Rhun ap Iorwerth: Simply put, what I'm asking the First Minister to do today is to hold a genuine review of the decision not to proceed with the scheme for the Menai crossing. I note that the Burns commission has received a request to look at different options. I have put forward an argument to that commission for reviving this scheme. Of course, the roads review's focus on the environment was mainly the basis...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I would like to ask for a statement from the economy Minister, giving clarification about the process that will be followed—imminently, hopefully—for announcing the granting of free-port status to a port or ports in Wales, a decision made jointly, of course, by UK and Welsh Governments. And I'd like to place on record, again, my gratitude to Anglesey council and Stena for putting together...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you for the statement and for giving us prior sight of it. But I have to say that it’s an astonishing statement in many ways, and I’m afraid that it doesn’t seem to reflect the reality of the dental service or patient experience at any level. It’s another one of these statements that gives the impression either that everything is fine or that there are problems, but those...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: ‘Dentistry has been one of the more difficult services to recover following the COVID-19 pandemic and explains, in part, why people experience difficulty accessing NHS dental care.’
Rhun ap Iorwerth: That’s completely disingenuous, I’m afraid. Of course COVID brought huge challenges to dentistry, as was the case with all health and care services. But the issues in dentistry were very serious indeed before COVID hit. And things are getting worse; I am going to quote once again.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I have heard statements recently saying that NHS dentistry is now a two or three-tiered system, and the fact is that there has always been a private dental system—an established alternative. I think that many people will find it staggering to hear a Labour Minister referring so casually to that very real divide between the haves and have-nots. The Minister refers there to just the two-tier...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Now, the Minister refers to contractual changes, which were intended to enhance access to NHS services. She says that 140,000 new patients had been seen. On the face of it, of course, that sounds positive, but it's entirely clear that this is not sustainable. I was speaking yesterday to a dentist who is entirely committed to the NHS, who had succeeded in hitting that target and registered...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I am going to refer in my very last seconds, Deputy Presiding Officer, to the last statement from the Minister. 'In closing, to reassure Members that dentistry is one of my top priorities, I want to develop an NHS dental service in Wales that is fair for dentists'— it clearly isn't; they are leaving in droves— 'delivers for the risk and needs of the population'— clearly, it's not doing...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: May I echo the comments of the Deputy Minister in terms of our thanks to the health and care workforce for their tireless work? Thank you for today’s statement. There are very important principles here that we can all hopefully support, on the importance of supporting people to live independently in their communities and the need to transform services in a meaningful way to allow that to...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 6. What discussions has the Minister had with the Minister for Economy about additional financial support for Isle of Anglesey County Council following the announcement by the 2 Sisters Food Group regarding the closure of its site in Llangefni? OQ59316
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you for that response. There does need to be a response in terms of additional funding on many levels. This is a huge blow to us on Anglesey. I, of course, am in contact with many of those who are losing their jobs as they face an uncertain future, and I am asking for an assurance today that the Minister will look favourably at any applications for support for workers and their...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Just a few minutes ago I was asking the Minister for finance for support for Anglesey as a result of the closure of the 2 Sisters Food Group works. Additional funding that is becoming available now through the growth deal could be a way to provide support to the food sector in Anglesey as well. I'm eager to see whether that funding could be delivered to provide the food park that I've been...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Now, it's no small thing to ask a Minister to step down or to be dismissed, but, having seriously considered the issue, that's what I and Plaid Cymru did some three weeks ago, because we were convinced that the time had come for a new start.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: We can refer this afternoon to a catalogue of failings in the NHS under this Government's watch, this current Minister and her predecessors: the worst waiting times ever; the stubborn failure to change tack when it's been obvious that efforts to cut those waiting times weren't going to succeed, far from it; the crisis of ambulance waits; staff shortages; attitudes towards those taking...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: The Minister won't be removed today because Labour will win this vote. What I've said is that I see the importance today of having the opportunity to emphasise what it is that we're fighting for. And to me, it's about accountability. And I would hope that the Government and those on the Labour benches would welcome the opportunity to show that they want to be accountable. We need to know that...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I’ll pick on one word: ‘impossibility’. I do not believe it’s impossible for us in Wales to run public services better than we currently do. I do not think it’s impossible for us to put together a vision and to deliver on that vision in a way that delivers better healthcare than we currently see being delivered here in Wales today, despite all the best efforts of our health and care...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Just very briefly. On that very point, we are acting for the benefit of our communities here. I have a letter from the O.R. Jones company from Anglesey. Yes, they are calling for an extension of this funding, and for a longer-term investment in bus services, they're concerned about the jobs that would be lost if that didn't happen, but, at heart, they are concerned about the impact on...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I thank the Minister for the statement, and I'd also like to place on record my thanks for the Minister's approach on this issue. We've come on quite a long journey, I think. When the UK Government announced its free port prospectus, it was clearly unacceptable that they proposed to offer £26 million for English free ports, only £8 million for one in Wales, and some may have been happy to...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: May I thank the Minister for her statement? Perhaps the most significant thing is the fact that a piece of research has been commissioned by the Minister recently to try and better understand what people's experiences are in accessing primary care services, and what does good access mean to them. It's very important, I think, that we should understand this, because so often the patient...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 1. Will the Minister provide an update on the steps being taken by the Welsh Government to tackle poverty on Ynys Môn? OQ59349
