Rhun ap Iorwerth: On 20 September, the First Minister said that the figures and data of the Wales Air Ambulance Charity are behind the plans to close its two sites in Welshpool and Caernarfon and to move the helicopters to one site. I and other Members have written to him to state that it's the Government figures that are behind the emergency medical retrieval and transfer service figures in the health...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 'has been conducted by our medical partners, the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS)'.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Now, because of uncertainty regarding the exact basis for these data, nor, indeed, what exactly the data are telling us, is the Minister willing to commission an independent review of those data and, specifically, to have the review consider the likely impact of the change on those areas that are hardest to reach by road and that are further from the emergency care centers—places such as...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I thank the Deputy Minister for her statement this afternoon. I don't think we can over-emphasise the significance of this point in time in terms of the attention we give to mental health. It has been positive to have the 'Together for Mental Health' strategy to give us a focus on the work that needs to be done, to understand the problems that we face in terms of mental health and well-being...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you to the Minister for the statement this afternoon. I agree, generally speaking, with the plan as outlined by the Minister today. The Minister is right in saying, of course, that COVID has not left us; it is still casting a shadow, and that shadow is getting darker. And there's a concern too that flu could take hold this winter in a way that it hasn't done for a number of years. I am...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 'I do hope you don't mind me contacting you. I'm looking for a property in your area and wondered if you might be interested in selling or renting your property long term.'
Rhun ap Iorwerth: A company called Coastal Holidays was responsible for sending that letter—not a local tourism company, I have to say, but a company from Warwick, according to their website. Very importantly, it's a company that is trying purposefully to take properties out of the local housing stock, disenfranchising people in the community from being able to buy those houses and driving prices up. The...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I draw attention to my declaration of interest in terms of property ownership. The Minister will be aware of the attention that I've paid recently to the tenants who told us that their landlord in the Bodorgan estate has asked them to leave their homes, to turn them into holiday accommodation. My concern here is for the individuals and families who face losing their homes, but I'm also...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I was very pleased to co-submit this debate today. It's clear to me and to other Members, as we've already heard, that there is far more that needs to be done in order to assist the high number of children and young people who do suffer migraine regularly in Wales. It's a huge problem that's been ignored for too long, if we're honest, and, too often, it is treated like any other short-term...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thanks for letting me sneak in, and thank you for the statement. I'll just make the case that, as well as spreading prosperity through regional working in general, I encourage Governments at all levels to think sub-regionally; it's not just the north, but Ynys Môn feeling that it gets a crack at the whip, and within Ynys Môn, places like Amlwch, that have suffered so much, feeling that...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: The First Minister knows that I've been raising concerns recently about staffing at Ysbyty Gwynedd, and rotas there clearly continue to be a problem. One recent e-mail from staff refers to the Hergest mental health unit, with staff morale at an all-time low, poor recruitment and retention, high sickness and poor working conditions. The result: more and more use of agency staff. When will the...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Will the First Minister make a statement on orthopaedic waiting times?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I want to conclude by referring to the name of this particular vessel. Who was Prince Madog? According to the legend, Madog ab Owain Gwynedd, according to the legend, was the son of Owain Gwynedd, the king of Gwynedd, who sailed to the American continent around 1170. He settled there 300 years before Christopher Colombus. The story is that him and his brother Rhirid sailed there in their...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: What does detailed mapping of our seas look like? Let me describe it, with the help of a truly fascinating new book, a fascinating new study, published this week—I'm not here to plug it; it's useful to explain what I'm talking about. But you may have read about it, actually, or heard about it in the news this week. The study was done by marine historian Innes McCartney. It's called Echoes...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Let me go on to a bit of context. For those who don't know the Prince Madog, she's a beautiful vessel and a highly specialised one. She arrived at Bangor University in 2001, replacing the original Prince Madog that had been operational since 1967. Throughout all that time, this unique Welsh asset has been used to teach many, many thousands of marine science undergraduate and higher level...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd, and I want to talk about mapping the Welsh seas. I'm pleased to have an opportunity to present this debate. I'm grateful to Sam Kurtz and Joyce Watson for showing an interest in the topic, and I'm more than happy to give a little of my time for them to contribute before we hear the Minister's response. One isn't selected from the hat very often to present...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Screening is vital when it comes to women's health. Many lives have been saved by an early diagnosis stemming from the screening programme. The movement towards five-year screening rather than three-year screening undertaken previously was based on evidence. It was the right decision, but it was dealt with in an unacceptable way, with poor communication, a lack of information, and that...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: In May, I called on the Welsh Government to develop a bespoke women's health strategy for Wales. Such a strategy should focus on closing the gender gaps in healthcare, providing consistent investment, support and treatment into women's health. But, today's debate again exemplifies that there's so much work to be done still. Even before the COVID pandemic, which at times can feel is being...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I welcome this motion before us today, as we note Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month. Every woman in Wales and every woman across the world faces the risk of gynaecological cancer. It increases with age, but it is something that is a risk for everyone. But, of course, as with all cancers, the way to increase the chances of survival, if the cancer has an opportunity to take hold, is to...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Experiences of the pandemic, of course, only reinforced what we already know about the NHS and the nursing workforce—one that was suffering from staff shortages, low pay, low morale, one that operated in an environment deprived of investment and resources. It's no wonder that one of the biggest challenges we have is the sustainability of the nursing workforce. There are far more nurses...
