Mark Isherwood: Thank you very much indeed, because I have lots of casework related to my cross-party group work and local work where people who should have had their personal independence payment at full rate haven't got it, but we know that an appeal to the DWP is somewhere between 60 and 80 per cent successful, particularly for those on the autism spectrum and those with sensory loss issues. The problem...
Mark Isherwood: 7. What support does the Welsh Government provide for children with epilepsy? OAQ52488
Mark Isherwood: Last week, I hosted and chaired the Epilepsy Wales annual Epilepsy Aware event in the Assembly, and we heard that people with complex epilepsy were not able to access treatment, including the keto diet, although recommended as a first-line treatment by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. This included children with epilepsy after unsuccessfully trying two first-line drugs,...
Mark Isherwood: Of course, Ynys Môn/Anglesey is an incredible place and its history goes back a long way. How do you think we can incorporate into the promotion of that island the period when it was the Rome of the juridic world, the fact that it was on the Roman imperial trading route even before Rome conquered this island, its wonderful Arthurian links and its links to the legends of Avalon and Avallach,...
Mark Isherwood: I endorse the call for a statement on mesh operations. England hasn't followed Wales. NHS England has announced a stop to NHS operations—full stop. In that context, I would welcome a statement. Secondly, I'd welcome a statement on the contribution that heritage railways can and can further make to Wales and our local and regional economies. Last week, Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas hosted a...
Mark Isherwood: During January's debate here on the 'Our Valleys, Our Future' delivery plan, I noted that the value of goods and services produced per head of population in the west Wales and the Valleys sub-region was still bottom across the UK, with the Gwent valleys second only to Anglesey as the lowest in the UK. I also noted that the Bevan Foundation's 'Tough times ahead? What 2018 might hold for Wales'...
Mark Isherwood: Diolch. After meeting you last night, Jan Logie, the parliamentary under-secretary in the New Zealand Government's Ministry of Justice, was hosted by me as co-chair of the cross-party group on violence against women and children at a round-table meeting to discuss gender-based violence and prevention. Clearly, there's not just a national but an international element to this, and we can each...
Mark Isherwood: Will you give way?
Mark Isherwood: Do you regret that the Welsh Government at the time ignored the warnings by the housing sector joined together campaign throughout the early 2000s that there would be a housing supply crisis if the Welsh Government didn't reverse its 70 per cent affordable housing cuts? That was long before the credit crunch and they ignored that—hence where we are today.
Mark Isherwood: Fourteen months ago I called for a statement here on the issue of mesh implants after a constituent in north Wales had told me of the suffering she had from left hip pain, left thigh pain, pelvic pain and intimate pain, and she told me of thousands of other women in the UK suffering in a similar way. I was then told that health boards should ensure they report any complications, and women who...
Mark Isherwood: I've supported the concept of a Bangor medical school since the previous vice-chancellor, Merfyn Jones, first raised it with me a decade or more ago, and this, of course, has been raised in previous Assemblies also. But given that the north Wales local medical committee—many of whom themselves studied at Liverpool medical school, or Manchester medical school, some of whom came from north...
Mark Isherwood: As our report of this states, there is little evidence to show that Wales's eight enterprise zones have been transformational in terms of job creation, but different outcomes are inevitable because each has faced different challenges and different local circumstances. The Cabinet Secretary's conduct when he attended committee for his final scrutiny session with us on this inquiry, and...
Mark Isherwood: I visited the School of Ocean Sciences at Bangor University in Menai. I did question the Cabinet Secretary about this in February, when I said: 'Sea bed surveying and mapping are of key importance to our economy. The Irish have already acted on this. The EU is now starting too. There's a danger that both Wales and the UK will be left behind. Bangor University has the biggest university-run...
Mark Isherwood: Please may I call for a single statement on care for learning-disabled adults who develop dementia? When I chaired last month's cross-party group on disability in the Assembly, we heard from Shared Lives Cymru about the all-Wales dementia initiative, a proposal for dementia-specific services for learning-disabled adults who do develop dementia. Carers of learning-disabled people all over...
Mark Isherwood: Well, diolch—thanks for your statement. I regret—very uncharacteristically for you—that I only got to read it when it came up on my screen a couple of moments ago. I understand, in the process of it being delivered down very, very late, it didn't find its way, sadly, to me. Although, having read it—or listened to it—I now understand why it might have been delayed, because its title...
Mark Isherwood: Yes, certainly. Given the engagement the UK Government has had with the Welsh Government, through discussions with the First Minister and yourselves, the Joint Ministerial Committee European Negotiations meetings, ongoing correspondence, and, of course, ongoing official level engagement, what engagement, aside from all this fun and games, will you be having as matters move forward now, both...
Mark Isherwood: That was also positive in terms of trade. Finally, given Liam Fox's statements yesterday in his capacity as international trade Secretary in terms of post-Brexit trade arrangements, when he set out his intention to boost trade with old friends and new allies, expanding access to markets across the globe, but also said that he was working closely with the devolved administrations, of course...
Mark Isherwood: Diolch. Just one question: given your statement, oft repeated, that the Wales route only received 1 per cent of the rail enhancement budget, how do you respond to the evidence received by the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee we heard referred to a moment ago, by Network Rail, relating to the Office of Rail and Road report on UK rail industry financial information, which showed...
Mark Isherwood: Well, let's try again. How do you respond to the statement by Donna Ockenden that, 'Staff are frequently commented on in a positive way. The good practice seen is often despite (rather than because of) any specific interventions by either the CPG management team or the BCUHB Board over the timescale, particularly from 2009 to 2016'? How do you reconcile the statement in the letter to north...
Mark Isherwood: How is the Welsh Government helping to make Wales a dementia-friendly nation?
