Rhun ap Iorwerth: Will the Minister make a statement on the impact that leaving the European Union has had on the Port of Holyhead?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Llywydd, and thank you for the statement. I'm also very pleased to see the ground that's been gained in terms of the vaccination process in Wales. There are enthusiastic teams of vaccinators in all parts of the country, and I hear very positive reports of the experience that people have in accessing the vaccine, and that's to be welcomed. I will ask the first question...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. Thank you to the Minister for the statement. Thank you to Mark Isherwood on behalf of the Conservatives for emphasising how poorly Wales has been served by the UK over a period of years too. We are talking, in these early years in terms of Welsh taxation, about something that is historic—it's a word that I've used and others have also used. And...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I have no comments to make on these regulations.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I will emphasise the obvious first of all: the timetable for this Bill is very tight indeed. This should have happened sooner, and there is concern that there is a lack of opportunity now to give proper consideration to the issues arising from the explanatory memorandum and the legislation committee's report too—and I congratulate them for turning that report around over night, as I...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: A few comments on dissolution, first of all, which is intended to give fairness to all candidates to ensure that public resources can't be abused. It's a mechanism too to ensure fairness and balance between the Government of the day and the opposition parties through the purdah convention, and the aim, of course, is to ensure the integrity of the election. It has to be there. The risk of...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: In the waters around Anglesey and the Menai straits, we produce mussels and oysters of the very, very highest quality. Almost all our mussels—the vast majority—are exported to the European Union. I was speaking to a representative of the mussel industry today. There is desperate concern about the impact that we are now seeing of the failure to prepare properly for EU exit, and everything...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much. I'm pleased to participate in this debate. At a personal level, I've truly enjoyed learning more about end-of-life care in the past few years, working very closely with Marie Curie and Hospice UK, but we rarely have time to discuss this in the Senedd, so I'm pleased that we have the opportunity to do it today. It's such an important area, and that's reflected in how many...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I would like to thank everybody involved in the vaccination process in Wales, which is clearly on the right track and that's something that we should celebrate. I was over in the vaccination centre in Ysbyty Enfys in Bangor yesterday, at the invitation of the health board, and it's useful to be able to see for ourselves in order to give comfort to some people who may be still concerned about...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I thank the Deputy Minister for the statement. Plaid Cymru has, of course, undertaken a significant amount of work through our care commission, which made the case for a national health and care service, and for a major shift towards preventing ill health and keeping people living independently. But, ours did so because that's what's best for people receiving the service. So, I'm surprised...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Taking both items 7 and 8 separately, the first on extending restrictions on international travel. I have no further comment to make on those, other than that the rationale underpinning these regulations is very sensible. In terms of item 8, there are a number of changes here. I have no particular comment to make on the decision to allow automatic car washes to remain open. I am pleased that...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you, Llywydd. These are very exceptional circumstances. The COVID pandemic has placed unprecedented pressure on public expenditure in Wales and, to add to the complexity in terms of dealing with that, the timing of UK Government announcements on allocations and on fiscal decisions makes it very difficult for the Welsh Government and ourselves as a Senedd to plan for the future, even...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I'm sure the Minister will have read the damning article in BusinessLive on 2 February, which highlighted the fact that the Welsh Government failed to use its full borrowing powers in 2019-20 and 2020-21. Can the Minister explain why the Welsh Government underused the current borrowing powers, particularly given the problems that we are facing as a result of the pandemic? Why did the...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: The Minister says she doesn't agree with my assessment. It's not my assessment; it's just a statement of where we're at. We're not the only ones advocating using the facilities that we have. In that article I mentioned, economist Gerry Holtham is quoted as saying that the Welsh Government should be able to manage its budget to ensure it makes far more use of its capital borrowing powers. He...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: The Minister can make as many excuses as she likes about what happened in 2019-20 and 2020-21, but the reality is that the Government has failed to use an opportunity there to invest in the future of Wales. I'll quote Gerry Holtham again: 'Failing to borrow in two successive financial years seems unambitious. Not knowing the capital allocation is not a decisive reason because they know what...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Llywydd. I'll speak to the two amendments that we have here: amendments 15 and 17. As was mentioned yesterday during Stage 2 proceedings, there have been constructive discussions with Government in order to find a wording that was acceptable to both Ministers and ourselves, so there's been a compromise and the agreement that we reached is before us today. The intention of...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: No, but I would like to say thank you again for the collaboration on these amendments; they strengthen the Bill without doubt.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I speak to amendment 16 in this group. Again, in the case of this amendment, as with the other two, there have been constructive discussions between Plaid Cymru and the Government, and the amendment before us is a very positive compromise, I believe. The intention of the amendment is to place a duty on the First Minister to make a proactive statement to the Senedd saying one way or the...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Formally.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Formally move.
