Tom Giffard: Is the 'Do what I say, not what I do' approach not epitomised by the Welsh Government owning an airport?
Tom Giffard: Minister, there's no doubt we're facing a crisis in primary care, with one in five GP practices closing in the last 10 years. On the face of it, there seems to have been an increase in GPs during that time, but it's clear that practices are finding it hard to recruit GPs and therefore being forced to close. Furthermore, a Royal College of General Practitioners survey last year found that a...
Tom Giffard: The culture committee provided a workshop for people within the Welsh creative industries as part of its inquiry into barriers within the sector. Participants noted that access to Welsh Government funding for small businesses who are in the industry was challenging and overly bureaucratic, with one noting that delays can cripple small businesses. Another stated, and I quote, 'Access routes to...
Tom Giffard: What consideration has the Welsh Government given to the recent Care Inspectorate Wales improvement review of Bridgend children's services?
Tom Giffard: Thank you. First Minister, the last Programme for International Student Assessment results in 2018 showed Wales at the bottom of UK rankings for the fifth occasion running. We'll see what happens when the 2022 results come out later this year, but since then, we've only seen significant disruption to children's education in Wales over the last three years because of both the COVID-19 pandemic...
Tom Giffard: 5. How is the Welsh Government ensuring the highest possible quality of school education in South Wales West? OQ59205
Tom Giffard: Thank you very much, temporary Presiding Officer. I agree with what the Minister said at the end—Welsh belongs to us all—and that's why it was nice to hear people who I know can speak some Welsh within our group, but we haven't heard it in the Chamber so far. So, could I just start by saying that I was very pleased to hear James Evans and Gareth Davies speaking Welsh in the Chamber today?...
Tom Giffard: Thank you very much, Llywydd. I’d like to start by wishing everyone in the Senedd today and everyone watching across Wales a very happy St David’s Day. I’m proud to have the opportunity to open this debate today, which was tabled in the name of Darren Millar, because it is a very important debate to have in the Senedd, especially on St David’s Day. It’s important that we share the...
Tom Giffard: Can I ask for a statement, please, Trefnydd, from the Deputy Minister for arts and sport, who has just taken over responsibility for the tourism sector here in Wales? We know that when tourism sat under the economy Minister, the economy Minister proposed a tourism tax on the sector. The Government's own report said that it would cost the sector £100 million and 2,500 jobs. VisitBritain...
Tom Giffard: Will you take an intervention?
Tom Giffard: You mentioned the role of guide dogs there, and my mind actually took me back to the event that you mentioned that Mark Isherwood hosted in the Senedd a few weeks ago. It struck me that you can't really put a price on independence. Independence is one of those words that we bandy around sometimes in these debates and we forget what that really means, that independence to be able to follow our...
Tom Giffard: It's hard to believe that it's been a year since we had our last debate here in the Senedd, which was at the start of the war. It's hard to believe that a year has passed since then. I think it's equally hard to comprehend the brutality and the suffering that has happened in Ukraine since that time. It's the greatest humanitarian crisis in Europe since the second world war, with millions...
Tom Giffard: Natural Resources Wales have recently proposed to increase charges for sheep-dip disposal by 10 times. This, I'm sure you'll be most aware, will cause barriers to eradicating sheep scab. Now, I note in your statement last month you committed £4.5 million of rural investment scheme funding to help tackle the disease, but you didn't mention whether this would be per year or multi-year funding....
Tom Giffard: As we heard from Hefin David there, one of the perils of increasing income tax at a time of financial trouble is the fact that it would be something built on the back of working people across Wales. And it's quite apt, I think, on the day that Nicola Sturgeon resigned as leader of the SNP and First Minister of Scotland, to remember exactly where Plaid Cymru got this idea from, because they...
Tom Giffard: Of course.
Tom Giffard: Free ports are not an ideology, and they’ve changed, as I’ve just said, the economy there in Scotland, where they’ve been invested. He talked about the north-east—look at the impact it’s had in Teesside. It’s had a huge impact on a community that’s previously been deprived. In the south-west of Wales the Celtic free port is projected to create 16,000 jobs and £5.5 billion of...
Tom Giffard: After listening to Luke Fletcher and Joyce Watson, all I can say is that the anti-growth coalition is alive and well in the Senedd Chamber here today. I welcome today's debate because not only does it give me a chance— [Interruption.] You can intervene later on, Huw; don't worry. It gives me a chance to say how beneficial free ports will be to the Welsh economy, but I can also tell you how...
Tom Giffard: Can I join Vikki Howells and other colleagues by commending the committee on a really thorough piece of work, I think, into what is a very ingrained problem and one that was definitely here before COVID-19? But what's clear from the committee report is the added impact of COVID and lockdowns on pupil absence. So, it's deeply concerning to see evidence that shows that the mental health of...
Tom Giffard: What measures is the Welsh Government taking to tackle school absenteeism in South Wales West?
Tom Giffard: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm not quite sure how to follow that, but what I will promise is a short contribution. I know Hefin promised it and didn't quite manage it, so I will try my best just to focus on a few key points, which I hope will give the Minister some pause for thought. Last week, we debated the Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport and International Relations Committee...
