David Rowlands: Well, of course, I don't know if you were actually talking to the people of Blaenau Gwent, because that certainly isn't what's coming to me from the people of Blaenau Gwent. They want a connection into Newport in exactly the same way as they want a connection into Cardiff. That is the fact.
David Rowlands: Diolch, Llywydd, for the opportunity to open this debate on behalf of the Petitions Committee. The petition we are discussing today relates to British Sign Language, and the ability of deaf children and their families to learn and use BSL in their everyday lives. As we all know, communication is a vital aspect of life. However, for some it can pose significant challenges on a daily basis....
David Rowlands: The petition has a number of objectives: improved access for families to learn BSL, for BSL to be introduced to the national curriculum, better access to education through BSL, and making more services and resources accessible in BSL for deaf young people. I will focus for the rest of this contribution on each of the petition’s objectives in turn, in order to outline the evidence the...
David Rowlands: However, we remain concerned about a lack of national direction in relation to ensuring that BSL provision is widely available in Welsh schools, and the Minister’s response to our report indicates that this will largely remain at the discretion of individual schools and local authorities. Speaking frankly, it is currently difficult to see this as promising any significant step forward in...
David Rowlands: Can I thank all the Members who contributed to this debate? I apologise for not being able to respond to Members individually, but I'm very much constrained by the time available. I will, therefore, concentrate on the Minister's responses. It is very gratifying to know that you can have BSL in levels 1 and 2, and it's also gratifying to find that there's a £20 million fund now being...
David Rowlands: Yes, of course.
David Rowlands: Well, I absolutely agree with you, Janet, on that basis, but we are talking here about education on a much wider basis, and what we're talking about, really, is the provision of BSL for children in particular within the education system, and the truth of the matter is that there is no specific pathway for these children to take. And I will thank the Minister for the fact that she is saying...
David Rowlands: What action has the Minister taken to ensure that the upcoming PISA results for Wales will be an improvement on past performance?
David Rowlands: Diolch, Llywydd—[Inaudible.]—difficulties faced by Cardiff commuters in gaining access to the city, could the Minister outline Welsh Government plans to alleviate these problems?
David Rowlands: Okay. Given the great difficulties faced by Cardiff commuters in gaining access to the city, could the Minister outline the Welsh Government's plans to alleviate these problems?
David Rowlands: I thank the Minister for that answer. I lately had the misfortune to have to use the southern access road known as Rover Way. Whilst I understand that this does, for some unknown reason, not constitute a trunk road, and therefore falls outside your direct remit, the road is in such an appalling condition that it cries out for some sort of government intervention. Surely, Minister, there is...
David Rowlands: Again, I thank the Minister for his answer. However, this indeed could be a candidate for the mutual investment model, or. again, is there a possible intervention by Cardiff capital city region? Surely, Minister, it is not beyond your considerable expertise to find a suitable funding mechanism to address this dire situation. This road is in an appalling condition. The money given to potholes...
David Rowlands: They're not convicted when they're on remand.
David Rowlands: All those companies said exactly the same thing about whether we went into the euro or did not go into the euro. Every single one of the companies you just said. Now, you know and I know that there's more investment going in to Nissan. They're building the Corolla, which is the biggest selling car. They've just invested that sort of money. Those companies are not going to come out of the UK.
David Rowlands: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. This evening’s debate will focus on a petition submitted by Stuart Davies, who lives in the constituency of Clwyd South. It calls for all men in Wales to have access through the NHS to the best possible diagnostic tests for prostate cancer. The petition received 6,345 signatures and the Petitions Committee is grateful for the opportunity to bring this petition to...
David Rowlands: Diolch, Diprwy Lywydd. First of all, can I thank all the Members who have made a contribution to this debate? And if I can just go through a few points that some of them have made, Mark Isherwood pointed out the superior outcomes with mpMRI scans over normal MRI scans, and he said that there was a lack of data being provided by health boards, particularly in north Wales. Rhun ap Iorwerth...
David Rowlands: Can I thank the Deputy Minister for his statement today? Deputy Minister, UKIP welcomed the announcement from the Welsh Government in February 2017 that you were committed to establishing 100,000 apprenticeships over a five-year period. It has for far too long been a neglected element in economic growth. We also believe that focusing on apprenticeships above level 3 was a well-founded...
David Rowlands: Will the First Minister provide an update on the Tech Valleys programme in Ebbw Vale?
David Rowlands: Diolch, Llywydd. Could the Cabinet Minister update us on the progress of the Blaenau Gwent advanced technology park?
David Rowlands: I thank the Cabinet Minister for his answer. However, since the announcement with regard to the park and to the advanced automotive technology site, some 18 months ago, not a single industrial unit has been built. Will the Minister now give the people of Blaenau Gwent and Ebbw Vale a firm date for the commencement of work, and perhaps even an actual time frame for the creation of jobs at the site?
