Rhun ap Iorwerth: I don't think anybody's suggesting that results have been made up. What the campaigners have said all along is that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, and what I suggested in the Petitions Committee, as I said, was, in consultation with campaigners, let's decide on a set of parameters that can be followed, including testing—different testing, perhaps—at depth, in order to...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. This is a pretty straightforward motion today, I think, with a pretty clear purpose. It's about saying to Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales, 'Stop. Stop the current dredging going on in relation to the construction of the new Hinkley power station, stop the depositing of that dredged material on the Cardiff Grounds, and stop ignoring the concerns raised...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: At St Cybi Church today, the residents of Holyhead and Dun Laoghaire have gathered together to remember the sinking of the RMS Leinster exactly 100 years ago.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: The RMS Leinster left Kingstown, now Dun Laoghaire, shortly before nine in the morning on 10 October 1918. She was bound for Holyhead with 771 passengers and crew on board. An hour later, she was targeted by a patrolling U-boat. It fired two torpedoes and the Leinster was sunk. More than 500 of those on board lost their lives. It was an atrocity, and it’s thought that reaction to it...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 'if we don't change things, by 2050 we could have more plastic than fish (by weight) in the sea'.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: In terms of improving educational outcomes and giving children from all backgrounds the best start in life, the Government's free childcare offer will actually increase the gap in school readiness between children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds and the most prosperous. Families earning up to £200,000 per year will benefit from free childcare for every child between three and four...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Prosperity is an important word. We all want a prosperous Wales—prospering economically and socially. We can talk about prosperity in public services, in health and education. I want a Wales that is prospering as a real nation to take its place among the nations of the world. Certainly, we can't take that word 'prosperity' for granted and underplay its importance. But I’m afraid I don’t...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Can I say that I also, not least as a parent, feel for everybody affected and those concerned? Perhaps I could start, actually, by asking, Cabinet Secretary, if you could tell us what services are going to be put in place locally to provide support for those affected or who may be anxious about giving birth in the Cwm Taf area. We need to be sure about what happened. That's the purpose of...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Speaking on Channel 4 News over the past few days, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland, Simon Coveney, said that it was ridiculous to argue that one could avoid a hard border if there is a 'no deal' Brexit. He said that 1,077 additional customs officials and veterinary inspectors and security officers would need to be employed in airports and ports to deal with trade east to...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: What assistance is the Welsh Government offering to Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to prepare for the needs of orthopaedic patients in north Wales during the winter?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much. I, too, welcome the success that appears to have come out of the trials to date. What we need now, of course, is to ensure that as many people as possible can access the PrEP trial, as it is extended. It's very encouraging to see a significant decrease in the number of new cases of HIV in Wales, but, of course, there is always more that can be done. We also know about the...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: That application has been submitted, but the grid, since the beginning of this process, haven't given an inch in response to the pressure from me, the Member of Parliament, the council or, more importantly, the unanimity of the people of Anglesey that we need to underground these cables, and let's recall that this Chamber favoured undergrounding rather than pylons and voted for that. You said...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 9. Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's input into the National Grid's application to the Planning Inspectorate to build pylons across Ynys Môn? OAQ52702
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I’m pleased to able to make a contribution as a member of the Petitions Committee and Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson on health. I’m going to talk about the principles of downgrading and losing emergency services. This petition, of course, which we’re discussing today, is a reflection, once again, of the concern that arises regularly when we talk of reorganising hospital services, and...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you, Llywydd. In announcing your decision on salaries, you said that the Treasury hadn’t given any additional funding and that, therefore, you’d had discussions with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance so that this pay deal could be delivered without impacting services. My question, very simply, is: what has changed? Don’t misunderstand me—I’m very happy that these salaries are...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: It's interesting that you answer the question in that way. I was initially told that the question would be answered by the Minister whose brief included tourism, which is perhaps part of the problem—that brand Wales is seen too often as just being that tourism side, selling Wales to potential tourists. Now, as wonderful as it always is to receive responses from that Minister, this was...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 4. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the value of brand Wales to the economy? OAQ52638
Rhun ap Iorwerth: What discussions has the Welsh Government had with the National Grid regarding the new Menai crossing?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you, and I have to say that there are several elements of the statement that we've received from you today that are positive in themselves, but I think that what is important to remember is that they do, in many people’s view, including mine, fall short of what could be provided through specific legislation. You, through the way that you deal with this issue, talk about diagnosis...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: We usually talk about ambulance responses to people who have physical ailments, but there are people who have mental health issues too, and we don't have specific teams that respond to mental health calls. Now, in Sweden—in Stockholm, particularly—because of the high number of suicides, there is a special team that has been established, which is a psychiatric emergency response team....
