Paul Davies: First Minister, thanks to the people of Wales, significant progress has been made in limiting the spread of the virus in communities across Wales, which, of course, has allowed freedoms to have been relaxed in other areas. For example, a further set of coronavirus restrictions that have also been lifted in Wales, as you've just said, is in relation to self-contained accommodation, such as...
Paul Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, from 6 July, households in Wales have been permitted to join together to form an extended support bubble to enable families to reunite, meaning that people can form one extended household and meet indoors. That move was welcomed by many across Wales who, after months of being unable to see their loved ones, were finally able to spend some time with their...
Paul Davies: Clearly, the Welsh public transport landscape has changed dramatically this year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and, before I go on to make my comments, I'd like to take the opportunity to thank those workers across Wales who have continued working and kept essential travel routes open to key workers across the country. Public transport prior to and certainly during the lockdown has...
Paul Davies: Minister, a strong accident and emergency service is integral to the effective delivery of health services in hospitals across the Hywel Dda University Health Board area. Now, as you'll be aware, there is a strong campaign to retain A&E services at Withybush General Hospital. Given the recent news that Cwm Taf health board has decided to retain A&E services at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital,...
Paul Davies: First Minister, as new cases continue to fall across Wales, the Welsh Government and local health boards must start looking at other NHS treatment and services, and, as you know, nearly 500,000 were waiting for treatment before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Now, the Royal College of Surgeons have warned that delays to surgery will already have resulted in an increased need for complex surgery,...
Paul Davies: First Minister, last week, you made it clear that Welsh Ministers have the powers through regulations to take local action to reduce some of the freedoms in order to deal with local outbreaks. It's absolutely crucial that freedoms are not curtailed any further, so, if at any point the Welsh Government decides to take the decision to introduce localised lockdowns in the future, then it must be...
Paul Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, key to tackling the spread and indeed the eradication of this awful virus is Wales's testing programme and its ability to reach as many people as possible in order to better inform people before they make decisions about socially interacting. We know that lab capacity in Wales is just over 15,000, which, as you know, is still a long way off the potential...
Paul Davies: 7. Will the Minister make a statement on the delivery of health services in the Hywel Dda University Health Board area? OQ55405
Paul Davies: Will the Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's priorities for learners in Pembrokeshire for the next 12 months?
Paul Davies: Minister, Mind Cymru has recently published a report into how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted our mental health, which shows that many people do not feel entitled to seek help and have difficulty accessing it when they do. Now, the report showed that one in three adults and more than one in four young people didn't access support during lockdown because they didn't think that they...
Paul Davies: Well, First Minister, as you know, my party have also brought forward proposals to establish a COVID recovery fund for those areas most affected economically, and I hope you'll constructively look at our proposals, which could make a real difference to people affected by the closures and the job losses at Airbus, and indeed Laura Ashley. Now, in response to the latest Office for National...
Paul Davies: I very much agree with you: it's vital that Governments and parties are working together, where they can, to support workers at this time, and I'll do whatever I can to constructively work with you, and colleagues in Westminster, to ensure that everything that can be done will be done to support those affected by this news. Now, sadly, it's not the only announcement regarding job losses in...
Paul Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, yesterday's news that Airbus is set to cut 1,700 jobs across the UK, as it struggles with the effects of the coronavirus crisis, is a devastating blow to workers in Broughton and, indeed, in north-east Wales, and the Welsh Government rightly responded to say that it would use all of the levers at its disposal to support workers throughout this difficult time....
Paul Davies: What assessment has the Minister made of the impact of the Welsh Government's public procurement policy?
Paul Davies: The Centre For Towns report also highlights that the impact of COVID-19 on Welsh communities has been exacerbated by existing structural inequalities that have not been tackled by the Welsh Government. The report shows that Valleys communities and seaside towns in Wales, such as Rhyl, Ebbw Vale and Maesteg, are amongst the most vulnerable to an economic downturn caused by COVID-19. Of course,...
Paul Davies: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I move the motion tabled in the name of my colleague Darren Millar. The impact of COVID-19 on communities and sectors across Wales has been unlike anything we've seen, and whilst we must accept that the pandemic has been a public health crisis, it's also been an economic crisis too. The very nature of the virus has completely halted the normal...
Paul Davies: I'm grateful for that response, Minister. I recently had a meeting with the Wales Council for Voluntary Action and the Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services, and they made it clear that some very good progress has been made in administering grant funding through local authorities to voluntary organisations in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. I understand that funding has reached...
Paul Davies: Minister, the UK Agriculture Bill, going through the UK Parliament, will of course have implications for farmers across the UK, and I understand that you intend to publish a White Paper towards the end of the year, which will set out the context for the future of Welsh farming and pave the way for an agriculture Wales Bill. Can you therefore update us on the progress of that White Paper, and...
Paul Davies: Well, First Minister, one sector that certainly needs some relaxation in its regulations is the tourism and hospitality sector. Now, last week's statement was, of course, welcomed, but it has resulted in more questions than answers, given the correspondence I've received from people with tourism businesses. The tourism and hospitality industry needs clarity, in my view in the form of a...
Paul Davies: First Minister, you can dress this up as much as you want, and you've just said there isn't a 5-mile rule—if that is the case, why on earth include 5 miles in the guidance in the first place? It's quite clear your 5-mile rule continues to cause immeasurable anguish to so many families across Wales. You had an opportunity last week to give families some hope that they could start to see...
