Hannah Blythyn: I welcome Tata’s August announcement of investment in the Shotton site to create the next generation of steel coating. I spent a day there just after the announcement and I know the workforce is appreciative of the proactive approach by the Welsh Government in securing this investment. But as you’ve already alluded, I urge the Welsh Government going forward to make sure we consider that a...
Hannah Blythyn: I’m grateful for the chance to speak in this debate and I wish to start by welcoming the first world war commemoration programme for Wales that’s been developed by the Welsh Government in partnership with key organisations, including the Royal British Legion and the armed forces themselves. We’ve already seen and continue to see a range of commemorations taking place to mark both the...
Hannah Blythyn: I just want to contribute very briefly to today’s individual Member debate, a debate that brings forward a number of key issues that relate to broadcasting in Wales, and focus on one aspect of the motion that the National Assembly for Wales ‘Believes BBC Wales has a vital role to play in reflecting the lives, aspirations and challenges of the people of Wales.’ When we speak of...
Hannah Blythyn: Cabinet Secretary, would you agree with me that giving patients faster access to the appropriate service or healthcare professional is critical to ensuring that people are treated as quickly as possible? Therefore, what steps are being taken in north Wales to ensure that patients have the option to be treated by the right healthcare professionals whilst also supporting our GPs?
Hannah Blythyn: Tourism is a vital sector in the economic development of north Wales, and with that I welcome this Government’s commitment to create an A55 culture corridor linking attractions across the region. Flint castle was certainly a major attraction this last weekend, as a dragon descended on the outer bailey of the castle drawing in visitor numbers in their thousands. It was really brilliant to...
Hannah Blythyn: Will the Minister provide an update on the roll-out of broadband in north east Wales?
Hannah Blythyn: Diolch, Lywydd—I’ll keep it as brief as possible. Looking forward at the future Wales and borders franchise, we in north Wales need to be better connected to our capital city. Whilst I recognise we’re restricted by existing and inherited infrastructure and network, it can’t be right that, from the main station of Flint in my constituency, it’s quicker to get to London than it is to...
Hannah Blythyn: I want to start by noting the amended title of this debate and I welcome the realisation that our steel industry in Wales is much more than simply one site. Whilst I recognise the importance of our foundation industry, not just to our economy but to society as a whole in Wales, it won’t surprise Members that I wish to focus my contribution today on Shotton. I cannot emphasise enough the...
Hannah Blythyn: It would be remiss of me not to start by welcoming the work that this Government has done and their commitment to improve mental health and mental health services, whether that be through increased funding for services, support for campaigns to end stigma, or the mental health Measure. But, as the Cabinet Secretary’s alluded to, and it should always the be the case in everything we do in...
Hannah Blythyn: Thank you, First Minister. As an Assembly Member in north-east Wales, many of my constituents are employed in large workplaces like Airbus. The vote to leave the EU has not only created uncertainty for these people and their families, but also the many hundreds employed via the supply chain reliant on the aerospace site. Can the First Minister assure the workforce and their families that this...
Hannah Blythyn: 6. Will the First Minister outline any discussions the Welsh Government has had with key anchor companies such as Airbus following the outcome of the EU referendum? OAQ(5)0094(FM)
Hannah Blythyn: Thank you, and thanks to the Member for Islwyn for this opportunity to talk about the fantastic new learning centre being built in Holywell, nearing its final stages, in my constituency. In fact, I was wondering whether I should declare a tenuous and random interest as the site is of significant importance to me as it was the predecessor school of Holywell Grammar School where my parents met...
Hannah Blythyn: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. As a proud trade unionist, I welcome this Government’s commitment to repeal aspects of this pernicious piece of ideological and ill-thought-out legislation, legislation that is causing more industrial unrest than less. The Act has the potential to undermine the productive and partnership working relationship that we have, which we champion in Wales, between...
Hannah Blythyn: 1. Will the Minister provide an update on plans to repeal aspects of the Trade Union Act 2016? OAQ(5)0009(FLG)
Hannah Blythyn: Cabinet Secretary, you’ll be aware that a number of parts of north-east Wales have been impacted by flash flooding after heavy and sustained rainfall in recent weeks. Just last week, I visited residents and business in Bagillt who’d been left devastated after flooding, and, worryingly, this is an area that’s been hit before in recent years. What discussions have you had with Flintshire...
Hannah Blythyn: Diolch. Jo Cox MP—a passionate activist, and unwavering humanitarian, a driven campaigner and a committed feminist, a friend, daughter, sister, wife, mother, and proud to the MP for Batley and Spen, the Yorkshire community in which she grew up. Jo Cox was one of us, and we are all profoundly shocked, devastated and moved by Jo’s murder. But today is a time to remember the incredibly...
Hannah Blythyn: Cabinet Secretary, you’ll know as well as I do that for north Wales to prosper economically, we not only need strong and effective transport links across the region, but across the border with our near neighbours in the north-west of England. Improvement to road links like the A55 and A494 are critical, but we also need a wider transport plan to support crucial cross-border economic...
Hannah Blythyn: Thank you, First Minister. I welcome your commitment to working parents. I know this is a huge issue for my constituents; it’s been raised with me time and time again in correspondence and in conversations as well. Whilst it’s fantastic that we’re offering the most ambitious childcare support in the UK, it’s important that it works well and fits the lives of working parents today....
Hannah Blythyn: 9. Will the First Minister provide an update on the implementation of childcare support for working parents in Wales? OAQ(5)0050(FM)
Hannah Blythyn: Diolch. Thanks for the update, First Minister. Many of my constituents in communities across Flintshire are understandably concerned about the future of the Shotton site and fear that it often gets lost in all of the headlines. Shotton has two successful, viable, profitable businesses that have risen, almost phoenix-like, from the ashes of the record mass redundancies of the 1980s. Shotton...
