Mr Simon Thomas: I thank the business manager for her statement of business. I’m particularly grateful for the changes to business today to allow an oral statement on the death of Dylan Seabridge, one of my constituents, and an issue on which I raised an urgent question some time ago, asking for such a statement. I’m glad that we have the review and are able to look at it later on. Can I ask the Minister...
Mr Simon Thomas: I must say, I’m quite disappointed with this statement today, Minister. When I asked an urgent question back in January, I was told to wait for the child practice review; now the child practice review has been published, I’m told to wait some inordinate amount of time again, without any timetable or idea of what the Government is going to do. I don’t share your confidence, Minister,...
Mr Simon Thomas: Thank you, Presiding Officer, and thank you to the Minister for outlining this supplementary budget. The Finance Committee agree that the main purpose of this supplementary budget was restructuring following the changes in ministerial portfolios after the election. Despite that, we would like to draw the Assembly’s attention to the report that we’ve put together and to three things...
Mr Simon Thomas: What discussions has the First Minister had regarding the report by Sir John Chilcot into the Iraq war?
Mr Simon Thomas: To return to Newtown, another important part of the heritage of Newtown in Powys is the Montgomery canal. The First Minister said yesterday that canals are seen by the Welsh Government as part of our tourism offer, and, as there is a proposal by the people of Newtown to restore the old canal that runs through the town and which is part of the industrial history and heritage of Wales, of...
Mr Simon Thomas: How many times in the eight months that you were talking about, Cabinet Secretary, have the targets been met in the Hywel Dda health board area? And, who’s responsible for that failure?
Mr Simon Thomas: How many times?
Mr Simon Thomas: In light of the fact that there is a shortage of GPs and primary care services in south Pembrokeshire, I would like a statement from the Cabinet Secretary that he is confident that the service is safe for the constituents in Pembrokeshire. Secondly, would he like to explain why he hasn’t supported making the experiment of the minor injuries unit in Tenby, which was opened over Easter, into...
Mr Simon Thomas: Would you like to give way?
Mr Simon Thomas: Just on the point she's making around the relationship between the press and the BBC, she knows that the BBC has said, as part of the charter process, that it's interested in supporting local press by sharing of journalism, sharing of stories and so forth. Is that something that she has looked at with—? The new committee has only just started, I know, but is that something that’s of...
Mr Simon Thomas: Just on that point, for information, when I raised this matter, the matter of the ‘Daily Post’ journalist here, the response from the ‘Daily Post’ was, ‘Oh, we’re looking to share with the BBC’.
Mr Simon Thomas: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I just want to endorse the comments made by Leanne Wood in opening this debate by mentioning particularly the effect on, and the need to protect, agriculture, fisheries and the environment more generally. We are in a position at present where Wales, Welsh farmers and rural Wales receive something in the region of £250 million per annum in direct payments...
Mr Simon Thomas: Just on that point, we’ve seen today Alun Cairns, for example, as the Secretary of State, argue that this is no longer about money, and we should have this big debate about what should replace structural funds, and though I’m up for learning from the fact that structural funds did not take us from the position we were in in 1999 to the position we want to be in today, can I just support...
Mr Simon Thomas: The communities of Porthmadog, Newtown, Cardigan, Tenby, Pembroke and Pembroke Dock, which have to wait a fortnight these days for an appointment with a GP, do feel that there is a crisis and they feel that there is a problem of recruitment and a shortage of GPs who are willing to stay in those areas. There are particular problems in terms of those who want to become partners in surgeries....
Mr Simon Thomas: They are currently private.
Mr Simon Thomas: The independent contractors.
Mr Simon Thomas: Will the Minister make a statement on Abertawe Bro Morgannwg, Cardiff and Vale, and Hywel Dda University Health Boards, in light of their escalation to targeted intervention status? EAQ(5)0036(HWS) [W]
Mr Simon Thomas: Thank you, Minister. Of course, I did receive the written statement, but I was very eager to ask questions on the floor of the Chamber on the decision and the rationale behind the decision. This now leaves four of the seven main health boards dealing with primary care and secondary care in some sort of intervention from Government. Can you explain how this situation has arisen, after your...
Mr Simon Thomas: Can I welcome the Government’s business manager back from the recess that we’ve all had? I think most of us found it very busy indeed following the referendum result, and the need to talk with and deal with our constituents and businesses and people who are interested in knowing how we’re going to plot a way forward here in the Assembly. I was curiously struck by how rudderless a...
Mr Simon Thomas: Thank you, Presiding Officer. Cabinet Secretary, you may be aware that the National Farmers Union Cymru are currently conducting a campaign to encourage everyone to buy at least five items of produce from Wales. Can you name the last five items of Welsh produce that you bought, and what are you doing as Minister to ensure that customers know that their produce is from Wales?
