Sam Rowlands: Diolch, Llywydd, and thank you, Minister, for bringing forward today's statement. Minister, you'll be aware, of course, that this summer's report by the Federation of Small Businesses on tourism showed that tourism accounts for over 17 per cent of Wales's gross domestic product, and accounted for over 12 per cent of employment here in Wales, showing how crucial that sector is to us as a...
Sam Rowlands: May I join other Members, too, in firstly saying how warming it is to see Members from across the political spectrum coming together today to mark our respects and pay tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II? This unity of spirit reminds me of back when I was a teenager, and I will make some personal reflections as well. When I was a teenager, the Queen visited my school in Colwyn Bay, and...
Sam Rowlands: Thank you, Minister, for your response and also for outlining your interactions with patients through the community health councils, as you mentioned, and how important their voice is. A crucial place for this voice in the future, of course, is the newly appointed citizen voice board, and as you'll know, this board has the opportunity to stand up for the people of north Wales—Wales as a...
Sam Rowlands: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I note the Minister's just getting to her place there.
Sam Rowlands: Can I also support Jack Sargeant's calls there for that continued support, and thank you, Minister, for your commitment to that for north Wales? As you say, it will be a significant economic improvement for us in the region. Last week, Minister, I had the pleasure of meeting with the Wales Business Council, who I'm sure you know are a group who bring together around 31 business representative...
Sam Rowlands: 1. Sut mae'r Gweinidog yn ystyried llais cleifion er mwyn llywio penderfyniadau ar flaenoriaethau ar gyfer y gwasanaeth iechyd yng ngogledd Cymru? OQ58358
Sam Rowlands: Would you accept, then, the logic you're taking there, if you take it to its logical end, in terms of vastly reduced speed, reduced risks of death and injury, which could certainly be the case, therefore driving at 1 mph should be the default?
Sam Rowlands: I absolutely accept that logic and understand that completely, but what's happened here is that residents have not being listened to by Government in terms of the concerns that they've raised throughout this trial. As the Member has mentioned over there, it is a trial, you're right, but you'd expect the concerns and the information raised by residents would be taken into account—...
Sam Rowlands: Very generous of you, Llywydd. I will not mention it again. [Laughter.] So, as Natasha Asghar mentioned, we certainly support letting our councils put 20 mph speed limits outside schools, hospitals and other areas, and I've certainly seen that impact on the school my daughters go to, where I've seen that safety for them outside that school, especially at busy times of the day, is...
Sam Rowlands: I'm grateful to be able to contribute in today's motion on the Restricted Roads (20 mph Speed Limit) (Wales) Order 2022, in which Wales, of course, could become the first nation in the world to adopt the 20 mph default speed limit on residential streets. I say 'could', but I'm sure that the Labour whip is as strong as possible for all the backbenchers on that side of the Chamber as well. I'd...
Sam Rowlands: In terms of these regulations put forward on CJCs, we certainly support that closer link with local authorities, and so, from our side of the benches today, we will be supporting the motion.
Sam Rowlands: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and can I thank you, Minister, for bringing forward today's statement on a fairer council tax, one that I've been looking forward to and I'm sure many of us have been looking forward to as well? Can I also welcome your balance of comments in terms of recognising some of the positive elements of council tax as it currently stands? I think you said that...
Sam Rowlands: Would you accept and concede that a fair contribution to the community looks often like a thriving businesses supporting people's livelihoods and putting bread on their tables? If those businesses don't exist in our communities, then that fair contribution to our communities doesn't exist.
Sam Rowlands: Can I thank my colleague Tom Giffard for submitting today's motion to annul, because, as outlined in opening today's motion, and the evidence I've heard as chairman of the tourism cross-party group, this Order would be detrimental to the tourism industry and will simply see many legitimate, hard-working Welsh businesses go bust? To start with today, I'd like to outline how important the...
Sam Rowlands: Thank you for that initial response, Minister. Last month, I had the pleasure of joining North Wales Police on one of their shifts, and had the privilege, also, of seeing the fantastic work that they carry out for us in our communities. This is time I spent with them following 10 years previously when I'd gone on shift with the North Wales Police just to observe the work that they do. One of...
Sam Rowlands: 3. What discussions has the Minister had with North Wales Police regarding the impact of health service responsibilities on their workload? OQ58300
Sam Rowlands: Can I thank you, First Minister, for your statement today on the legislative programme? First Minister, in yesterday's Welsh Government press release on addressing high numbers of second homes, which, of course, is part of the ongoing legislative programme, you stated, and I quote, 'Tourism is vital to our economy'. However, it's not clear to me, from your legislative programme and, indeed,...
Sam Rowlands: Good afternoon, Minister. I'd like to ask for a Welsh Government statement outlining the action that the Welsh Government is taking to support Wrexham County Borough Council's bid to gain UK Government levelling-up funding in order to fully undertake the Wrexham Gateway project, which, as you will know I'm sure, includes the construction of a new stand at the Kop end of the Racecourse ground....
Sam Rowlands: Can I start also by thanking the Health and Social Care Committee, along with Russell George's chairmanship, for bringing forward today's debate and report, 'Waiting well? The impact of the waiting times backlog on people in Wales'. As someone who isn't a member of the committee, I found this report extremely important, as the current waiting times across Wales impact everyone, and sadly...
Sam Rowlands: Thank you for your answer, Minister. I'm sure you were delighted, as I was this week, to see the announcement that Welsh food and drink exports hit a record high, with Wales seeing the highest increase in value of exports between all four UK nations in the last year. In addition to this, the highest value export category was meat and meat products, and, of course, it's down to our fantastic...
