Rhun ap Iorwerth: May I thank the Cabinet Secretary for the update and, of course, thank the paramedics and those working behind the scenes in the ambulance service for all their hard work? Of course, I look forward to seeing ongoing monitoring of this programme. Certainly, the outcomes are the most important thing here, and therefore it’s difficult to disagree with a programme that prioritises the most...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: First of all, I would want to echo all of the comments made by the Chair of the committee. I do truly believe that there is value to this legislation. We will certainly agree with taking it to the next stage, where hopefully it can be strengthened and amended. But I think it is very important that we, at this point, are highly aware of the limitations of this Bill, in case we raise people’s...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Llywydd. I know that the Cabinet Secretary is placing great emphasis on developing the relationship with the north-west of England and, of course, it is a very natural relationship and a very important relationship. But, isn’t there a risk of losing sight of the importance of developing the economy of north Wales in and of itself, of developing links with the west in...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Cabinet Secretary, we have discussed winter pressures on accident and emergency departments on many occasions. We now have the figures for January, which show that, in major A&E units, just 74.1 per cent of patients were seen within four hours. Now, when those figures were released, I think the BBC report stated that: ‘Undoubtedly there will be sighs of relief in...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: It’s not an odd way of asking at all. It’s asking for your assessment of where we are. I would have liked to hear a much stronger message in terms of ‘there must be much more improvement’. Those figures for Wales—74.1 per cent seen within four hours—I’ll remind you that, in England, the figure was 82 per cent, the worst performance in 13 years, seen as a scandal and a crisis in...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: It is about tackling perceptions, though, and I’m slightly disappointed again. Data are very, very important. Quite often, the Minister claims an achievement and there are no data to back it up, when often there are data to back up where the problems are occurring within the NHS. There is an underlying problem, of course, throughout the emergency care system. We know there are people of all...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. It’s a pleasure to present this motion on 1 March, St David’s Day, and it’s a pleasure to wish everyone a happy St David’s Day—here in the Chamber and outwith the Chamber. Some may ask what role there is for patron saint days in the twenty-first century, but across the world, people and nations do use these days to celebrate and promote...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I’m very pleased to say that Anglesey was the first education authority to turn entirely to comprehensive education at the beginning of the 1950s. So, again, there are successes and innovation in education that we can be proud of. Lywydd, rwyf wedi paentio llun, gobeithio, o orffennol Cymru. Y cwestiwn yn awr yw sut rydym yn dysgu o’r profiad hwnnw ac yn adeiladu ar yr etifeddiaeth honno...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Could I thank everyone who’s taken part in this debate? Hoffwn ddiolch i bawb sydd wedi cymryd rhan yn y ddadl heddiw. Mae’r Gweinidog yn tynnu sylw at ble y mae’n credu ein bod yn gwneud yn dda. Mae’n iawn i ni ddathlu ein llwyddiannau. Mae’n iawn i ni dynnu sylw at lwyddiannau a chyflawniadau dynion a menywod cyffredin gwych yng Nghymru ar draws y cyhoedd a’r sectorau preifat....
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I will also draw the First Minister’s attention to a letter that I received from the WI branch in Llangoed, in my constituency, which makes the case for investment in midwifery services. They are particularly concerned about the sustainability of the workforce. Yes, you say that there has been investment in more training places, but does the First Minister agree with me that unless we see a...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you for the statement. I think I have four questions that I’d be grateful if the Cabinet Secretary could respond to. Survival rates have risen in Wales, as elsewhere. New technology and better treatment have ensured that and, of course, we welcome that, and there has been a clear focus on rolling out these new treatments and on improving survival rates. But the services that are...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Will the First Minister make a statement on phone signals on Anglesey?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I’m pleased to hear the Cabinet Secretary saying that she understands the importance of making the most of what we have left of the European programmes currently in existence. In the past I have discussed with her and her officials the possibility of establishing a food production park on Anglesey. Will the Cabinet Secretary be willing to consider that now, as one of the major projects,...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer, and may I welcome this motion, tabled by the Welsh Conservatives? I will move amendments that we believe strengthen this motion further. We are, of course, aware of the impact that securing quality housing, healthcare, education and being safe in the home, and so on, have on a child’s development. I’m sure that some of you will recall some...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I’m very pleased to open this debate. It is quite a simple debate, if truth be told, with a very clear focus. It is a debate on how we protect and defend some of our poorest families, and some of our most vulnerable families. It highlights a situation when, in reality, a policy that could be a good one could be actually depriving this very...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I’m going to focus, if I may, on why I believe the Government’s amendment to our motion is a failure to understand and recognise what is at stake here. A document sent to Assembly Members yesterday—I’m sure many of you will have had an opportunity to see that document—notes that Carers Wales, Contact a Family Wales and Learning Disability Wales are very disappointed that the...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Certainly.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I think you’re being mischievous. We are talking here about a fund that is not substituted by any other direct funding model by Government. That is why, I believe, it has been maintained by Governments in other parts of the UK. We need a realisation from Government that, despite the strengths, perhaps, of other measures that have been taken by the Government to support these families...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Certainly.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I would reiterate the point: there is no other direct payment scheme available. That is the value of the Family Fund in particular. Yes, there are other elements of Government support, which is indirect and of course can support families, but there is no substitute for the direct funding that goes to the poorest families. [Interruption.] Well, it is true, and we are talking about the most...
