Mabon ap Gwynfor: Yesterday afternoon, we learnt of the death of a man who played such a crucial role in the lives of so many of us. David R. Edwards died at 56 years old. Dave formed the band Datblygu when at school in Cardigan in 1982, and the band developed to be one of the most influential in the history of modern Welsh music. He was a composer and a poet, and his poetry was witty, tender, funny and...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...to bus services decreasing, and I'll give you an example: there’s a constituent from Aberdaron who has contacted me this week—Aberdaron in the Llŷn peninsula—and they have to receive further education in Coleg Meirion Dwyfor in Dolgellau, which is a good long way away, and they have to travel hours on public transport. Or, another constituent who contacted me, in Harlech, having to...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...we need to develop a five-year plan, which includes incentives for GPs, the creation of more GP roles, the creation of a recruitment and retention strategy for nurses, and investment in our medical schools. It's fair to say that we all appreciate our health and care services more than ever before. We have seen for ourselves the selflessness of the staff who have travelled that extra mile...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...nobody says that this would be perfect. What we are proposing here, and what I think that those benches over there don't understand, is that we are suggesting a pilot to see how it would impact on education, on agriculture and on all of the sectors. So that's why I don't understand why you oppose this; prove us wrong. A working week of four days would release more time in people's lives...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you, Trefnydd. You'll be aware of the huge growth in the number of cases of COVID in our schools. Over the last week, there have been 9,500 cases among young people under the age of 20—most of them in our schools. A year ago, there was clear guidance for schools in terms of face coverings, ventilation, social distancing, and so on. And indeed, independent SAGE scientists highly...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: 2. Will the First Minister make a statement on the role of teaching assistants in schools? OQ57082
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you for that response, First Minister. Well, teaching assistants are a crucial part of the education workforce of our nation. They prepare lessons for pupils, they take groups out to learn outdoors, provide one-to-one attention for pupils with additional needs, take lessons when teachers aren't available, among other things. As a former governor for many years, I saw the value of their...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...debate centred around the need for a COVID pass because of nightclubs, and that young people were going to nightclubs. But at that time the evidence showed that the infection was spreading in our schools, and it's been rampant in our schools for over two months. It's taken two and a half months for you to come to this Chamber and to say that you are going to take action in schools. So, I'm...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...continue to be stubbornly high and now we have the omicron variant that has emerged, with the statistics showing, or at least suggesting, that the disease is doubling on a daily basis. A number of schools in Dwyfor Meirionnydd have sent children home from school recently. My own son was sent home for 10 days from Ysgol Godre'r Berwyn in Bala because of the high numbers of children and...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...gave me a series of interesting statistics as we discussed the Government's policy in terms of procurement, and this is what I learnt. Thirty five per cent of the workforce in Wales work in health, education and care. As a result of that and the number of people working in the public sector, around 70 per cent of public funds go on different levels of wages. From public funds in Wales,...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...transport in rural areas also helps us to get to grips with some of the other fundamental problems facing us with regard to economic growth, providing employment, physical and mental health, and education and so much more. We heard many presentations by a number of people. I won't be able to go through every contribution, of course, but James opened the debate by talking about his...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...about varying pricing schemes when the money goes into private bank accounts. What they don't like is the idea of wealth distribution—someone's money going to pay for someone else's healthcare or education, for instance. At least be honest about it. Then, of course, there's the complaint that a tourism tax would make it hard for the sector during what it is a difficult time. And it is....
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...Meirionnydd, in Islaw'r-dref, for example, who can't undertake their business online, and they have to either move away or close their business down. I have young children who are exempted from school conversations because they can't access the latest videos on Netflix or YouTube, and so they can't take part in those conversations with their fellow pupils. Others can't do homework online,...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...a nation, or an online community. It's people and people's relationships with each other that should be at the heart of everything we discuss here: those little conversations between parents at the school gate at 3.00 in the afternoon, the children playing in the park on a sunny day, that question, 'Well, how's your mother? How's your father?' when you bump into someone when you buy bread...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...identified where there were vulnerabilities and came together to care for each other, as Sam mentioned in his contribution. How many times have we heard conversations in the pub or at the school gate, with people talking about a pub, old cinema, garage, old hotel, old chapel or an empty plot of land standing idle, and saying, 'I'm sure that something useful could be done with those...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...farrier. If we are to prevent TB, then we must prevent it from spreading. Measures must be taken to prevent it from getting to new areas and limiting it where it already exists. The key to that is education and support. So, it's concerning to hear that the numbers using the Cymorth TB Cymru support service are very low, whilst in England there's great praise for the TB Advisory Service,...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ..., namely the impact of this on Welsh-speaking communities. Therefore, although it's the environment Minister who will be responding, as Welsh-speaking communities are under the remit of the education Minister, I wonder whether the Minister for the environment could confirm whether the commission on Welsh-speaking communities will be looking at the challenges facing home renters as well as...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...colleagues Luke Fletcher and Carolyn Thomas said, internet access is one of the basic requirements of life in the modern age. Yes, it sounds strange, but it’s true. It is vital, for example, for school work, farming, running a business in terms of sales and marketing, keeping in touch with others and so on. All of us here, I’m sure, is reliant on WhatsApp to keep in touch and share...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...of them were from Wales. LABRATS International are calling for a national apology, a medal to recognise the service and sacrifice of these veterans, financial support for veterans and families, an education programme on the tests and their impacts, and research for descendants. Some of these things are within the competence of this Senedd. So, will you work with LABRATS and other...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...board, and to reverse the loss of local processing capacity. In public procurement, we should prioritise the purchase of Welsh-produced food. Local and regional public procurement—for example in schools, hospitals and council offices—can help create markets for local food businesses. Further to this, and I'm sure Peter Fox will lend his support to this aim, we want to see Monmouthshire...
