Rhun ap Iorwerth: Could I thank everyone who’s taken part in this debate? Hoffwn ddiolch i bawb sydd wedi cymryd rhan yn y ddadl heddiw. Mae’r Gweinidog yn tynnu sylw at ble y mae’n credu ein bod yn gwneud yn dda. Mae’n iawn i ni ddathlu ein llwyddiannau. Mae’n iawn i ni dynnu sylw at lwyddiannau a chyflawniadau dynion a menywod cyffredin gwych yng Nghymru ar draws y cyhoedd a’r sectorau preifat....
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. It’s a pleasure to present this motion on 1 March, St David’s Day, and it’s a pleasure to wish everyone a happy St David’s Day—here in the Chamber and outwith the Chamber. Some may ask what role there is for patron saint days in the twenty-first century, but across the world, people and nations do use these days to celebrate and promote...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I’m very pleased to say that Anglesey was the first education authority to turn entirely to comprehensive education at the beginning of the 1950s. So, again, there are successes and innovation in education that we can be proud of. Lywydd, rwyf wedi paentio llun, gobeithio, o orffennol Cymru. Y cwestiwn yn awr yw sut rydym yn dysgu o’r profiad hwnnw ac yn adeiladu ar yr etifeddiaeth honno...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: It is about tackling perceptions, though, and I’m slightly disappointed again. Data are very, very important. Quite often, the Minister claims an achievement and there are no data to back it up, when often there are data to back up where the problems are occurring within the NHS. There is an underlying problem, of course, throughout the emergency care system. We know there are people of all...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: It’s not an odd way of asking at all. It’s asking for your assessment of where we are. I would have liked to hear a much stronger message in terms of ‘there must be much more improvement’. Those figures for Wales—74.1 per cent seen within four hours—I’ll remind you that, in England, the figure was 82 per cent, the worst performance in 13 years, seen as a scandal and a crisis in...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Cabinet Secretary, we have discussed winter pressures on accident and emergency departments on many occasions. We now have the figures for January, which show that, in major A&E units, just 74.1 per cent of patients were seen within four hours. Now, when those figures were released, I think the BBC report stated that: ‘Undoubtedly there will be sighs of relief in...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Llywydd. I know that the Cabinet Secretary is placing great emphasis on developing the relationship with the north-west of England and, of course, it is a very natural relationship and a very important relationship. But, isn’t there a risk of losing sight of the importance of developing the economy of north Wales in and of itself, of developing links with the west in...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: First of all, I would want to echo all of the comments made by the Chair of the committee. I do truly believe that there is value to this legislation. We will certainly agree with taking it to the next stage, where hopefully it can be strengthened and amended. But I think it is very important that we, at this point, are highly aware of the limitations of this Bill, in case we raise people’s...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: May I thank the Cabinet Secretary for the update and, of course, thank the paramedics and those working behind the scenes in the ambulance service for all their hard work? Of course, I look forward to seeing ongoing monitoring of this programme. Certainly, the outcomes are the most important thing here, and therefore it’s difficult to disagree with a programme that prioritises the most...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Diolch, Lywydd. I’d like to raise a point of order under Standing Order 13.9. Earlier in the Chamber this afternoon, the leader of UKIP in the Assembly made accusations about the conduct of both the Assembly Member for Rhondda and the Member of Parliament for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr relating to the campaign for the future of the school in Llangennech. Specifically, he accused Jonathan...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: As chair of the Wales international cross-party group, it’s been good to see a consensus developing across the parties on the need to develop the relationship and to develop the potential of close links between Wales and its diaspora. At the latest meeting of the group, there was agreement on the need for the Welsh Government to develop a clear strategy on how to secure that, and that in...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: That access is vital, and we’ve already heard suggestions about how there could be shared facilities, perhaps including the current established financial sector, plus also the exciting prospect such as a Welsh people’s bank that could give us an exciting way forward, responding to a necessary situation. This is a crisis that we are facing of the haemorrhaging of our financial...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: It’s quite clear that there is a pattern developing, and several Members have referred to it already—this pattern of centralising in a number of regional hubs, and what’s happening on Anglesey is an excellent example of this. On Anglesey, with the exception of Holy Island, it’s only in Llangefni that there will be any full-time bank open at all. Barclays is open part-time in Amlwch,...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you for that response. In 2015, marine agriculture was worth some £12 million to the Welsh economy. It is an important industry and employer in my constituency and the ability to sell in a single market without tolls has been an important contribution to the success of the industry. To give you some figures, 98 per cent of the produce of Bangor Mussel Producers is exported—some 70...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 7. Will the First Minister make a statement on support for the shellfish industry following the decision to leave the EU? OAQ(5)0456(FM)[W]
Rhun ap Iorwerth: In very few words I will also say that I support this proposal. We’ve already heard about the importance of first aid in emergency situations. We know how important it is that equipment such as defibrillators and first aid kits are available. The recent survey by St John—and we’ve heard reference to this already—tells a very clear story, in that 69 per cent of schoolchildren say that...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Will the Member give way?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: As well as supporting this White Paper today, does the Member agree that Members here in this Chamber should also support Plaid Cymru’s amendment in order to show that we are determined enough here about the importance of making sure that Wales’s voice is heard and respected that we say that we cannot support article 50 now until we have the security and even the framework that we need,...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much for giving way. Will you accept, though, that there is a specific Welsh context to our exit from the EU that this White Paper seeks to address, including that small point of Wales being a net exporter to the European Union?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I thank the Cabinet Secretary for this statement, which, of course, will be of interest to very many people in Wales because so many people do live with cardiac conditions or suffer from heart disease. Of course, we also welcome those areas where ground has been gained because of the hard work of our staff within the health service, and we must also bear in mind because of things that have...
