Huw Irranca-Davies: 9. Will the Minister make a statement on whether Welsh Government will bring forward measures to support local authorities and local communities to take a greater stake in energy projects? OAQ54460
Huw Irranca-Davies: I thank the Minister for that response, and I recognise the work that is going on, particularly as a Labour and Co-operative Member, around that community ownership. But back in 2017, the UK Energy Research Centre had a look across local authorities throughout the UK, Wales included, and they found that their engagement in energy management was limited, and they had limited capacity, in fact,...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. The state of nature report gives the clearest picture to date of the states of species across land and sea, and it sounds the alarm for the natural world. One in six species in Wales risk extinction. Butterfly numbers have fallen 52 per cent since 1976, and across the UK there are 40 million fewer birds compared to 50 years ago. Thirty per cent of land-dwelling mammals...
Huw Irranca-Davies: 2. What Welsh Government support is available for housing regeneration in the Ogmore valleys? OAQ54534
Huw Irranca-Davies: I thank the First Minister for that answer. I'm sure he'll agree with me that, when empty properties stand empty not just for months, but year on year on year, they're a blight on communities—they drag them down economically, they damage efforts at regeneration, and they do contribute to an air of despond in communities and on streets. Like broken teeth, they can stand ragged and broken on...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. And could I, in welcoming the statement and also the tone of the contributions here today, say—this is a concise statement, it's not the longest we've seen in this place—how profound and far-reaching it is to have a First Minister of Wales stand up and say, with some clarity, some detailed proposals, but also to frame the debate around constitutional reform with such...
Huw Irranca-Davies: 4. What engagement has the Minister had with organisations in Ogmore on the Welsh Government’s international trade priorities? OAQ54535
Huw Irranca-Davies: That’s really good to hear, and, with eight days to go to close on the draft international strategy for Wales, I just wanted to make sure that all businesses, big and small, and education and training providers, within the Bridgend and Ogmore area have been fully engaged in the process, so that companies like the multi-award-winning Wales Interactive digital games developer and publisher,...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. Wales is in a great position to lead globally on significantly reducing single-use plastic waste, using the best international practice, evidence and research, using our new powers over taxes and levies to drive behavioural change, and by bringing forward a cross-Government action plan with a comprehensive suite of measures, targets and milestones. We can stop the rising...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, thank you very much. Could I just begin by thanking my colleagues Delyth Jewell, Jenny Rathbone, David Rowlands, Rhianon Passmore, Llyr Gruffydd, Jayne Bryant and Alun Davies—
Huw Irranca-Davies: Oh, sorry—for all their contributions, because I think it's shown the Assembly at its very best in this quality of debate that we've had today, and I thank also those who have supported this who haven't spoken today as well. There's really strong cross-party support with a lot of common interest. Minister, if that helps give you support and encourages you to take to Cabinet proposals around...
Huw Irranca-Davies: How will the First Minister take forward the Welsh Government's proposals on UK constitutional reform?
Huw Irranca-Davies: What discussions has the Minister had with the Pernicious Anaemia Society regarding proposals to improve diagnosis and treatment?
Huw Irranca-Davies: Could I ask for a statement on measures to tackle empty former commercial premises, including long unused petrol stations like that at the entrance to Ogmore vale, or the empty and dilapidated factory shell at the entrance to Evanstown in my constituency, which, just like empty and abandoned homes, can blight communities terribly. Yet, business owners and absentee landlords can sit on these...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Will the First Minister make a statement on the impact of the reduction in the block grant since 2010?
Huw Irranca-Davies: Will you give way?
Huw Irranca-Davies: I hope I didn't intervene too early, but, actually, I agree with the point you just made, which is that one of the issues is the lack of uniformity, because I've got patches in my constituency that are exceptionally well provided for in terms of primary care, but also that engagement with community healthcare teams. There's some amazing work going on. But then I have issues in some areas with...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Thank you for giving way. I'm always interested in these debates to hear ideas of how we can resolve some of these quite complex situations. A number of members of my family are involved in radiography—some as clinical tutors within radiography as well—and we are training a lot of people, and yet, we still have parts of Wales, including places like Powys and Ceredigion and so on, where...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Will you give way, Minister?
Huw Irranca-Davies: I thank the Minister for giving way, and the reason I ask him to give way is to ask him to join with me in welcoming something that he stood here in the debate with me previously, which is the issue of primary care provision in Llanharan. I hope he'll join with me in applauding Pencoed Medical Centre who have actually made the decision now, working with the local health board, finding some...
