Hefin David: 1. Will the First Minister make a statement on the impact of the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 4) (Wales) Regulations 2020 in Caerphilly? OQ55992
Hefin David: I'm not a member of the committee, but I took a great deal of interest in this report, particularly because there are two sources of very good-quality journalism that I use—it isn't one of the big ones—and that's Senedd Home, which is run by Owen Donovan, and it's run entirely as a labour of love. It is the best summary of these debates that you will see anywhere, and I would recommend...
Hefin David: I'd just like to read some of the details of e-mails that I've sent to people who'd been asking for information regarding the decisions that have been taken and the evidence behind it. This morning, I've been looking at the SAGE committee advice, in which it says, and I'll just quote from the SAGE paper of 19 November, 'In England, in tier 1, many Lower Tier Local Authorities (LTLAs) had...
Hefin David: Can I ask the Trefnydd to consider a report to this Chamber on the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales's investigation into boundaries in local authorities in Wales? I've got a particular issue facing those people in Forge Mill in Ystrad Mynach, whereby they've been moved from one community council area, which they associate strongly with—Gelligaer Community Council—to...
Hefin David: I welcome, Dirprwy Lywydd, the constructive and serious way in which the Conservatives have approached this debate today. I'll say to those Members on the opposition benches that when a debate is approached in this way, it puts the pressure on the backbench Members of the Government benches to justify, then, supporting the Government amendments. And it's that much more important that we put...
Hefin David: A report earlier this month by Halifax revealed that the average UK house price is now £250,000. This came on top of a report last month by Nationwide that found that UK house prices were rising at their fastest rate for five years, and this has been partly attributed to a rush to buy ahead of the end of England's stamp duty holiday next spring, whereas in Wales we've adopted a much fairer...
Hefin David: 6. Will the Minister provide an update on the land transaction tax holiday that is in place in Wales until 31 March 2021? OQ55938
Hefin David: Diolch, Minister. That statement is very, very welcome, in that you are pursuing this with the relevant Government responsibility. I've been contacted by Councillor Jill Winslade, who is a councillor on Bedwas, Trethomas and Machen Community Council. The council discussed this last week, when they unanimously agreed that they were concerned about the noise that fireworks make. They were...
Hefin David: 1. What assessment has the Minister made of the impact of shop-sold fireworks on animal welfare in Wales? OQ55887
Hefin David: Thank you, Minister. My signal here is absolutely appalling, so I haven't been able to follow what you've been saying up until now. So, I'm going to give you some cases that I've got and you can perhaps explain what these people can do. I've been contacted by many in the six weeks that Caerphilly was in lockdown and under restrictions—by businesses whose incomes have been severely affected....
Hefin David: 8. What support is available for businesses in Caerphilly affected by the firebreak lockdown and the local restrictions in place beforehand? OQ55824
Hefin David: Can I just take the opportunity to welcome your announcement, and also all the work that you've done as education Minister? Since I was first elected in 2016 I've often sat in awe of the work that you've done, and we're very proud to have you as part of this Chamber. With regard to this decision, can I just press you a little bit more on what David Rees asked? And perhaps you could say a...
Hefin David: I'd like to thank the First Minister once again for recognising the efforts we've made, longer than anyone else in Wales, in Caerphilly, and we made a great deal of progress early on in arresting the growth of the virus in our communities. Many people are e-mailing me now and asking questions about a vaccine. We heard news breaking yesterday about progress made by Pfizer and a possible...
Hefin David: 2. Will the First Minister provide an update on the easing of coronavirus restrictions in Caerphilly? OQ55845
Hefin David: Diolch, Minister. I approve of the announcement made today as well—the investment in mental health that you've announced this afternoon. The concern I've got is the constituents who've contacted me who've been affected by COVID, who've never had mental health problems before and are being affected by it directly because of this COVID crisis. Can I ask you if more money could be put into the...
Hefin David: Diolch. I've had two constituents in particular who've contacted me about the effects of long COVID. One first experienced symptoms in February—[Inaudible.]—in March and then worsened, and it caused him a great deal of anxiety, as the GP surgery wasn't able to help him with the symptoms of a virus about which medical science is still learning. However, he has been diagnosed with...
Hefin David: 8. Will the Minister provide an update on the provision of services for people in Wales who are suffering from the effects of long COVID? OQ55801
Hefin David: 4. Will the Minister provide an update on support for people in Wales whose mental health is impacted by lockdown restrictions? OQ55802
Hefin David: And I recognise as well, with the First Minister, that the people of Caerphilly have made enormous efforts over the past two months to get the rate under control, but he will be aware—as aware as anyone else—that Caerphilly has been under restrictions of some kind for longer than anyone else in Wales, since 8 September. With that in mind, we've learned some lessons in Caerphilly, and the...
Hefin David: 3. What plans does the Welsh Government have to deal with a potential future increase in the number of positive COVID-19 cases in Caerphilly? OQ55803
