Tom Giffard: I thank Gareth Davies for bringing forward this really important short debate, and I'm not sure that our coastal communities always get the attention that they deserve. So, thank you for bringing this debate forward today. One minute is simply not enough time, I think, to reflect on the great diversity of our coastal communities across my region of South Wales West. But, as the shadow...
Tom Giffard: Thank you, First Minister, for the answer. First Minister, I've seen claims from Welsh Government Ministers that seem to suggest that any proceeds from a tourism tax would be ring-fenced in some way so that councils can increase tourism spending. I'm not really sure how Ministers can make that claim, because the obvious current flaw is that, whilst the Welsh Government could ensure that any...
Tom Giffard: 8. What discussions is the Welsh Government having with local councils about a tourism tax? OQ57795
Tom Giffard: You are a very benevolent Llywydd, thank you very much. Can I start by thanking Rhys ab Owen for bringing this short debate forward today? And he set upon a tactic that I quite like, which is getting seven speakers to contribute to your debate so you don't have to say very much yourself. I have noticed; well done to you. Well done to you, Rhys. I just wanted to speak in support of that IWA...
Tom Giffard: I'd more than welcome a debate on the tidal lagoon, and hopefully the Welsh Government will support that new tidal lagoon project set for Swansea bay, which I think is very, very exciting. The point I wanted to make—and you'll be very pleased, Dirprwy Lywydd, that it will be very brief—is that it's so clear, hearing from my other colleagues' contributions, that we simply are not...
Tom Giffard: I did wonder, when I saw that I was following Hefin David, whether he was going to make a very similar point to me about how housing can regenerate the Valleys, and that's exactly what he did. Basically, Hefin, I've got five minutes' worth of speeches about Bridgend county borough and you've just talked about Caerphilly, so we'll replace one for the other and I'm very happy to sit down. I'll...
Tom Giffard: Sometimes it's impossible to know what to say in a debate like this, to really express the horror that Ukrainians are living through, and sometimes words just don't cut it. And as my colleague Sam Kurtz rose to his feet, my phone flashed up and my jaw dropped in horror as I saw the following headline, which was: 'Putin sinks to new low: Maternity hospital is bombed, children buried under...
Tom Giffard: I thank the First Minister for that answer. First Minister, you will recall a few weeks ago, when I asked you about the Welsh Government's moribund Wales.com social media, you said that I needed to spend 'a little less time trailing Instagram'. You will be delighted to know I followed your advice; I've been looking at TikTok instead. [Laughter.] You will recall that my colleague Andrew R.T....
Tom Giffard: 7. Will the First Minister outline the Welsh Government's social media strategy? OQ57769
Tom Giffard: So, I'm really proud to be Welsh and I know that Wales has so much to offer the world, and I'm relentlessly optimistic about its future too. And I'll end by quoting our Prime Minister, who said yesterday, 'In short it is Wales and the Welsh who make the UK what it is today.' And I couldn't agree more.
Tom Giffard: But it is important that we bear in mind that it's not the only reason to have a bank holiday, that others have them too, but that it's a day when we can consider our culture and our heritage. This could be a day when we consider what it means to be Welsh in the year 2022. And, for me, the answer isn't cawl, rugby or dragons, but a modern Wales, and communities across the nation—communities...
Tom Giffard: Diolch yn fawr iawn i chi, Dirprwy Lywydd. Can I start by wishing you and everyone in this Chamber a very happy St David's Day? I am not a day late; I'm 364 days early instead. [Laughter.] There you go. It's a real honour for me to open this Welsh Conservative debate today, tabled in the name of Darren Millar, and today's debate is simply one line, and it's that this Senedd 'Believes that...
Tom Giffard: Thank you, Minister, for that answer. You may be aware of the decision made by Welsh Water to close the Vardre bridge that spans the River Tawe at Clydach in my region. A structural survey undertaken by Welsh Water three years ago found that the bridge was unsafe and instead of repairing it, they simply closed the bridge. Local residents have contacted me to say they're concerned that now...
Tom Giffard: 8. How is the Welsh Government working with Welsh Water to mitigate flood risks in South Wales West? OQ57683
Tom Giffard: Can I start by reminding Members of my interest as a Bridgend County Borough Council councillor? Trefnydd, can I call for a statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change on the Welsh Government's strategy for transport in the Brackla area of Bridgend? A number of local residents in the Brackla, Coity and Coychurch areas have repeatedly raised with me the dangerous junction that lies...
Tom Giffard: Can I start by thanking Sarah Murphy for tabling this question and associate myself with a number of the organisations you've mentioned, Sarah? I'm aware of a number of them. And can I also add Bridgend Samaritans to that list as well, who I know do excellent work in Bridgend as well? I think it's really important, and I welcome some of the First Minister's statements there about ending the...
Tom Giffard: Thank you, Minister, for that answer. I think rural areas sometimes see the worst ambulance response times by the fact that they are often further away and harder to reach. This is the situation for residents in my region, on the Gower peninsula. Many of them came together a few years ago and raised £65,000 towards a first responder vehicle to be based in Reynoldston, which meant serious...
Tom Giffard: I thank the Deputy Minister for the answer, but I'm not sure I heard any evidence that COVID passes were a success there. And so assuming that there is no evidence that COVID passes have been a success in protecting public health and the only available evidence seems to be they had a hugely negative economic impact on a number of industries—hospitality, cultural and sporting events, tourism...
Tom Giffard: You say they did what you set them up to do. I don't know that I agree, because I think COVID passes have had a minimal impact on protecting public health. The Chief Medical Officer for Wales himself said that the impact is 'probably quite small', and the advice from the technical advisory cell to the Welsh Government was that 'there remains a high degree of uncertainty around the...
Tom Giffard: Diolch, Llywydd. Deputy Minister, looking at your portfolio, would you say that COVID passes have been a success?
