Cefin Campbell: Will the Minister provide an update on efforts to combat the spread of disease in livestock in Mid and West Wales?
Cefin Campbell: Thank you very much. As we all know, sheep scab is a great concern for sheep farmers in Wales, and the disease has a very significant impact on the health and well-being of livestock. Across the UK, it contributes to losses of around £8 million in the sector per annum. As you've already explained, the Government is committed to eradicating sheep scab in Wales, and I particularly welcome the...
Cefin Campbell: I'm very grateful for this opportunity to contribute to today's debate, because it's vital that we draw attention to the challenges facing the health service to prevent those challenges from becoming normalised. And that's the big danger, that the current deficiencies become a normal part of the service in moving forward to the future. I also welcome this opportunity to call on the Welsh...
Cefin Campbell: Waiting for an ambulance is, of course, only the first part of the story. Critical delays in response times are being driven by overcrowding and a shortage of hospital beds at the other end, which means that patients are often having to wait for hours in cold ambulances outside emergency departments before they can be admitted. I was recently contacted by a constituent who told me about what...
Cefin Campbell: Amongst everything that is happening, the Welsh Government is in serious danger at present of losing the confidence and support of our health workers, and indeed the wider public, in its ability to manage the NHS. This is reflected in the fact that ambulance staff have now decided to take industrial action—something that I'm sure has weighed heavily on them. It's clear that we need to...
Cefin Campbell: What assessment has the Minister made of the use of bailiffs in debt collection on families living in poverty in Mid and West Wales?
Cefin Campbell: What is the Welsh Government doing to address the impact of the end of EU structural funding in Mid and West Wales?
Cefin Campbell: 6. Will the Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's policies regarding building electricity pylons in Mid and West Wales? OQ59095
Cefin Campbell: Thank you very much, Llywydd. Minister, I welcome very much the Welsh Government's commitment to ensure—
Cefin Campbell: Sorry, sorry.
Cefin Campbell: After a year and a half, I forget.
Cefin Campbell: Thank you very much, Minister. Yes, I do welcome the Welsh Government's commitment to ensure that the electricity needs of Wales in the future will be met from renewable sources, and that by 2035. But my question is related to how we intend to transmit that electricity across rural areas. Now, as you said, in areas of outstanding natural beauty or national parks there is an expectation for...
Cefin Campbell: Thank you very much, Llywydd. As you know, this is a very busy time for farmers, of course, because the lambing season has just started, and the weather is improving, people are tempted to go out for a walk with their dogs in rural areas of Wales, and this, of course, is a cause of great concern to farmers because of the attacks by dogs on farm animals. Recent research by NFU Mutual notes...
Cefin Campbell: 2. How will the Welsh Government continue to support rural development in Mid and West Wales as EU funding comes to an end? OQ59133
Cefin Campbell: Minister, the disappointing announcement late on Friday night that the emergency funding scheme for operators is only to be extended for three months has not brought the certainty that the industry needs. Alongside rising costs—fuel, maintenance and wages, et cetera—fare-paying patronage levels across Wales have only returned to about 65 per cent of what they were before COVID. I've heard...
Cefin Campbell: Thank you for that response. Across Wales, as you know, some 1,200 socioeconomic projects have been funded under the current rural development plan, and these projects have included a range of activities, including facilitating access to crucial community services in rural areas. Organisations in my region, of course, have expressed concerns about their future when this funding comes to an...
Cefin Campbell: 3. Will the Commission provide an update on the extent to which it is meeting its key performance indicators for the sixth Senedd? OQ59186
Cefin Campbell: Thank you very much for that confirmation. Therefore, the figures are on their way, and I look forward to seeing those. And I'm particularly interested, as I'm sure many in the Chamber are, in the Commission's attempts to increase the spending of the Commission on Welsh providers in order to use the public pound for the benefit of our local communities and the people of Wales. There are many...
Cefin Campbell: 8. How is the Welsh Government supporting women with endometriosis in Mid and West Wales? OQ59227
Cefin Campbell: Thank you very much. As today is International Women's Day, and it's Endometriosis Awareness Month, as you will have heard me say in the past in this Chamber, I receive a great deal of correspondence from women in west Wales that demonstrates that the provision for women suffering endometriosis is nowhere near good enough. In terms of the women and girls health plan, across the 29 conditions...
