Mike Hedges: 10. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the effect of agricultural pollution on Welsh rivers? OQ58423
Mike Hedges: Thank you, Minister. The Environment Agency modelling suggests that the sources of pollution in the Wye come predominantly from agriculture. Phosphorous pollution is known to cause the process of eutrophication in rivers, a highly problematic issue that causes excessive growth of algae, which smothers and blocks out light for other aquatic plants and animals. NRW said that 'phosphorus...
Mike Hedges: Can I thank Joel James for giving me a minute in this debate? In the nineteenth century, there was a belief that you could put anything into the sea and rivers and it would dissipate, no problem at all—it would just dilute down to nothing. In the second half of the twentieth century, we came to realise that this was not true and started to clean up our rivers. Unfortunately, we appear to be...
Mike Hedges: Swansea Council was never going to build 1,600 houses of its own. That would be more than they've built in the last 30 years. What they were relying upon is the private sector to build, and the private sector only builds when it can make a profit. The problem we have at the moment is, with interest rates going up, the private sector cannot make profits on these houses, therefore they've...
Mike Hedges: I very much welcome the statement by the Minister. We cannot continue to lose species. I'd take up more than my minute by listing the species in Wales that are under threat, but in biodiversity, of course, we need an equilibrium. We cannot afford to lose top-end predators. If we lose top-end predators, then animals lower down the food chain multiply massively, putting pressure on animals...
Mike Hedges: What action is the Welsh Government taking to support those who use British sign language as their main means of communication?
Mike Hedges: I would like to ask for two statements from the Government. The first one is on enterprise zones. There were eight enterprise zones created in Wales. The Finance Committee undertook an inquiry in 2013; there was a written update in March this year. I'm asking for an update on the planned future funding of enterprise zones. The second statement I'm asking for is on orthopaedic waiting lists....
Mike Hedges: I very much welcome the Minister's statement. I welcome measures to make it easier for disabled voters, both those with physical and sensory disabilities, to be able to get to a polling station. Sometimes, getting into the polling station itself can be very difficult for people who do have those disabilities. And what do people do? They don't bother, because it's too much trouble. I welcome...
Mike Hedges: 7. What assessment has the Minister made of the summer 2022 GCSE and A-level results? OQ58512
Mike Hedges: Can I thank you for that answer, Minister? I visited all the secondary schools in Swansea East on GCSE results day, and I visited those that had A-level results on A-level results day. They were happy with the results, but, as the Minister knows, there were problems with some of the questions set. He knows this because I've raised it with him on several occasions. What discussions has the...
Mike Hedges: I thank Plaid Cymru for bringing this debate forward today. I think we need to talk about housing much more often than we do. I believe housing is important, and until we deal with housing effectively to create a balance between supply and demand, there will continue to be a problem. A lot of the problems we have in education and health stem from inadequate housing. There are two answers to...
Mike Hedges: Please.
Mike Hedges: I think you've just made a number of builders very happy, knowing you would welcome large-scale building in Cowbridge and the Vale of Glamorgan. The UK Government's freeze on local housing allowances means that most people and families receiving local housing allowance rates face a gap between rates paid and their rent. This increases the risk of homelessness, as it becomes more and more...
Mike Hedges: Can I thank Luke Fletcher for giving me a minute in this debate? EMA is very important. From my time as a further education college lecturer in RCT, if EMA had not existed many students who went on to successful careers in ICT would not have been able to continue their studies. EMA provides the finance to allow them to continue studying and then move on to higher education. EMA allows those...
Mike Hedges: 5. Will the First Minister provide an update on NHS population-based national screening programmes across Wales? OQ58554
Mike Hedges: Can I thank the First Minister for that response? We have an excellent screening programme in Wales. I welcome the reduction in the age for screening for bowel cancer. I believe in the importance of screening, but it is unfortunate that people cannot get time off work to attend screening. Will the First Minister support all directly and indirectly employed Welsh Government staff being allowed...
Mike Hedges: I also believe that the views of local people are important. I more importantly believe that it is important to protect our national parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty and green belt—we all benefit from them. Does the Minister agree with me that it is important to protect these areas for future generations, as opposed to the Conservative leader in the Senedd, who said that...
Mike Hedges: Of course, if the Government came forward with legislation, you and the Conservatives would vote against it, and it would go down. I think that this is a means by which to achieve, meaning that it will happen. If you and the Conservatives could start voting for Government legislation, it might be easier to do it.
Mike Hedges: This investigation by the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee is, in my opinion, timely. Care homes play a major role in the provision of care to mainly older people, but not exclusively older people. It involves a large number of providers. Some are providers with more than one site, others have only one home, and there are some major providers, but each one of them is...
Mike Hedges: Will you take an intervention?
