Mark Isherwood: The national road traffic projections 2022 study, published by the UK Department for Transport in January, shows that road traffic in Wales and England could grow by as much as 54 per cent between 2025 and 2060, with a 22 per cent rise under the core scenario, and the most modest estimate being an 8 per cent increase. Despite this, under all the projections, emissions are projected to fall by...
Mark Isherwood: 8. What is the Welsh Government's forestry and woodland restocking policy? OQ59243
Mark Isherwood: How does the Welsh Government support deaf school pupils?
Mark Isherwood: Why have you not acknowledged that the 'current Tory Government' has banned the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2030, and that with effect from 2035 all new cars and vans will be fully zero emission at the tailpipe, which means that we need a road network for the future, planning now and delivering for that network, given the volume of new-technology cars that will definitely...
Mark Isherwood: Thank you. On World Osteoporosis Day last October I met with the Royal Osteoporosis Society in the Senedd. I heard that people in Wales suffer 27,000 osteoporotic fractures every year; that there are an estimated 100,000 undiagnosed spinal fractures in Wales; that a quarter of people have three or more fractures before they're diagnosed; that mental health issues arise from the constant pain;...
Mark Isherwood: The latest figures show that Wales, under a Labour Welsh Government in this case, has the lowest employment rate amongst the UK nations, that Wales was the only UK nation to see a fall in employment, and that Wales saw the largest increase in the inactivity rate compared with the same period last year. However, at 2.8 per cent, the unemployment rate in Clwyd South was lower than the figure...
Mark Isherwood: 4. What support is available for people in Wales with osteoporosis? OQ59195
Mark Isherwood: I’ll have one intervention if time permits, yes.
Mark Isherwood: Actually, they did not, but that disastrous and temporary intervention, which we opposed—and I didn’t vote for her—was dealt with. It’s history. The successor Government has moved on. [Interruption.] This is about the Welsh Government budget.
Mark Isherwood: Thank you. As Cymorth Cymru now state, homelessness and housing support providers and local authority commissioners have been left devastated by the lack of an increase in the housing support grant, ninety-three per cent of service providers are extremely or very concerned about their ability to continue delivering services, and services will need to be cut if there’s no increase in the...
Mark Isherwood: This budget is littered with false economies that will push many more people into crisis, adding multi millions to the cost of crisis service providers in the health and social care public sectors. Funding for social justice has been cut by £96 million in absolute terms, and £119 million in real terms. Violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence is facing a real-terms cut of...
Mark Isherwood: I call for a single statement from the health Minister on raising awareness of diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA, a complication of type 1 diabetes. Yesterday, I met with Dee Pinnington, to discuss her raising-awareness campaign, following the death of her son, Alastair, or Ali, Thomas, in 2018 from DKA, as a complication of his type 1 diabetes. Ali was a singer and musician from Flint, who had...
Mark Isherwood: The question tabled is about Ofgem's price cap, and although it's good news that the energy regulator, Ofgem, announced that its price cap will fall by almost £1,000 from April due to a fall in wholesale prices, the UK Government energy price guarantee is set to increase, as you indicated, from £2,500 to £3,000 a year from the same month. National Energy Action estimates that 1.5 million...
Mark Isherwood: Well, thank you. Again, I remember debating these issues 20 years ago in the predecessor Chamber, with similar responses, albeit in a different financial context. Unless points raised with me by Gwynedd Council's fuel poverty officer are addressed, the next Welsh Government's Welsh housing quality standard and Warm Homes programme will be starting on a false premise, and aiming for standards...
Mark Isherwood: Thanks. Well, I'll leave the primary point you made for the topical question later, which, of course, is on that very subject. But this month's Bevan Foundation State of Wales briefing states that the energy efficiency of properties varies greatly across Wales, and that, although all social housing in Wales was deemed to comply with the Welsh housing quality standard, more than a fifth has at...
Mark Isherwood: Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, thank you for attending the cross-party group on fuel poverty and energy efficiency meeting in November, when concern was raised by Gwynedd Council's fuel poverty officer that there are high levels of non-compliant stock with the Welsh housing quality standard in Gwynedd. When he asked you whether you could comment on the high levels of non-compliant stock with the...
Mark Isherwood: Of course, we live in a land of communities: from Aberdeen to Aberystwyth, Cumbria to Carmarthen, Cornwall to Conwy, Belfast to Bridgend and Yorkshire to Y Wyddgrug. As we approach St David's Day, you refer to your cross-governmental strategies and action plans in the area of social justice and Cymraeg. Speaking here seven years ago, I noted that 'Asset-based community development is a large...
Mark Isherwood: —and the North Wales Community Health Council has also been raising these concerns with you throughout?
Mark Isherwood: After Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board attended the Senedd's Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee last March, I wrote to them as Chair regarding concerns about some of the responses that they provided us with and seeking clarity on certain points. Our letter included that we were disappointed by the lack of ownership and responsibility taken by the executive of the...
Mark Isherwood: The UK will deliver £2.3 billion or more of military support for Ukraine’s campaign against Russian aggression this year, the same or more than last year, when the UK sent more than 10,800 anti-tank missiles, five air defence systems, 120 armoured vehicles, ammunition, drones and more. Over 1,320 individuals and entities have been sanctioned, and £275 billion-worth of assets frozen,...
