Sam Rowlands: Thank you very much for your response, Minister. As you'll be aware, at the start of July, the leaders of Wales's 22 local authorities called on Welsh Government to review the powers and remit of the public body responsible for looking after the environment here in Wales—Natural Resources Wales. And as you'll be aware, my colleague Janet Finch-Saunders raised this issue with the Minister...
Sam Rowlands: Thank you for that as well, Minister. As you know, one of the issues that councils have raised within their correspondence with Welsh Government is the difficulty to hold Natural Resources Wales to account at times. In the letter from the leaders of the 22 councils I referred to, written by the leader of the WLGA, Andrew Morgan, they state in that, and I'll quote, 'when dealing with events at...
Sam Rowlands: Thank you, First Minister, for your response to Siân Gwenllian there. I certainly sympathise with the comments made via Siân Gwenllian with the words from care home owners and care home workers. It's difficult, I think, for many of us to understand that significant difference in protection for roles and tasks that seem quite similar, between a health worker and a care support worker, but...
Sam Rowlands: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank you, Minister, for your statement today on these important funds. As you referenced, back in June, we had the Government debate on this topic, and as you'd expect, I focused my attention and time in that debate on the role of local authorities and how they can play their part in drawing down this important money for our communities. And as we've...
Sam Rowlands: And one of the elements that UK Government has provided is funding for this capacity to the tune of £125,000 to these local authorities to enable that capacity, so local authorities can draw down this funding. What sort of support would you be looking to provide to local authorities to expand this capacity to ensure that this funding is made the most of in our communities? Thank you.
Sam Rowlands: First of all, let me express my support also for the Member's call for investment at the port of Holyhead, in line with the questions I raised with the First Minister in the Chamber here two weeks ago. As you'll be aware, Minister, Ynys Môn does have some unique opportunities for delivering green energy due to some of the existing infrastructure that's in place there, including, of course,...
Sam Rowlands: 8. What are the Welsh Government’s economic priorities for North Wales? OQ56919
Sam Rowlands: Thank you very much, Minister, for your brief response. As you will know, significant parts of the north Wales economy are, of course, within the construction sector, and I recently had the privilege of meeting with the Construction Industry Training Board, the CITB, who outlined to me some of the challenges they’re experiencing in terms of a skills shortage within the sector. Indeed, in...
Sam Rowlands: What assessment has the First Minister made of access to sporting facilities in North Wales?
Sam Rowlands: 2. Will the Minister provide an update on the progress of the north Wales metro? OQ56973
Sam Rowlands: Thank you, Deputy Minister, for your updates on the progress of the north Wales metro. And I'm sure Members from across the Chamber will welcome the speeding up of this project, actually, and the benefits it could have for the people of north Wales. Initially, these plans were proposed in 2016, for delivery in around 2035—so, a nearly 20-year timescale to see a north Wales metro take place....
Sam Rowlands: I'd like to thank Mr Sargeant also for raising this question this afternoon. As you acknowledged, Minister, for some learners, traditional school learning settings aren't always the best for them. Many young people often thrive in non-traditional settings, which can see them move up the educational ladder at their own speed, and perhaps focus on specific areas of interest as well that suit...
Sam Rowlands: Trefnydd, I'm sure you'd agree that north Wales continues to have a world-class reputation for delivering exceptional events and being a world-renowned destination. And following on from a point I raised with you before the summer, in regards the UK City of Culture competition, I'm sure you are delighted to see that Wrexham has been shortlisted to be named UK City of Culture 2025, along with...
Sam Rowlands: Thanks to my colleague for raising this important issue in the Chamber today around local government settlements. Minister, there does seem to be a significant differentiation at times between what council leaders and locally-elected members are saying is the funding needed through the funding formula to deliver many of the important services against what you seem willing to support at times....
Sam Rowlands: I'm sure all parties across the Chamber rightly support steps to ensure animal welfare standards are being met, and I'm always happy to declare an interest as the owner of a lovely two-year-old Glen of Imaal terrier. It's really important that we have the right animal welfare standards in place. I'd certainly echo the words mentioned in terms of the vital role that animal sanctuaries play in...
Sam Rowlands: Thank you to Plaid Cymru for tabling this important and timely debate today, which clearly has a broad reach in terms of its title—there are all sorts of avenues that Members could go down in relation to this debate today. I would also like to welcome and certainly support the first section of the motion from Plaid Cymru, which seeks to note all of the good work that has taken place in...
Sam Rowlands: I certainly acknowledge that and I will continue to support, from my side, the benefits of tidal energy. That particular scheme may not have been as effective as others, but it doesn't mean that tidal energy and the technology is a bad thing. And the good work in places like Morlais, looking at tidal energy and how that can be enhanced, I think is really important and what we should continue...
Sam Rowlands: Thank you, Deputy Minister, for bringing forward this statement today. It is of course a very timely statement. Just a couple of weeks ago, I raised a question with you regarding the north Wales metro, in the Chamber, and I was really pleased to hear you agree with me that there should be urgency around the delivery of the metro in north Wales. And in light of this, I certainly welcome some...
Sam Rowlands: Trefnydd, I'd welcome a Welsh Government statement providing an update on the plans to tackle what seems to be a growing skills shortage in Wales at the moment. I've recently had the pleasure of meeting a number of small businesses from across north Wales with the Federation of Small Businesses, two of those being the Fifth Wheel Company in Rhuallt and also the White House hotel and spa,...
Sam Rowlands: Thank you, Minister, for bringing forward today's statement. I certainly welcome the ambition to build a stronger, greener economy here in Wales. A key part of making and seeing that green economy a success is the role that local authorities can play in achieving this. In light of this, I was disappointed to see that local authorities and councils were not mentioned in your statement today,...
