Darren Millar: What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the adequacy of coastal flood defences in Clwyd West?
Darren Millar: First Minister, one thing that can be done is to develop more mindfulness practice in schools. The Cabinet Secretary for Education visited Ysgol Pen-y-Bryn in Colwyn Bay in my own constituency late last year, where she met some of the children and staff in the school that had been practising mindfulness, and they spoke passionately about the impact of mindfulness in their lives in helping...
Darren Millar: I’ve listened very carefully to your answers to these questions about the problems being faced by health boards, and I have to say I find it a little rich that you’re sitting there criticising the health boards, telling them that they need to get their act together in terms of the finances, when you’re responsible for one of those health boards that is in special measures. One of the...
Darren Millar: It’s in special measures for its management of finances.
Darren Millar: It’s one of the things that it was put in special measures for.
Darren Millar: Leader of the house, I wondered whether we could have a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure on the trunk road maintenance programme in north Wales. Many of my constituents and visitors to north Wales were massively inconvenienced over the weekend as a result of some of the roadworks on the A55 in the Conwy tunnels and, indeed, in Old Colwyn, in my own...
Darren Millar: Can I just ask you, Minister, given that this health board is in special measures—? We are almost two years into those special measures and one of the reasons it was put into special measures was because of the performance against referral-to-treatment waiting times, including on orthopaedic waiting times. Over the period it’s been in special measures, run, effectively, by the Welsh...
Darren Millar: One hundred and twelve weeks is the routine waiting time.
Darren Millar: Diolch, Llywydd. I want to move amendments 4 and 5 on the order paper, but I will not be moving amendment 2, as we intend to withdraw that amendment, with your permission, Presiding Officer, because we will be supporting amendment 1 on the order paper. I have to say I’m a little bit disappointed that this debate is being used to home in on one particular issue in one part of Wales. I think...
Darren Millar: I fully concur with those views. We’ve got to promote and we’ve got to persuade because there are some people who need more persuading than we’ve done to date. It’s not just in our schools; it’s our pre-school system as well here in Wales that needs to have the opportunity to grow the number of places and its capacity. It’s our further education sector in particular that isn’t...
Darren Millar: First Minister, will you agree with me that one of the ways to improve child health is to ensure proper access to school nurses across Wales? Will he congratulate the school nursing workforce that we have here in Wales that do an excellent job in terms of immunisation and public health messages in our schools, and, in particular, the unique Judith Jerwood in your own constituency, who serves...
Darren Millar: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and can I thank the Minister, also, for his statement? Can I put on record the fact that my party welcomes the appointment of Margaret Jervis to undertake this review of ‘Extending Entitlement’? I think that that’s an excellent appointment, given her experience with Valleys Kids and other organisations. I think she’s a very strong person to take on...
Darren Millar: 7. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the Welsh Government’s commitment to extend entitlements to free childcare? OAQ(5)0129(CC)
Darren Millar: I’m well aware of the pilots, and I want to thank the Government for making the statement about those very recently, but I am concerned—very concerned indeed—at the National Day Nurseries Association’s comments this week regarding the capacity of the private sector who want to work with the Government, as you will know, to achieve the delivery of this very important commitment. I am...
Darren Millar: I’m pleased to take part in this debate. It’s important that we have strong local government in Wales, and of course we’ve got some great examples of local authorities that are working for all of the people who live in those local authority areas, including, of course, Monmouthshire County Council in particular. We all know that there have been significant pressures on public finances...
Darren Millar: Will the First Minister make a statement on the performance of the Welsh NHS?
Darren Millar: Leader of the house, can I ask for a number of statements, please, the first from the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs on waste collection services? One thing that is exercising the minds of lots of my constituents, particularly in Conwy, is the roll-out of four-weekly bin collections, which of course has been supported by Labour, Plaid Cymru and independent councillors in...
Darren Millar: Cabinet Secretary, you made reference, in your response to Joyce Watson there, to transport infrastructure improvements, and, indeed, there have been lots of announcements in relation to investment that the Welsh Government wants to make, either on its own or in partnership with others in south Wales—the M4 relief road, new terminals at Cardiff Airport, the south Wales metro system et...
Darren Millar: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the investigation being undertaken by Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board into reports that the quality of care for dementia patients on the Tawel Fan ward at Glan Clwyd Hospital may have contributed to at least seven deaths? TAQ(5)0156(HWS)
Darren Millar: Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. These are very concerning remarks, which have been made in letters to patients’ families in north Wales. And, given that we are now two years into special measures, almost, and around two and a half years since the publication of the report by Donna Ockenden into the institutional abuse on the Tawel Fan ward, it will come as a serious concern...
