Rhun ap Iorwerth: 'While concerns have been raised over public transport access...the health board claims most patients will be taken to the hospital by ambulance.'
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Well, what we have there is an example of ignoring entirely the environmental problem in failing to think environmentally in planning services. Yes, patients who are very ill will be taken to the hospital in an ambulance, but what about the staff? What about visitors? What about suppliers and all the out-patients who need to be encouraged to leave the car at home and not see barriers put in...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I have just a few words in welcoming and supporting this important petition. The demand is quite simple, isn't it: to ensure that families who lose children or young adults unexpectedly do receive the support that they need. And it is a heartfelt call and I'd like to thank Rhian Mannings for all of her campaigning work on this very important issue, arising of course from her own experience,...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 'They have helped our family stick together when we were too weak to cling to one another. The individual counselling sessions provided a safe haven to talk; or not. The group sessions provided not just for parents, but also for grandparents have helped us share the load.'
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Now, 2 Wish makes first contact with families within 24 or 48 hours of people being referred to them, but they are concerned that not everyone is able to access that kind of support. And that's what they are asking for through this petition: that medical staff should provide that offer of support to families, even if the family doesn't necessarily feel that they want to take advantage of that...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 'It was support we hoped we would never need. But we do. And we are so very grateful that it is there.'
Rhun ap Iorwerth: So, let us ensure that that support is available for all families facing this nightmare.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Llywydd. This short debate stems from a conversation that I had with a young constituent a few weeks ago. He prompted me to look for new ways to encourage debate about mental health and specifically about how and where young people can turn for help, and I'm pleased that many Members have been prompted to want to contribute today, and I've agreed to give time to hear...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: We have to be prepared as parliamentarians to listen, always, and we want to listen. That's why we're here. And we need to look for ways of giving people a voice, and my hope with this appeal for young people to share their personal experience is that we can reach out to some who perhaps haven't had their say before. I want young people to share their experience particularly about how easy or...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I'm not the first to ask these questions, of course, but it is important that we do look for new ways of reaching out to young people, and to do that consistently. The Welsh Youth Parliament did excellent work in this area, we have to say, a year ago, in their report 'Let's talk about mental health'. Only half of the parents or guardians who responded said that they were confident in terms of...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: That Mind Cymru report says that 29 per cent of the young people questioned had tried to access mental health support during lockdown, and it goes on to say that more than 1 in 3 young people in Wales, 39 per cent, were unable to access the support that they sought, higher than the equivalent figure for England, which was around 23 per cent. That to me cuts to what I'm trying to do with this...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I want to close with the words of the young man who prompted today’s debate and prompted the questionnaire that is being launched by me today. Here are Gareth's words: 'My experience of having support from my GP was excellent, but unfortunately this isn’t the same for everyone throughout Wales. There are cases where people have been turned away from having support and that's not...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Llywydd. Well, once again today, there is great interest in what we're discussing here, and I'm very pleased about that. These, like everything we've discussed over the last 20 months, are very difficult decisions that have been taken, and very important issues. I said last week that Plaid Cymru would likely vote in favour of these regulations today. We will do that, and...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 7. Will the Minister make a statement on GCSE and A-level qualifications next year? OQ57161
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you for that response. The Government is preparing for a number of COVID-related scenarios in looking to next summer, and I understand that. But, of course, it does create great uncertainty for GCSE and A-level pupils. In terms of A-level, I declare a particularly interest here—not only have I a son who will be taking his A-levels this year, but this is the age group that I trained in...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: We deliberately brought a broad scope to this motion today, because we do feel that there is huge scope to bring benefits to Wales in having a clear, ambitious strategy, properly supported in financial terms, in order to support fisheries and the fishing industry more generally. And the benefits could come in a number of different forms—economic benefits first of all, yes, in terms of...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 6. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the impact that investors purchasing agricultural land to plant trees for use as carbon credits has on family farms? OQ57184
Rhun ap Iorwerth: A small number of cases, we hear from the Minister, but we are hearing increasing concerns about this. We heard about that earlier on today. Local families and farmers have no hope of competing. We’ve seen in the past what happens when land is lost, socially, economically, culturally and linguistically. We think about Epynt and Tryweryn and the huge forestry plans of the last century. The...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I’m very pleased to have an opportunity to say a few words in this debate. It’s important that we discuss this, and I think it’s inevitable, in a way, that people have looked to our own welfare and well-being over the past year and nine months. And in so doing, we could be referring to ourselves as nations, as communities, as key workers, as families or as individuals even, but one of...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Diolch yn fawr iawn, Dirprwy Lywydd. I appreciate the comments about the discussions that were had around the port of Holyhead, and you're quite right that there's squeezing from both sides, with the increased traffic directly to the continent, but also there's the Northern Ireland link. Can you give me an assurance that you will press the UK Government to not in any way allow Liverpool...
