Samuel Kurtz: Will the Minister provide an update on staffing levels in Hywel Dda University Health Board?
Samuel Kurtz: I'm grateful to have the opportunity to take part in this debate today. As a former county councillor, but not reaching the dizzy heights of council leader like my two esteemed colleagues either side of me, I am acutely aware of the importance of that revenue business rates raise for local authorities, but also the inadequacies of the current funding formula and the raw deal that many...
Samuel Kurtz: Trefnydd, last week, I had the pleasure of meeting with Diabetes UK and Member of Parliament Sir James Duddridge to discuss the lesser know type 3c diabetes, something that both James and my father suffer with. For those in the Chamber that aren't aware, type 3c is diagnosed when the pancreas not only stops producing insulin for the body but inhibits the production of digestive enzymes as...
Samuel Kurtz: Yes. Thank you, again, Minister for that, and it's pleasing to see that. I'm sure we all agree around this Chamber that more needs to be done and is being done to ensure that our candidates and elected members are being properly protected. But, again, we did see, in May's election, 74 uncontested seats, with many people suggesting that they're not willing to stand because of the fear, at...
Samuel Kurtz: 1. What support is the Welsh Government providing to encourage responsible dog ownership? OQ58618
Samuel Kurtz: Thank you, Minister. I recently had the opportunity, and the pleasure, indeed, to visit Dogs Trust Cymru at their state-of-the-art rehoming centre here in Cardiff Bay. The team do a marvellous job of rehabilitating, reassuring and rehoming the dogs, which, for a variety of reasons have been left unwanted by their previous owners. Whilst at the centre, I met several good dogs that had been,...
Samuel Kurtz: Minister, can I firstly begin by paying tribute to Christianne Glossop, who served as Wales's chief veterinary officer for 17 years before standing down earlier this month? She has served under a number of rural affairs Ministers, and I'm sure that you will join me in putting our gratitude for her service on the record and wishing her the very best for the future. I'd also like to refer...
Samuel Kurtz: I’m grateful for that. Secondly, in scrutinising the agriculture Bill, very same committee that I sit on have taken evidence from farming unions and environmental non-governmental organisations, where despite there being differences of opinion, there is a general consensus and agreement. But having taken evidence from the Tenant Farmers Association and the Mynydd Eglwysilan, Mynydd Meio and...
Samuel Kurtz: I would say to you and your officials that the evidence given by the Member representing common land at the committee last week was exceptional. I would really urge you and your team to look at that as a starting point as to the concerns of those linked with common land. Finally, Minister, I’m sure that you share my joy in seeing the growth of Wales’s food and drink manufacturing sector,...
Samuel Kurtz: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd, and I congratulate Sam Rowlands on his success in being drawn in the ballot and I'm grateful for the opportunity to speak in this debate on his outdoor education (Wales) Bill. As someone who was fortunate enough to grow up in rural Pembrokeshire with the countryside just outside my front door, I was always fortunate to enjoy the full extent of our natural world....
Samuel Kurtz: I'm grateful to my colleagues for tabling this motion, especially given that this Saturday marks World Stroke Day 2022. As Mark Isherwood mentioned in his opening remarks, on average, 7,400 people a year in Wales will experience a stroke, the fourth leading cause of death in this country. Therefore, the importance of fast-acting, excellent-quality stroke services cannot and should not be...
Samuel Kurtz: 9. What is the Welsh Government doing to promote renewable energy generation? OQ58642
Samuel Kurtz: Diolch, Trefnydd. A couple of weeks ago, RenewableUK Cymru marked Wales wind energy week by hosting a reception here in the Senedd. Trefnydd, I'm sure that you'll have been bored of me taking every opportunity since my election to repeatedly highlight the exciting opportunity and potential that lies off the south Pembrokeshire coast in the Celtic sea in regard to renewable energy,...
Samuel Kurtz: I'm grateful to the Minister for her statement this afternoon, and one specific point that I picked up on was the clarification around the use of blue hydrogen as a transition towards the use of green hydrogen. And the Minister will be aware that, earlier today in my FMQ, I spoke about floating offshore wind and the possibilities of that off the south Pembrokeshire coast, and how that...
Samuel Kurtz: I'm grateful to the Minister for giving me advance sight of this afternoon's statement, especially as she's had a very busy day on the front bench. This strain of bird flu, H5N1, is rightly a matter of serious concern. Indeed, we are witnessing infections right across our bird populations, from wild to kept birds. This disease does not respect borders, nor does it adhere to many conventional...
Samuel Kurtz: I'm grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this debate. My constituency of Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire has a proud military history dating back over centuries. The town of Pembroke Dock has been home to all three constituent parts of our armed forces. For 113 years, from 1815, it housed a royal dockyard that built five royal yachts and 263 Royal Navy ships. For 120 years in...
Samuel Kurtz: I'm grateful to the Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr for submitting this question, because many of the circumstances that he described are applicable to my constituency of Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire as well. But it's also important to note that, for many rural households, their home also acts as a place of business, and this is incredibly important for those in the...
Samuel Kurtz: I would like to begin this afternoon's contribution by echoing the comments of all my fellow committee members by thanking everyone who contributed and the clerking team in compiling this report. It comes at an incredibly pivotal time for the hospitality and tourism industry, especially within the context of incoming Welsh Government legislation, so I'm pleased we are given the opportunity to...
Samuel Kurtz: Thanks to the generosity of the Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society, over an acre of land has been gifted to the local community to grow their own fruit and vegetables, enabling some 40 Pembrokeshire residents from across all generations to tend to their own piece of land. The project has been spearheaded by Grŵp Resilience, a community-led operation, which aims to foster self-reliance and...
Samuel Kurtz: Can I please ask for a statement from yourself as rural affairs Minister and the Minister for Climate Change on the eye-watering increases to the Natural Resources Wales regulatory fees and charges? As per the NRW consultation on permits and licences, the increases will be set out across several charging regimes from April 2023 and include a tenfold increase in the cost of new applications...
