Darren Millar: Trefnydd, can I call for a statement from the Minister with responsibility for education in relation to student support during the current cost-of-living pressures? I have raised this in the past, but I haven't seen a statement on the subject. As you'll know, students at the moment—all students—are entitled to a grant of £1,000 per year towards their living costs. That is an amount that...
Darren Millar: I'm disappointed, I have to say, but not surprised to hear that the Welsh Government will be voting against this legislative consent motion today. And of course I rise to contribute to this debate as both an Irish and a UK citizen, and someone who has been a long-standing member of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, whose committee on European affairs I actually chair. So, I've given...
Darren Millar: Will you take an intervention?
Darren Millar: I'm grateful for that. Your own leader in the UK Parliament, Sir Keir Starmer, has accepted this—and I quote. He said: 'I’m not pretending there aren’t issues and challenges with the protocol'. He accepts it needs to change, and yet he's offered absolutely zero in terms of what he would change and how he would achieve that change. Can you tell us: how would you address the problems with...
Darren Millar: Can we ring the bell?
Darren Millar: This is an important—
Darren Millar: I will be short, and I'm grateful for the opportunity. In respect of the north Wales office, I have to say that as a local Member in whose constituency that office is based, I've been appalled, frankly, with the lack of engagement with me prior to a decision to close that office being made. I am also very concerned about the decision to co-locate the Senedd offices in a Welsh Government...
Darren Millar: I've come up with an alternative. I've suggested alternatives.
Darren Millar: Can I call for a statement from the Welsh Government Minister with responsibility for designated landscapes about what action is being taken to protect those landscapes from erosion as a result of off-road vehicles accessing them? We've got particular problems on Moel Famau at the moment, in my own constituency, where motorcyclists and others seem to be accessing the footpaths, causing a lot...
Darren Millar: Will you take an intervention? I accept the outcomes of referendums; it's a great shame that you did not accept the outcome of the referendum to leave the European Union. In your own constituency, 62 per cent of people voted to leave. How have you represented them over the past few years?
Darren Millar: Trefnydd, can I call for a statement from your colleague, the Minister for Health and Social Services, in relation to the situation at the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board? Members will be aware that there was some discussion in the media about a £122 million fraud investigation that is being undertaken by NHS counter-fraud at the moment, alongside a review by Audit Wales—a...
Darren Millar: Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, you've told us that we have a problem with not being able to attract sufficient staff—I accept that—but you don't seem to acknowledge that we do have a problem with having insufficient numbers of beds. Now, I've raised this issue a few times in the Senedd before, but I'm going to do so again. When will north Denbighshire get its promised community hospital? We...
Darren Millar: 4. What assessment has the Minister made of the impact of climate change in Clwyd West? OQ58920
Darren Millar: Thank you for that response. As you'll be aware, Minister, one of the biggest risks in my own constituency is the risk of flooding. We know that flooding is becoming a more frequent problem as a result of climate change and sea level rises. Along the coast, there's been significant investment in sea defences in recent years, and there are more planned for the Towyn and Kinmel Bay area....
Darren Millar: 3. Will the First Minister make a statement on the delivery of the north Denbighshire community hospital? OQ58958
Darren Millar: Thank you for that response, First Minister. I want to be the first to acknowledge the fact that the Welsh Government has indeed supported this project historically, and I would like to see this project delivered. I met just last week with the leader of Denbighshire County Council and, as you will know, one of their key priorities is the delivery of this project, not just because of the...
Darren Millar: Diolch, Llywydd. I'd like to raise a point of order, if I may, in relation to comments made by the First Minister during his exchange with the leader of the opposition during First Minister's questions. The First Minister indicated that the annual accounts for Cardiff International Airport Limited were in the public domain, and published every March. He indicated also that the accounts for...
Darren Millar: I think there has been a learning exercise, obviously, through this, and obviously it's been quite a detailed and time-consuming piece of legislation as well, largely because it's the very first of its kind. But also that's taking up capacity that the Welsh Government could be doing other legislation with, and there are a lot of commitments that have been made by the Welsh Government in...
Darren Millar: 12. What assessment has the Minister made of the health of the Welsh egg industry? OQ58957
Darren Millar: Thank you for that response, Minister. I'm very pleased that you do recognise the pressures that are out there in the egg industry. As you will know, Wales is the biggest producer of free-range eggs in Europe, and that is something that means that this is a particularly important issue for Wales, perhaps more so than any other part of the United Kingdom. But those pressures on producers are...
