James Evans: Part of rural development, Minister, is also the Glastir scheme, and I recently met with NFU Cymru in my constituency and the deputy chairman of NFU Cymru in Brecon and Radnorshire, Rob Blaenbwch, who wanted me to put a question to you directly about Glastir funding. We're seeing the Glastir funding being rolled on a yearly basis, with contracts being renewed. What my local NFU would like to...
James Evans: Diolch, Llywydd, and it's been a really important debate today, and I think it's really important that we've heard contributions from right across the Chamber, from Members in Plaid Cymru and from Members in my own group, of how we can raise this really, really important topic here. And it's vitally important for some of the most vulnerable people in our society. We opened the debate with...
James Evans: Yes, I will take an intervention quite happily.
James Evans: That's very true. Actually, one person at that event that my colleague Sam Kurtz talked to—I'm sure other Members did—had a visual impairment. I took the time to talk to that person myself, and they actually said that they'd had habilitation training, and they found it very useful, but the dog that was with them was also that lifeline to them. So, you're totally right. Natasha Asghar...
James Evans: What assessment has the Minister made of the number of personnel within local authorities who are paid under the IR35 off-payroll working rules?
James Evans: 5. What is the Welsh Government doing to make sure children have access to good-quality dentistry? OQ59157
James Evans: Thank you, First Minister, for your answer. In my constituency, accessing a dentist is extremely difficult, and even if you get a dentist, the travelling times to those dentists can be very lengthy. So, will the First Minister look at actually bringing mobile dentists into schools, so that we can actually have them in the school, so that they can get the check-ups they need to ensure that...
James Evans: I'm going to have my very first go today at siarad Cymraeg yn y Siambr.
James Evans: As Eifion Wyn the poet said: 'Dearest Wales, my home / of fruits and lakes untold / her mountains all enfolded / my love will ne'er grow cold.' It's great to take part in this debate and draw attention to the importance of the Welsh language. As a Member of the Senedd for Brecon and Radnorshire, I have communities where Welsh is the first language and I understand how important the language...
James Evans: I will say, Cadeirydd, that that is probably the most nerve-racking thing I've ever had to say in this Chamber, and as a Welsh learner, it is very difficult sometimes for people to come forward. As Mike Hedges said, sometimes, we feel that we're going to be laughed at, that we don't say things correctly. I personally feel a bit of pride for doing that in my own national Parliament, speaking...
James Evans: Trefnydd, I'd like a statement from yourself, in your role as the rural affairs Minister, about the attacks that we're seeing on sheep by dogs in our communities. I've seen on Facebook in my own patch this week two sheep that have died from poor owners letting their dogs off leads in fields where there are livestock that are heavy in lamb. So, can we have, please, a statement from you about...
James Evans: 3. Will the Minister provide an update on the future use of Gilestone Farm by the Welsh Government? OQ59204
James Evans: Thank you for that answer, Minister. You've said, and other Ministers have said, on a number of occasions that the Government bought this site in order to secure the future of the Green Man Festival. However, it has come to light that the agreement that your Government is entering into is not with the Green Man Trust Ltd; it's a separate company called Cwningar Ltd, assigned to one person....
James Evans: I'd like to thank Delyth Jewell for her contribution, but I'd just like to remind people in the Chamber about making generalised statements about people who keep greyhounds. Not every greyhound owner is a poor owner; some people really do care about their dogs, and I think making generalised statements doesn't really help this debate at all.
James Evans: I'd like to thank Hefin David for making the point that any closure of the track can impact on residents. So, would he agree with me that, probably, instead of going for the nuclear option of banning dog racing in Wales, we should look at regulation first, because that is a way to also safeguard the people in that area as well as the dogs that race on that track?
James Evans: 3. What is the Welsh Government doing to deliver modern sporting facilities in Brecon and Radnorshire? OQ59252
James Evans: I'd like to thank you, First Minister, for your answer. Earlier this year, the UK Government announced £12.6 million investment in grass-roots facilities in Wales, with individual projects of investment directed by the Football Association of Wales. I'm here today to bang the drum for more investment in Brecon and Radnorshire. Mid Wales has missed out on much-needed cash in Welsh Government...
James Evans: Minister, could I request a statement, please, from the Minister for Economy on what work the Welsh Government is doing to help our pubs during this extremely difficult time for them? I've had a number of pubs close in my constituency, which is a real great shame for those families who are involved in that. I know that a lot of the levers sit with the UK Government, but I think it would be...
James Evans: Minister, we do have a heart over here, and we do hear what you say, but it is the job of the Welsh Government. Housing is a wholly devolved matter and, as my colleagues have said, 22,000 homes are empty across Wales. So, we think it’s about time that the Welsh Government had a new, refreshed strategy on how they’re going to bring those empty homes back into use. When I was a county...
James Evans: Housing is devolved, Minister.
