Adam Price: Carbon asset stripping is a global phenomenon. Just before Christmas, the Australian Government proposed a ministerial veto on woodland carbon-credit developments over 15 hectares or where they make up more than a third of a farm. Are you prepared to consider amending the planning system or introducing a social and linguistic dimension to the impact assessment process to prevent conifer and...
Adam Price: Is the Welsh Government willing to commit to support the second model and to oppose the first?
Adam Price: Two years ago, Professor John Healey and his team at the school of forest sciences in Bangor University published a report commissioned by you as a Government, which set out two scenarios of possible ownership for the future of forestry in Wales. The first scenario, and I will quote in English:
Adam Price: 'transfer of larger land units...from agriculture to forestry...through the sale of whole agricultural land holdings...to forestry investors. This may cause concerns of loss agricultural cultural values and sub-optimal use of land resources'.
Adam Price: And the second scenario:
Adam Price: 'smaller forest blocks within continuing agricultural land holdings as part of a strategy towards diversification of income streams for farm holdings. Such smaller and more isolated woodland patches may also have advantages for reducing risk of tree pathogen infection' and 'capitalise on and enhance existing social capital in the farming sector, through co-operative management'.
Adam Price: Thank you, Llywydd. First Minister, on Thursday evening last week I attended a public meeting in my constituency called in light of the purchase of the local Frongoch farm by the Foresight investment fund in order to plant trees and gain carbon credits. There was a young family there who had made a proposal to purchase the farm and to farm the land, until Foresight offered a substantially...
Adam Price: I think the consensus view, certainly amongst the international experts that I've been reading, is shifting towards a complementary strategy, which obviously has a role for primary care, but complements that with these specialist clinics in a condition where knowledge is fast developing. Now, estimates around the world suggest that between 10 per cent and 20 per cent of children who contract...
Adam Price: Specialist clinics for long COVID-19 have so far been established in Canada, the United States, England, Germany, Belgium, France, Spain, Norway, and, in Italy, the national institute of health there has recently recommended the creation of post-COVID out-patient clinics in their country too. The consistent view among patients is that it's unfair to expect GPs to provide the necessary support...
Adam Price: First Minister, there has been much discussion recently about living with COVID. It's important to remember, when we hear that phrase, of course, that according to the Office for National Statistics, almost 60,000 in Wales are living with long COVID. Long COVID or post-COVID-19 syndrome involves a wide range of symptoms, but the most consistent feature, as we know, is a form of severe...
Adam Price: Llywydd, may I also congratulate Urdd Gobaith Cymru on behalf of Plaid Cymru as they reach their centenary, and also on their success with the two world records? And I'd like to thank them for their incredible contribution to Welsh life over the past century, and also thank them for giving you an excuse to show your musical talents here this afternoon. But, on to scrutiny.
Adam Price: First Minister, is there a much deeper and darker context here, with the legislation to curb the right to peaceful protest last night defeated in the House of Lords, the proposals to weaken the Human Rights Act, the attacks on an independent judiciary, the changes to voter ID, pork-barrelling in the awarding of grants and cronyism in the awarding of contracts, the illegal prorogation of...
Adam Price: Wouldn't turning the BBC into some British version of NPR or PBS in the United States, where expenditure per capita on public service broadcasting is only 4 per cent of what we spend here, wouldn't that have particularly grim impacts for us here in Wales, in terms of our democracy, our culture, our nation and our language? And not only in terms of S4C, but also Radio Cymru. Nadine Dorries...
Adam Price: Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, is the proposal to defund the BBC anything other than a politically motivated skewering designed to throw red meat to the Prime Minister's dwindling band of supporters, and punish a public service broadcaster for doing too good a job of exposing Boris Johnson to be the liar that he is?
Adam Price: And I think it’s perfectly reasonable, First Minister, for you to raise the issue of the implications, in terms of revenue, for both Transport for Wales and for the housing sector. I suppose the point is whether, in these particular circumstances, given the nature of the cost-of-living emergency, there should be, in the short term, a greater emphasis put on that than other considerations. I...
Adam Price: Given the scale of the crisis, I don't think it's an exaggeration at all to call it a cost-of-living catastrophe, then I think it's an important question that we must all ask, even within the limits of the devolution settlement: what more could we do to help people at this terribly difficult time? And if I can give one example, First Minister, at the moment, social housing providers can...
Adam Price: First Minister, surging debt and the rapid and cumulative rise in the cost of living may soon overtake COVID as the biggest crisis we face over the coming year, plunging us ever more into poverty and mental ill health. Many of the key levers, of course, remain at Westminster, but we've learnt even today, haven't we, to place little faith in a Prime Minister who organises garden parties in the...
Adam Price: Thank you, First Minister, for the statement and also for the ability for myself and our health spokesperson, Rhun ap Iorwerth, to be briefed by members of the technical advisory cell. Could I just say in general terms, my party believes that introducing precautionary protections in a proportionate way is absolutely the right thing to do given the considerable uncertainty that we're still...
Adam Price: COVID is an airborne disease, of course, and we know good ventilation and air purification are very effective in combating infection. Is there more, First Minister, we could be doing on this front? Belgium has installed carbon dioxide monitors in schools and, indeed, workplaces to see if ventilation needs to be improved. Ireland this week has announced a further €60 million investment in...
Adam Price: First Minister, it's been reported that the Scottish Government may today be announcing some changes in social distancing around household mixing, but in the form of advice rather than regulations. I was wondering whether that is a policy option that is under consideration by the Welsh Government. And previously you said, in considering going up the alert status levels, you would focus on...
