7. Plaid Cymru Debate: Bus emergency scheme

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:40 pm on 22 March 2023.

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Photo of Mabon ap Gwynfor Mabon ap Gwynfor Plaid Cymru 6:40, 22 March 2023

(Translated)

Well, I'm very pleased to hear of that good example. In fairness to the Deputy Minister, I think he did mention the need to look at good practices elsewhere, and to try and adopt those. And those are some of the medium-term solutions that have been put forward, and I will come on to that. But this crisis is happening here and now. 

And, as I was going to mention, I've talked about some examples in my own constituency. Take the constituent in Harlech who has to travel four hours to go to Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor for treatment. Or the old lady in Blaenau Ffestiniog who now has to move to Llandudno because the T19 service has disappeared. Or the gentleman from Caernarfon who has to sleep in a tent in Pwllheli, because there is no bus to take him home in the evening after his shift. These are the kinds of examples facing us. We've heard of others—Jane Dodds mentioned the woman from Llangynog who goes to Oswestry; I was convinced that Oswestry was actually in Wales—perhaps there's another debate to be had there at a future point. But those are the kinds of examples facing all of our communities, and we've heard about them today.

Huw Irranca and Jenny Rathbone talked about the just transition. And, of course, as part of the Deputy Minister's response, we've heard about these medium-term solutions that are being introduced. And that need for a just transition is at the heart of getting people away from private vehicles and on to public transport. But people can't make that transition because of the lack of investment here and now. And that is the weakness that is facing us. We are seeing the loss of those services. We are seeing decreases in the funding provided to these bus services. 

We've heard some good ideas about Fflecsi buses, for example, and here, I have to praise the door-to door, or drws-to-drws Fflecsi bus services in Nefyn around the Llŷn peninsula. There is good practice there, and I know that the Minister is aware of that. But this crisis is facing us now. The question was asked—'Well what is the solution? How are we going to fund it?' There is a question—the bus emergency scheme was funded in the original budget, but, for some reason, it has disappeared—so there is a question there as to where that original funding that was contained in the budget has gone. Now, we, on this side of the Chamber, have made proposals on taxation, and how the tax system in Wales can be used to fund public services, but the Government doesn't agree with us on that. And in the longer term, of course, the HS2 has taken £5 billion out of the Welsh budget. The Northern Rail Powerhouse—or whatever it's called—is taking another £1 billion out of our budget, and the Conservatives refuse to fight for that funding, and, I'm sorry to say that the leader of the UK Labour Party has refused to say that he will commit to providing that funding to Wales. With that funding, we could invest in our public transport. 

So, I want to see the Deputy Minister, and the Government here, committing to ensuring that a Labour Government in future, in Westminster, will provide that funding to Wales, and that we will see that investment in our public transport. 

So, to conclude, thank you to everyone who participated. There are challenges facing us, but the solution is to invest, not to cut.