Leanne Wood: I welcome that statement, First Minister, because when the franchise was last awarded, there was no provision for a growth in passenger numbers, and there was no capacity within that franchise to increase the rolling stock. So, I wonder if you can explain to us how you will make sure that that point is addressed in the next franchise. People travelling on those Valleys lines are sick and...
Leanne Wood: The renewal of the franchise gives us an opportunity to address the issue of capacity, and there’s a significant issue with capacity on the Valleys lines. As you will be aware, every day commuters face issues of overcrowding and delays. Frequency is an issue as well. On the Treherbert line, for example—one that I’m particularly familiar with—there are only two passing points on that...
Leanne Wood: Diolch, Lywydd. Four bidders have expressed an interest in running the Wales and the borders franchise and the associated metro system. One area needing further scrutiny is the franchise map or the actual routes that will be operated. We know that the UK Government’s Department for Transport wanted to remove certain routes from the franchise and in particular those routes that serve...
Leanne Wood: First Minister, you completely misunderstood what we were proposing ahead of that election. What you just said we should be doing is exactly what we were saying should be done, and what you were attacking us for in that election. I suggest you need to get better briefed next time. I’d now like to turn to a serious issue that’s been raised with me by a Welsh volunteer in the Calais refugee...
Leanne Wood: Thank you for answer, First Minister. I very much welcome the sentiment that you’ve conveyed there. Many of our problems in Wales don’t stem from certain people moving in to the country but they stem from the fact that many of our young people move out and don’t return, and this is especially true of graduates, where we have a lower retention rate than any other UK nation. There’s...
Leanne Wood: Diolch, Lywydd. First Minister, the UK Home Secretary last week announced plans to force companies to publish lists of their foreign workers—a regressive step, I’m sure you’ll agree with me. It’s not clear exactly how this information was intended to be used, but I’m concerned that it could have led us down a very dark path indeed. Since then, the UK Government has rowed back on...
Leanne Wood: Doctor shortages affect all areas throughout the country, as we’ve already heard, but, in the Rhondda, we’ve got a particularly acute problem, which has led to Cwm Taf university health board setting up a website specifically to attract doctors to our area. Even though you are still in denial as to what the statistics say, as we saw just now in your answer to my colleague, Rhun ap...
Leanne Wood: Back in 2013, the Assembly’s Enterprise and Business Committee published a report entitled ‘The Future of the Wales and Borders Rail Franchise’, and one of the key recommendations made by the committee in preparation for the next Wales and borders franchise, due to take effect in just two years’ time, is to, and I quote, ‘Develop and publish a rolling stock strategy as a matter of...
Leanne Wood: 1. What work is planned by the Minister to improve public transport in Wales? OAQ(5)0049(EI)
Leanne Wood: 3. What work is being undertaken by the Minister to attract doctors to Wales? OAQ(5)0050(HWS)
Leanne Wood: Diolch, Lywydd. I move the amendments in the name of Rhun ap Iorwerth. In this critical period, it is essential that the Labour Government presents an innovative and forward-looking programme that demonstrates confidence to people in Wales. The programme for government that was produced last month I’m afraid doesn’t meet that criteria. Before outlining Plaid Cymru’s positive agenda, I...
Leanne Wood: Just to be clear, First Minister, it’s your Government that will sign off the final decision on this, and we already have an excellent service, and it’s located in Ysbyty Gwynedd. Now, when the Royal Glamorgan Hospital lost its vascular surgery service, other services there became unviable. Now, clinicians have raised serious concerns with me about the safety of imposing urban models of...
Leanne Wood: Diolch, Lywydd. I wonder whether the First Minister can tell us whether he knows how long it takes to travel from Aberdaron on the Llŷn Peninsula to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd if we assume no traffic and no poor weather.
Leanne Wood: Yes, that’s about right, First Minister—it’s about two hours. [Interruption.] The reaction to when the First Minister answers a question correctly is very interesting. [Laughter.] First Minister, two hours by ambulance, I’m sure you would agree with me, would be way too long. Now, you may or you may not be aware of proposals to centralise vascular surgery in Ysbyty Glan Clwyd,...
Leanne Wood: Will the First Minister make a statement on the importance of regenerating the valleys?
Leanne Wood: First Minister, your Government’s record on helping young people with poor mental health is appalling, and that’s without mentioning the children and young people who don’t even make it into the system. The mortality rate for teenagers between 15 and 19 years old is higher in Wales than it is in England, and there has been no reduction in deaths from intentional injury among that age...
Leanne Wood: Diolch, Lywydd. First Minister, how many children are waiting for more than four months for a first appointment with child and adolescent mental health services?
Leanne Wood: First Minister, I asked you for a figure, and the exact number that you were looking for is 1,174 children waiting for four months. And it’s not true to say that that figure has gone down, because that figure has almost trebled in the three years since 2013. We all know that investment in early years is crucial for positive outcomes in education and health, and in particular in preventing...
Leanne Wood: First Minister, I note that you declared support for the goal of doubling the number of Welsh speakers by 2050, but there was little substance behind that announcement. I wonder if you can inform us exactly how you intend to meet that commitment. What are your targets and timescales for making sure that we are making progress towards that goal? For example, by when can we expect to hit the...
Leanne Wood: 1. Will the First Minister make a statement on promoting the Welsh language? OAQ(5)0161(FM)
