Llyr Gruffydd: So, this Government is spending £25 million per year on tackling fuel poverty when it's costing the NHS at least £100 million a year to deal with some of its consequences. And, of course, that £100 million doesn't include the cost of tackling the respiratory consequences of living in a cold and damp home, the mental health consequences of fuel debt et cetera, et cetera. So, what does it...
Llyr Gruffydd: May I thank the Minister for her statement? And may I say at the outset that I, of course, recognise the contribution that the Warm Homes programme and Nest and Arbed have made in seeking to tackle fuel poverty? But I will say what I always say when I refer to these programmes: the scale of the programmes doesn't correspond to the scale of the challenge facing us in Wales, from the point of...
Llyr Gruffydd: This proposal to scrap the Welsh independent living grant was nothing more, as we've heard, of course, than the Welsh Government following the lead of the UK Government. And the pause announced yesterday is certainly a step in the right direction. And we can do things differently here in Wales. We can show that we value the most vulnerable in society and that we look after each other as a...
Llyr Gruffydd: May I thank Mike Hedges for his comments? He has reminded me of the irony here that Plaid Cymru has had to table a motion in order to try and persuade the Labour Government to commit themselves to their own policy. So, that tells us something about where this Government finds itself at the moment. And this is the party, of course, that claims to be 'for the many'—no. 'For the many, not the...
Llyr Gruffydd: Well, I'm quoting the figure from the environment committee this morning. It's down 5 per cent in this current financial year, not in the next financial year. That's where we differ on that figure. But that's against, as well, a flat settlement last year—there we are, you've got me confused now as well—last year. So, we know exactly what that situation is. And those difficulties are now...
Llyr Gruffydd: Now, the non-flood grant in aid allocation from Welsh Government is down 5 per cent in this financial year, and that followed—[Interruption.] Oh, go on.
Llyr Gruffydd: I'm grateful to the Public Accounts Committee for its report. To me, it raises two far more fundamental questions, perhaps, than some of the details that we have been discussing. Both are questions—one related to the scope of the responsibilities of NRW, and the other related to the ability or the capacity of NRW to deliver against those responsibilities. Now, the scope of the...
Llyr Gruffydd: Well, I’m not sure what your definition of working within the spirit of the agreement is, because I sit in committee after committee listening to the environment Minister, for example, complaining that there has been no collaboration on developing things such as the fisheries Act of the UK and the UK agriculture Act. In written evidence—paragraph after paragraph saying things like:
Llyr Gruffydd: 'the provisions relating to Schedule 1 were drafted by parliamentary counsel following instruction from UK Government. Welsh Ministers were not consulted on the instructions',
Llyr Gruffydd: and then going on to complain about the legislation expected of us here in Wales. So, isn’t it now apparent that the experiences of this Government, and the Ministers of this Government, particularly in the context of the two Bills that I referred to, demonstrate that the UK Government has no real desire to collaborate with the devolved administrations in order to develop legislation in...
Llyr Gruffydd: 8. What assessment has the Counsel General made of the effectiveness of the inter-governmental agreement on the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018? OAQ53401
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you for that response. There is a perception, certainly, that the Welsh Government has now become overly reliant on allowing the UK Government to legislate on our behalf. So, can you confirm that the Government's policy is that this place should legislate on behalf of Wales unless there are specific reasons for not doing so, and not, as some are suggesting, that there is an...
Llyr Gruffydd: 2. What assessment has the First Minister made of the impact that leaving the EU without a deal would have on the Welsh Government's legislative programme? OAQ53402
Llyr Gruffydd: Diolch, Llywydd.
Llyr Gruffydd: Well, if they have finished barracking across the Chamber, I will ask my question. Nursing students at Bangor are concerned about a possible threat to their courses because of cuts at the university. At a time when we need far more nurses in north Wales to fill hundreds of vacancies, there are questions arising as to whether departments within the Government here are speaking to each other,...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you for your response. In responses to other Members, you have made it clear that, certainly, you don't want to provide a long list of subjects and areas that should be taught, and I understand the sentiment and agree to a large extent with that, but what I'm struggling with is how then are you going to strike the balance in ensuring that teachers have the flexibility to teach what they...
Llyr Gruffydd: 8. Will the Minister make a statement on the Welsh dimension within the new curriculum? OAQ53364
Llyr Gruffydd: As part of the response to winter pressures, the Red Cross has been going into A&E departments in some Welsh hospitals. They have been of great assistance in two of the three main hospitals in North Wales and have assisted almost 5,500 patients, which represents more than half of the patients that have been assisted in Wales, in Wrexham Maelor and Glan Clwyd hospitals. You may say that the...
Llyr Gruffydd: But there's an even more fundamental issue here, of course: what is the local housing need? Your Government has actually told local authorities now that your population projections are outdated, and they were the basis, of course, for the local development plans that people are concerned about, and we've seen the allocation of additional land for housing and a need that, clearly, simply just...
Llyr Gruffydd: We had a ministerial statement from you yesterday, of course, about your preparations for the possibility of crashing out of the EU without a deal and the adverse impact that would have on agriculture and other sectors in Wales. In that statement, you said, and I quote, that you're 'committed to working with key sectors to design support mechanisms around these serious challenges'. Yet...
