Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much, Llywydd, and I also want to declare an interest that's on the public record too.
Mabon ap Gwynfor: This discussion comes at a time when the housing crisis is getting worse and worse, day by day. Renters and landlords alike live in worry for this growing crisis, with landlords fearing many will sell up and stop renting homes due to the new regulations, and tenants facing the threat of eviction. So, let's have a reality check. At the moment, roughly 500 people a month can be moved into...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Do you agree that this, a UBI, would actually follow in the proud tradition of Wales, introduced back in 1909, when David Lloyd George introduced the Old Age Pensions Act—a great son of Dwyfor and a great Liberal in his time as well?
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Well, it's impossible to overemphasise the importance of the farming industry to rural Wales. Farming businesses in Wales are the backbone of the rural economy, the axis that rural communities turn around. The core products produced here are central to the food and drink industry in Wales, which is worth millions of pounds and employs over 239,000 people here. But bovine TB continues to cast...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: I want to put on record, first of all, my sincere thanks to the air ambulance charity for their work in saving lives. They're a charity that have proved to be crucial to our communities, and our communities raise thousands of pounds per annum as a sign of thanks. But since the news broke that the air ambulance was looking to centralise its services, many constituents have been in touch with...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: 7. What steps is the Welsh Government taking to improve health services in north Wales? OQ58418
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much to the First Minister for that response. I want to take this opportunity to thank the chief executive, Jo Whitehead, for her leadership of the board over the past 18 months. I was hopeful that things would improve under her leadership, but in her last annual report published in August, the chief executive said,
Mabon ap Gwynfor: 'There are processes requiring significant improvement in relation to patient safety and compliance assurance'
Mabon ap Gwynfor: —when it comes to the health board in north Wales. The health board in north Wales is the only board in Wales to receive limited assurance from the investigation. The annual report is damning, and it's clear that the board is failing. It's clear that everything that you as a Government have tried to do to solve the problems of the board have failed. Do you now accept that it's time to look...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: 9. What steps will the Government take to help tenants during the current cost-of-living crisis? OQ58408
Mabon ap Gwynfor: I thank the Minister for stepping in at the last moment. May I extend my best wishes to the Minister for a speedy recovery too? Tenants and housing associations alike are extremely concerned about the next few months and find it difficult to forward plan and to fund without assurance as to the rates of benefits. The noises made by Liz Truss, the new Prime Minister, suggest that benefits may...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you to the committee for its work. I welcome the report, and it echoes much of what I’ve heard. Unlike the committee, I cannot speak on behalf of the rest of Wales, but I can speak on behalf of my own constituency on the frustrations experienced in trying to implement some of these plans, and also the lessons to be learnt. I want to focus on some of the lessons from one experience in...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: The crisis facing us is huge. Inflation is at its highest point for 40 years, and has shattered all predictions made by economists. Forecasts show that it will increase even further. Energy prices have increased to totally unsustainable levels for most people, and the increase in that price is reflected in the price of food, transportation and other prices. All this comes on top of decades of...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: I've got someone in my constituency who married into a Ukrainian family. He's got a Ukrainian wife and Ukrainian family still out in Ukraine, and he's been having trouble getting access to services and bringing the family back to Wales. I've got an e-mail that I'd like to read out to you from this individual, with a specific question at the end, please: 'Welsh Government advice, guidance and...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Sorry, I'll just get to the question.
Mabon ap Gwynfor: I appreciate it. So, the question is: will the Welsh Government and Welsh local authorities now provide equivalent support to those seeking sanctuary in Wales, both under the Ukraine family scheme and the Homes for Ukraine scheme?
Mabon ap Gwynfor: I thank the Minister for the statement. We live in an unprecedented time. The agriculture sector and the communities and the families associated with the sector are under extreme pressure and, more than anything else, they're looking for stability, while, at the same time, broader society is calling out for food security and affordability. The war in Ukraine, Brexit and COVID-19 have...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much. I want to start with a question on TB, Llywydd. The latest statistics on—
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Yes. No problem.
Mabon ap Gwynfor: If we can just check that everything's working.
