Rhun ap Iorwerth: Would you recognise that the shellfish industry is also a very important part of our fishing industry, that some 97 per cent of shellfish from the Menai strait is exported to the European Union and that they are very frightened about the possible effects of World Trade Organization tariffs of maybe 40 per cent on their exports?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I’m pleased to be a supporter of this motion today. As a nation, the sea is in our blood. It’s part of our fabric, part of our history, our culture, our literature even—from Cynan’s wild waves of the sea in ‘Aberdaron’ to Ceiriog inviting us all to row with the waves to Ynys Môn. But, just as the sea has provided inspiration to poets of the past, the question for us as we stand...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I would also like to add to those words of the Cabinet Secretary. I certainly congratulate the panel on a very thorough review, yes, completed within a tight schedule, and a review I think that makes a number of very important recommendations that will, I have no doubt, improve the lives of many patients. The review, of course, was secured by Plaid Cymru in that post-election agreement,...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I’m grateful to the Minister and officials for making sure that the service was able to continue without a break. The leader of the Conservatives says that he lives within spitting distance of the airport in Cardiff and he says that he uses the service from time to time to get up to Anglesey, but, as somebody who is somewhat isolated from those five-hour journeys from north to south Wales,...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: As the leader of the house has just confirmed, traffic officers in north Wales patrol the A55 until Llanfairpwll. Of course, the A55 doesn’t stop at Llanfairpwll; it continues all the way across Anglesey to the port of Holyhead. This, according to police officers, is causing them problems, because it ties up resources in dealing with road accidents and so on, which doesn’t happen in other...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 8. Will the First Minister make a statement on the duties of Traffic Officers in north Wales? OAQ(5)0508(FM)[W]
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Read the Record in the morning. We are talking—[Interruption.]
Rhun ap Iorwerth: The Government Minister stated that support exists in other ways. I agree that support exists in other ways. I agree that it’s a very good idea to work with Citizens Advice in order to ensure that people have the support that they need to access benefits as much as possible. I agree with strategies on increasing respite, though not enough is being done. I agree that the third sector as a...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much to everybody who’s taken part in both debates this afternoon: the debate that we heard the Minister talking about there, about overall funding, and the debate that we actually presented to the Assembly earlier, about direct funding through the Family Fund to some of the most vulnerable families in Wales. I think said in my opening remarks that I think there’s a good...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Certainly.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I would reiterate the point: there is no other direct payment scheme available. That is the value of the Family Fund in particular. Yes, there are other elements of Government support, which is indirect and of course can support families, but there is no substitute for the direct funding that goes to the poorest families. [Interruption.] Well, it is true, and we are talking about the most...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Certainly.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I think you’re being mischievous. We are talking here about a fund that is not substituted by any other direct funding model by Government. That is why, I believe, it has been maintained by Governments in other parts of the UK. We need a realisation from Government that, despite the strengths, perhaps, of other measures that have been taken by the Government to support these families...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I’m very pleased to open this debate. It is quite a simple debate, if truth be told, with a very clear focus. It is a debate on how we protect and defend some of our poorest families, and some of our most vulnerable families. It highlights a situation when, in reality, a policy that could be a good one could be actually depriving this very...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I’m going to focus, if I may, on why I believe the Government’s amendment to our motion is a failure to understand and recognise what is at stake here. A document sent to Assembly Members yesterday—I’m sure many of you will have had an opportunity to see that document—notes that Carers Wales, Contact a Family Wales and Learning Disability Wales are very disappointed that the...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer, and may I welcome this motion, tabled by the Welsh Conservatives? I will move amendments that we believe strengthen this motion further. We are, of course, aware of the impact that securing quality housing, healthcare, education and being safe in the home, and so on, have on a child’s development. I’m sure that some of you will recall some...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I’m pleased to hear the Cabinet Secretary saying that she understands the importance of making the most of what we have left of the European programmes currently in existence. In the past I have discussed with her and her officials the possibility of establishing a food production park on Anglesey. Will the Cabinet Secretary be willing to consider that now, as one of the major projects,...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you for the statement. I think I have four questions that I’d be grateful if the Cabinet Secretary could respond to. Survival rates have risen in Wales, as elsewhere. New technology and better treatment have ensured that and, of course, we welcome that, and there has been a clear focus on rolling out these new treatments and on improving survival rates. But the services that are...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I will also draw the First Minister’s attention to a letter that I received from the WI branch in Llangoed, in my constituency, which makes the case for investment in midwifery services. They are particularly concerned about the sustainability of the workforce. Yes, you say that there has been investment in more training places, but does the First Minister agree with me that unless we see a...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Will the First Minister make a statement on phone signals on Anglesey?
