I speak today in a debate that has generated much interest and much passion on both sides. This is evidenced by the petitions before us, which together just over 17,000 people have signed, and a large number of individuals and groups have contacted Members to make their case. However, looking at people from my constituency, the trend is very much in support of petition P-05-1018, supporting the current plans. Far more of my constituents signed this petition, rather than the alternative. In fact, nearly 12 times as many supported the current plans.

In addition, my postbag on this issue from constituents has been overwhelmingly one-sided. It doesn't surprise me, as Velindre occupies an important place in the lives and memories of far too many of my constituents. It's a place where lives are saved, where our hard-working NHS staff give their all to provide treatment and support to people battling cancer, where hope is offered. One constituent wrote about the hospital of hope and hard truths may be faced. And as we're talking about a debate that has come forward through the auspices of the Petitions Committee, it makes sense to explore their views.

Constituents who have contacted me are clear in their support for the project in its potential to improve diagnosis, treatment and outcomes, to provide a new building that is fit for purpose, and to do so within an acceptable timescale, for a specialist facility that provides cancer support for the one in two of us that will develop cancer at some point in our lives. And it does so in a convenient location that reduces pressure on people having to travel from the Valleys, such as my constituents.

I was fortunate to visit the current facility a few years ago with the MS for Islwyn and while acknowledging the hospital's excellent reputation, the need for a new facility that can meet the needs of today's patients is clear. I do have sympathy for the concerns of those who oppose the plans. Points were made that we must consider sympathetically about access, provision and the importance of the northern meadows, but I think they are more than answered by how the environment is such an important part of the future plans.

This is a point persuasively made by the authors of P-05-1018, with a desire for healing architecture that blends medical care with nature. Indeed, I am told that 60 per cent of the green space will be retained for use by both cancer patients and local residents. We need to improve outcomes for people whose lives are marked by cancer. For people in my constituency, the current plans are one such vitally needed intervention, and I am happy to support them today. Thank you.