Sam Rowlands: Diolch, Llywydd, and thank you, Minister, for bringing forward today's statement. Minister, you'll be aware, of course, that this summer's report by the Federation of Small Businesses on tourism showed that tourism accounts for over 17 per cent of Wales's gross domestic product, and accounted for over 12 per cent of employment here in Wales, showing how crucial that sector is to us as a...
Sam Rowlands: Thank you, Minister, for your initial response there. It is a sad fact, isn't it, that Wales has the highest COVID-19 death rate across the United Kingdom. Regretfully, throughout the pandemic, lives were torn apart and our everyday normal way of living was completely transformed. I'm sure that you'll agree, Minister, here today, when it comes to great power and great decision making, great...
Sam Rowlands: 5. What steps is the Welsh Government taking to improve local government performance in delivering local services? OQ58435
Sam Rowlands: Thank you for your initial response, Minister. As I’m sure you’ll recognise, councils are often at the front line with many pressures that communities are currently facing, which, of course, have a knock-on effect to pressures within councils. I’m sure you would have taken note of the BBC article over the weekend, where the WLGA and council leaders were highlighting some of the...
Sam Rowlands: 6. What discussions is the Minister having with the Minister for Economy regarding the future of the former Anglesey Aluminium site in Holyhead? OQ58451
Sam Rowlands: Absolutely, and thank you, Minister, for your response. It was certainly welcome to hear you're liaising with the Minister for Economy on such an important site, and I'm sure agree with me that it's great news to see Stena Line investing in the port to boost its operations, which is a clear endorsement of the fantastic opportunities that the port of Holyhead has to offer. We also know,...
Sam Rowlands: Thank you, Minister, for your statement today on economic regional development. Of course, economic regions and economic boundaries often don't match administrative boundaries or regions. You will, of course, Minister, be aware that this is really important for my residents in north Wales, because every 24 hours, 200,000 people move between north-east Wales and the north-west of England,...
Sam Rowlands: I thank you, Deputy Minister, for bringing forward today's statement on world heritage in north-west Wales—of course, one half of a fantastic region in north Wales. As you outlined, it is really encouraging to see the slate landscape of north-west Wales being inscribed on the UNESCO world heritage site list. And I'd also like to put on record my thanks to all the organisations, individuals...
Sam Rowlands: What assessment has the First Minister made of the Royal College of Nursing's 2022 Nursing in Numbers report in relation to North Wales?
Sam Rowlands: 7. Sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru'n gweithio gyda Chomisiynydd Heddlu a Throsedd Gogledd Cymru i leihau troseddu ac ymddygiad gwrthgymdeithasol ar draws Gogledd Cymru? OQ58499
Sam Rowlands: Thank you for your response, Minister. I'm sure that you would agree with me that one of the best ways of reducing crime and anti-social behaviour is to ensure that our hard-working police officers and PCSOs that you mentioned are able to fully focus their time and efforts on their very clear areas of responsibility. Minister, you'll recall, back in July, I raised the issue that police forces...
Sam Rowlands: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and in closing today's important debate I ought to thank my colleague Mark Isherwood for submitting today's Member debate and also my fellow co-submitters Tom Giffard, Rhun ap Iorwerth and Mabon ap Gwynfor. I also thank the Minister for her response in appreciating today's points. As outlined by Mark Isherwood in opening today's debate, amongst a number...
Sam Rowlands: Firstly, can I put on record my thanks to John Griffiths for his chairmanship in producing today's committee report on second homes, and also to my fellow colleagues on the committee, and the Minister, clerks and the committee support team who have come along and given evidence and supported us as a committee through this process? Of course, the issue around second homes has been a...
Sam Rowlands: Can I say what a pleasure it is to speak, again, in today's Welsh Conservative debate on major events, tabled, once again, by my colleague, Darren Millar? Today's debate is so important because, as we know, major events, as a whole, do so much in supporting our economy here in Wales and, of course, in our local communities. That's why, today, I'd like to start my contribution by clearly...
Sam Rowlands: Diolch yn fawr iawn, Llywydd. This evening, I'm delighted to have the opportunity to bring forward my short debate. It's my first short debate, actually, on an extremely important issue, which is sport in north Wales, ensuring opportunity for all. And I've agreed—generously, of course—to give at least one minute of my time to Tom Giffard, Carolyn Thomas, Gareth Davies and Ken Skates, to...
Sam Rowlands: A key reason that I wanted to have a short debate on sport is due to the fact that sport is so important, as I'm sure we know, to our health, our well-being, our sense of place and our sense of community. It really has the power, as we see from time to time—more often than not, actually—to unite our local communities and the power to unite us as a country as well. As a relatively small...
Sam Rowlands: Minister, I would like to ask for a Welsh Government statement regarding the ability to challenge expected occupancy thresholds for self-catering accommodation during the COVID-19 pandemic. As we all know, during the pandemic, COVID-19 regulations meant that, by law, self-catering businesses were not able to reach the required advertised rates of being listed for 140 nights per year. As chair...
Sam Rowlands: 3. What assessment has the Minister made of the Royal College of Nursing's '2022 Nursing in Numbers' report in relation to north Wales? OQ58531
Sam Rowlands: Thank you, Minister, for your initial answer there. And just for the record, just to be clear, my brother and sister are both nurses in the national health service as well. At the end of last month, Minister, I had the pleasure of attending the Royal College of Nursing's Listen to Nursing event at the Senedd here, sponsored by your party colleague, Buffy Williams. And it was great to meet...
Sam Rowlands: Can I thank Plaid Cymru for bringing forward today's really important debate on the private rented sector? I was really pleased that, on these benches, we were able to support the vast majority of the proposals that you've put forward today. But, of course, we aren't able to support point 6. In our proposal, we propose to delete that, which is obviously in relation to the freeze on rents in...
