Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you. It was good to see the NFU here in the Senedd today outlining their vision for the industry. But, what the NFU, like farmers across Wales, are looking for is not simply warm words of support from Government, but action too. Now, there was a pledge made by the previous Minister that the new rural development plan could be transformational in terms of the rural economy and the...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 11. Will the Minister make a statement on Families First funding? OAQ(5)0007(CC)[W]
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you. The team around the family is one of the five main elements of the Families First programme. A constituent came to see me to share her concern that this service in Anglesey was to cease from March 2017. She was high in her praise for the support that she received from the team locally because of the mental health problems suffered by her daughter and the impact that had on the...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Presiding Officer, thank you for the opportunity to open this debate on a motion tabled in the name of Simon Thomas. This is a debate calling on the Assembly to note the demographic challenges facing the NHS in Wales and calling on the Welsh Government to respond now to those challenges, including moving towards integrating health and social care, as well as taking urgent action with a series...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. May I thank everybody who’s taken part in this debate this afternoon? I agree with the Minister that it has been a debate that has constructive on the whole. I’m not sure why Suzy Davies, on behalf of the Conservatives, feels so prickly today. Certainly, there’s nothing from me that places barriers for collaboration with other parties for...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Would the First Minister agree with me that, at present, there is a lack of status in being a GP, and that that includes the external image of the nature of the job, and also within the profession? Would the First Minister agree with me that, as part of the contribution to tackling the recruitment issue, we could look at issues such as ensuring that students at 16 and 17 years old are...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much for giving way. Just in response to some of your comments on tolerance, do you align yourself with the ‘breaking point’ poster?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I’m pleased that the Government has given a commitment to develop a business plan on the dualling of the Britannia bridge. We’re expecting some developments there soon, I believe. But that is a project that we could have expected to have made a bid for European funding for, as a contribution towards its cost, because of the importance of the A55 as...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Can I say at the outset that there has certainly been, I think, an improvement in mental health services since the mental health Measure was introduced, but, without a doubt, there are a number of areas where we need further improvement? I also welcome the update from the Government on their delivery plan; it seems to be a step forward from the last plan. There are definite actions here, and...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Ie wrth gwrs.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I think you’re absolutely right, and that there are further consequences as well to longer waiting times, as well as just passing the buck, if you like, to other parts of our public services. Mae hi’n berffaith amlwg, rydw i’n meddwl, fod hyd amser aros yn gwneud gwahaniaeth i’r canlyniad yn y pen draw. Mae’r arolwg gan Gofal yn dangos perthynas glir iawn rhwng yr amser y mae rhywun...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: On that point specifically—and it’s a general point on funding—funding for CAMHS does seem, on the face of it, to have gone down over the past few years. Could you give clarity on whether that is a coding issue of where exactly funding for treating 16-year-olds plus lies within the health service, or whether there has been a deterioration in funding for young people?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Will the Minister make a statement on promoting citizenship in schools?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: First of all, can I say that I welcome the statement from the Cabinet Secretary today? Breaking it up into two parts, on IPFR, quite simply, we welcome the independent review of IPFR and, in particular, the examination of exceptionality. We, as I know the Cabinet Secretary is aware, think that this is core to this issue. This is, of course, a review that has been won by Plaid Cymru for the...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Diolch yn fawr iawn. And I’m sure recruitment and retention in the NHS isn’t helped by UKIP-style rhetoric on migration. Mi ydym ni’n gytûn, gobeithio, Ysgrifennydd, bod yn rhaid sicrhau hawl dinasyddion yr Undeb Ewropeaidd i aros yn y Deyrnas Unedig yn y dyfodol. Ac mae’r Prif Weinidog, yn sicr, wedi crybwyll yn barod bwysigrwydd meddygon, nyrsus ac eraill o dramor i’r NHS. A all...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: It doesn’t sound as if a specific assessment has been made; I’m a little surprised about that. The uncertainty we’re facing is in danger of undermining the NHS, and we can’t afford to wait for the Government to take action. We will not go over the problems that Wales is facing now in terms of attracting and retaining doctors, but I will turn towards terms and conditions of the NHS...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: And I would urge the Ysgrifennydd to look at the real opportunities that would open up to us from following a Welsh path. Doing things differently, as we’ve seen with junior doctors, really can mean doing things better. I think it’s quite clear that Wales is going to need more doctors and more nurses, more occupational therapists, physiotherapists—you name it—over the next few...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much for the opportunity to contribute to this discussion. I rise as a former member of staff of the BBC, and I have direct experience of working in this area in Wales. I know that BBC Wales itself is very eager to make programmes about and for Wales, but BBC Wales is very small, of course, within the wider regime of the BBC throughout the UK. We hear very often the right words...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I last week met with a number of GPs from Anglesey and we discussed how we could encourage more young people to aspire to a career as a GP. I’m sure that the First Minister will share my concern about the reduction of 15 per cent in the number of Welsh-domiciled students who have been applying to study medicine. But, I’m sure he would also support my call, and that of the BMA and others,...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. I am grateful that you’ve allowed me time. I’ll keep it brief—just one question with a little bit of context before. There are several reasons, of course, why we want to hold major sporting events. First, there’s the sporting legacy—the participation, which we would all support. Secondly, there’s the showcase Wales, if you like—the bells and whistles...
