Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you once again, Deputy Llwydd. Today, I want to draw the Senedd's attention to Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid-Bala Lake Railway, which travels from Llanuwchllyn to Bala and which, this week, celebrates its fiftieth anniversary since the first tracks were laid for the current railway. The original railway was part of a network that travelled from Ruabon to Barmouth, but like so many other...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. Let's be honest, this isn't really a debate; this is a desperate attempt by the Members opposite to get some social media clips in preparedness for tomorrow's election, but let's plough on nevertheless.
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Wales is a community of communities. That was the decree of some of the foremost leaders of the national movement, as it has been over the past 100 years, and I and others continue to share that message today. So, I am grateful for the opportunity to discuss this issue before us today. But the truth is that it isn't the Labour Party in Wales, or indeed the Conservative Party in the United...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Indeed, that was one of the few things that I did agree with in your contribution, Sam. The need to have that local ownership is greater than ever, and I certainly hope that we will see more of that during this Senedd, and we are already seeing cross-party support for that concept of having local ownership of community assets. Thank you very much.
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Time and again, we've been told that Wales is too small to be independent and that we couldn't survive economically. That's been the mantra for so long that we've come to believe it without even questioning it. But, times are changing, and people are now waking up to the idea that Wales could survive economically as an independent nation state in our own right. In fact, an independent Wales...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: No, I think what you'll find is that Ieuan Wyn Jones invested in the infrastructure of Wales and ensured that north, mid and south Wales were connected, meaning that we could take some goods around Wales, and linking up communities in Wales, which has been crucial for our communities. We'll continually thank Ieuan Wyn Jones for that work. But the fiscal policies that emanate from...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: May I echo Janet's earlier words and say how good it is to see the Minister back, and that she and her family have been in our thoughts during this recent difficult period? But thank you to the Minister for today's statement. Of course, setting housing quality standards is laudable, and we have seen improvements in standards for many of our homes. But the fact remains that a high percentage...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: 2. What steps is the Government taking to support credit unions? OQ58023
Mabon ap Gwynfor: I thank the Minister for that response. As a Member elected for the Co-operative Party, I thought that you would be particularly interested in credit unions. But, there is an economic purpose to the question too. Credit unions have huge potential in turning around the Welsh economy. Already, they have almost 80,000 members here in Wales, lending £23 million per annum. But this is nowhere...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: May I ask for two statements on roads from the Deputy Minister for Climate Change? First of all, may we have an update on Llanbedr and what's the latest, please? Unfortunately, there was a terrible road traffic accident on Sunday morning, the eighth of this month, and a gentleman had serious injuries. I'm sure we all wish him a good recovery. As a result of this, the road was closed for most...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you to the Minister for the statement. According to the Welsh Government guidance on the fund, the main purpose of the housing-with-care fund is to increase the stock of housing to meet the needs of people with care and support needs, to support independent living in the community for people with care and support needs, and to provide intermediate care settings in the community, so that...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you to James Evans for bringing this important question before us. What we've got here in Gilestone Farm is good agricultural land, and the danger is that we're going to see good agricultural land once again being lost for other commercial purposes. We know that the Welsh Government doesn't have a good record when it comes to buying agricultural land, because we've seen agricultural...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much, Llywydd. We've heard today already about food safety and security, and during the current food crisis that is worsening on a daily basis, the EU and the United States want to launch a new joint platform to secure food supplies and agricultural produce, improving global access to core crops and fertilisers from Ukraine and Russia. Of course, the EU plays a central role in...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: I thank the Minister for that answer.
Mabon ap Gwynfor: It was good to hear you say, in response to Llyr Gruffydd earlier, that you were concerned about the loss of land. And, of course, we know that land here in Wales is at a premium and we need to use it for food production. We've heard already today about Gilestone, and the way that the Welsh Government have bought a farm with good agricultural land for other purposes. We also know that large...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: 7. What consultation has the Minister had with fishermen regarding the establishment of an advisory group on marine fisheries? OQ58103
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much to the Minister for that answer. As you know, there used to be WMFAG—the Wales marine fisheries advisory group—which used to exist as a forum for stakeholders in the fisheries sector to share information, experience and expertise. Unfortunately, WMFAG came to an end around three years ago, and there has been no forum for fishers since then. Despite this, there has been...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much. Sorry—I did put in a last-minute request to participate and I'm very thankful for you allowing me to contribute. Thank you for the question, of course. Of course, one welcomes any steps that the Government can take in order to tackle the housing crisis, and I welcome what you've just said, namely that you are looking at exemptions for buildings with particular...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Just as decisions about Wales should be made in Wales, the funding allocated to Wales should be spent by the Welsh Government. That's a fundamental principle. Let's bear in mind that two years ago the Government in London announced the levelling-up fund, which was worth around £5 billion, for England only. It was only a year later that they acknowledged that some of it would be distributed...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Now, if we look at another aspect, looking at funding for COVID-19 and dealing with the pandemic, far from proving the strength of the union, the UK's pandemic response was in fact one huge subsidy to the south of England. The Centre for Progressive Policy has calculated that the UK Government spent £1,000 more per London resident than in Wales, and £6.9 billion more on London than if each...
