I want to write to Mabon ap Gwynfor
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...and understand the proposed legislation is entirely unacceptable. The purpose of devolution, as weak as it is, is to give us the power to set policy in specific areas here in Wales, such as health, education, the environment and housing. Transferring those powers back to Westminster is contrary to the will of the people of Wales. It is entirely unacceptable. This Westminster legislation...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...of the valuable time wasted unloading stock because of queuing. The parents of young children or people with mobility issues choose to drive hundreds of yards only in order to go to the nursery school or the shop, because the bridge is too dangerous to cross on foot. And needless to say, the bridge is grade II listed and nothing can be done to it. I understand the rationale that the...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...the great challenges facing the social housing sector in Wales. The purpose of devolution, as weak as it is, is to give us the power to set policy in specific areas here in Wales, such as health, education, the environment and housing. But if we give our consent to this memorandum today, then we will transfer a small part of our powers in the area of housing back to Westminster. This, of...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...that the Government has maintained the grant here in Wales, and I praise it for doing so, but the unfortunate truth is that far too many children are continuing to lose out or are leaving further education for two main reasons related to the EMA, as noted in the motion, namely that it isn’t enough, and the financial threshold to access the allowance is far too low. Back in 2010,...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...nearest shop in rural Wales. Our communities are miles apart, and services are centred in areas that are a long way away. People have to travel long distances to see a GP, a dentist, to get their education, to shop, to go to a leisure centre and all sorts of other activities. And older people and vulnerable people will live very isolated lives as a result of this. If bus services aren't...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...an update, nor heard anything, since I raised this. Can the Deputy Minister please give an urgent update on what plans are in place for that route so that my constituents can continue to attend school, get to work or get to their appointments on time? Diolch.
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...was incorporated in 2003, and since then it has carried hundreds of passengers on thousands of necessary journeys, from medical appointments, shopping locally or visiting loved ones, to getting to school, college or to work. Now the charity provides a well-being service, Lôn i Les, and is innovating in sharing and charging electric vehicles, Gwefryl, and the Flecsi Llŷn service, which...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ..., for example. At this point, I have to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the excellent work of Gwynedd Council over a period of decades in ensuring that almost all children going through the education system there are fluent in Welsh. But how, therefore, can you equate that to the census result, which shows the numbers of Welsh speakers in Gwynedd declining? There must be something...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...Blaenau Ffestiniog to Llandudno in a fortnight on 11 February? The T19 service was launched 18 months ago, to replace the X19. Many people in the Ffestiniog area use it for medical appointments, education, shopping and leisure, and it's crucial to them for their day-to-day lives. People's lives will be affected as a result of this announcement. Of course, there is a train service, but a...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: May I ask the Minister for Education and Welsh Language to make a statement on how the Government intends to ensure timely Welsh-medium assessments for children who require an autism assessment? I have a few cases in my constituency of children who require Welsh-medium autism assessments but who are having to wait years. For example, Rhodri—not his real name—who is eight years old was...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...board, and to reverse the loss of local processing capacity. In public procurement, we should prioritise the purchase of Welsh-produced food. Local and regional public procurement—for example in schools, hospitals and council offices—can help create markets for local food businesses. Further to this, and I'm sure Peter Fox will lend his support to this aim, we want to see Monmouthshire...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...of them were from Wales. LABRATS International are calling for a national apology, a medal to recognise the service and sacrifice of these veterans, financial support for veterans and families, an education programme on the tests and their impacts, and research for descendants. Some of these things are within the competence of this Senedd. So, will you work with LABRATS and other...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...colleagues Luke Fletcher and Carolyn Thomas said, internet access is one of the basic requirements of life in the modern age. Yes, it sounds strange, but it’s true. It is vital, for example, for school work, farming, running a business in terms of sales and marketing, keeping in touch with others and so on. All of us here, I’m sure, is reliant on WhatsApp to keep in touch and share...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ..., namely the impact of this on Welsh-speaking communities. Therefore, although it's the environment Minister who will be responding, as Welsh-speaking communities are under the remit of the education Minister, I wonder whether the Minister for the environment could confirm whether the commission on Welsh-speaking communities will be looking at the challenges facing home renters as well as...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...farrier. If we are to prevent TB, then we must prevent it from spreading. Measures must be taken to prevent it from getting to new areas and limiting it where it already exists. The key to that is education and support. So, it's concerning to hear that the numbers using the Cymorth TB Cymru support service are very low, whilst in England there's great praise for the TB Advisory Service,...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...identified where there were vulnerabilities and came together to care for each other, as Sam mentioned in his contribution. How many times have we heard conversations in the pub or at the school gate, with people talking about a pub, old cinema, garage, old hotel, old chapel or an empty plot of land standing idle, and saying, 'I'm sure that something useful could be done with those...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...a nation, or an online community. It's people and people's relationships with each other that should be at the heart of everything we discuss here: those little conversations between parents at the school gate at 3.00 in the afternoon, the children playing in the park on a sunny day, that question, 'Well, how's your mother? How's your father?' when you bump into someone when you buy bread...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...Meirionnydd, in Islaw'r-dref, for example, who can't undertake their business online, and they have to either move away or close their business down. I have young children who are exempted from school conversations because they can't access the latest videos on Netflix or YouTube, and so they can't take part in those conversations with their fellow pupils. Others can't do homework online,...
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...about varying pricing schemes when the money goes into private bank accounts. What they don't like is the idea of wealth distribution—someone's money going to pay for someone else's healthcare or education, for instance. At least be honest about it. Then, of course, there's the complaint that a tourism tax would make it hard for the sector during what it is a difficult time. And it is....
Mabon ap Gwynfor: ...transport in rural areas also helps us to get to grips with some of the other fundamental problems facing us with regard to economic growth, providing employment, physical and mental health, and education and so much more. We heard many presentations by a number of people. I won't be able to go through every contribution, of course, but James opened the debate by talking about his...
