The next item on our agenda is the 90-second statements. Simon Thomas.

Diolch, Lywydd. Yesterday, in one of his final acts as a fine President of the United States, Barack Obama commuted the prison sentence of Chelsea Manning. This action will be welcomed by many in Wales. Though a US citizen, Chelsea Manning was educated, as Bradley Manning, in Tasker Milward School, Haverfordwest. A school friend there described her as unique, extremely unique, very quirky, very opinionated, very political, very clever, very articulate. In 2010, as a serving US army officer, Chelsea Manning released an enormous amount of secret data to Wikileaks and ‘The Guardian’ newspaper. Her leaks revealed the scale and depth of human rights abuses in the middle east following military intervention. Chelsea Manning did not flee justice but faced the consequences of her actions and stood trial. During this process she also began to identify as a woman. Her penalty has been severe: a 35-year military prison sentence, to be served as a woman in a male military prison. She has had long periods of solitary confinement. The response of the authorities to a suicide attempt was another period of solitary confinement. She has suffered enormously and disproportionately for her offence. After all, the US now has a President-elect who publicly calls for the illegal hacking of democratic institutions. President Obama has extended compassion to Chelsea Manning, and in doing so has upheld values that I, and I hope the Assembly, hold dear.

Suzy Davies.

Diolch yn fawr, Lywydd. AEDs, or automated emergency defibrillators, are thankfully becoming more and more commonplace within Wales, and Members I’m sure will be as dismayed as I was to hear that two defibrillators provided by charities and local fundraisers in my region were vandalised recently. AEDs are designed to be easily used when help is needed, particularly when somebody has suffered a heart attack. The intention is for people without any medical training to use them, and they only give out an electrical pulse once they detect an irregular or no heartbeat. After a cardiac arrest, survival chances drop by 14 per cent for every minute that passes without treatment, so being able to administer treatment as soon as possible is key, and these defibrillators are used very effectively during that period of time when the emergency services proper are arriving. The British Heart Foundation and Welsh Hearts are just two charities working to install more of these devices throughout Wales and to increase awareness. And to date, Welsh Hearts have installed 482 defibrillators in community centres, shops and even old phone boxes.

While those examples of vandalism that I mentioned earlier are not the norm, they have helped to highlight how our communities are backing these accessible defibrillators. The support offered from local groups to raise money for the repairs, particularly on one of these boxes, has been absolutely fantastic—in Mumbles. The provision of defibrillators and of the training of basic emergency lifesaving skills are just two examples of how community groups, charities, businesses and the Welsh ambulance service can work together to save lives. I hope that, during the course of this Assembly, support for defibrillators and emergency lifesaving skills will become even more strong. Thank you.

Jayne Bryant.

Tomorrow is the last day of President Obama’s term in the White House. In 2014, he visited my constituency for the NATO summit at the Celtic Manor. Stephen Bowen, a school governor and Rogerstone community councillor, wrote a compelling letter to President Obama with an offer he couldn’t turn down: a visit to Mount Pleasant Primary School. The presidential car, fitted with US and Welsh flags, was a real sight to see. He welcomed pupils with ‘Bore da’, sat in on a lesson, talked, laughed and joked with the children, and gave them an opportunity to ask questions. For those children, along with the many hundreds who had gathered outside, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, never to be forgotten.

After the visit, US Ambassador Matthew Barzun said:

The warmth of your welcome not only demonstrated the best of Welsh hospitality, it was a testament to your great community spirit. It is exciting that it left a mark in the minds of the next generation.’

I understand that the President’s only regret was that he did not have the chance to play a round of golf at the Celtic Manor.

The President has left a great legacy: the introduction of Obamacare, progress in preventing climate change, the legalisation of same-sex marriage, and much more. All the while, he led with integrity, warmth and complete faith in the good of people. I’m sure the Chamber will join me in wishing him and his family the very best for the future. And he’s always welcome back in Newport for that round of golf at the Celtic Manor.