Llyr Gruffydd: 8. What has the Welsh Government done to protect the people of Wales from the side-effects of dust escaping into the atmosphere? OAQ55180
Llyr Gruffydd: Dust from the Kronospan works has been visible on people's cars and windows in Chirk for many, many years, and local residents are hugely concerned about the impact that breathing in that dust over the longer term has on their health. Monitoring by Wrexham County Borough Council only measures the larger particulates, the PM10s, while there's nothing in place to measure the smaller PM2.5s,...
Llyr Gruffydd: 6. Will the Minister make a statement on the building of council homes in Wales? OAQ55181
Llyr Gruffydd: A question has arisen as to how many councils in Wales are going to be able to take advantage of opportunities in this area, because they've lost their council house stock since they transferred those to social landlords over a decade ago. Other things have changed, and there is an emphasis on councils building their own homes once again. The question is: how do councils that don't hold stock...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank you to everyone who has contributed to this valuable debate and raised very valid and important issues, and particularly the referrals to some of the appalling examples that I fear we're becoming far too used to. I'll just add one further element to this debate too, in concluding, because last year I asked Betsi Cadwaladr how many...
Llyr Gruffydd: Two care homes in particular—Cygnet Health Care's Wyke in Bradford, and Partnerships in Care's Kneesworth site—were listed as inadequate by the CQC after its inspection. A further three were found to require improvement. And these are serious failings. Wyke was deemed to be inadequate when it came to safety, effectiveness, caring and being well-led. And in terms of safety, that meant...
Llyr Gruffydd: I will, yes, although I'm already over time.
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you for that. And, also, of course, it reminds me of another point, in that why is it always one-way traffic? When we want to access services, we have to go to England. Why don't we have the aspiration to actually develop some of those specialisms here in Wales, so that people in England come to us? It doesn't have to be a one-way street. Now, I appreciate sometimes it may need to be,...
Llyr Gruffydd: 4. Will the First Minister provide an update on the provision of mental health services in North Wales? OAQ55222
Llyr Gruffydd: Whilst, of course, there are good news stories such as the ones you’ve mentioned in terms of some of the care, we are aware that one of the reasons that the health board was placed in special measures was because of failings when it comes to mental health services. Now, it was disappointing to read a report last year that was a review of psychiatric therapies in north Wales, which listed a...
Llyr Gruffydd: I'm pleased that the Minister for agriculture is in her seat, just to note what I intend to raise. The Minister has stated that the new regulations on water quality will be laid within the next few weeks. I don't see in the business statement any reference to an oral statement to run along with the laying of those regulations over the next three weeks' business. You will know, of course, that...
Llyr Gruffydd: I just wanted to endorse briefly some of the comments Rhun made. Rhun referred to the excellent work that the north Wales community health council has done, particularly on vascular services, but that’s one of very many cases. I can tell you that the CHC has played a crucial role in the work around the newborn intensive care units. You remember that campaign that was ultimately won and the...
Llyr Gruffydd: We've just heard that the recently departed chief executive was in post for a little too long; you could probably say that about the three chief executives who've served during the period that the board has been in special measures and under the direct control of Welsh Government. Now, I know that you're reticent to direct the board to do anything, but, as Minister, I'm sure you can convey a...
Llyr Gruffydd: 2. What discussions has the Minister had with the Minister for Housing and Local Government in relation to how the Welsh Government can help fund plans to reduce the number of empty houses in North Wales? OAQ55227
Llyr Gruffydd: But the truth is that we have around 3,000 empty homes in north Wales, and some of them have been vacant for a decade and more. This is a huge waste of resources, isn't it? Because we are crying out for affordable homes, but we have thousands of empty homes in north Wales, and then we're seeing houses built on greenfield sites and on flood plains in north Wales. So, certainly, it remains a...
Llyr Gruffydd: 'I was there',
Llyr Gruffydd: said Max Boyce. Well, we can't all be there, can we? And so it's important that we all have an opportunity, through television, to share in that experience. I remember where I was when Ieuan Evans scored that excellent try in 1988 against Scotland. I'm sure we all remember where we were when Scott Gibbs scored in Wembley in 1999, or when Gavin Henson kicked that wonderful kick to beat England...
Llyr Gruffydd: I thank the Minister for her statement. I would also wish to pay tribute to all of those working within the food sector to ensure that the food does reach us, from farm to fork, as they say, and we appreciate their efforts, of course. But Minister, I have to express some disappointment about your statement, because we've heard virtually nothing new. What we've had, to all intents and...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you very much, Llywydd. I'm very pleased to contribute to this debate. The Finance Committee has made 19 recommendations, and I thank the Minister for her letter of 23 March, which sets out her response to those recommendations. Given the time available today for this debate, I will focus on our main concerns only. As a committee, we do acknowledge that this is a significant piece of...
Llyr Gruffydd: First Minister, you will be very aware that many farms in Wales are facing grave problems as a result of coronavirus and its impact on the food sector. Beef and dairy farmers, particularly, are facing huge losses of up to £10,000 a month in a number of cases. These businesses aren't going to be able to carry that level of loss and that level of debt for too long, so urgent action in this...
