Siân Gwenllian: 3. Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's efforts to recruit and train new staff for the health service in north Wales? (OAQ51084)[W]
Siân Gwenllian: According to figures published by the Welsh NHS Confederation in May this year, 141 medical posts in Betsi Cadwaladr health board were vacant, and this represents 37 per cent of all the medical positions that are vacant in the health service in Wales. We had a debate here last week as we discussed the Health and Social Care Committee report on medical recruitment. But despite all of the...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you, Llywydd, and I do move amendment 4. I will be using my contribution to this debate today to discuss why gathering performance-related data and publishing it in a way that can enable comparisons with other countries in the UK is important. Not only does it enable us as opposition parties to hold the Government to account, but it is also vitally important so that the Government can...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much for that specific example, which does draw attention to the problem in detail and does show clearly why we have to be much more organised and effective in the way that we gather data and use that data for the benefit of this nation. Thank you.
Siân Gwenllian: In accordance with the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 we need to establish public services boards in all local authorities, and each board needs to assess the economic, social, environmental and cultural state of the area and publish the results of those assessments, and publish a well-being plan that will outline local objectives according to the goals of the Act, as well...
Siân Gwenllian: In a letter to the Chair of the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee on 17 July, the Cabinet Secretary for the economy said this: it would not be wise to publish a national action plan for poverty. Isn’t this an entirely shocking statement? No particular action plan. No targets for the mitigation of poverty. No monitoring, because there is nothing to monitor, despite the...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you for holding this debate on the White Paper on the proposals for the Welsh language Bill. This consultation goes on until the end of the month and this debate is a good way of reminding people of the need to record their comments throughout the consultation before the closing date. We have set our viewpoint as a party very clearly through the medium of amendments that explain our...
Siân Gwenllian: Can we be clear from the outset? The proposals of the Labour Government are going to weaken our rights. Abolishing the role of the commissioner is going to weaken our rights. Going back to one body and expecting that to carry out two entirely different functions is weakening our rights. Putting the power in the hands of the Government instead of the Assembly in terms of determining who should...
Siân Gwenllian: According to the Aled Roberts review of the Welsh in education strategic plans, which was completed on behalf of Government—Aled Roberts states that the plans show that a great deal more needs to be done if we are to reflect the aspirations within the Welsh Government’s 2010 strategy, let alone the more ambitious requirements of the Government’s new strategy to reach a million Welsh...
Siân Gwenllian: Will you take an intervention on that specific point?
Siân Gwenllian: You talk about building consensus around the language, but, unfortunately, following the debate we had yesterday on the Welsh language Bill, it appears that that consensus is starting to be undermined. Welsh speakers in every part of the country, language bodies, and language planning experts, all agree that the Welsh language Bill will be a backward step rather than strengthening the efforts...
Siân Gwenllian: We do face a crisis in Wales in terms of the number of doctors. That’s very clear, and the crisis does exist in the wake of the failure of the Government to plan the workforce and to train new doctors, as well as recruiting from other countries. Plaid Cymru is a party that is striving to offer solutions to the problems that we face here in Wales, and this crisis is at its worst in north...
Siân Gwenllian: 1. Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's efforts to tackle poverty? (OAQ51171)[W]
Siân Gwenllian: You confirmed here last week that the Government won’t publish a poverty action plan. Now, this is a huge disappointment and matter of concern to Plaid Cymru and the cross-party Assembly committee who have been studying this area. I understand that you are eager to work holistically and work on a cross-departmental basis, but, without a central strategy that you can follow, the work of...
Siân Gwenllian: 10. Will the First Minister make a statement on the future of vascular services at Ysbyty Gwynedd? (OAQ51216)[W]
Siân Gwenllian: Given that the health board is in special measures, the final word on one of the crucial services of Ysbyty Gwynedd sits with your Government. The intention is to move the emergency vascular service away from Bangor, so if there were to be an accident in Aberdaron and someone needed urgent attention because of serious bleeding, then that person would have to travel 72 miles—an hour and...
Siân Gwenllian: 9. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on Welsh Government efforts to tackle child poverty? (OAQ51207)[W]
Siân Gwenllian: The use of food banks has increased over 500 per cent with a third of users being children, 31 per cent of children live in poverty, and there are 10 times as many people receiving sanctions at present, with evidence that the increase in the use of food banks is directly linked to sanctions and matters with regard to universal credit. Do you believe and agree that we need to transfer...
Siân Gwenllian: It’s a pleasure to participate in this vital debate today, and, as a gog or a northern person from the west, I will use my contribution to discuss north-west Wales specifically. One of my favourite practices as the Arfon Assembly Member is to chat to as many people as possible across the electoral area of my constituency. One of the things that is raised with me time after time, as with...
Siân Gwenllian: 8. Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's location strategy? (OAQ51234)[W]
