Mabon ap Gwynfor: Can I just say at the beginning of my contribution that we've got a number of the young citizens of Wales here? Welcome all; you might well be sitting here at some point in the future.
Mabon ap Gwynfor: It's a pleasure to close this debate today, and I'd like to thank Luke Fletcher for opening the debate so eloquently, and I thank everyone else who has contributed to it. Before proceeding to the substance of the debate, I would also like to say that Buffy Williams would have liked to have been here today, and Buffy is central to the motion. She has a great deal of experience in this area,...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: I don’t want to spend too much time criticising the Government. That's an easy thing to do in terms of the politics of the thing, but the truth is that I genuinely want to see delivery on these issues as soon as possible, and it is only the Government that can take action. So I don’t think I would have much success in convincing them by criticising them for the final minutes of this...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much, Llywydd. I want to raise an issue that I've raised in the past, if I may. The huge increase in the prices of fodder, fuel and fertiliser is hitting our farmers hard at the moment. There's a shortage of red diesel, which has increased 50 per cent in a year, and the cost of fertiliser has more than trebled in 12 months. There's a shortage of maize, for example, to feed...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much for that response. If I could move on to my next point, one thing that's wonderful about this job is that one learns something new every day, and I've learnt very recently that y clafr is the term for sheep scab. So, I'm going to ask a question on sheep scab. As we know, sheep scab is one of the most infectious sheep diseases in Wales, and it was noted as a priority by...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: 3. What assessment has the Government made of the constitutional implications of the UK Government's plans to repeal the Trade Union (Wales) Act 2017? OQ58310
Mabon ap Gwynfor: I thank the Counsel General for that response. This legislature is supposed to be sovereign in specific areas. Rightly or wrongly, it should be our choice in our national Senedd to legislate and to make some rules and regulations. I'm pleased that our Senedd did pass legislation to protect our trade union members, but of course, like with any other Welsh legislation, the continuation of this...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: 4. What assessment has the Government made of the implications for the constitutional future of Wales of the Scottish Government's statement that it wants to hold an independence referendum? OQ58311
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much, Counsel General, for that response. There is no doubt that there is an increase in the numbers supporting independence for Wales, and the current mess in Westminster highlights on a daily basis why we can't continue to be part of this corrupt union that shows so much contempt towards our people. If you'd been in Wrexham on Saturday, you would have experienced the...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you to Sam Kurtz for introducing this question today. And given where we were four years ago with 'Brexit and our land', there's been a significant shift here in language and tone, and that's to be welcomed. I'm also pleased to see that the co-operation agreement between Plaid Cymru and the Government has led to ensuring that there will be stability payments continuing during the...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: It's disappointing, but not unexpected, to see the Conservatives jumping at the first opportunity they have to try and dismantle one of the first steps of the package of measures published to tackle the housing crisis, specifically the second homes crisis. We're already in the vanguard here in Wales, taking steps to allow increasing council tax premium on second homes and vacant properties...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Of course.
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you for that contribution. No, I don't accept that. This policy aims to close the loophole; that's the point. The intention of this Order that you as Conservatives are seeking to annul today is to close that loophole, as I mentioned, in the law. I think most rational people would agree that there is something fundamentally wrong about a situation where thousands of my constituents—key...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Do you not accept that the licensing scheme will actually help the sector, the indigenous sector that's been working for decades in our communities, and also that the biggest problem facing that sector is the huge mushrooming in Airbnbs, and those are the people that are impacting on the number of nights that people are staying in the accommodation in Wales at the moment?
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much, Llywydd.
Mabon ap Gwynfor: So, energy prices have skyrocketed to unprecedented levels over the last year. The price cap increase in April saw the average gas and electricity bill increase to north of £2,000 a year, a rise of £700. In the last 18 months alone, the cost of heating a home has doubled. This will hit the poorest and most vulnerable households the hardest, with many having to go without, rationing or even,...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Will the Member take an intervention?
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Do you think the trade agreement with New Zealand and Australia will be beneficial to our rural communities and farmers?
Mabon ap Gwynfor: 2. How does the Government reconcile the work of Cwmni Egino on the development of nuclear power stations with the requirements of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015? OQ58372
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you for that response, First Minister. Now, if the first people to leave the African continent 80,000 years ago had mined for uranium and developed nuclear energy, then we would be continuing to deal with the waste today, because thorium-230, which is found in the tailings of uranium works, has a half life of 80,000 years. Plutonium-239, possibly the most dangerous element to humanity,...
