Carolyn Thomas
Welsh Labour · Wales
“Thank you for that answer, First Minister. We ignore nature and the current crisis that faces us at our peril. No nature, no pollinators, no food, no economy. We must all come to the realisation that nature cannot flourish in neatly cut grassland—nature isn't neat—and we must properly manage areas in order for it to thrive.”
“I’d like to thank the Cabinet Secretary and all the stakeholders for getting this far. Nature doesn’t have a loud voice, we must get the balance right, and we ignore it at our peril. Eighty per cent of land is farmland, and we’ve lost 97 per cent of wildflower meadows over the last 50 years.”
“I’d like to see increased investment in the optional and collaborative tiers of the scheme to encourage participation in creating ponds, planting trees and reducing pesticides, but I am aware that you’re still looking at this.”
“I’d like to say that the concerns regarding planning restrictions, inflated house prices, mass tourism are exaggerated. Large change does not happen just because of a designation. And I speak from experience of when the Clwydian range area of outstanding natural beauty—which I chaired for 10 years—extended into the Dee valley.”
“Thank you. I just want to say that your recent visit to the RSPCA stand at conference was appreciated. I recently saw a horrific photo, where a large number of dogs and puppies were rescued from squalid conditions, and finding enough spaces for them at rescues was very difficult, as there's no capacity.”
“Just last week, we met a petitioner supported by the National Deaf Children's Society. He was calling for more teachers of the deaf, and support for deaf children and their families and teachers.”
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“I’d like to see increased investment in the optional and collaborative tiers of the scheme to encourage participation in creating ponds, planting trees and reducing pesticides, but I am aware that you’re still looking at this. So, I want to know how the proposed sustainable farming scheme will address the nature crisis and the 2030 biodiversity commitments agreed by the Welsh Government at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity meetings it has attended, and what advice to farmers and monitoring there will be going forward. Thank you.”
“I’d like to thank the Cabinet Secretary and all the stakeholders for getting this far. Nature doesn’t have a loud voice, we must get the balance right, and we ignore it at our peril. Eighty per cent of land is farmland, and we’ve lost 97 per cent of wildflower meadows over the last 50 years. Our rivers our heavily polluted and we have flooding from run-off. It’s positive that the 10 per cent for habit, the management of sites of special scientific interest and hedgerow restoration is embedded—I’m really pleased to see that. We need to make sure that advice is there for people to understand how to do those improvements properly for nature.”
“Thank you for that answer, First Minister. We ignore nature and the current crisis that faces us at our peril. No nature, no pollinators, no food, no economy. We must all come to the realisation that nature cannot flourish in neatly cut grassland—nature isn't neat—and we must properly manage areas in order for it to thrive. In turn, connecting with nature is really beneficial for our own mental and physical well-being. Tomorrow, I am sponsoring an exhibition by One Voice Wales, showcasing the incredible achievements of our town and community councils through the Local Places for Nature funding programme. Would you join me in encouraging Members and members of the public to attend the event tomorrow, to learn more about restoring biodiversity in public spaces within our local communities?”
“So, I was wondering if the Welsh Government would therefore consider supporting an approach similar to Scotland, which allows the animals to be rehomed after 21 days, instead of waiting for the court procedure to finish.”
“Thank you. I just want to say that your recent visit to the RSPCA stand at conference was appreciated. I recently saw a horrific photo, where a large number of dogs and puppies were rescued from squalid conditions, and finding enough spaces for them at rescues was very difficult, as there's no capacity. At the moment, rescue animals have to remain in the care of rescues and fostering; they cannot be homed in a forever home until the prosecution of cases on welfare and breeding are concluded. They very often take over a year to come to court, if not longer, which puts significant pressures on the resources of the rescue centres.”
“I’d like to say that the concerns regarding planning restrictions, inflated house prices, mass tourism are exaggerated. Large change does not happen just because of a designation. And I speak from experience of when the Clwydian range area of outstanding natural beauty—which I chaired for 10 years—extended into the Dee valley. Concerns were not realised and there have been many benefits for communities and businesses, including grant funding and management of sites as well, and resources being designated there. So, First Minister, will you help ensure that this positive manifesto commitment is not lost because of loud voices sharing misinformation? Thank you.”
“Because I'm practising. No jobs—I know that Eren Holding in north Wales, again, recently opened. The First Minister was there—the Welsh Government intervening as well, creating, now, 400 unionised jobs, which is really fantastic and really welcomed in north Wales.”
