Rhun ap Iorwerth: 'The provision of community benefits from renewables development is currently a voluntary initiative.'
Rhun ap Iorwerth: And that's one of the problems. I put forward a motion for new legislation to the Senedd recently after the Senedd legislative team confirmed that there would be a need for primary legislation to demand an assessment of community benefit of this kind. I wasn't selected in the ballot, but the debate is certainly still live. In that context, I welcome RWE's statement today:
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 'We support the concept that there should be a legislated standard amount of community benefit per megawatt or megawatt hour produced from projects that proceed.'
Rhun ap Iorwerth: That would, I think, be an important step forward. But benefit can come in other forms too. It can mean real promises for jobs—economic prosperity of that kind—strengthening supply chains; cheaper energy bills, possibly, or, more environmentally positive, investment in energy efficiency within those communities; charging networks for electric vehicles; home batteries or solar energy for...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. I think this has been a really valuable discussion, actually, and can I first of all thank the Minister for those words, when he said that he is coming close to establishing, hopefully, a body that will encourage and promote publicly owned energy in Wales? That sounds very much to me that Plaid Cymru's long-standing campaign to establish an ynni Cymru, an...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 7. Will the First Minister make a statement on the future of the port of Holyhead? OQ57079
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you. I don't know whether you saw it, but last week, the foreign office of the Irish Government published a map to celebrate the opening of crossing 44 from Ireland to the European continent. First of all, I'd like to confirm that the Welsh Government is urging the Irish Government to remember the importance and to promote the direct crossings from Ireland to Wales. But the busiest of...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much. This is an interesting debate, a first opportunity to scrutinise the winter plan. Unfortunately, we have no winter plan to scrutinise as of yet. I do appreciate the short briefing that was made available earlier today to members of the health committee on some of the principles underpinning the plan. I appreciate having a preview from the Minister today of some of those...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: It is a concern in several parts of Wales and for many organisations that the banking sector appears to be turning their backs on community organisations. We know that HSBC is going to start charging a fee for community accounts. It is something that several people have contacted me about—Merched y Wawr, for example, and local eisteddfodau. I encourage everyone to sign a petition by the...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much for the opportunity to take part in this short debate, an opportunity to say a few words and, very simply, to say thank you. That's what I want to do today, to say thank you to the YFC that provides so many opportunities to young people in rural Wales, to say thank you for an organisation that makes such a contribution to rural society in Wales, for an organisation that...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: The situation is still very, very serious in Wales. There is grave concern out there still. Yes, things are moving in the right direction, hopefully, but we are moving there from a frighteningly high peak in terms of the number of cases. And—let's be quite open about this—we're among the worst in the world in terms of numbers of cases. So many have been in touch with me expressing...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 'Why have you decided today not to wear a mask?' 'Oh, I don't know, there are not many people on this train.'
Rhun ap Iorwerth: That's what one person said.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 'I'll put one on if you'd like me to.'
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Well, that's not what's important here. The message has been lost. That was the case with the four people on the train, as with so many others. We are agreed, certainly, on the importance of vaccination. I'm very grateful to all of the teams implementing the booster vaccination programme. I am concerned that there are people who have had to wait longer than six months since their last...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 'if it becomes possible, through technology, to move lateral flow devices beyond self-certification'—
Rhun ap Iorwerth: and that was our great concern—
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 'then I agree that that would certainly be an important step forward.'
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Is there any update on that? It is true to say that we are at a crossroads now; people are becoming concerned about another COVID Christmas and now is the time to see the Government doing things to keep things tight—not just for the sake of Christmas, but it is a reminder of the need to take action.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you for the statement, Minister. The climate emergency, as we heard from the Minister, is a health emergency too, of course. Doctors are seeing the impact of air pollution. Extreme weather can be a threat to health and a threat to life. These problems will get worse unless there is action, and all our eyes are on COP26 in the hope of seeing signs that that is about to happen. The truth...
