the Member kindly co-signed as well, I think this is really important. The agricultural community absolutely has a part to play in this as well. It's about planting the right tree in the right place for the right reasons, and they are absolutely...
Samuel Kurtz: Thank you, and I do wish to thank you, Minister, for attending the Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee's latest session on investigating the nitrate vulnerable zones that Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru have endorsed. However, I was left with real concerns with the quality of the evidence. You've stated that the 170 kg per hectare derogation limit was established to tackle phosphorus...
Samuel Kurtz: Thank you, Minister. I understand that we're a very integrated UK market here, but there are many levers that this Welsh Government can have in convening a food summit. The First Minister then, I take it, misspoke when he said there had been a food summit—it was a food poverty summit. Yet, I really do think it's imperative that we do bring these people together at one opportunity to discuss...
Samuel Kurtz: Diolch, Llywydd. I refer Members to my register of interests. Minister, some two months ago, on Wednesday 23 March, Andrew R.T. Davies and I called on the Welsh Government to convene a food summit with all stakeholders to discuss global supply chain food shortages triggered by the current events in Ukraine. In response, you said, and I quote, 'I recognise the Tories here don't understand how...
Samuel Kurtz: Thank you for that detailed answer, Minister. I do briefly want to touch on two issues with the Welsh Government's local authority funding formula. The first is the disparity between the funding per head of an 84-year-old in comparison to that of an 85-year-old. Minister, you'll be aware that the former receives £10.72 per head and the latter receives £1,582 per head. Now, how can it be...
Samuel Kurtz: 4. How does the Welsh Government ensure fair funding for local authorities across Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire? OQ58107
Samuel Kurtz: Thank you to the Minister for having previous sight of the statement. As the Minister's recognised this afternoon, the Cymraeg 2050 strategy is ambitious and aspirational, but to safeguard the future of our language, we must ensure that our policies are innovative and that our leadership is accountable. In the year that I've been a Member, I've come to realise how important it is to remove...
Samuel Kurtz: I'm grateful to the Member from the Vale of Clwyd for bringing forward this short debate, and the Minister won't be surprised that I'm bringing forth the Argyle Medical Group and Argyle Street surgery as my example this evening. This is one of Wales's largest GP surgeries, with a patient ratio of approximately 2,506 patients per GP. This is a real burning issue in my mailbag, as constituents...
Samuel Kurtz: I refer Members to my register of interests. I don't think any apologies should be made for this debate this afternoon being not a comfortable one, and every contribution we hear is incredibly pertinent to this debate. I'd like to pay tribute to Sarah Murphy for sharing with us her incredibly personal story. Thank you for taking the time to share that with us. I don't believe this debate is...
Samuel Kurtz: Minister, the latest available figures for initial teacher education, ITE, qualifiers in Wales show that the numbers of students completing their course in Welsh universities or the Open University fell from 1,740 students in 2010-11 to 1,030 in 2019-20, a drop of some 41 per cent. With that decrease over the 10-year period, the pool of talent available to schools to recruit from has shrunk....
Samuel Kurtz: I'm grateful to you, Minister, for your statement. I recently met with a chartered surveyor representing an historic estate in south Pembrokeshire who are currently looking at plans to increase the viability of a pub, which just so happens to be situated next to a river. Part of these plans see accommodation being created in upstairs, first-floor rooms of the pub, currently used for storage,...
Samuel Kurtz: Minister, you mentioned wanting to be an early mover on this, which is something that I welcome, and given my constituency I'd like to focus on floating offshore wind. So, how are we best able to utilise the small and medium-sized enterprises that are already available who've been working in the hydrocarbon and petrochemical industries over the years, and utilise their transition away from...
