Darren Millar: The advance voter pilots, Minister, no matter how much gloss you try to put on this, were an unmitigated disaster. They cost over £1.5 million, and the cost of each voter, effectively, if you divide the number of voters who took the opportunity to vote in advance, through the new system that you piloted, was £845 per vote. I think that most people in Wales will think that that is frankly a...
Darren Millar: Thank you for that response. I notice that you didn't refer to the actual impact on voter turnout, of course, which was the whole primary reason for having these advance voter pilots take place in the local authorities where they did. The Electoral Commission report makes it absolutely clear that the voter turnout in each of the four local authorities—Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly and...
Darren Millar: Thank you, Presiding Officer. Will the Minister make a statement on the evaluation undertaken by the Electoral Commission into advance voter pilots in Wales?
Darren Millar: It wouldn't be a biodiversity statement if I didn't mention the lovely, little fluffy red squirrels, for which I am the species champion. As it happens, 10 to 16 October is Red Squirrel Awareness Week, and I just want to say 'thank you' to the Welsh Government for the fact that you have listened to the concerns of the Red Squirrel Survival Trust, the Clocaenog Red Squirrels Trust, and others...
Darren Millar: Today, Trefnydd, is the start of Libraries Week across Wales and the whole of the United Kingdom, and I'm sure that you'll want to join with me in thanking the staff and everyone who engages in supporting our local libraries across Wales for everything that they do. I visited Colwyn Bay library yesterday; I met with the staff there, Morag Wight and Eunice Roberts, and wanted to extend my...
Darren Millar: [Inaudible.]—I'd appreciate it if you'd just let me make a short intervention just on agency nurses, if that's possible.
Darren Millar: It's just on the matter of agency—
Darren Millar: Oh, pardon me. Okay. You asked for ideas; I was going to give you one.
Darren Millar: You keep saying that you're not the relevant Minister. You are their relevant Minister; you're the Minister for north Wales, and people expect you to be standing up for north Wales around the Cabinet table and engaging with businesses in north Wales when such an important issue arises in their inbox. There are thousands, many thousands, tens of thousands of jobs reliant on the tourism...
Darren Millar: Minister, many people will find it absolutely astonishing, given the importance of the tourism and hospitality industry in north Wales, that you haven't met specifically with businesses in order to discuss this important potential tax on them. Go North Wales represents 15,000 businesses across north Wales, and you'll know that they have expressed a lot of concern. Will you agree to join me at...
Darren Millar: Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, in your capacity as Minister for north Wales, what discussions have you held with the tourism industry in the region regarding your Government's proposals for a tourism levy?
Darren Millar: Well, I haven't seen any signs of improvement, Minister. I'm very, very concerned about the parlous state of services for patients across north Wales, particularly those that are served by Glan Clwyd Hospital. But one of the other concerns that is ringing alarm bells in my inbox every single day is the appalling access to GP services in the Colwyn Bay area, particularly the Rhos-on-Sea area,...
Darren Millar: 10. What assessment has the First Minister made of the progress made by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board over the last 12 months? OQ58466
Darren Millar: Move.
Darren Millar: Thank you for that response, Minister. I'm sure you'll be as concerned as I am at the significant increase in inflation in the past few months and, of course, it's forecast to rise even further in the months ahead. The student finance regime hasn't changed to take account of those rising costs that many students are facing, particularly in terms of any increase in the level of grant that the...
Darren Millar: Planning guidance is also critical when it comes to engagement. Given the fact that 'Future Wales' has set out an ambition for significant additional windfarms to be built onshore across the country, there are many communities now that are concerned about the potential impacts upon them, and indeed many businesses that are concerned about the potential impacts upon them, too. One such area is...
Darren Millar: 4. How does the Welsh Government ensure that communities' voices are heard with regard to new energy production developments? OQ58393
Darren Millar: 6. What action is the Welsh Government taking to help students with cost-of-living challenges? OQ58394
Darren Millar: There are many different words that have been used in this Chamber and in other Parliaments and in other tributes to Her Majesty the Queen in recent days: duty, service, longevity, dedication, honour—I made a list of a few of them just in the Chamber today—dignity, grace, patience, commitment. But the one thing that I think speaks most to me about the Queen, the one word I would use to...
Darren Millar: As those who have visited my office, or had the misfortune of watching my contributions virtually during the pandemic, will be able to attest, I have two photographs of Her Majesty the Queen in my office. They're on display in my office alongside other treasured photographs of my family. The reason for that is because the Queen felt like a member of my family, frankly. My mum is named after...
