Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Deputy Llywydd. We are facing a health crisis: a crisis that is putting lives at risk, which kills; a crisis that means that the vulnerable face the greatest threat; and a crisis that we should all be desperate, some day soon, hopefully, to put behind us. And, no, I am not talking about the pandemic. I am talking about the health inequalities that exist within Wales. The...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you, Minister, for taking this intervention. I do take what I have heard from the Minister there as a positive step, that she is willing to discuss this issue. I think one of our demands is that this should happen as a matter of urgency. Can we get a stronger commitment in terms of your willingness to move very quickly on this? Because I do think it is necessary, if there is a change...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: But things aren't quite as straightforward with the second set, which are the No. 23 regulations. The central aim here—we're very happy with it—is the regulations on working from home. That made sense and it followed clear advice from scientific and technical advisers to the Government. But there are elements of these regulations that we're uncomfortable with, namely the element of the...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you for the opportunity to outline Plaid Cymru's views on these regulations. I will take them in order, starting with the easiest, the No. 22 regulations. I don't see that there is much that is contentious here; they are minor changes, in reality, in terms of some definitions around the COVID pass and the use of face coverings, and we're happy to support them. The only thing that I...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you, Minister, for today's statement. Yes, we are in a very uncertain situation. The numbers of positive cases are very high. We know that—I know from the experience of my entire family and from testing positive myself on Christmas Day how much community transmission there has been. But looking forward is what's important now. I know that the Minister wanted to strike a very serious...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I'm going to start with a confession. When I and my Plaid Cymru colleagues called for the public inquiry into the pandemic in Wales in the first few months of the pandemic, I had perhaps failed to make something clear enough: when Government signalled that it too was supportive of having an inquiry, I had wrongly assumed that they, as I was, were referring to a Wales-specific inquiry. And...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you to the Minister. We will be supporting these new regulations today. They are very sensible at a time that is clearly a dangerous one during this pandemic. It is important that we do the fundamentals right and, of course, isolation is one of those fundamentals and we need to be quite strict on that at this point. So, I welcome this change that appears to us to be proportionate to the...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: To add a more positive note, I hope that the early evidence that we've seen is going to play out and that we are moving into a less dangerous time. But, we don't know that for sure at the moment, and we do need to realise that large numbers are going to catch the virus now. Even if the proportion of people who become very ill is lower, it is going to lead to a huge amount of pressure on our...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you, Llywydd. I certainly agree with the Minister that the situation is very serious, and I thank in advance all of those healthcare workers, vaccination services and test and trace services, and so on, who are going to be under a huge amount of pressure in the coming period, and that would have been a time of great pressure anyway, regardless of omicron.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: How many mobility and habilitation experts are there in Wales to support visually impaired children and young people?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Diolch yn fawr iawn, Dirprwy Lywydd. I very much welcome the opportunity today to debate the Holden report and build on the discussion we had as part of the short debate led by Llyr Gruffydd a few weeks ago. It's notable that, despite a few weeks passing now since the release, finally, of this damning report, the Government still hasn't used its own Senedd time to allow the Senedd to debate...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 'for the purpose of conserving or enhancing the flora, fauna or geological or physiographical features, or the natural beauty or amenity, of any land.'
Rhun ap Iorwerth: There is no such clause added to Welsh legislation, and it is time for us to remedy that. And beyond legislation, I have to say that it's a real concern of mine that there is a lack of robust dialogue between Natural Resources Wales and conservation organisations. It's something that I've raised time and time again. Partnership has to be part of the solution in safeguarding the squirrel. ...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Llywydd. I will also declare that I am an honorary member of the Red Squirrels Trust Wales, and I am very proud to be a Member representing an island who are, as a whole, champions for this particular creature. It was around a year ago when I was out running with my wife less than a mile from my home and a red squirrel jumped from the hedge and sped down the road ahead of...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Everything, of course, should be done to prevent the loss of more school time, but, with the number of cases so high, there are practical problems in schools in ensuring that there are adequate numbers of staff available to keep classrooms open, and there is real concern, and very understandable concern, about transmission within schools. Staff and parents have been in touch with me...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much for that response. This lunchtime, I was chairing the latest meeting of the cross-party group on digital issues, and skills was our topic today. There was a very interesting discussion, and we heard examples of excellent work already work already happening, not only in Ynys Môn in the M-SParc science park, but also in Gwynedd—a new council digital strategy there—in...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 5. How does the Welsh Government intend to develop digital skills in Ynys Môn? OQ57347
Rhun ap Iorwerth: —be made available to those with MND. I think that's what's going to contribute towards the quality of life. Too many people have to travel across the border for treatment, and we need to see how we can strengthen the provision here in Wales.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Deputy Llywydd, and I thank the Conservatives for bringing this debate forward today. We agree with the clear message in the motion itself, and we ask for support for our amendment as well. It's just a few words that I have here. I can summarise our position, in a way, by emphasising two things: first of all, the need for people who live with MND to be able to live with...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you to Mabon for bringing this motion before us today. The people of Wales wait too long for cancer treatment, and that impacts on the likelihood of survival. That's the fundamental truth of the matter that is the background to this motion today, and at the heart of the solution is the need for a new national cancer plan for Wales. The Minister has heard those regular demands from...
