Paul Davies: 1. Will the Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's plans to improve broadband services in west Wales? OAQ54942
Paul Davies: Will the Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government’s Brexit preparation plans?
Paul Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. I'm pleased to take part in this important debate and lay out the position of the Welsh Conservatives. Today's legislative consent motion provides this Parliament with a clear opportunity to deliver the result that the people of Wales voted for in the 2016 EU referendum. Nearly four years after that referendum, we, on this side of the Chamber, believe it's time to finally...
Paul Davies: It's quite clear, First Minister, that farmers and farming unions don't think that your current policy on bovine TB is working and that's why it is crucial now that your Government reconsiders this policy in order to tackle this disease in a much more holistic way. Another pressing issue raised with me this morning, where the Welsh Government also has responsibility, is in relation to nitrate...
Paul Davies: Well, First Minister, you've just said it yourself: you are finding more incidents of TB. And let's be clear: your policy is not working, otherwise the number of cattle slaughtered due to bovine TB would be decreasing, but, instead, we're seeing an increase. And whichever way you want to look at this, the fact remains that the Welsh farming sector is under a huge amount of pressure. This...
Paul Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, the Welsh Government's latest figures show that over 12,000 cattle were slaughtered due to bovine tuberculosis. This is an eye-watering 24 per cent increase on the previous year. These figures are the highest on record. Where is your Government's policy going wrong?
Paul Davies: First Minister, of course, it's not just children and young people, or indeed farmers, who are struggling to access appropriate mental health services. We also know that depression is more common in older people than in any other age group, and sometimes they are not being recognised as they should and therefore not being provided with the support that they need. It is deeply worrying that...
Paul Davies: I appreciate that response, First Minister, because as you know poor mental health can, of course, affect anyone from any background and at any age. Indeed, one of the less discussed facets of mental health is in relation to the farming sector in Wales. Sadly, agriculture carries one of the highest rates of suicide, and the remoteness of many farming communities mean they are often...
Paul Davies: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. First Minister, the Welsh Government's own latest figures have shown that more than 11,000 young people received counselling in 2017-18. Indeed, more worryingly, figures from the charity Barnardo's Cymru have confirmed that the number of children it helped in the past year rose by 56 per cent. In light of these very serious figures, can you tell us what...
Paul Davies: Minister, I'm sure you will join with me in congratulating Ysgol y Preseli in my constituency. As you know, it's a Welsh-medium secondary school graded second in Wales, according to The Sunday Times school guide this year, for its excellent performance. It's important that other schools learn from Welsh-medium schools such as Ysgol y Preseli in terms of promoting the use of the Welsh language...
Paul Davies: First Minister, clearly you are not listening. But it's not surprising that you're not listening to the people of Wales: you're not listening over Brexit, you're not listening when it comes to this airport. The people of Wales don't want a national airport regardless of cost; they want an airport that offers them a stress-free getaway. They don't want you wasting their hard-earned cash with...
Paul Davies: Well, quite clearly, we are not turning that corner. Let me give you some of its failings: performance in terms of passenger time lost in cancellations was worse between July and November last year than the previous year; it has struggled to secure long-term rolling stock; it's failed to meet the Welsh language standards on several occasions; and we've seen chaos over the renewal process for...
Paul Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, given the problems we've recently seen, which appear to be growing and not getting better, will you agree with me that Transport for Wales is not delivering for the people of Wales?
Paul Davies: Let me remind the First Minister why the UK Government in 2010 had to reduce spending: because your party colleagues destroyed our economy and left us—[Interruption.]—and left us with a black hole of £150 billion. I know the Labour Party don't like the truth, but that is the truth. Because let me remind the—[Interruption.] Let me remind the—
Paul Davies: And let me remind the First Minister, it was Liam Byrne, the former Labour chief financial Secretary to the Treasury, who left that note and said that there was no money left—his words, not my words. I have to say to you, First Minister: your lack of humility when it comes to genuine scrutiny of your Government's record is absolutely frightening, and it gives us a real snapshot of life if...
Paul Davies: Well, First Minister, you might think things have improved under your party's stewardship, but the people of Wales certainly don't think so. In fact, the outcomes point to nothing but failures when you look at our NHS, our education system and our economy. First Minister, under your party, accident and emergency waiting times are the worst on record, the Welsh NHS has been the only part of...
Paul Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, in the very first meeting of the National Assembly for Wales, the then First Minister, or First Secretary, Alun Michael, said that we must deliver three things for Wales. First, we must deliver a better life for the people of Wales. Secondly, we must deliver a sense of unity and purpose, and, thirdly, we have to deliver a new confidence in ourselves in Wales...
Paul Davies: But, First Minister, we are still at the bottom of the UK league table when it comes to these results. Yes, of course I accept that there have been improvements, but you are quite clearly failing our children and young people because we should have seen much better improvement over the last few years. Now, of course, the 'Fit for the Future Education in Wales' report, which, clearly, you want...
Paul Davies: Well, clearly, First Minister, you weren't listening. I did say that improvements have been made, but you can't dress this up because we are still at the bottom of the league table of the United Kingdom. Despite the hard work of those in the teaching profession, Wales's science scores are still significantly worse than in 2006; Wales is ranked bottom of the UK nations in reading, maths and...
Paul Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, today's programme for international student assessment results once again confirm that Wales has remained the lowest-performing country within the United Kingdom for all subjects, despite improvements being made. Why is it that there have been no statistically significant improvements in Wales's PISA scores in reading and maths since 2006?
