Rhun ap Iorwerth: As the Member for Ynys Môn, I could pursue many elements of that very broad-ranging statement. I retain my particular interest in hydrogen, after having led that debate on hydrogen here some two and a half years ago. I understand the interest in HyNet in the north-east, but I would encourage the Minister to keep an eye on and develop the Irish Sea connection—Pembrokeshire, Anglesey, along...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I think they have, haven't they?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Llywydd, and I thank the Conservatives for bringing this subject before us today. I'm not sure about the motion in its entirety. We'll come to that in due course, but in terms of the central point, what we have in clauses 1 and 2 in the motion, yes, it is World Stroke Day on Saturday 29 October, and it's important to take every possible opportunity to remind ourselves of...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 'I had just / Completed my design / To keep the Menai bridge from rust / By boiling it in wine.'
Rhun ap Iorwerth: That's not how you do it. But was the maintenance done, the painting and so on, robust enough? Certainly, I've seen rust. More than usual? I don't know; I'm not an engineer. But was the Welsh Government sufficiently monitoring how UK Highways was carrying out its work? And is it the job of UK Highways to identify problems earlier—a preventative maintenance schedule—or to respond to...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you for the statement. I have to tell the Minister that this is far more than an inconvenience, and I also have to say that the situation is far more serious than the way the Conservative spokesperson dealt with it. I think there are three fundamental questions. First of all, the priority: what steps are being taken to respond to this, to keep traffic flowing, to mitigate risk?...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you for the statement. I'm eager to confirm the strong support of these benches to vaccination programmes in general and their contribution to the nation's health. In a way, it's strange, whilst welcoming the new framework, that we didn't have a framework previously, because vaccination is such an important a part of the health landscape in Wales. But, we have been through a period...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Will the First Minister make a statement on the barriers to access to primary care?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: When metastatic breast cancer patients tell us they feel let down, we have to recognise that they are being let down, and I want to pay tribute to Tassia and all those who campaign on behalf of patients past and present. But the key thing to remember here is that there will be future patients too, and it's because of them that the campaigners campaign. That is why they petition. That is why...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: She wants the money to stay in the—[Inaudible.]
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I would like to make a few points on marine wind energy developments in the future with particular reference to recommendation 11, which asks for clarity as to what steps the Welsh Government would take to streamline the process for developing the Celtic sea renewable energy projects in future years. I congratulate the committee for the work that’s gone into this report, and which touches...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much for that response. I asked yesterday for a statement following the news that 28 jobs are in the balance in AMG Alpoco in Holyead; I've written to the Minister about that issue again today. An increase in costs, and energy costs in particular, is driving this restructuring, but, of course, Alpoco are not alone on this. Plas Farm, an ice cream and frozen yoghurt company in...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 8. What support is the Welsh Government providing to businesses in light of inflation and rising energy costs? OQ58577
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I would like an urgent statement from the economy Minister after news that AMG Alpoco in Holyhead has let its staff know that 28 jobs are to be lost there by the end of November. The letter given to staff yesterday says that increased costs, including energy costs, are behind the decision by the company to restructure. This amounts to more than half the workforce at the Holyhead plant....
Rhun ap Iorwerth: What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the NHS's success in meeting its waiting list targets?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd. Thank you to my fellow members of the committee, and thank you to the researchers and the clerking team. This is a very important report. We're getting to the heart of issues that are holding our health service back at the moment. We're talking about patient flow through the health service. If there isn't that easy flow through the system, you have a...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 'Despite the service substantially improving equity overall, there remained residual inequity in provision in the North West, and expansion into this area was to be considered.' In a written statement in April this year, responding to that report, the Minister was full of praise about—and I quote—'the positive findings' of the report. Now, I'm sure that the same arguments could be made...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: It's your data.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: That is absolute nonsense.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: My concern is that the most rural areas are going to lose out because the ambulance will go after the patient number targets that can be reached by the helicopter without properly considering the likelihood that those could be reached quite quickly by road anyway in populated areas. I'd like to draw the Minister's attention to the report, 'Service Evaluation of the Emergency Medical Retrieval...
