Nick Ramsay: 4. Will the Deputy Minister outline the contribution of the voluntary sector and volunteering during the pandemic? OQ56401
Nick Ramsay: Now, I'm sure that the Minister and the Members present listening this evening understand that home adaptations can help mitigate these risks and ensure accessibility requirements are met. For people living with motor neurone disease, these adaptations range from smaller aids, such as very basic adaptations, grab rails or ramps, which are commonplace, to then more complex, expensive changes,...
Nick Ramsay: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm delighted to, once again, be able to raise the issue of motor neurone disease in the Senedd, and I've agreed to Mark Isherwood and Dai Lloyd that they can have a minute of my time. In 2014, I held a short debate on the plight of people living with motor neurone disease and called on the Welsh Government to recognise some of the challenges that people in Wales are...
Nick Ramsay: Diolch, Minister, for that answer. As you drive along the M4, as I have done over recent times, the electric signs often display the notice that the A4042 at Llanellen is closed. I've raised this part of the trunk road network with you on many occasions before. I know that, in previous answers, you've said that there has been a degree, I think, of remedial work—or negotiations with the...
Nick Ramsay: 2. Will the Minister make a statement on the effect of recent flooding on the trunk road network? OQ56342
Nick Ramsay: Trefnydd, the First Minister said earlier in First Minister's questions that £42 million—I think that was the figure he gave—has been earmarked in the final budget for tackling mental health issues in Wales. I wonder when we could have a breakdown of that spending, please. I'm particularly interested in the role that sport can play in helping with mental health issues. Also, an issue...
Nick Ramsay: Monday 22 February marked the start of Fairtrade Fortnight, an important movement within the country, given that Wales became the first Fairtrade Nation on 6 June 2008. At the heart of fair trade is localism, and I'm proud to be a member of the Abergavenny Fairtrade Forum, which is a vibrant and enthusiastic team. The forum was founded in 2007 and has been very active since then. Over the...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you, Minister, for that answer regarding flood defences. As I think all Members are aware, the flooding has posed major challenges in rural communities, including those in my constituency, and I'd like to pay tribute to those in the communities who've come together and supported those that have been worst affected by the floods. Can I ask you, in villages in Monmouthshire, the flooding...
Nick Ramsay: Afternoon, Minister. Minister, do you think it's possible for us to do more—for Welsh Government to do more—to reach out to people suffering, or potentially suffering, from mental health issues in rural areas? As I sit here now, by the wonder of Zoom, I can see through the window passers-by walking by in my village. But I spoke to a constituent earlier who lives in one of the more deeper...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you for your answers, Minister. There's very little I can add actually to the excellent points that have just been made by Mike Hedges in his question, other than to reiterate some of those issues. As you said, the health risks of loneliness and isolation were there prior to the pandemic. So, in many ways, those issues have been exacerbated by the pandemic, and it's not just for older...
Nick Ramsay: Two issues, if I may, Trefnydd. Firstly, can I echo the sentiments of Huw Irranca-Davies in his issues earlier regarding Fairtrade Fortnight? Normally, I would be attending the local launch of Fairtrade Fortnight in my local constituency town of Abergavenny, but understandably, this year that's not possible due to the pandemic, so it has been substituted with online events. I think we should...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you, Minister, for that frank and honest answer. As you've touched on in that answer, home schooling and associated issues have presented a number of challenges for families during the pandemic. Whilst many schools have seen an increase in the number of pupils attending hub provision, the overwhelming majority of children are still at home, and a large number are struggling,...
Nick Ramsay: Minister, Alun Davies, the Minister emeritus, makes his arguments with his usual passion and vigour, and I appreciate that there has been, to date, anyway—. The Welsh Government has complained about a lack of detail on the shared prosperity fund. Nonetheless, it is, in principle, a mechanism that, eventually, will hopefully deliver for Wales. So, looking beyond the current situation to that...
Nick Ramsay: 7. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the impact of the current lockdown on children who are not in school? OQ56253
Nick Ramsay: Many problems—I'm not sure they would be classed as technical or not, but—. [Laughter.] I wasn't exactly anticipating being called, actually, for this, Dirprwy Lywydd. But, in fact, it's been a very interesting statement, and can I thank the Minister for it? I don't disagree with many of the points that have been made hitherto, but if I could just ask a couple of questions on the back of...
Nick Ramsay: Thank you for that answer, First Minister. As you've just highlighted, the rural economy faces different and various challenges compared to urban areas, and that's always been the case pre the pandemic as well. The pandemic has exposed how vulnerable our rural way of life can be. Has any assessment been made of how many job losses there have been in rural communities compared to urban areas,...
Nick Ramsay: 7. Will the First Minister make a statement on support for the rural economy during the pandemic? OQ56294
Nick Ramsay: Many colleagues in this debate have rightly focused on the impact of COVID-19 on individuals needing end-of-life care and their families who, in normal circumstances, would've been able to comfort and support them during this time. Over the last year, there have been some harrowing stories of patients nearing the end of life in hospital or in a care home, where that natural family love and...
Nick Ramsay: Afternoon, Minister. As the Senedd champion of the freshwater pearl mussel—I know other Members are champions of their own different species as well—I'm particularly interested in this question from Caroline Jones, and in the convention strategic plan for diversity, which ran from 2011 until last year. Species like the freshwater pearl mussel are particularly susceptible to water...
Nick Ramsay: First Minister, as you've just said, the chair of the Welsh affairs—the committee, I should say—in Westminster has expressed concerns, and I think we all appreciate that there have been issues with the roll-out and the development of shared prosperity fund. However, according to the UK Government response to the Welsh Affairs Select Committee report, 'Wales and the Shared Prosperity...
