Mabon ap Gwynfor: Will the Member take an intervention?
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much, Llywydd.
Mabon ap Gwynfor: So, energy prices have skyrocketed to unprecedented levels over the last year. The price cap increase in April saw the average gas and electricity bill increase to north of £2,000 a year, a rise of £700. In the last 18 months alone, the cost of heating a home has doubled. This will hit the poorest and most vulnerable households the hardest, with many having to go without, rationing or even,...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Do you not accept that the licensing scheme will actually help the sector, the indigenous sector that's been working for decades in our communities, and also that the biggest problem facing that sector is the huge mushrooming in Airbnbs, and those are the people that are impacting on the number of nights that people are staying in the accommodation in Wales at the moment?
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you for that contribution. No, I don't accept that. This policy aims to close the loophole; that's the point. The intention of this Order that you as Conservatives are seeking to annul today is to close that loophole, as I mentioned, in the law. I think most rational people would agree that there is something fundamentally wrong about a situation where thousands of my constituents—key...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Of course.
Mabon ap Gwynfor: It's disappointing, but not unexpected, to see the Conservatives jumping at the first opportunity they have to try and dismantle one of the first steps of the package of measures published to tackle the housing crisis, specifically the second homes crisis. We're already in the vanguard here in Wales, taking steps to allow increasing council tax premium on second homes and vacant properties...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you to Sam Kurtz for introducing this question today. And given where we were four years ago with 'Brexit and our land', there's been a significant shift here in language and tone, and that's to be welcomed. I'm also pleased to see that the co-operation agreement between Plaid Cymru and the Government has led to ensuring that there will be stability payments continuing during the...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much, Counsel General, for that response. There is no doubt that there is an increase in the numbers supporting independence for Wales, and the current mess in Westminster highlights on a daily basis why we can't continue to be part of this corrupt union that shows so much contempt towards our people. If you'd been in Wrexham on Saturday, you would have experienced the...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: I thank the Counsel General for that response. This legislature is supposed to be sovereign in specific areas. Rightly or wrongly, it should be our choice in our national Senedd to legislate and to make some rules and regulations. I'm pleased that our Senedd did pass legislation to protect our trade union members, but of course, like with any other Welsh legislation, the continuation of this...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: 3. What assessment has the Government made of the constitutional implications of the UK Government's plans to repeal the Trade Union (Wales) Act 2017? OQ58310
Mabon ap Gwynfor: 4. What assessment has the Government made of the implications for the constitutional future of Wales of the Scottish Government's statement that it wants to hold an independence referendum? OQ58311
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much for that response. If I could move on to my next point, one thing that's wonderful about this job is that one learns something new every day, and I've learnt very recently that y clafr is the term for sheep scab. So, I'm going to ask a question on sheep scab. As we know, sheep scab is one of the most infectious sheep diseases in Wales, and it was noted as a priority by...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much, Llywydd. I want to raise an issue that I've raised in the past, if I may. The huge increase in the prices of fodder, fuel and fertiliser is hitting our farmers hard at the moment. There's a shortage of red diesel, which has increased 50 per cent in a year, and the cost of fertiliser has more than trebled in 12 months. There's a shortage of maize, for example, to feed...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: I don’t want to spend too much time criticising the Government. That's an easy thing to do in terms of the politics of the thing, but the truth is that I genuinely want to see delivery on these issues as soon as possible, and it is only the Government that can take action. So I don’t think I would have much success in convincing them by criticising them for the final minutes of this...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Thank you very much, temporary Presiding Officer.
Mabon ap Gwynfor: Can I just say at the beginning of my contribution that we've got a number of the young citizens of Wales here? Welcome all; you might well be sitting here at some point in the future.
Mabon ap Gwynfor: It's a pleasure to close this debate today, and I'd like to thank Luke Fletcher for opening the debate so eloquently, and I thank everyone else who has contributed to it. Before proceeding to the substance of the debate, I would also like to say that Buffy Williams would have liked to have been here today, and Buffy is central to the motion. She has a great deal of experience in this area,...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: In mid May, James Evans asked a topical question about the Government's purchase of Gilestone Farm in his constituency. In response, the economy Minister stressed the importance of protecting the Green Man brand, and emphasised that the purchase was to do with keeping the Green Man festival in Wales. The Minister underscored the importance of the brand and the festival. However, in his...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: I thank the Minister for that response. Now, anyone who follows the story of the nuclear sector in this country—and I do in detail—will know that Rolls-Royce is the only option considered by the Westminster Government to develop small nuclear modular reactors, SMRs. Now, of course, this close relationship between the Westminster Government and Rolls-Royce comes as a result of the fact...
