Mark Isherwood: With community safety being a devolved matter, the Welsh Conservative Party manifesto in May stated that we would increase funding for police community support officers each year, working alongside the UK Government to recruit an additional 20,000 officers in England and Wales by 2023. That's what's really happening. How do you therefore propose to ensure partnership working between the Welsh...
Mark Isherwood: What is the Welsh Government's policy on the management of areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) in Wales?
Mark Isherwood: As I stated here in June 2016, 'Wales in Britain must be a sovereign partner of Europe not a province of the EU as part of an outward-looking global community.' Today, five years exactly since the people of Wales—the people of Wales—voted to leave the EU, an outward-looking global Britain is able to strike trade deals with new markets as a liberal, free trading force for good in the...
Mark Isherwood: Diolch. Trade and industry leaders have welcomed the return of freeports to the UK, and food processing, confectionery, alcoholic drinks and textile sectors may stand to gain most. UK trade deals offer a boost to Welsh businesses, where, for example, Anglesey sea salt, Welsh lamb, Conwy mussels and the Vale of Clwyd Denbigh plum are among 15 iconic Welsh products that could be protected in...
Mark Isherwood: Thank you. Given that one of the Welsh Government's responsibilities is business development, you would expect the Welsh Government to also contribute some of its own money above the additional UK Government funding. Despite the First Minister's denials, a restaurant owner in north Wales ineligible for the Welsh Government's latest funding stated that he had stabbed them in the back. Another...
Mark Isherwood: 5. What consideration did the Welsh Government give to business support in Wales when drafting its 2021-22 budget? OQ56627
Mark Isherwood: Of course, traffic congestion itself is polluting, and people, having more options than they did 50 years ago, will continue to use cars because of convenience, necessity, weather, locality or simply the freedom of the road. As you say, you're going to pause on all new road schemes while you review your existing commitments, so as you say, it's not an absolute door shut—it's a delay. Of...
Mark Isherwood: Diolch. I also wish to comment on your reference to residential outdoor education centres, some of whom contacted me yesterday, which was how I found out about the Welsh Government statement, as we hadn't been notified directly as Members. I first raised concerns expressed by residential outdoor education centres regarding Welsh Government coronavirus guidance with the Welsh Government here...
Mark Isherwood: What is the Welsh Government's policy on the management of areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) in Wales?
Mark Isherwood: How is the Welsh Government supporting deaf children and young people in education in Wales?
Mark Isherwood: Just one short, single question. A few minutes ago, I received an e-mail from a constituent in north Wales, and I'd be grateful if you could answer their points, following on from your previous response: 'I was watching the news about the announcement of the money for long COVID. The trouble is there are not many staff with experience, and they won't listen to those of us who have the...
Mark Isherwood: I call for a debate or oral statement in Welsh Government time on care for people with learning disabilities and/or autism. The thirty-first of May was the 10-year anniversary of the Winterbourne View scandal, when abuse of people with learning disabilities and/or autism was exposed. In January 2013, the then Welsh Government Deputy Minister for Children and Social Services published a...
Mark Isherwood: According to the reports, whistleblowers state that children were punished for engaging in autistic behaviour and the health and safety of staff and children were absolutely shocking, and young people were mismanaged, so behaved in challenging ways, which led to them being locked away. But this is symptomatic of so much of the casework that I have on behalf of autistic constituents and/or...
Mark Isherwood: Three years—. Thanks for your statement. Three years ago, in June 2018, the UK Government published its step-by-step guidance on applying to the EU settlement scheme, settled and pre-settled status, for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens and their families to apply to continue living in the UK after the application deadline of 30 June 2021—by coincidence, my mother's birthday. You referred to the...
Mark Isherwood: I call for a Welsh Government statement on support for wedding venues in Wales. When I questioned the First Minister about wedding receptions two weeks ago, contrasting the UK Government provision in England with ongoing Welsh Government restrictions, the First Minister replied, 'I have huge sympathy for those many families who have arranged and rearranged wedding receptions.... But I make...
Mark Isherwood: I call for a Welsh Government statement on its current position regarding the A55, A494, A548 Flintshire corridor. The Labour Welsh Government announced in 2017 that they had decided on the Flintshire red route option to the A55 at Northop. I subsequently raised constituents' concerns regarding this with the former economy Minister on several occasions, highlighting issues including...
Mark Isherwood: Diolch, Llywydd. Well, your Government stated last Friday, I quote, that 'organised activities, including wedding receptions can be arranged for up to 30 people indoors and 50 people outdoors', but added that 'Outdoor receptions cannot take place in private gardens'. Your written statement on these coronavirus regulations last Friday said that these could only take place in regulated...
Mark Isherwood: Bryn and Liz Davies from Kinmel Bay first became aware that their unborn baby had a heart condition at the 20-week scan. At the age of two, having already undergone two major operations, Seren was also diagnosed with an extremely rare genetic disorder. Seren loved her respite visits to Tŷ Gobaith. Because she was so happy and being looked after by professional nurses, who knew about and...
Mark Isherwood: As Chair of the cross-party group on hospices and palliative care in this Senedd, I sponsored and spoke at Hospice UK's Hospice Care Week Senedd event in October 2019, when I said that children's hospices tell me that 'although they operate on a "buy one, get seven or eight free" basis, they've had flatline statutory funding for ten years.' The following month, I led a debate here, noting the...
Mark Isherwood: Diolch. Can I again begin by saying how much I enjoyed working with you, especially in north Wales, and, personally, how I'll miss you? I'll move on to my speech. I've agreed to take contributions from Rhun ap Iorwerth and Dawn Bowden at the end of this speech. An estimated 3,600 children in Wales are living with a life-limiting condition. Although approximately 800 of these children have...
