Heledd Fychan: I will, of course.
Heledd Fychan: I wholeheartedly agree with Huw Irranca-Davies that human rights are universal. We can't pick and choose who we believe have rights and who don't. I think that's what's fearful in a lot of this dialogue: this idea that some people are deserving of rights and some aren't, and that we can pick and choose what constitutes human rights. As was mentioned, there is no compelling rationale or...
Heledd Fychan: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. It's wonderful to see so many young people watching us today in the Chamber—a warm welcome to you. We all know how important school attendance is in terms of children and young people's attainment and well-being, as you noted in your statement. And as one who was in the past a school governor with responsibility for school attendance, I know how...
Heledd Fychan: Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. As we all unfortunately know, sexual violence and exploitation are often witnessed in wars. There are a number of reports of women being raped by Russian soldiers in Ukraine. Indeed, on 11 April the BBC broadcast devastating evidence from Ukraine on this issue. It's difficult to comprehend how appallingly these women have been treated, with soldiers from Russia...
Heledd Fychan: Trefnydd, I'd like to ask for a statement by the Minister for Climate Change giving us an update on the work on the south Wales metro. With the work going ahead in a number of areas across the region I represent, I have to admit that citizens have had a shock about the impact that the work is having on them. A number have spoken to me and written to me complaining that the noise is keeping...
Heledd Fychan: Thank you, Llywydd. Just in case you hadn't noticed that there was an election, I'd like to declare that I am, until the election, a councillor on Rhondda Cynon Taf council. First Minister, the truth is that the situation of many residents of RCT is deteriorating rather than improving. More people have to turn to foodbanks for support, more children are living in poverty and the COVID deaths...
Heledd Fychan: Thank you, Minister. Recently, I visited a foodbank in my region that is increasingly receiving requests from individuals and families that they support for pet food. The manager shared with me that many were thinking of getting rid of their pets because they were concerned that they couldn't afford to feed them because of the cost-of-living crisis, and neither would they be able to pay...
Heledd Fychan: 4. What assessment has the Government made of the impact on animal welfare of the inability of people on low incomes to pay for pet food and veterinary fees? OQ57920
Heledd Fychan: We know of teachers juggling themselves trying to teach their children from home, and having to isolate, and all the challenges there as well. Yet their efforts were not without their consequences. The report clearly states that staff have experienced raised levels of anxiety, with leaders and staff alike feeling isolated and exhausted. Education providers proved to be resilient and proactive...
Heledd Fychan: Thank you, Llywydd. I'd like to move the motion formally.
Heledd Fychan: As we all know, and as the report clearly touches on and outlined by the Minister, the 2020-21 academic year was perhaps the most challenging one for education and training providers in Wales and across the world. The pandemic brought with it massive disruption to the system and continues to do so, with all school staff, pupils and their families being affected. Though, as we've seen with the...
Heledd Fychan: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Minister, as we discussed in this Chamber during endometriosis month, the disease has a devastating impact on sufferers. A constituent of mine has contacted me saying that she was told by her consultant at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital yesterday that the NHS aren't doing any operations at all for women with endometriosis—so, no diagnostic laparoscopies, no excision,...
Heledd Fychan: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Minister, similarly, sharing experiences from constituents of mine, in terms of not receiving visas for last members in the family, hence the delay in coming here, and also receiving calls from across the region about difficulties in securing school places for those coming to Wales, with not all local authorities being consistent in terms of ensuring that they're...
Heledd Fychan: You were clear when the news came that Boris Johnson had received a fine for breaking the law that he should resign as Prime Minister, and I agree with you 100 per cent. As he has refused to do that and so many other people in Downing Street have also been fined for breaking the rules, isn't it time to rethink, because they have commissioned this independent inquiry that is relevant to Wales?...
Heledd Fychan: 8. What assessment has the First Minister made of the UK Government's ability to lead the inquiry into COVID-19 in Wales? OQ57921
Heledd Fychan: It's also worth thinking about the value of these sites in terms of heritage, and, as part of the commission’s consultation, Cadw and the Association of Local Government Archaeological Officers emphasised that some tips have value for their heritage, and that any restoration work should bear this in mind. The coal tips in the Blaenavon industrial landscape, for example, are designated by...
Heledd Fychan: But, after decades of silence on some of these coal tips, the shock and horror felt by many following what happened in Tylorstown as a result of storm Dennis has at last prompted further discussion and action. It was a stark reminder of the dangers that remain as a result of our industrial history, and how these communities have been abandoned by the UK Government following the decline of the...
Heledd Fychan: People from the Rhondda and other coalfield areas did not reap the benefits and yet continue to be impacted negatively today. Coal tips are just one example of a bitter legacy of the coal industry and how our communities cannot escape from this whilst they continue to live in their shadows. It's incomprehensible to me, and many others, I’m sure, that this is an issue that remains today,...
Heledd Fychan: As expressed so eloquently by Delyth Jewell, so much of our modern history as a nation has been driven by the industrial revolution, when coal become such a crucial fuel. Despite this, the history of mining for coal goes back centuries before then, with the Romans mining for coal in Britain. Indeed, there is evidence of mining in Blaenavon dating back to the fourteenth century, and, in...
Heledd Fychan: Our communities deserve justice, and this is about accountability and putting right a historic injustice. And I think the question to Janet Finch-Saunders's comments is: who got rich from coal? And that's the crux of the matter and why we are pressing on the UK Government to put right this historic injustice. The arguments you mentioned in terms of my colleagues putting forward about the...
