Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you, and your sympathy is very, very much appreciated. Recent flood devastation, of course, as you mentioned, has seen the railway seriously damaged, and it is really quite sad when you think that £7.5 million of investment has gone into it only recently. But this line is beleaguered by problems with even the mildest rain. So, when we get a flood situation, it's weeks and weeks before...
Janet Finch-Saunders: 2. Will the Minister make a statement on the impact of recent road and railway closures in the Conwy Valley? OAQ55118
Janet Finch-Saunders: I would like to thank the Minister for this update, and also take this opportunity to raise the issue of promised funding for flood victims. We still have a crisis situation in Aberconwy. During storm Ciara, around 10 properties in Betws-y-Coed and 60 in Llanrwst were flooded out, on 9 February. We then had storm Dennis, and I've got to be honest, it was the community rallying around that...
Janet Finch-Saunders: I'm sorry, First Minister, I call that 'passing the buck'. During Plenary last November, I raised the fact that your Welsh Government had a £9 million of taxpayers' money SLA with the VOA. Now, some of my businesses in Aberconwy are still waiting over two years to see their business rate appeal's progress, leaving many businesses with financial difficulty and, in fact, financial ruin. Now,...
Janet Finch-Saunders: 8. Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government’s service level agreement with the Valuation Office Agency? OAQ55119
Janet Finch-Saunders: As the older people’s commissioner noted in her 'State of the Nation' report: 'The increasing use of digital technology means that the way we access services and information, and the way we communicate, has changed significantly in recent years.' However, not everyone has access to the internet. Superfast availability is 77 per cent in rural areas. Around 87 per cent of businesses in Wales...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Will the Minister make a statement on the support available for children in care?
Janet Finch-Saunders: I'd like to thank you for the statement here today. Around 29 per cent of the population report feeling socially lonely, 91,000 people feel consistently lonely, and the situation is at its worst for our older people. Over half of the people aged 60 to 74, and just under half of people over the age of 75, report feeling lonely. That's pretty sad, really, isn't it? Loneliness is associated with...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you. An integral part of the care home improvement Cymru programme is the Gwên am Byth oral health improvement scheme. The scheme sees staff trained in mouth care, oral risk assessments are carried out, which lead to an individual care plan, and residents are to have appropriate mouth care resources for their care plan, such as a toothbrush and high-fluoride toothpaste. I found that,...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you, Minister. Yet again, Aberconwy, from Capel Curig to Deganwy, has been hit hard by flooding as a result of a storm Ciara. However, for my constituency, the shock and devastation is at its worst in Llanrwst, Trefriw and outlying areas. I was there yesterday, and saw first-hand the overwhelming damage that has been caused to many shops, businesses and residential properties, seeing...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Will the Minister make a statement on Welsh Government efforts to alleviate the situation facing residents in the Conwy Valley following recent floods? (EAQ0007)
Janet Finch-Saunders: 8. Will the First Minister make a statement on the Care Home Improvement Cymru programme? OAQ55076
Janet Finch-Saunders: Yes. I'm going to ask my questions now, if I may. [Laughter.] Do you—? Oh, this is such a serious issue. Do you plan to provide Simon Dean with additional support, and, if so, what? The Simon Dean walking into this board now will be the same person, but the challenges will be different to five years ago. Will he be expected to provide a compelling vision for the health board that is...
Janet Finch-Saunders: I would actually like to just pay some tribute to Gary Doherty for what he has attempted to do. Clearly, when anyone takes on such a responsible role, they do so with the hope that they are going to make those necessary improvements. And I think it is rather coincidental that Gary came to a health board in Wales from an English health board setting, and that it's to an English health board...
Janet Finch-Saunders: I will, yes. Finally, from reading your statement, it seems that whilst you could be sailing towards a tax, I do welcome the fact that your group has explored new models of care. If that is the case, I would ask that you kindly place a greater emphasis on alternatives such as the Buurtzorg model. It has revolutionised community care in the Netherlands and has seen overhead costs reduce by 25...
Janet Finch-Saunders: In the run-up, Minister, to the general election your Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn stated in his election bid that Labour would develop a system of free social care in Wales. It is now clear, however, from this statement that you have u-turned already on this and that your solution is to introduce a tax here in Wales. I would like to thank the Minister for acknowledging the uncertainties in...
Janet Finch-Saunders: First Minister, Wales was the only UK nation to see a rise in child poverty in 2017-18. And of course, poverty is considered a contributory factor to children ending up in care. Last week, Cardiff University published the results of a survey of school students aged 11 to 16. They show: that young people in residential care had the lowest mental well-being score; that 56 per cent are being...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Well, I didn't hear that, so—. I wasn't around at that time. But to put it simply, the EU sucks sovereignty from our national Government and places it in the hands of unelected commissioners, denying democracy, and rubbishing referendums has its own consequences. Winston Churchill quite rightly stated that people should rule and that Ministers are their servants, and not their masters. The...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Just let me get going. You have campaigned to remain in the EU. You have proposed that Parliament should legislate for a referendum with 'remain' on the ballot paper. You have seen the First Minister here—and I don't refer to him as Mark Drakeford, despite everybody in this Chamber, on those benches, referring to our Prime Minister as 'Boris Johnson' or 'Johnson', even—with the First...
Janet Finch-Saunders: As the great, late Winston Churchill said in 1947, 'there is the broad feeling in our country that the people should rule, continuously rule, and that public opinion, expressed by all constitutional means, should shape, guide, and control the actions of Ministers who are their servants and not their masters.' These are very wise words that have eluded the Welsh Government. Despite the people...
