Mark Isherwood: Diolch. This morning, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, we remembered the sacrifice of those who have served in the armed forces, and those in the civilian population whose lives were lost or irreversibly changed by conflicts since 1914. This cross-party motion proposes that we remember and honour all those who have lost their lives and made sacrifices in...
Mark Isherwood: This year has marked the eightieth anniversaries of Dunkirk and the battle of Britain and 75 years since VE Day and VJ Day. It’s also 60 years since the Malayan emergency ended; 38 years since the Falklands war; 30 years since our armed forces were deployed to the Gulf, following the invasion of Kuwait; and 25 years since the first phase of UK operations in support of peacekeeping missions...
Mark Isherwood: This year, we must also thank our armed forces for the significant peacetime contribution they've made to ensure vital NHS services still run and supplies are distributed to our important front-line services during the COVID-19 pandemic. As this cross-party motion states, the Welsh Parliament expresses its gratitude for the significant contribution made by the armed forces to the national...
Mark Isherwood: Diolch, Llywydd. The Secretary of State for Wales, Simon Hart, and the UK Minister for Business and Industry, Nadhim Zahawi, met Tata Steel early last Friday, ahead of the company's announcement on its commercial operations in mainland Europe. It was agreed that both UK Government and Tata Steel would continue to work together to protect the future of high-quality and sustainable steel making...
Mark Isherwood: The Welsh Government's Arbed programme, or area-based fuel poverty scheme, had to be investigated after it backfired on Arfon residents, whose homes were left damaged, unsightly and needing repair. Last month, the Welsh Government announced it has commissioned Miller Research to undertake evaluation of the Arbed programme to understand its management and delivery. The UK Government's greener...
Mark Isherwood: Diolch, Llywydd. I agree—there is no political argument amongst the big parties regarding this issue. The recent Building Communities Trust report, 'Building Stronger Welsh Communities: opportunities and barriers to community action in Wales' is about harnessing the strength and skills of local people so that they can build the social infrastructure and shape the services they want and need...
Mark Isherwood: Okay, well, I hope you can hear better and I hope that answer meant that you will be engaging them and communities not only in the design, but in the delivery and monitoring, where, as you know, I've referred a number of cases to you recently, but you felt that the Welsh Government could not intervene appropriately. As we heard, BBC Wales reported last week that nearly a quarter of the...
Mark Isherwood: I hope that means—
Mark Isherwood: Can you hear?
Mark Isherwood: Thank you. Well, I hope that means that you will also be engaging with them on delivery and monitoring. Crisis did issue the report you referred to, but they've also raised a number of Welsh-specific questions. They estimate that, on any given night, around 5,200 households in Wales were experiencing some form of homelessness in 2017, and that the housing need for people with an experience of...
Mark Isherwood: Corporatism is the theory and practice of organising society into corporations subordinate to the state. It is this approach that has been holding Wales back since 1999, swamping localism and thereby shackling social entrepreneurship and community innovation. This Bill, which could have driven the changes needed, has instead become a missed opportunity. In any body or organisation, top-down...
Mark Isherwood: I call for an urgent statement on support for small bed-and-breakfast businesses. When I asked you for a statement on this six weeks ago, I said the Welsh Government again excluded them from financial support to help them survive the pandemic, this time barred from a third round of the economic resilience fund. They were also deemed ineligible in previous rounds and have been denied small...
Mark Isherwood: I have nothing but praise for the heroic, hard-working medical staff working in our north Wales hospitals. Concerns lie elsewhere. In January, the north Wales community health council wrote to you, attaching the independent review of psychological therapies in north Wales, which described the service failing in many areas, and stating that after nearly five years in special measures, much of...
Mark Isherwood: I was also hugely impressed when I visited that school myself. It's an exemplar that others need to follow, because attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, can be masked in an education environment. ADHD, or other related conditions, are not as a result of environmental issues or bad parenting. How do you therefore respond to the Flintshire constituents with children at other schools,...
Mark Isherwood: Although I'm receiving a high volume of e-mails regarding COVID-related delays in the Welsh NHS, all recognise the hard work, dedication and commitment of staff in the healthcare sector. The Labour Welsh Government describes the increase in patients waiting for all treatments in the Welsh NHS compared to September 2019 as a trend that has been seen in all areas of the UK. This is of course...
Mark Isherwood: 2. What analysis has the Welsh Government conducted of the impact of coronavirus-related poverty in Wales? OQ55952
Mark Isherwood: Thank you. Well, Citizens Advice Cymru research, 'Facing the cliff edge: Protecting people in Wales from the financial consequences of Covid-19', in May, stated that, 'The Welsh Government must be proactive in encouraging people to check what benefits or support they are entitled to...This should include benefits and support schemes administered in Wales, such as the Council Tax Reduction...
Mark Isherwood: I look forward to speaking and listening at both Leonard Cheshire's young disabled persons' political engagement day and Disability Wales's launch of the disabled people's manifesto on Thursday. All public authorities have a duty under the UK Equality Act 2010 to ensure they meet the needs of disabled people and actively involve disabled people in the design and delivery of their services....
Mark Isherwood: Of course, in England, the proposals for pubs and hospitality are not the same with an absolute ban. It's a tiered approach based upon pragmatic considerations and real evidence. Typical amongst the deluge of messages I've received since your announcement are, and I quote, 'I appreciate this is a serious risk to ill or vulnerable people, but the measures put in place are far more worrying. Mr...
Mark Isherwood: 1. What guidance does the Welsh Government give to local health boards on the prevention of COVID-19 outbreaks in hospital settings? OQ55951
