Rhun ap Iorwerth: I'd very much like to get Welsh Government's help in protecting the ancient woodland at Penrhos coastal park in Holyhead. Permission was given around a decade ago to build a holiday park there; I don't think that permission should have been given then, certainly now, in the context of our new understanding of the depth of the climate and biodiversity emergencies and the appreciation of green...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 4. Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's role in the UK COVID-19 inquiry? OQ58457
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you. And the First Minister confirmed in a letter on 15 September that the Welsh Government had asked to be a core contributor to the first module of the consultation. We should have a separate public inquiry for Wales, of course, and my concern is that the Welsh Government sees its role as being a contributor when I want the Welsh Government to be the subject of an inquiry.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I really fear that we won't see the scrutiny of Welsh Government actions, good and bad, that Welsh people deserve. What we have, having refused a Welsh-specific inquiry, we see Ministers themselves commissioning community health councils to gather public opinion on the COVID response. There's the inquiry that Welsh Government has commissioned itself into hospital-acquired infections—pseudo...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: It's quite right, as I've argued, that we try to exploit the potential of a free port, but what I've called for is honesty about what the risks might be and the need to militate against that. It was disappointing that the Conservatives, including the local MP, were willing to accept £8 million rather than £25 million for a free port on Anglesey, and I'm pleased now that, working together,...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Llywydd. I'm pleased to present the two documents laid before the Senedd today, namely the annual report on the Senedd official languages scheme for 2021-22, and the official languages scheme for the sixth Senedd. Let me turn first to the annual report. Members will be familiar with the procedure of holding an annual debate on our work during the year. In accordance with...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I will now move on to the official languages scheme for the sixth Senedd. Those who are familiar with the official languages scheme for the fifth Senedd will immediately see that we have made a relatively significant change to the format of the scheme for the sixth Senedd. This is in response to comments made by Members and staff regarding the length of the document, possibly, and from time...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I thank both contributors for their contributions—Sam Kurtz and Peredur Owen Griffiths. Just a few comments from me, therefore, to respond. I thank Sam. Yes, it is important that we do as an organisation show leadership. Certainly, we want to show here, don't we, how naturally bilingualism can operate in one of the most formal situations...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you for the opportunity to speak in this debate, and I'd like to thank the petitioners, of course, for gathering the names in order to draw attention again to the critical situation that we are facing, in terms of the number of vacancies and the need to extend the legislation on safe nursing levels within our health service. And I will repeat that word: 'safe'. This is about patient...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Experiences of the pandemic, of course, only reinforced what we already know about the NHS and the nursing workforce—one that was suffering from staff shortages, low pay, low morale, one that operated in an environment deprived of investment and resources. It's no wonder that one of the biggest challenges we have is the sustainability of the nursing workforce. There are far more nurses...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I welcome this motion before us today, as we note Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month. Every woman in Wales and every woman across the world faces the risk of gynaecological cancer. It increases with age, but it is something that is a risk for everyone. But, of course, as with all cancers, the way to increase the chances of survival, if the cancer has an opportunity to take hold, is to...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: In May, I called on the Welsh Government to develop a bespoke women's health strategy for Wales. Such a strategy should focus on closing the gender gaps in healthcare, providing consistent investment, support and treatment into women's health. But, today's debate again exemplifies that there's so much work to be done still. Even before the COVID pandemic, which at times can feel is being...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Screening is vital when it comes to women's health. Many lives have been saved by an early diagnosis stemming from the screening programme. The movement towards five-year screening rather than three-year screening undertaken previously was based on evidence. It was the right decision, but it was dealt with in an unacceptable way, with poor communication, a lack of information, and that...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd, and I want to talk about mapping the Welsh seas. I'm pleased to have an opportunity to present this debate. I'm grateful to Sam Kurtz and Joyce Watson for showing an interest in the topic, and I'm more than happy to give a little of my time for them to contribute before we hear the Minister's response. One isn't selected from the hat very often to present...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Let me go on to a bit of context. For those who don't know the Prince Madog, she's a beautiful vessel and a highly specialised one. She arrived at Bangor University in 2001, replacing the original Prince Madog that had been operational since 1967. Throughout all that time, this unique Welsh asset has been used to teach many, many thousands of marine science undergraduate and higher level...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: What does detailed mapping of our seas look like? Let me describe it, with the help of a truly fascinating new book, a fascinating new study, published this week—I'm not here to plug it; it's useful to explain what I'm talking about. But you may have read about it, actually, or heard about it in the news this week. The study was done by marine historian Innes McCartney. It's called Echoes...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I want to conclude by referring to the name of this particular vessel. Who was Prince Madog? According to the legend, Madog ab Owain Gwynedd, according to the legend, was the son of Owain Gwynedd, the king of Gwynedd, who sailed to the American continent around 1170. He settled there 300 years before Christopher Colombus. The story is that him and his brother Rhirid sailed there in their...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Will the First Minister make a statement on orthopaedic waiting times?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: The First Minister knows that I've been raising concerns recently about staffing at Ysbyty Gwynedd, and rotas there clearly continue to be a problem. One recent e-mail from staff refers to the Hergest mental health unit, with staff morale at an all-time low, poor recruitment and retention, high sickness and poor working conditions. The result: more and more use of agency staff. When will the...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thanks for letting me sneak in, and thank you for the statement. I'll just make the case that, as well as spreading prosperity through regional working in general, I encourage Governments at all levels to think sub-regionally; it's not just the north, but Ynys Môn feeling that it gets a crack at the whip, and within Ynys Môn, places like Amlwch, that have suffered so much, feeling that...
