Llyr Gruffydd: I'm glad to hear, Minister, that you're advocating better working conditions and salaries for nurses and care workers, because that strikes a very different tone to the one that you struck in answer to my questioning just some months ago, when I was raising concerns about proposed changes within Betsi Cadwaladr to nursing rotas in north Wales, which would have been, of course, to the...
Llyr Gruffydd: Minister, some prisoners from HMP Berwyn and other prisons in Wales, of course, are being released early due to COVID-19. Now, that isn't a devolved matter, unfortunately, but the impact on local authorities of having early releases presenting as homeless is a devolved issue, of course, and I know you've touched on that briefly in your statement and in a couple of subsequent answers. We also...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you, Minister, for your statement, and I very much welcome the fact that we at last have some sort of dairy support scheme, although still regretting the fact that it took so long for the scheme to be brought forward, because the sector, myself and many others were calling for this six, seven, eight weeks ago and, of course, many of those affected will have incurred losses hugely in...
Llyr Gruffydd: I've no problem with you making announcements on Saturdays; it's just a case of maybe copying us in when you inform people within the sector that certain announcements are being made as well. Because we are here primarily to scrutinise you as Minister and, frankly, it's quite embarrassing for us to be told by external organisations that you have made announcements as significant as this. I...
Llyr Gruffydd: First Minister, the calls to protect people's right to breathe clean air have clearly intensified during recent months, and I'm sure you'll share my concern that the Hafod landfill site near Wrexham caught fire a fortnight ago. Thick black plumes of smoke passed over the large neighbouring communities, communities, by the way, of course, who'd fought a vigorous campaign some years ago to...
Llyr Gruffydd: The elements of this motion do give us some of the foundations for what is, in its essence, a new green deal for Wales. We've heard the example of retrofitting homes regularly, and, of course ,it's a perfect example of that triple bottom line that we need to focus on as we restore our lives in the post-COVID-19 period. It provides benefits and gains in an environmental sense, as we reduce the...
Llyr Gruffydd: Now, the term 'green new deal', of course, has its origins in Roosevelt's New Deal in 1930s America. And in the throes of the Great Depression, his New Deal had three aims: to provide relief for the poor, to provide economic recovery, and, of course, to reform financial systems so that economic depression wouldn't happen again. It was relief, recover, reform. And Congress subsequently...
Llyr Gruffydd: 2. Will the Minister make a statement on the Welsh Dairy Support Scheme which has recently opened for applications? OQ55320
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you for your answer. I have been contacted, I have to say, by a number of farmers who are literally just a few pounds short of meeting the 25 per cent threshold of a fall in their income, which would then make them, of course, eligible to qualify for the support scheme. But these are farmers who have incurred significant losses, but, of course, subsequently, they get nothing, no...
Llyr Gruffydd: Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, you will know, I'm sure, that a criminal investigation is now under way into the fire at the Hafod landfill site—
Llyr Gruffydd: I was just asking, Minister, that I'm sure you will be aware of the criminal investigation that's under way into the fire at the Hafod landfill site, near Wrexham, earlier this month. And both Natural Resources Wales and the company that runs the site have told me that they don't actually know what started the fire. Now, in that case, do you not think it wise to not allow the company to...
Llyr Gruffydd: Well, I'm sure a number of people will be bemused that they're allowed to carry on without knowing exactly what caused the fire. So, I would urge you, Minister—and I have raised this with you before—to make sure that action is taken sooner rather than later. Because obviously the local community didn't want it in the first place, and now we see some of the consequences of that...
Llyr Gruffydd: I understand the point you're making, but, of course, we are facing more than one crisis at the moment, and I think that needs to be remembered as well.
Llyr Gruffydd: There is one other issue that I would like to raise with you, if I may, Minister, and that, of course, is the cluster of cases of COVID-19 that we've seen in meat processing plants in Wales, and that reflects what we've seen in other nations such as the USA and Germany and so on. And what I want to know is what you as Minister and what the Welsh Government are doing in responding proactively...
Llyr Gruffydd: 2. Will the Minister make a statement on the use of planning regulations in order to support businesses to come out of the current lockdown? OQ55319
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you for your answer. I hope that the translation equipment is working by now. We're all aware—. No, it isn't.
Llyr Gruffydd: We're very aware that the requirements of social distancing, whether it's 2m or 1m, actually, are causing a great deal of problems for many businesses that either have reopened or, of course, hope to reopen soon. Now, I'm sure we all know of examples where wide pavements outside of shops could be utilised in terms of cafes and coffee shops. There are parking spaces that could be used to...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you very much, Llywydd. It's my pleasure to speak in this debate today on behalf of the Finance Committee. The committee met to consider this supplementary budget on 4 June. I note the positive opening remarks by the Minister in terms of the report recommendations, and we look forward to receiving the formal reply. But as the Minister has said, this supplementary budget is being...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you, Minister, for your responses so far. It certainly is gut-wrenching news, and I very much align myself to the comments you made around looking at the four-day week and extending the furlough, and, certainly, the importance of the apprenticeship provision at Airbus. It's renowned and highly coveted across north Wales, and we really need to do everything we can to try and retain as...
Llyr Gruffydd: Well, tree planting wasn't disappointing, Minister—it's quite embarrassing, to be frank. But there we are. And there's a lot of catching up to be done, and I'm not convinced that the current trajectory that you're offering is going to be enough. But I hadn't appreciated that we're limited to such an extent on time, so I'll have to move on. You talk a good game very often, and you've been...
