Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I thank everyone for their contributions to the debate this afternoon. We heard at the outset from Laura Anne Jones. I thank her for her very kind words, and she emphasised once again the lack of staff and the long historic waiting lists, but that things have not necessarily improved with people going without diagnosis for long periods. Rhun...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: 3. What progress has the Government made in relation to its roads review? OQ57345
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much for that response. May I read a section from the scope of the review, which is part of the criteria for the roads review? It says that: 'Access roads with the primary purpose of linking a site or premises for heavy industry to the public highway, or within the boundary of a heavy industry development site, will be excluded from the review. Access roads with the primary...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much, Llywydd. The numbers suffering from COVID-19 continue to be stubbornly high and now we have the omicron variant that has emerged, with the statistics showing, or at least suggesting, that the disease is doubling on a daily basis. A number of schools in Dwyfor Meirionnydd have sent children home from school recently. My own son was sent home for 10 days from Ysgol Godre'r...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: It's sad to hear those statistics today in terms of domestic violence. I visited the police sergeant responsible for Dwyfor Meirionnydd recently, and he said that over the last year or two, the number of cases of domestic violence has increased incredibly. What saddened me even more was a visit with the Wales Air Ambulance last Friday in Dinas Dinlle, and they said that their calls have now...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: A number of communities on the shores of Llŷn have seen significant landslides over the past weeks and months. The most obvious was a landslide in Nefyn back in April, but there have been other cases across the region. Indeed, the British Geological Survey has allocated Nefyn as a landslide danger zone. These landslides are a threat to property and life, and cause real anxiety to residents...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I would like to pay tribute this afternoon to all of the staff in general practices in Dwyfor Meirionnydd and beyond for their tireless work in delivering the vaccine to thousands and thousands of people in Wales. These dedicated medical workers are the ones keeping us all safe, and our debt to them is a great one. I would like to congratulate...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much, Rhys, for bringing this debate forward. This legislation is held up as being very bold, that breaks new ground, and, to a certain extent, that is quite correct. If I could start by recognising the success of the legislation. When I was a county councillor, the council did have to include an impact assessment as a result of the future generations Bill, and that in itself...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: 9. Will the First Minister make a statement on the provision of mental health care in Dwyfor Meirionnydd? OQ57383
Mabon ap Gwynfor: I thank the First Minister for that answer. A constituent, David Graves, has been waiting for an independent external review into the treatment and care of his mother on the Hergest ward for over three years now. Donna Ockenden, the author of the Ockenden report, was asked to hold the review by the health board in July 2018, but the health board didn't follow up on that request. Donna...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Good afternoon, I hope that everyone can hear me. Yes, there we go, and thank you very much to the Minister for her statement. Let's take a moment to remind ourselves why we are continuing to discuss this issue today. Put simply, the current building safety system is one that has enabled a culture of cutting corners to maximise profit at the expense of public safety. We can never forget that...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: I want to note at the outset that Plaid Cymru will be voting against this motion as a matter of principle. The Government has now laid LCMs for 14 UK Bills within the first months of this Senedd. This is more than any other year with the exception of 2020. The number of LCMs coming before us is cause for concern. Every LCM cuts our powers as a Senedd and is an attack on Welsh democracy...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you for your statement, First Minister. I wanted to draw attention to weddings and funerals, so I'm grateful for the comments that you've made, but the comments you have made do suggest that the pressure will be on the organisers to interpret what is safe and what is adequate at a time that can be very stressful for those organising weddings or difficult for those who are organising...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much, Llywydd, and happy new year. You will be aware of the evidence that my colleague Liz Saville Roberts, the Member of Parliament for Dwyfor Meirionnydd in Westminster, has put forward, and the evidence put forward by my colleague here, Rhys ab Owen, of their experiences in talking about their loved ones with dementia and living in care homes in the midst of the coronavirus...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: The regulations and guidance brought forward by Government over the past almost two years have, generally, been widely supported, but this support is waning, and this is following the decision to prevent more than 50 people attending outdoor events. Coronavirus, from the common cold to COVID-19, does spread at this time of year because people are gathering indoors. But, under the current...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much. In his book, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith said that a successful economy is dependent on:
Mabon ap Gwynfor: 'the erection and maintenance of the public works which facilitate the commerce of any country, such as good roads, bridges, navigable canals, harbours, etc'.
Mabon ap Gwynfor: That is, economic growth is dependent on investment in infrastructure. Infrastructure is an economic multiplier, after all. In 2015, the OECD said that there was huge regional imbalance within the United Kingdom, and I'm concerned that the weaknesses of the UK could be reflected here in Wales. For example, rural areas continue to suffer from a lack of provision of broadband and mobile phone...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Co-operative enterprises under local ownership.
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much, Deputy Llywydd, and thank you to the Minister for bringing this statement forward this afternoon. Everyone, of course, is aware that food producers in Wales provide produce of the highest quality, and it's good to see that this is being exhibited through BlasCymru/TasteWales. But there are challenges facing the food sector. If we are to continue to see the highest quality...