“Thank you. The First Minister opened the new medical school up in north Wales, which is really welcomed, and I understand, now, that the Royal Alexandra Hospital, which we've been looking forward to proposals coming forward on—they're coming forward next year. And there will be capital funding, finally, from the UK Government—250 times more capital funding than there was before, under the previous Government. So, all this is showing a shift and a movement to help in north Wales.”
“Thank you. So, the problem has been: who actually will enforce the restoration as well? The cost isn't always funded because money has not been put aside, the money in the escrow account is not enough. And then NRW, the local authority, the Coal Authority—they pass the buck every time, because they haven't got the resources either themselves to enforce. So, that is the issue going forward.”
“So, what concerns me with Ffos-y-fran and with that proposal is that they haven't got funding to restore, and, at Ffos-y-fran as well, they're looking to use money from the escrow account—£15 million—and not put any money in themselves from that business, and it worries me that that again might happen. So, they'll do the work, extract the coal, but then there won't be money to restore at the end of it.”
“I just personally would like to say in the minute that’s left that I do understand, as previously I worked in local authorities, that we have had cuts to local authority budgets, there is increasing demand, that we need to look at the Learner Travel (Wales) Measure 2008, and I know that the cost of delivering transport for children has increased by 40 per cent. So, I do understand the backdrop of austerity that we have been facing, but I wanted to make sure that these points, on behalf of the Petitions Committee, were raised today. Thank you.”
“The CYPE report contains three recommendations on learner travel: recommendations 21, 22 and 23, which are ensuring best practice, updating guidance and training for transport providers to provide better support for young people. There is a lot of work planned in this area, but the committee was keen that I highlight today how important these issues are, as set out in the Petitions Committee's 'Freedom to thrive: Free and accessible public transport for young people' report, which we debated in October. Thank you for the opportunity to highlight these petitions as part of today’s debate.”
“We ask the Cabinet Secretary for Education to look again at this recommendation, and we will also be writing to her soon with more detail on what the petitioners see as the way forward, having met with them last week. I note that the petition also has the full support of the Senedd’s cross-party group on deaf issues. Our recent debate in the Chamber on access to cash for vulnerable adults also highlights how much work is still needed to guarantee that disabled people have the same rights of access as everyone else. We have made much progress, but the danger of regressing is real. Bus transport and learner travel is another area of concern for petitioners. At our meeting on 4 November, we had updates on four petitions relating to transport for school children and bus transport more generally.”
“Just last week, we met a petitioner supported by the National Deaf Children's Society. He was calling for more teachers of the deaf, and support for deaf children and their families and teachers. The petitioner is an experienced educator and parent to two deaf children, and she told us she was devastated at the Government’s rejection of recommendation 32 of this report. Recommendation 32 calls for the Welsh Government to set out a clear delivery plan for addressing gaps in specialist teaching posts for teachers of the deaf and teachers of the visually impaired, to ensure that all children and young people can access this support when needed. This delivery plan should have clear targets, deliverables and time frames, so it can be monitored and scrutinised. I promised the petitioner that I would raise it today.”
“Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the debate as Chair of the Petitions Committee. The committee wanted me to highlight some important petitions that we have recently considered, where the evidence from petitioners has helped to inform this inquiry. This includes five petitions relating to additional learning needs support and provision, and the reforms to the ALN code. We debated these issues on 8 May, and considered the petitions again at our meeting on 14 October. The details have been shared with the Cabinet Secretary. The sheer number of petitions and signatures highlights the strength of feeling that there is. Some of the petitioners have been able to engage with the committee, and the Cabinet Secretary and her officials, and that is, of course, very welcome.”
“So, Cabinet Secretary, what difference will the £553 million extra capital funding—that's 250 times more than the previous UK Government—make to ensure that projects such as this really important one will actually go ahead?”
“Many of us over the years, including council leader Jason McLellan, the cabinet member Elen Heaton, and local member Barry Mellor, have been lobbying for investment in the Royal Alexandra. I was pleased to attend a meeting with the health board just last week and to hear that proposals have been updated so that the social healthcare need can be addressed, along with the minor injuries unit, and I was told that a fully costed plan will be presented next year to the health board and to Welsh Government. But I know that this cannot be achieved without the funds that I've been consistently calling for, and an end to the Tory austerity that starved Wales, and I was delighted that the UK Government understands this and wants to actually invest in public services.”
“Children's mental health is at an all-time low, with smartphones and social media being major contributing factors. They can be used to bully, manipulate and control, sending young people into an isolated world of despair, not thinking they can get out of it or go to somebody for help. There is currently an open petition to ban smartphones in all schools in Wales, with exceptions for exceptional circumstances. The petitioner points out that smartphones can lower self-esteem, trigger anxiety, and distract from opportunities to speak face to face. The Petitions Committee are looking to hold an inquiry into this matter. Cabinet Secretary, would you agree that a ban on smartphones in schools is something that should be considered going forward?”
