Gareth Davies: Thank you very much, Llywydd. I've agreed to give a minute of my time to Janet Finch-Saunders, Tom Giffard and Darren Millar. Deputy Llywydd, I'd like to thank you for the opportunity to debate this topic, which is close to my heart. Our seaside towns need help. We have presided over their decline for far too long. Many of our seaside towns were formed during the nineteenth century, and...
Gareth Davies: It's a great honour to take part in this debate this afternoon and to give my thanks to our servicemen and women, past, present and future, for their incredible sacrifices that allow me and all of us to stand here today. Because, make no mistake, without our armed forces, there would be no democracy. We would not be debating our support for our armed forces; we'd be under the yoke of some...
Gareth Davies: Minister, thanks to the pandemic and now Putin's illegal war in Ukraine, food and fuel prices are now rising at their highest rate since the second world war, forcing more families into poverty, which, as ever, has the biggest impact on children. Minister, much has been made of the support for families on benefits, but very little has been said about help for working families. What...
Gareth Davies: It's a pleasure to take part in this short debate, and I'll keep my comments relatively succinct. Just to reiterate the fact that myself and the Welsh Conservative group will be abstaining on today's motion. The Chair of the Finance Committee and the Member for South Wales East mentioned that a key word is 'tangibility', and any budgetary decision that's made has to be felt on the front line...
Gareth Davies: I don't think it's terribly relevant to a housing debate, Mike. As a north Wales Member, I can't profess to be too much of an expert on the Swansea lagoon, but what I do know is that a north Wales lagoon may be beneficial at some point in the future. We've seen only today that petrol and diesel prices have gone up to £1.59 per litre or costing £90 to fill a car with diesel, and it's my...
Gareth Davies: Thank you very much, Deputy Llywydd. I think the Member for Dwyfor Meirionnydd should maybe have a lie down and check his blood pressure and spend a bit less time on Twitter. It's an absolute pleasure to take part in this important debate tonight, or this afternoon. So, we currently have a housing crisis in Wales, a crisis that was totally unavoidable—avoidable; I should say...
Gareth Davies: I thank the Llywydd for accepting this topical question this afternoon on an issue that's very important for every Member in the North Wales region, as it's such a pertinent and important issue to discuss. Minister, while I welcome the intervention of HIW, the news is very worrying for my constituents, and I'd happily invite you to look at my e-mail inbox and the letters I receive week in,...
Gareth Davies: Minister, while there is a need to ensure all organisations adhere to animal health and welfare standards, of course, I think many ventures need more of a carrot and less of a stick approach. Ventures such as sanctuaries and rescue rehoming centres should be subject to regulation, but the vast majority do uphold the strictest animal welfare standards. Many animal shelters have struggled...
Gareth Davies: I welcome the comments made by the Member for Ogmore and the Minister on that. If we're to weather the cost-of-living crisis, we need Government working together at all levels. And we have to remember that the crisis was started by Putin trying to strong-arm Europe over gas and oil supplies by turning off the taps. The fact that the whole world could be held to ransom by billionaire despots...
Gareth Davies: I'm afraid I've been quite busy with my pen scribbling out contributions that have already been made, because the speaking notes that I prepared this morning have already been covered. So, to avoid repeating what's already been said—
Gareth Davies: Yes, but I'll just note at this point that I think the fundamental reality of the situation is that people in everyone's constituency or region will suffer with an eating disorder, and I've got a lot of experience in my 11-year NHS career working in community mental health teams of treating people with eating disorders, and I'm fully, fully aware of all the issues that surround it. But, I'm...
Gareth Davies: Minister, we need to do all we can to encourage more young people to consider studying for a career in health and social care in Wales, particularly in north Wales, as you mentioned before, to prevent this brain drain that we often talk about. No amount of money will solve the crisis facing health and social care. It's not a shortage of funds causing our growing waiting lists; it's a shortage...
Gareth Davies: Diolch yn fawr iawn, Deputy Llywydd. Thank you for your statement this afternoon, Deputy Minister. I of course wish you a very happy St David's Day. I'm sure there'll be no dissent to your stated aim of creating a Wales that is a wonderful place to grow up, live and, indeed, work. It's an aim that all of us share, but it's one that will need more than just warm words to deliver. Children and...
Gareth Davies: Yes, indeed.
Gareth Davies: Thanks for the intervention there, Mike. So, how many people are now experiencing loneliness and isolation because the day centre is closed, or because the local library has just shut up shop? What will happen to those communities whose community centres have closed and how will digital inclusion suffer as more and more services are forced online because of the cost-saving measures? Our...
Gareth Davies: I'd like to declare an interest, as a current serving member of Denbighshire County Council for the fantastic Prestatyn South West ward. So, you speak to any council in north Wales, even Labour-run Flintshire County Council, which Carolyn Thomas is a member of, and they will tell you the same thing—that they get short-changed by Cardiff Bay. Historically, we in the north have lost out...
Gareth Davies: Diolch, Rhys. Looking at the details of the motion, it says, 'reducing the number of uncontested seats'. How would changing the voting system achieve that when it's usually down to the members or the parties to decide who fills which seats?
Gareth Davies: Thank you again, Deputy Minister. Of course, if we're truly to get to grips with discharges, we need to get on top of DTOCs. We not only have to get health and housing all pulling in the same direction, we first have to truly understand the scale of the problem, and the data is spotty at best. It was before the pandemic, and has got even worse. Different departments in the same hospital can...
Gareth Davies: I'm grateful for that answer, Deputy Minister. I agree to some level that, in an ideal world, that would be the case, but sadly, we've still got a long way to go. Perhaps the prime reason to integrate health and care is to ensure the best health and well-being outcomes for Welsh citizens, because at the moment we are totally failing at that aim. We are all too painfully aware of this crisis...
Gareth Davies: Diolch yn fawr iawn, Llywydd. I'd like to start by wishing the health Minister a very happy birthday. I didn't know until the Member for South Wales Central mentioned it earlier. So, I wish you a very happy twenty-first birthday. [Laughter.] But my questions are directed to the Deputy Minister for Social Services, so I'll start by asking the Deputy Minister: what does the integration of...
