Mark Isherwood: Diolch. Thank you. Amendment 111 places a requirement on the Welsh Government to develop and issue guidance to local authorities to support them in achieving improved involvement, or 'participation' as currently drafted in the Bill. The term 'involvement' was proposed to us by external expert bodies working in the field of community engagement, empowerment and regeneration on asset-based and...
Mark Isherwood: Move.
Mark Isherwood: Diolch, Llywydd. Can you hear me? Yes. Again, a disappointing but not unexpected response. It seems that the Minister and Welsh Government believe a lot of things that have been directly contradicted by the relevant expert bodies in this case, consistent with the previous dismissal of concerns raised by the WLGA, Solace and others. And now they not only know better than the national park...
Mark Isherwood: Diolch. In a letter to committee, National Parks Wales argued that it is a missed opportunity not to include the national park authorities in the section relating to the general power of competence proposed for town and community councils. Amendment 107 provides national park authorities in Wales with a general power of competence. National Parks Wales state that having this power would...
Mark Isherwood: Our amendments in this group seek to remove the ability of individual local authorities to change their voting system from first-past-the-post to single transferable vote. This isn't to be contrary, this is to reflect the evidence received by the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee at Stage 1, which Members supported, where the majority of stakeholders did not support the...
Mark Isherwood: Moved.
Mark Isherwood: Moved.
Mark Isherwood: Moved.
Mark Isherwood: A disappointing but predictable response, I suppose. I think the Minister began by referring to a 2017 survey and the percentage of respondents. Those were unrepresentative samples and she knows as well as I do that our amendments seek to reflect, through public opinion on this matter, across the political spectrum, where voting and citizenship are important matters. They're part of a rite of...
Mark Isherwood: Okay. Well, I will conclude at that point, then, and pick up, as you say, the remaining points in my conclusion. Thank you.
Mark Isherwood: During Stage 2 of this Bill, the Minister argued against this amendment, stating that the new Curriculum for Wales will allow teachers to decide how to deliver education tailored to the specific needs of their pupils. This includes political education, which will come under the core purpose of supporting learners to become ethical and informed citizens of Wales and the world, highlighting...
Mark Isherwood: Good afternoon. Amendments 84, 85 and 103 seek to remove the current provision that extends the right to vote in local government elections for all foreign citizens, regardless of citizenship. Most countries and nations that allow non-citizens to vote have a minimum residency requirement. For example, to be eligible to vote in New Zealand, the person has to have lived continuously in the...
Mark Isherwood: The teaching of our history in Welsh schools matters. The past informs the future; a loss of the past would mean the most thoughtless of ages. History teaches us that 'Welsh' means British. Both England and Scotland are named after their invaders. However, the Britons remained. Wales is named after the term used by the invaders—meaning 'foreigner' in their language—to describe the Britons...
Mark Isherwood: We have three new grandchildren, all nearby, but two in England. You can imagine how we're feeling. Epilepsy Wales state there's currently no epilepsy surgery for children or adults in Wales, and there hasn't been for the last seven months. Can the First Minister tell us when this will change so that essential surgery can be provided to the highly vulnerable population of people with epilepsy...
Mark Isherwood: I call for an urgent Welsh Government statement on COVID-19 restrictions on visits to care homes in Wales. As one constituent wrote, 'Our mother has only resided at the nursing home since February. Visits stopped completely during the first wave of the pandemic, and resumed with outdoor visits in mid August. However, all visits stopped again on 1 October. The restrictions on visiting at this...
Mark Isherwood: It took months for the quarter 1 funding to come through, and in July, the Welsh Local Government Association's finance sub-group report on COVID-19 income and expenditure survey for quarter 2 and future budget pressures said that the Welsh Government has had funding of at least £280 million in consequentials, and may receive more, because that was for the first and second quarters. However,...
Mark Isherwood: How is the Welsh Government supporting pupils with additional learning needs through the coronavirus pandemic?
Mark Isherwood: Hello.
Mark Isherwood: I call for an oral statement, or preferably a debate, in Welsh Government time on the Welsh Government's draft plan to tackle fuel poverty in Wales after the Welsh Government today withdrew its key oral statement on this and replaced it with only a written statement, which didn't allow questioning. The Welsh Government's plan to tackle fuel poverty in Wales included new non-statutory targets...
Mark Isherwood: As our motion states, we must recognise the significant adverse impact of local coronavirus restrictions on businesses and other employers, and note the need to ensure that coronavirus restrictions that impact upon employers are proportionate. To help keep our economy functioning whilst protecting against COVID transmission, you need localised data, and unless the Welsh Government provides...
