Llyr Gruffydd: I want to raise the issue of the sustainability of health services in rural areas with you, if I may. There is a surgery in my region, in Corwen, which serves 4,000 people, in the area that borders Gwynedd, Conwy and Denbighshire. It’s a very rural area, where they’ve been receiving a rural grant from the local health board to ensure that the service is sustainable there. They’ve also...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you for that response. It was interesting to note that your Cabinet Secretary for the economy was very eager to see the development of a convention centre in Cardiff recently, although we have the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff City Stadium and the Motorpoint Arena. We have the Millennium Centre, we have a convention centre in Newport just down the road, and we have the Liberty Stadium in...
Llyr Gruffydd: 2. Will the First Minister make a statement on sport infrastructure in north Wales? OAQ(5)0693(FM)[W]
Llyr Gruffydd: But it’s four months since you told me that you were looking to move on this agenda, and given, again, the data and the statistics that we have, clearly, time is of the essence. So, I won’t press you further on that today, but, clearly, there’s a message there that needs to be listened to. Can I just change direction a little bit for my final question? It’ll become clear, Presiding...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you for your answer, but I think it’s clear to everyone that the statistics tell a clear story that we have a workforce that’s on its knees in terms of struggling to cope with the work that confronts them. Now, the loss of so many teaching days clearly has a number of impacts, least of all on the individual who’s off work. It disrupts the education of the children, schools’...
Llyr Gruffydd: Diolch, Llywydd. I’m sure, Cabinet Secretary, that you’ll have seen the figures from NUT Cymru published this week, showing that, in the four years since 2012, 0.25 million teaching days were lost to stress-related illness in Wales. You’ll also be aware, I’m sure, that college lecturers in Wales are striking tomorrow, with their union warning that a heavy workload is ruining their...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. May I also welcome your statement this afternoon and welcome, once again, that digital competence is a cross—curricular aspect and a central part of education planning by this Government? Plaid Cymru, of course, in the past has called for digital literacy to be placed on an equal footing with numeracy and literacy, and clearly we therefore welcome every...
Llyr Gruffydd: Rules and regulations emerging from the European Union have, of course, been mostly responsible for the transformation that we’ve seen in the quality of sea water and the cleanliness of our beaches and the fact that so many of our beaches in north Wales now have blue flags, which has been a very important factor in attracting tourism. As we are leaving the European Union, of course, and...
Llyr Gruffydd: Will the First Minister make a statement on health services in rural areas in North Wales?
Llyr Gruffydd: May I also declare an interest as a school governor at the outset? Now, clearly, Plaid Cymru has supported the demand for legislation for a number of years, and therefore we will support the general principles of the Bill this afternoon. That’s not to say, of course, that there isn’t a need to improve and strengthen the Bill in parts, as is reflected in the committee’s report, where...
Llyr Gruffydd: If we are serious about tackling climate change as one of the greatest threats facing humanity, then we must first of all reduce our energy use—that’s always the starting point when it comes to energy policy—but then increase the percentage of energy that is produced from renewable sources. Plaid Cymru’s aim in order to enable us to cut carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2050, and 40...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your statement. Donaldson did say, of course, in his ‘Successful Futures’ report, that dissatisfaction with current assessment arrangements was one of the strongest messages that he received. So, it’s good to see that this is being pursued, and I’m a bit fearful of saying the word ‘tests’ now, after that exchange. It’s been given a decent...
Llyr Gruffydd: We know that significant sums will be invested in light of this growth bid in north Wales, but the local authorities have come together to create a joint committee, which will oversee that process. But may I ask how you, as a Government, will ensure that these investments do reflect your strategic priorities in north Wales and aren’t led to run in parallel so that everything works together...
Llyr Gruffydd: Whilst it’s quite appropriate that we attract people to celebrate and become more aware of our legends and the stories we have to tell in north-east Wales—to refer back to the original question—there is a significant market also in the north east of Wales, in the north-east of Wales, and, very often, the local people don’t appreciate the history and the assets that we have in that...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I’m very pleased to be able to contribute to this debate this afternoon. As one who’s a father of children coming to an age where they do have an online presence and use social media, I can identify with some of the opening remarks made in this debate. Of course, I’m from a generation that didn’t grow up with social media, and it’s difficult for...
Llyr Gruffydd: You’re entirely right, of course, to say that we shouldn’t mislead ourselves in thinking that the situation has been resolved, because I had quite a shocking meeting with professionals in the sector in north Wales a week or two ago, and they mentioned that it was a lack of capacity, a shortage of beds and a shortage of staff that was one of the central problems, which creates a vicious...
Llyr Gruffydd: Wrexham council spends some £200 million per annum on procuring goods and services through public procurement. Less than a quarter of that, as is far too common across Wales, is with companies within the county, and around half is issued to companies in England. That’s a loss of some £100 million per annum to the Welsh economy. Now, there are potatoes for school dinners coming from...
Llyr Gruffydd: 7. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on support for small businesses in Wales? OAQ(5)0171(EI)[W]
Llyr Gruffydd: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on mental health services in North Wales?
Llyr Gruffydd: May I thank the Cabinet Secretary for her statement and echo her thanks to the shadow board for their work too? You make reference in your statement that over the next five years you’re committed to developing a national approach for career-long professional development. I know you’ve made reference to this in the past, and this will be good news for those who have been providing...
