Siân Gwenllian: I also welcome this report on the state of nature, a report that has been brought together by over 50 nature groups, and the second important report to provide an evidence base on the state of our natural world and also provide a basis for doing something about it and for making decisions in Wales. As Simon said, it is not comfortable reading in parts, but there is a need for the Government...
Siân Gwenllian: We need between 15,000 and 18,000 additional Welsh speakers every year, over a period of 30 years, if we are to reach the aim of 1 million Welsh speakers. And that is on top of addressing the number of people who leave Welsh communities and Wales. The role of education is key in getting to that target. By now, the vast majority of people who speak Welsh have learnt it at school. Compare that...
Siân Gwenllian: Will the Minister provide an update on developments at Bryn Cegin Business Park near Bangor?
Siân Gwenllian: This year, Carmarthenshire County Council, under the leadership of Plaid Cymru, introduced a scheme to provide 1,000 new affordable houses over the next three years. As part of the scheme, they’ve got different methods of doing this: managing additional tenancies in the private sector, bringing more vacant homes back into use, and also buying new private homes in order to put them out to...
Siân Gwenllian: The national hotline service, Live Fear Free, is located in my constituency as it happens, and yesterday I had an opportunity to visit this important resource. And by the way, this is an example of a bilingual service that serves the whole of Wales from beyond Cardiff, in a very successful way, and the service has won a number of notable awards. Ninety-six per cent of those who phone the...
Siân Gwenllian: What is the First Minister doing to change the perception that the Welsh Government is only relevant to Cardiff and south Wales?
Siân Gwenllian: I’m sure you would agree with me that we need to be entirely clear and entirely transparent on this case. There is quite some interest in it. You mentioned that there was a financial deficit for this plan. When did that emerge, and is that different to the negotiations that have been taking place over a period of two years? Are we talking about a more recent development in terms of this...
Siân Gwenllian: I’m going to declare an interest before speaking on this, because I have a number of family members working in the creative industries. But I do have a number of questions that I would like to raise, as it has become evident that the Welsh Government are considering a bid for millions of pounds from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David for a project that includes relocating 55 S4C...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you. I move amendment 3 in the Rhun ap Iorwerth. Even though this debate is about services that are provided for older people, it is of interest to us all, of course, and for the sort of country that we want to create in Wales. What sort of country would we like to grow old in? Well, that’s the question that we all need to be considering. The report underlines the value of having...
Siân Gwenllian: How exactly will the progress in provision contribute to the strategy for 1 million Welsh speakers? That is, do you have a specific target within the education field for three to four-year-olds in terms of how much of a workforce you will need in order to provide bilingual education in the future?
Siân Gwenllian: My comments relate to section 2 of the motion, which refers to parking charges. Empty town centres and boarded-up shops are an all too familiar sight across Wales, despite attempts to liven things up with a little bit of tinsel and Christmas lights at this time of year. The decline of the high street across Wales reminds us that we need a strategy from the Government to support local...
Siân Gwenllian: It’s important to discuss two areas where Plaid Cymru has had an influence on this budget: first of all the Welsh language, and additional funding for Welsh for adults, and funding to establish a national language agency. We secured an additional £5 million for 2017-18. Plaid Cymru believes that the Welsh language belongs to everyone in Wales, and we are committed therefore to ensuring...
Siân Gwenllian: 2. Will the Minister make a statement on the government’s efforts to support small businesses in Arfon? OAQ(5)0089(EI)[W]
Siân Gwenllian: Last week, I visited a very prosperous small business in my constituency. They are trying to purchase the building that they lease from Welsh Government at present and they’re on an industrial estate at the edge of Caernarfon. They want to acquire the building in order to expand their business. The company that came to value the unit on behalf of the Government came from Bristol. Their...
Siân Gwenllian: 7. Will the Minister make a statement on the progress of the Bangor medical school plans? OAQ(5)0088(HWS)[W]
Siân Gwenllian: A medical school for Bangor has been included as a high-level project in the north Wales growth bid, which has been agreed and supported by each of the six local authorities in north Wales. A letter that I received from you recently notes that you are expecting a briefing from officials on this issue. I note that the words ‘business case’ have disappeared from the letter, but that’s...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much, Llywydd. I move the amendments. I also declare an interest as the mother of four young people who have paid a huge amount in letting fees over the years. Plaid Cymru is pleased to support this motion to abolish fees charged by letting agents. As you know, we introduced amendments to that end during the debate on the renting homes Bill. At that time, we were supported by...
Siân Gwenllian: I do believe that this inquiry into human rights is crucial and very timely for the committee. This afternoon, I’d like to discuss one specific area of the inquiry that will need to be addressed in detail in my view, namely, equality between men and women. One of the fundamental objectives of the European Union is gender equality, and it is identified as a fundamental right within European...
Siân Gwenllian: A number of people have talked about the cost of evicting families from their homes, and just to summarise, moving families out of their homes is a very expensive thing. It costs more than £24 million a year in direct costs, let alone the indirect costs for the health service and the education service. That’s nearly £0.5 million a week that is spent on evicting people, and Plaid Cymru...
Siân Gwenllian: Will the Minister provide an update on flood prevention plans in Arfon?
