Neil McEvoy: I'd like a Government statement—or maybe some advice, really. I've stated several times that a child with learning difficulties alleged abuse in care—[Interruption.] I've no idea why there's a sarcastic noise from my right, from a Labour Assembly Member. I'll say it again: a child with learning difficulties alleged abuse in care. My information is as follows: he was not taken to a place...
Neil McEvoy: Nobody can disagree with this motion, but the issue is that Labour Government policies are causing—and I say, present tense, are causing—air pollution. If we look at local development plans right across Wales, just take one, the Cardiff local development plan, for an example. That plan, passed by the council, nothing done about it here in this Senedd, is putting 10,000 extra cars on one...
Neil McEvoy: Thank you, Llywydd. As leader of the Welsh National Party, I say that we have to save the A&E department at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital.
Neil McEvoy: I'm stood here as leader of the Welsh National Party, saying that we need to save the accident and emergency department at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital. The public message to us is very, very clear. I attended a public meeting, I listened intently outside. They want us to work together. I support the motion. I cannot support amendment 1, because amendment 1 essentially wrecks the motion. I...
Neil McEvoy: I wanted to start on the rights of children, really, to talk about this, because there are serious gaps in where we are in Wales. This is a concrete example: where a child in care can allege abuse, the child will not receive an advocate as they should do—they have the right to an advocate, as confirmed by the children's commissioner recently; they will not be taken to a place of safety—or...
Neil McEvoy: No, you're wrong there. What I consistently argue against is building on greenfield sites. For example, right now in Cardiff, there are 1,300 empty proprieties standing, unused. They should be renovated and we should put people back in them. What I'm actually talking about is the inability of people to save a huge, huge deposit and buy a property. It's reinforcing inequality. And until we...
Neil McEvoy: Will the First Minister make a statement on Welsh Government financial support for this year's St David's Day parades?
Neil McEvoy: Diolch, Llywydd. Too many people talk Wales down. I'm here to talk our country up; to talk about our potential, to talk about living in a place where the Welsh dream can become a reality. Now, the Welsh National Party has a vision of our Welsh dream. We can live in a nation where there is good-quality housing for all, people owning their own homes, a Wales where people with good ideas can...
Neil McEvoy: You're very welcome to buy a house.
Neil McEvoy: There is a Wales that we must create. There is a Wales that we can build. So, let's get it done. Diolch yn fawr.
Neil McEvoy: 7. Will the First Minister make a statement on the current challenges faced by residents in Cardiff West as a result of work related to Cardiff’s local development plan? OAQ55150
Neil McEvoy: That's quite a disappointing response there. We're only at stage 1 of a five-stage local development plan and the problems are already chronic. The closure of Heol Pant-y-Gored is causing huge problems along Church Road, and if you or your staff had bothered to attend a meeting recently, which you were invited to, then you'd know about that. People literally cannot move because of traffic....
Neil McEvoy: 2. Will the Minister ask Natural Resources Wales to ensure that a full environmental impact assessment is undertaken to consider the damage to the natural environment along the south Wales coastline from the mud that is proposed to be dumped from Hinkley Point nuclear reactor into the Severn Estuary? OAQ55151
Neil McEvoy: I think what we have here is a failure of governance. And I wonder why—we are sat here—I wonder why we have a Government, in name anyway, if all we're going to do is put the responsibility on Natural Resources Wales. There are 780,000 tonnes of mud from outside a nuclear reactor that they want to dig up and dump—literally—on Wales, just outside of Cardiff, in the sea. We now know that...
Neil McEvoy: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. This is probably—well, not probably—the most significant area of concern for me over the last, probably, two to three years. The Chamber may not know that I employed a very experienced social worker because of the amount of cases that I was getting in terms of looked-after children especially. Amendment 2 is very straightforward. It says that a well-recognised...
Neil McEvoy: I'd say, with respect, that you're wrong, and I can see nothing wrong with saying that contact should not be restricted by an agency, especially when children want contact with their parents. The amendment you didn't speak of there is the justice angle. What is wrong with reviewing cases where there could have been discrimination? The case I'm thinking of where contact has been restricted is...
Neil McEvoy: Would you give way?
Neil McEvoy: Thanks. I absolutely agree with what you're saying about the family court system. So, do you not think that we could do it better in Wales if we had our own legal jurisdiction here?
Neil McEvoy: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Thank you for your statement, First Minister, and I hope that all your family and loved ones are well. The World Health Organization has been very clear, and they say that what we need to do is test, test, test. They say that we need to test every suspected case of coronavirus because they tell us that failing to test is like trying to fight a fire blindfolded. Now,...
Neil McEvoy: Diolch, Dirprwy Llywydd. Dirprwy Lywydd, actually—there's a mutation there. It is an extreme measure. I do have lots of concerns. I have concerns that councils can downgrade, as mentioned, care for the elderly and disabled with the suspension of the Care Act. I'm concerned about the use of remote technology in court cases in terms of fairness of trial. I'm concerned about how people can...
