Siân Gwenllian: You talk about building consensus around the language, but, unfortunately, following the debate we had yesterday on the Welsh language Bill, it appears that that consensus is starting to be undermined. Welsh speakers in every part of the country, language bodies, and language planning experts, all agree that the Welsh language Bill will be a backward step rather than strengthening the efforts...
Siân Gwenllian: According to the Aled Roberts review of the Welsh in education strategic plans, which was completed on behalf of Government—Aled Roberts states that the plans show that a great deal more needs to be done if we are to reflect the aspirations within the Welsh Government’s 2010 strategy, let alone the more ambitious requirements of the Government’s new strategy to reach a million Welsh...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you for holding this debate on the White Paper on the proposals for the Welsh language Bill. This consultation goes on until the end of the month and this debate is a good way of reminding people of the need to record their comments throughout the consultation before the closing date. We have set our viewpoint as a party very clearly through the medium of amendments that explain our...
Siân Gwenllian: Can we be clear from the outset? The proposals of the Labour Government are going to weaken our rights. Abolishing the role of the commissioner is going to weaken our rights. Going back to one body and expecting that to carry out two entirely different functions is weakening our rights. Putting the power in the hands of the Government instead of the Assembly in terms of determining who should...
Siân Gwenllian: In a letter to the Chair of the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee on 17 July, the Cabinet Secretary for the economy said this: it would not be wise to publish a national action plan for poverty. Isn’t this an entirely shocking statement? No particular action plan. No targets for the mitigation of poverty. No monitoring, because there is nothing to monitor, despite the...
Siân Gwenllian: In accordance with the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 we need to establish public services boards in all local authorities, and each board needs to assess the economic, social, environmental and cultural state of the area and publish the results of those assessments, and publish a well-being plan that will outline local objectives according to the goals of the Act, as well...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much for that specific example, which does draw attention to the problem in detail and does show clearly why we have to be much more organised and effective in the way that we gather data and use that data for the benefit of this nation. Thank you.
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you, Llywydd, and I do move amendment 4. I will be using my contribution to this debate today to discuss why gathering performance-related data and publishing it in a way that can enable comparisons with other countries in the UK is important. Not only does it enable us as opposition parties to hold the Government to account, but it is also vitally important so that the Government can...
Siân Gwenllian: According to figures published by the Welsh NHS Confederation in May this year, 141 medical posts in Betsi Cadwaladr health board were vacant, and this represents 37 per cent of all the medical positions that are vacant in the health service in Wales. We had a debate here last week as we discussed the Health and Social Care Committee report on medical recruitment. But despite all of the...
Siân Gwenllian: 3. Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's efforts to recruit and train new staff for the health service in north Wales? (OAQ51084)[W]
Siân Gwenllian: I’m going to focus on the recommendation relating to north Wales, as you would expect. During the last week of the last term, we had a short statement from the Welsh Government stating that it did not support the case for the creation of a medical school in Bangor because it is a long process and because it is a very costly one. Now, perhaps it is going to be a long process, but that, in...
Siân Gwenllian: From what I understand, the emphasis of the counter-poverty work that used to be carried out by Communities First will be on early years education, helping people into work and empowering communities—those will be the focuses now—which is what you refer to as the three Es: early years, employability and empowerment. I would like to understand, and I think the people in the sector also...
Siân Gwenllian: Small sums of money can make a very great difference to some families who have a disabled child or disabled children. I’ve mentioned specifics in this Chamber in terms of families in my constituency who have benefited from small grants assisting in improving the quality of life of disabled children, including improving mental health, strengthening family relationships and increasing leisure...
Siân Gwenllian: The Dolwenith surgery in Penygroes is closing at the end of the month and nobody will replace the GP who’s retiring. He was the only one providing Welsh-medium services in an area of 5,000 people where three quarters are Welsh speakers. The valley will have fewer doctors per head than the Welsh average and yesterday, in a very poor statement, you said that you wouldn’t be establishing a...
Siân Gwenllian: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the provision of medical services through the medium of Welsh?
Siân Gwenllian: I’d like to remind everyone that Plaid Cymru strongly opposed the Trade Union Act of the UK state when it was brought forward during the last Assembly. We also opposed all of the amendments presented by the Conservatives in this place throughout the journey of this Bill during this Assembly term, challenging every tireless attempt by the Conservatives to attack workers’ rights in the...
Siân Gwenllian: Plaid Cymru will support proceeding with this legislation today. It’s about time that it happened. It puts right a historic error that has contributed to an inadequate supply of social housing in Wales. Every week I, like many of you, have people coming to my surgery with housing problems—people living in inappropriate social housing, or they live with relatives, are about to become...
Siân Gwenllian: So, it is about time that we made progress in this area, and we do need the investment, too. I agree with what David Melding has said—we do need that investment also, which will bring forward a new wave of social housing. This legislation alone won’t solve the problem of a shortage of supply of social housing, but unlike the Conservatives we do believe that it is part of the jigsaw....
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your willingness to have an ongoing dialogue on these issues and issues within your portfolio. The complexity of all of these levels of government created, as well as where accountability lies and where the scrutiny happens—that is what emerges for me, having listened to your statement today. Specifically, I do have a great concern that the relationship...
Siân Gwenllian: A surgery in my constituency in Pen-y-groes, Dyffyn Nantlle, is to close at the end of the month, leaving the area with one fewer doctor. Now, I’ve been seeking information about this since I heard rumours that the service was to be lost. I wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for health on 24 April, copied to the chief executive of Betsi Cadwaladr—I didn’t get a response. I wrote again on 23...
