Cefin Campbell: Thank you very much. Scab is a very important issue, again in relation to sheep in terms of animal welfare, and it's an issue that hasn't had sufficient focus over recent years. It is an extensive and increasing problem, unfortunately. The Welsh Government announced that it was to allocate some £5 million to help eradicate sheep scab at the beginning of 2019. It was disappointing that, in...
Cefin Campbell: Thank you very much. And the final question: Members will be aware that last weekend was designated World Mental Health Day. Given their nature, rural communities can be very isolated, and as a result of the lack of opportunities for people to meet with others on a day-to-day basis, families can often suffer social isolation with mental health problems emerging from that. Unfortunately, 84...
Cefin Campbell: Thank you very much. I'm sure that each and every one of you will wish to join me in congratulating the Welsh darts player, Jonny Clayton, on his excellent victory in the World Grand Prix of darts last Saturday evening, the first time he has won that championship. As it happens, he won by defeating his great friend and fellow Welshman Gerwyn Price in the final. In addition to winning the...
Cefin Campbell: Thank you to Sam for giving me a minute of his time to contribute to this important debate. Yes, we must recognise the huge contribution of the YFC, giving priceless experiences and skills for a lifetime for our young people. As Alun Davies said, we have seen so many of these young people developing and contributing to their communities when they're older and coming into very high positions...
Cefin Campbell: 3. How is the Welsh Government encouraging the recovery of rural towns in Mid and West Wales? OQ57126
Cefin Campbell: Thank you very for that response, First Minister, and I'm sure you would agree that the impact of COVID-19 and Brexit has been very damaging for our rural towns. What we see is a picture of decline in our main market towns across the region: shops, banks, pubs and post offices all closing; our town centres being empty and the footfall falling; public services cut and a number of areas having...
Cefin Campbell: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. Trefnydd, could I ask you for an oral statement on the latest situation in terms of the impact of the NRW advice on rivers in special areas of conservation that are sensitive to phosphates? This, of course, is having a major impact across the Mid and West Wales region. I'm sure that we all understand the need for clean rivers and unpolluted...
Cefin Campbell: 7. Will the Minister make a statement on the current regulatory framework for planting trees for carbon offsetting purposes? OQ57149
Cefin Campbell: How does the Welsh Government plan to ensure a supply of Welsh teachers as part of the strategy to reach one million Welsh speakers by 2050?
Cefin Campbell: Thank you very much, Deputy Minister. As you know, I've conveyed concerns several times in the Chamber about farms being bought by companies outside Wales for offsetting carbon emissions, and nearly every week we hear about examples of this happening. And as a result, we are losing family farms and we are losing good agricultural land, and we're seeing trees displacing people, with a negative...
Cefin Campbell: Thank you very much, Llywydd. Would the Minister agree with me that one of the most important things that needs to happen in order to ensure that more children benefit from Welsh-medium education is to ensure that qualified bilingual teachers are available to teach them? Now, whilst we recognise that there has been some progress since the beginning of the pandemic in terms of the numbers...
Cefin Campbell: Thank you very much. Well, I look forward to seeing the draft strategy. Just to follow up on that, I've been referring specifically to the statutory sector. The objectives of Cymraeg 2050 recognise the important role of further and higher education in delivering this vision of a million Welsh speakers. And you as a Government are duty-bound to ensure that learners and students have...
Cefin Campbell: Thank you very much. My final question is similar to a question asked by Laura Anne Jones, but I'm going to approach it from a slightly different perspective, namely the attainment gap in the data published by Qualifications Wales this week, which showed that there were fewer A* and A grades in examinations from children in receipt of free school meals as compared to those more privileged...
Cefin Campbell: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. The purpose of this debate is to raise awareness of an important industry that was once very prosperous in Wales, but that has, unfortunately, been in decline for many years. However, with dedicated support from the Government, it could contribute to the economic regeneration of our coastal communities—socially as well. We have poetry, folk...
Cefin Campbell: Llywydd, the UK Fisheries Act 2020 provides the framework for UK fishing policy post Brexit. The Act extends the Senedd's legislative competence to include the whole of Welsh waters, known as the Welsh zone. So, clearly, this is a golden opportunity to revive the industry and develop a strategy to move it forward. Now, the previous Welsh Government consulted on post-Brexit marine and...
Cefin Campbell: Unfortunately, within the programme for government in this sixth Senedd, there is no mention of fisheries and aquaculture at all. It is as though they did not exist at all. We can only conclude, therefore, that the sector is not a priority for the Welsh Government. The Wales fisheries strategy 2008 and the strategic action plan for the sector for 2013 are now out of date. The Welsh Government...
Cefin Campbell: Now, the responsibility for the management of marine fisheries in Welsh waters lies with Welsh Government's marine and fisheries division. This centralised delivery model was adopted over 10 years ago. It was anticipated this new consolidated delivery model would provide scope for the better use of resources, provide a coherent approach to managing Welsh fisheries and improve the fishing...
Cefin Campbell: It has to be said, therefore, that the effects on the fishing industry of leaving the EU, together with the tardiness in providing better management of fisheries, make the future of Welsh sea fishing extremely uncertain, which is a matter of great concern, of course. So, what sort of ambition does the Welsh Government have for creating a sector that is vibrant, sustainable and economically...
Cefin Campbell: Let me turn now to aquaculture. As the demand for seafood is increasing, technology has made it possible to grow food in coastal marine waters and the open ocean. Aquaculture is a method used to produce food and other commercial products, restore habitat and replenish wild stocks, and rebuild populations of threatened and endangered species. The Minister has already stated prior to the summer...
Cefin Campbell: Recently, I was part of a Plaid Cymru delegation that visited the pioneering aquaculture facility in Penmon, with the Member for Ynys Môn, and I saw the opportunities that the sector can bring to Wales. This is the fastest growing food sector in the world. The staff at Mowi Ltd in Penmon have broken new ground in using innovative techniques for producing cleaner fish species, placing these...
