Darren Millar: Thank you. It's been acknowledged by the Welsh Government that not every part of the £1.20 for every £1 that comes is actually spent on the health service. The health service does not receive in Wales the £1.20 for every £1 that is spent, therefore there is capacity within the Welsh Government's budget to invest in our NHS and to reward, if the Welsh Government was so minded, the NHS...
Darren Millar: Will you take an intervention?
Darren Millar: First Minister, one of the things that has been welcomed by my party is the social care financial payment—the bonus payment—which, of course, many people are receiving in their pay packets this month. But those bonus payments must get through to everybody who is part of that social care workforce, who's been working on the front line during the pandemic, and that includes advocacy workers...
Darren Millar: Diolch, Llywydd. In your capacity as Minister for north Wales, what action are you taking to unlock the moratorium on capital investment in roads in the region?
Darren Millar: Thank you for that answer, Minister, but many people in north Wales will not consider it to be good enough. The Labour Party made pre-election promises that it would deliver significant improvements to the trunk road network in north Wales. You said that you would deliver a Menai crossing—a third Menai crossing—but it's been put on hold. You said that you would remove roundabouts in...
Darren Millar: But given that they are manifesto commitment, and you've just suggested they'll be delivered within the five years of the Labour Government's term, why on earth would you put them in the deep freeze in the first place? The reality is that they should be progressing, because you've given a clear commitment. I accept what you say in terms of your care for north-east Wales: that is a place that...
Darren Millar: That is unfair to north Wales.
Darren Millar: I move.
Darren Millar: 8. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the effectiveness of Natural Resources Wales? OQ57058
Darren Millar: First Minister, one of the key roles that Natural Resources Wales has here in our country is to support the Government in terms of flood risk management, and to provide advice and to follow up any floods that happen across the country. As you will be aware, there have been a number of flooding incidents in my own constituency in recent years in Abergele, Pensarn, in Ruthin, in Llanfair...
Darren Millar: Trefnydd, can I call for an urgent statement from the Minister for Health and Social Services in relation to the recent emergence of a story about Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board? There were reports over the last couple of days that emerged, which suggested that a judge had found that the Besti Cadwaladr health board was trying to strike out its name in a report, which was referring...
Darren Millar: Can I thank you for your statement, Minister? It is disappointing that it was trailed in the media for such a long period before it was made to Members of the Senedd, but I suppose that’s just what we’re getting used to here under the current Welsh Government. I think we’ve put on record the fact that we will participate in this commission. We’ve made that quite clear. We think it’s...
Darren Millar: Diolch, Llywydd. Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution, will you make a statement on your Government's position on further devolution to Welsh regions and local authorities?
Darren Millar: Thank you for that answer, Minister. In your statement yesterday, both your written statement and oral statement, there was no reference to the further devolution of powers from Cardiff Bay to Colwyn Bay and other places across the nation. Isn't it a fact that your Government, over the years, has been a Government that has centralised powers down here in Cardiff Bay, rather than actually...
Darren Millar: I can assure you I listened very carefully to what you had yesterday, and I didn't hear the words, 'devolution to regions and local authorities' at all. You talk about the empowerment of people and communities, but isn't it the truth that you’re simply after a power grab from local authorities and a power grab from the UK Government and that really is what the independent commission on the...
Darren Millar: Minister, you made reference earlier on to the need for Wales to have its population share. What about the population share of investment within Wales? You’ve referred to £1 billion having been invested or earmarked to date for these three metro projects, yet, of that £1,000 million, only £50 million has been allocated to north Wales. That’s a gross disparity in investment by your...
Darren Millar: This is your division that you've sown.
Darren Millar: What action is the Welsh Government taking to tackle hospital waiting times in North Wales?
Darren Millar: Minister, can I call for a statement from the Minister for Health and Social Services on the use of face coverings in churches? I was at the Principality Stadium over the weekend, along with over 70,000 other people, and I was able to sing 'Bread of Heaven' without a face covering in sight. Why is it that churches can still not sing hymns, and sing 'Bread of Heaven', unless they have a face...
Darren Millar: The Welsh Conservatives warned that the introduction of COVID passports in Wales would set a dangerous precedent, and it gives me no pleasure today to say that we were right. It's just a few short weeks since the introduction of COVID passports here in Wales, and yet, in spite of no clear or credible evidence that they have an ability to stop the spread of coronavirus, we find ourselves today...
