Rhun ap Iorwerth: I will make some comments that are relevant to the whole of Wales, and then look at my constituency of Anglesey. We’ve all heard people discussing the importance of taking back control. What we’re not clear about is what exactly we’re talking about: what kind of control we’re talking about, and what will the cost of that be. The risk that we face in Wales now is that we could lose...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: The Member certainly emphasises, again, the narrowness of the window that we have in front of us. Mae Ysgrifennydd Cymru, rydw i’n meddwl, i gloi, wedi ei gwneud hi’n berffaith glir nad oes ganddo ddiddordeb mewn cynrychioli barn Cymru yn y Cabinet, ond yn hytrach mai ei rôl o ydy cyfathrebu wrth Gymru beth mae’r Cabinet yn Whitehall wedi ei benderfynu ar gyfer Cymru, p’un a ydy...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Yes, 12 months have passed since the legislation came into force, but, in reality, a large part of the Act related to giving powers to the Government to make regulations over a period of time in various areas. So, there’s been less than a year of action in a number of different areas, if truth be told. In order to retain focus, I want to concentrate on carers, because the Act took the...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Is the leader of the house aware of the report of the Mental Health Foundation, ‘Food for thought’, which looks at the link between nutrition and mental health? Now, I believe that the kind of strategy on obesity that we’re calling for through the public health Bill—. Am I okay to continue? I will start again.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I believe that the kind of obesity strategy that we’re calling for through the public health Bill could promote mental health, as well as physical health. But, does the leader of the house believe that that should be a consideration as part of the Government’s food strategy, in addition to being part of strategies in the sphere of health?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 9. What steps is the Welsh Government taking to reduce carbon emissions? OAQ(5)0123(ERA)[W]
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you. I believe that there’s real scope to create an international image for Wales as a nation that is truly promoting electric cars and vehicles, and one area where I believe the Welsh Government can encourage this is through a strategy to exchange the current fleet of public vehicles to one that is zero emissions—from council vans to health board vans to public transport, even. The...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 1. What support can the Welsh Government offer to ensure that deaf people received the relevant adaptations to their homes? OAQ(5)0130(CC)[W]
Rhun ap Iorwerth: At a recent meeting with Action on Hearing Loss, I heard a story about a deaf woman who had a sign on her front door saying, ‘I’m sorry but as I can’t hear the bell I am keeping the door open, so do come in’. Now, clearly that’s not acceptable. What she needed, of course, was assistance in getting the necessary technology to inform her when someone was at the door, to keep her safe....
Rhun ap Iorwerth: On behalf of Steffan Lewis, who is a member of the committee, may I thank the Finance Committee Chair for his statement today and for discussing the important opportunity we have in terms of improving not only the transparency of ministerial appointments, but also the Assembly’s ability to hold the Government to account? It’s a very timely statement, if truth be told, given that the...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I must say I’m personally very excited about the Champions League final coming to Cardiff. I was kicking an official Cardiff 2017 replica football around the garden with a very excited 13-year-old last night. And as happy as I was to contribute £14.99 to the merchandising companies for that particular ball, we want to make sure that Wales is the real beneficiary here. We are talking about...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. At present, 177,000 people in Wales live with diabetes. It’s possible that around 70,000 additional people suffer from it but they’re not aware of it or haven’t received a confirmed diagnosis, and by 2030 it’s expected that that number will be around 300,000 people. So, while having diabetes is a major issue for the person who is suffering from it,...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 4. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the services provided by Ynys Môn Council? OAQ(5)0116(FLG)[W]
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I wanted to ask about a specific service, a service that’s important to Ynys Môn council, and other councils across Wales, and that is roads. There’s a tendency to see roadworks increasing substantially during the first months of the year, as the end of the financial year approaches. But, this isn’t the best way of ensuring the quality of the work or value for money, because the winter...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Does the First Minister truly understand how much of a crisis there is facing us in terms of mental health care in Wales? In Ynys Môn, I understand that there is now not a single psychiatric consultant for mental health patients between 18 and 65 years of age. Mental health professionals are working under huge pressures that they can’t cope with and they fear that they are having to make...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you, Llywydd, and it’s a huge pleasure to move these amendments formally today to commence our proceedings on the Stage 3 debate on the Public Health (Wales) Bill. We have been here before, of course. But, as this Bill reached this stage on the last occasion, and it was resubmitted in this Assembly, there was no reference at all to the major public health problem that we as a nation...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you, Llywydd. I appreciate that the consensus that has been achieved during the passage of this Bill through the committee stages has been reflected here again in the Chamber. Each and every one of us at the beginning of this journey was aware that we were talking about a problem and a crisis here, and we all wanted to find a way of including it on the face of the Bill. What we have...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Formally.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: We will be supporting this group of amendments from the Government. Amendment 22 in particular reflects the concerns that I raised, as we heard from the Minister, during the Committee Stage in relation to the level of ability that we think is required for the tattooing of an eyeball. We proposed that only those registered with the General Medical Council, possibly, should be allowed to...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Plaid Cymru is pleased to support these amendments. We often hear about the difficulties that patients of all ages face when there is a variety of public bodies responsible for the services that they receive. This, of course, includes young people. They are no different. Indeed, one could argue that they are in more complex positions on occasion, if you add the school or educational...
