Samuel Kurtz: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I move the motion in the name of Darren Millar and it gives me great pleasure to do so, as Wales is a nation of animal lovers. Due to the pandemic, many of us have spent more time at home than usual. For me, I had man's best friend in my lockdown bubble—my trusted yet yappy Jack Russell Terrier, Cadi. The challenges of the last 18 months were made easier by having...
Samuel Kurtz: 7. What is the Welsh Government doing to encourage the recruitment of healthcare staff across the Hywel Dda University Health Board region? OQ57290
Samuel Kurtz: Diolch, Weinidog. You'll be aware that Wales's second largest GP surgery is Argyle Medical Group, which is located in Pembroke Dock within my constituency of Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire. According to the latest data, over 22,000 patients fall under Argyle's care, making it one of five practices in Wales with over 20,000 registered patients; yet, the group has only nine registered...
Samuel Kurtz: Prif Weinidog, I note that in the updated programme for government, the nitrate vulnerable zone regulations are included, having not been included in the original programme published in June. On Sunday’s episode of the BBC's Politics Wales, you said that there would be no roll-back of the NVZ regulations and that—and I quote—'it was never the intention there would be some sort of...
Samuel Kurtz: 1. What measures is the Welsh Government taking to improve inland water quality in Wales? OQ57333
Samuel Kurtz: Diolch yn fawr, Weinidog, and good afternoon. I'm sure you'll join me in welcoming the recent improvements that were adopted in the UK Environment Bill to improve inland water quality in England, in particular the legal duty that is placed on water companies to progressively reduce the impact of permitted and non-permitted discharges from combined sewage overflows, known more commonly as...
Samuel Kurtz: Sorry, Dirprwy Lywydd, I was under the impression that I wasn't in this debate; apologies.
Samuel Kurtz: No, sorry, it was my understanding that it was withdrawn.
Samuel Kurtz: Diolch, Llywydd, and firstly, can I start by wishing the Minister a very merry Christmas and by thanking her for the honest and open dialogue that she and I have had in respect of this portfolio? Minister, I've raised the issue of unspent and misspent rural development plan money in the Chamber on several occasions already, and I would like to focus on the 'free tree for every household'...
Samuel Kurtz: Thank you, Minister—thank you for that clarification. I'm sure that you were as horrified as I was, Minister, when, earlier this week, BBC Wales, in a documentary of theirs, highlighted the cropping of bulldog puppy ears to increase the dogs' value to breeders and desirability to new owners. The documentary heard how puppies with cropped ears can sell for an additional £1,500, making this...
Samuel Kurtz: Thank you. And finally, Minister, I was pleased to lead the Welsh Conservatives' animal welfare debate last month, which saw the Government defeated and the motion pass unamended in the Senedd. The balanced and open-minded approach taken by all during the debate was welcome, and I hope that this can continue. I am aware of a letter that you have received from the Companion Animals Welfare...
Samuel Kurtz: There is a little that I as a Member or individual can add to this debate, so if I may, Llywydd, I wish to take this opportunity to share the story of my constituent, Robert Leyland. Robert, known to his family and friends as Bob, was one of many who, sadly, died during the pandemic, not due to COVID, but due to a host of failures within the governance of our health service. Bob's wife of 23...
Samuel Kurtz: Thank you, Llywydd. I'll start by thanking Plaid Cymru for bringing this debate forward this afternoon.
Samuel Kurtz: I'd like to use my contribution to draw Members' attention to the ongoing health inequalities in rural Wales, by highlighting examples within my own constituency of Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, in particular those inequalities that have arisen as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the reorganisation of vital health services. Just last week it was announced that Hywel Dda...
Samuel Kurtz: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. My thanks to the Minister for early sight of this statement, and I'm pleased to see and welcome the value that the Welsh Government is placing on our fantastic Welsh food and drink industry. I understand that the sector in Wales has a revenue stream of around £7.5 billion per annum, yet only 10 per cent of this revenue is gained from exports to countries outside of...
Samuel Kurtz: 8. Will the Minister provide an update on the provision of mental health services in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire? OQ57470
Samuel Kurtz: Thank you, Deputy Minister. I recently met with representatives of Dezza's Cabin, a charity set up following the tragic suicide of Derek Brundrett, a pupil at Ysgol Harri Tudur, formerly Pembroke comprehensive school, back in 2013. The charity aims to provide support to reduce the suicide and self-harm risk in young people, as well as offering signposting for mental health support services....
Samuel Kurtz: Deputy Minister, I wish to welcome the commitment to Welsh language broadcasting that has been realised with the significant extra funding for S4C. Our party established the channel over 40 years ago, and we will always secure its role in Welsh life, regardless of how the BBC is funded and frivolous claims from opposition parties. I joined my colleague Tom Giffard in writing to the then...
Samuel Kurtz: I'm grateful to the Minister for her statement. I was fortunate enough to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau as a teenager through my school. The stillness and silence that enveloped the concentration camp, the lack of colour or joy and the weight of the atrocities that were allowed to happen there are all memories that will live with me forever. Elie Wiesel, a Jewish Auschwitz survivor who went on to...
Samuel Kurtz: —and teaching aids and resource material. The Lessons from Auschwitz project that the Minister mentioned in her statement allows two post-16 students from every school and college in the country to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau. In commemorating Holocaust Memorial Day and the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau on 27 January 1945, we bear witness to those who endured genocide and honour the...
