Rhun ap Iorwerth: We have to be careful in suggesting that significant progress has been made, because reading the latest update shows that there are still significant concerns, and, in many ways, at a pretty fundamental level. I'll refer to several elements of the report: 'More than two-thirds...of the actions in the Maternity Improvement Plan are still work in progress'; 'still significant work to do in...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I'd like to raise an issue as a supporter of sport in Wales and of the need to celebrate Welsh sporting history, and also as a Cardiff City fan and elected representative of a not insignificant number and hardy bunch of Bluebirds fans from Anglesey—Holyhead in particular—who've been very faithful to the club over the years. Cardiff City Supporters' Trust has become aware of a valuable and...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: A fundamental challenge is to move towards a system that is truly preventative. We don't see that in terms of policy at the moment, and we don't see it in terms of how budgets are divvied up. So, will the First Minister realise that we need real prioritisation now? We need to find ways of moving towards a new kind of NHS, and of being able to invest in the preventative—including...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 'No part of government has ever stepped up and made the guaranteed funding of community-based rape counselling services their responsibility. This is an appalling abandonment of survivors. The current government has seen fit to leave the decision about whether to fund vital and life-saving rape counselling services to a mix of local commissioners including cash-strapped local councils, PCCs...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Why can't Wales do things differently? Why not take responsibility in Wales for doing things differently? The devolution of justice could create a more integrated system and that will bring benefits through merging our health and social services with our justice policy. We have seen much good practice here already in Wales on the ground, thanks to the work of our police and crime...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 'It's extremely challenging to run a service when funding is so uncertain. I have really serious worries about what will happen to all the people who seek support if we aren't able to meet their needs'.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: We know that most people in our society see this as being unacceptable. A YouGov poll recently for the End Violence Against Women Coalition showed that a majority of people saw access to counselling as being more important than access to the police or the courts service for survivors of sexual violence. The vast majority of people—82 per cent—acknowledged that sexual violence does have...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: We don't need to look at this particularly carefully to understand why our justice system isn't working for victims. Between 2010 and 2016, a third of the Ministry of Justice budget was cut. This was the department hit second worst after the Department for Work and Pensions. The budgets of courts were cut; the number of courts were cut from 330 to 150. Now, the impact of that, of course, is...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I won't speak for too long. Most of the important points have already been covered by the committee Chair, but this was an important inquiry, I think, because we are talking here about a means of unlocking Wales’s potential. We're talking about one of the key ways of bringing us out of the rut that we've been in as a nation. Investment in Welsh infrastructure is crucially important for the...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I'm glad you've finally got around to discussing or mentioning Anglesey Airport, because Flybe is important to Cardiff Airport because it is a link to a number of important destinations, but Flybe also have flights that begin and end in Wales—the flight between Cardiff and Ynys Môn. And that flight, in itself, has become very important for individuals, for businesses, but also for the...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: You're right that it's a matter for universities, the detail, but there are important issues of principle here. There's more than one case that's been drawn to my attention. In this specific case, the latest one, a provisional medical student has found out that she won't be accepted on a course because she doesn't have a B grade in English GCSE—she has a C; she has a B in her first...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 4. Will the Minister make a statement on giving equality to Welsh and English GCSEs in the requirements of universities in Wales? OAQ54914
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Minister, could I agree with your assessment of the value of the funding that has come from the EU over the years? I don't agree every time with the way in which that money has been spent, but that funding has definitely brought benefit and there was potential, of course, to continue with that. I do agree also that there are several principles that are vital as we move forward—first of all,...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I must say in opening my remarks that I very much regret the flippancy of the Conservative spokesman. He either is very naive in accepting the, to date, meaningless promises made by UK Government, or he really does care more about heaping praise on his London masters than he does about the interests of the Welsh economy. And in terms of wanting Welsh Government to have a seat at the table, I...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I'm tempted to continue with that discussion, having had a discussion with my son as to whether to buy the latest version of FIFA or not in order to get Aaron Ramsay in a Juventus shirt this last week. We decided to stick with the old model, but perhaps I'll now need to reconsider. I just want to speak very briefly as chair of the cross-party Wales international group, and to extend an...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Llywydd. May I ask for a written statement as a matter of urgency from the Minister for transport on concerns around the Flybe airline? There are suggestions from Westminster that the UK Government is considering some sort of funding package for the company, which of course is very important in terms of Cardiff Airport, providing a number of flights to and from Cardiff,...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: These comments from the head of Tata clearly are very worrying. I'd just like to briefly reiterate one of the comments made by David Rees. You'll know that I've been calling for an industry summit for Wales. The Member for Aberavon emphasised now the need to bring the UK steel industry players and key stakeholders together at the highest level and, whether that's a steel council or the kind...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much for that response. I would encourage you to invest further and to invest specifically in Ynys Môn. Referring to the earlier question on international football, well, there’ll be no international football without successful grass-roots football in our towns and villages across Wales. I look forward to following the Wales team to Azerbaijan later this year, but we won't...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: But, Minister, if I may suggest, the truth of the matter is that of course it's difficult for you to measure the impact, because you're not carrying out impact assessments. So, I'm asking you, as a Government, to ensure that, in future budgets, you do carry out an assessment of how exactly the expenditure decisions you take are going to have an impact on our ambitions in terms of cutting our...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I've no idea to which press release you're referring, but I'll continue with scrutinising Welsh Government's budget. There are no step changes to be seen in Government thinking; it's budget management, that's what we see. Climate change is one of those areas where your Government has failed to demonstrate meaningfully, I think, how spending is really addressing the climate crisis—taking big...
