Rhun ap Iorwerth: Would you add to that list of partners you want to work with, especially when it comes to monitoring in future, the citizen scientists that have been playing an important role in emphasising the risks? I'd like you to join me in congratulating Surfers Against Sewage for the work that they have done to highlight the problems that we face here. Recommendation 4 does emphasise, doesn't it, the...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm here today and this motion has been tabled to encourage you to get excited about hydrogen.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I want this Parliament and the Welsh Government to get excited about hydrogen. I can tell you now what I'd like to hear from the Minister. Quite simply, I want the Minister to say, 'I am serious about wanting Wales to be a player in the emerging hydrogen sector.' I'm determined that, with a clear strategy and well-targeted investment, we can maximise the massive opportunities that the...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: We're talking about a transition here from the fossil fuel economy to a low-carbon economy, and hydrogen really is a keystone. It can support all priority areas, if you look at it, within the programmes of UK and devolved Governments in green technology, in innovation, clean growth, green recovery and the infrastructure needed in that drive to net zero. And, of course, there are elements that...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Llywydd, and thank you to everyone who's contributed to this debate this afternoon. I thank the Minister for her response. I won't speak for too long, I think that the excitement is there and is shared across the benches here in terms of the scope to develop a new sector here and to be at the forefront. We heard the Minister listing all of those elements of hydrogen...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 2. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the value of trees to a healthy environment? OQ58230
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you for that response.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I think we're all in principle in favour of planting a lot more trees, although, I must say, I have real concern about decisions taken by Welsh Government to buy good agricultural land to plant trees on. But that's not the focus of my question today; it's about protecting the trees we already have. In Holyhead, there's real anger about the plans that have been in place for a decade or so now...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 6. What action is the Welsh Government taking to support pupils taking their exams this year given the impact of COVID? OQ58231
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much for that response. I declare an interest as the father of one pupil who's studying A-levels, but I know that I speak on behalf of many other pupils and parents who are very concerned about the A-level exams this year in the context of COVID. These are students who've never sat an external exam before because their GCSEs and AS-levels were cancelled. Yet, a greater...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 4. Will the First Minister provide an update on the Welsh Government's cancer services action plan? OQ58285
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much for that response. I have just sponsored an event celebrating the twentieth anniversary of Cancer Research UK, and, while celebrating the work that has been done through research to improve survival rates, there was a warning that we're in danger of seeing the progress coming to an end now. The impact of the pandemic has meant that people are waiting 16 times longer than...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 'We need a sense of urgency'.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: That's what the chief executive of Cancer Research UK said today, because I'm afraid we haven't seen that sense of urgency from the Welsh Government recently.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I thank the Minister for the statement. I know he shares my frustration about the way this has been handled, the seeming indecision of UK Government about these elements of border control and the implications of that, of course, for Welsh Government, for local government and also for the community of Holyhead. It's with regret again that we hear of what appears to be more lack of fundamental...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Since 2018, the policy in Wales is that eye care and the kind of care that is provided is based on the level of risk. It was innovative in that regard, with patients being seen according to how much risk they face. And the highest risk factor is for those who face the risk of irreversible harm. And for people with eye problems, that means the risk of losing their sight. Now, in order for a...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: First of all, may I thank my fellow committee members for having collaborated with you on this report? I'd like to thank the clerking team and the wider support team and the research team, and everyone who shared with us as a committee their experiences and their expertise as we tried to better understand the impact of long waiting times for treatment. We're at risk at the moment of almost...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd. I move those amendments. This is a very important debate. It's a timely debate, and I'm very pleased that the motion was put forward by the Conservatives. I attended an event in Cardiff Bay earlier this month—the Deputy Minister spoke during that event—organised by Diabetes UK Cymru and sponsored by James Evans, where attention was given to a campaign...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I'll conclude my contribution now. We have to make that shift from needing to spend a great deal because we fail to treat people in time to spending less through preventing these issues in the first instance, and this is an excellent example of that.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you to the Minister for the statement on the quality statement. It's a significant step, I think. Two months have passed since we in Plaid Cymru tabled a motion to the Senedd emphasising the importance of addressing issues around women and girls' health, and I'm pleased that we have heard this statement this afternoon. It is astonishing and disgraceful, if truth be told, that it's...