“I know this has been raised and debated many times, but after meeting and hearing the heartbreaking distress of people affected, the trauma of having to fill in forms every three years, saying how ill their young person is who are never going to get better, when they have little time to concentrate on the task and are already living stressful lives, it appears to me that this is actually a social justice issue that happens to be delivered by transport. So, please would you meet with me and the Cabinet Secretary for transport to discuss how this can finally be achieved?”
“Please could I ask for two statements? The first one is in regard to the closure of Natural Resources Wales managed visitor centres, which we recently had a petitions debate on. Visitors, community groups and organisations interested in running them are extremely concerned that the NRW board, at a meeting last week, agreed to close them under the 'Case for Change' without discussion or consultation with the interested parties. Please could the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary give clarity, as he reassured us during the debate that they would not close and that consultation would take place? The second is regarding having to renew blue badges for people living with lifelong conditions every three years.”
“Will you join me in condemning Oscar Mayer and their treatment of workers in Wrexham? And what action will you be taking to stress to the company that such appalling practices have no place here in Wales?”
“Thank you, First Minister. I must begin by declaring an interest as a proud member of Unite the Union. I really welcome the Welsh Government's social partnership approach and your work, alongside the UK Government, promoting the new landmark Employment Rights Bill. Unfortunately, though, as I've highlighted in the Chamber before, there are fire-and-rehire practices still going ahead in Wales as we speak. Unite the Union are currently in dispute with Oscar Mayer in Wrexham, as the firm are threatening to dismiss anybody who does not sign a new contract that could see them losing up to £3,000 a year in paid breaks and premium bank holiday pay. This would impact on 800 staff members, and I believe that they have sacked three employees over the weekend, which now brings it up to 35 employees.”
“5. Sut y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn gweithio i hyrwyddo dull partneriaeth gymdeithasol o ran cyflogwyr ledled Cymru? OQ61850”
“Do you agree, going forward, that GB Energy could develop the ethos of Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru in Wales to ensure community benefit from major planning developments in the form, perhaps, of section 106 funding grants to make their homes warmer and self-sufficient with renewable energy?”
“Can I thank the Member for raising this question? I think that avoiding the grid, like Morriston Hospital, using direct feed, is really important. The standing charge in north Wales is one of the highest across the UK, and I’m told it’s because of the grid infrastructure. I welcome that, in Wales, social housing has been built and retrofitted with solar and battery storage, avoiding the grid, thanks to Welsh Government funding and policy to help with cheap energy as well. First Minister, I’ve seen major energy infrastructure happening in north Wales, including wind and solar farms and battery parks. The people would like to see the benefit of reduced bills as well as energy security.”
“For the last 14 years, we've had a Government that's chosen austerity, a smaller public state, and now we have a Government that chooses investment, a Government that chooses national renewal, and a Government that chooses to believe in the power of public services and people who work in them. This budget isn't just an investment in health, education and housing; it's an investment into the engineers, the doctors, the teachers, the carers, the builders, the nurses, and the children of tomorrow. It is a belief in a better Britain and a commitment to a brighter future, free from the ravages of austerity. We need to build a decent life for people. That's all they ask for—a decent life—and this is what it's all about. Thank you.”
“These investments are a down payment on a brighter future. We know the long-term impact of investing in public services. We know that a healthier country is a happier one; it's more productive. We know that public transport is one of the biggest weapons that we have in the fight against climate change. We know that investing in sports and leisure facilities is a crucial step in preventing illness. We know that creating a well-educated workforce is the basis for future prosperity. And we know that the security of housing creates certainty and stability. Fundamentally, Government is about choices.”
“That payment, yes, is in the form of higher taxes—it's an investment. It's an investment in making the NHS the jewel in the country's crown once again. It's an investment in our schools and the future of our children. It's an investment in building the houses that future generations will call their homes. These are much-needed investments in the very building blocks of our country, as I do keep asking for all the time, but it's really important, and they're investments in the millions of people who work in the public services that we all rely upon on a daily basis. For Wales, this budget represents the largest real-terms funding settlement for a long, long time. What greater signal can there be that we finally have a UK Government that believes in the potential of Wales and is willing to invest in that potential?”
“Let's start by making clear the context within which this first Labour budget is being set: 14 long years of austerity; 14 years of attacks on public services; 14 years of rampant wealth inequality; real-terms wage cuts for workers; a nationwide housing and rent crisis; councils on the brink; the NHS brought to its knees; sewage wrecking our rivers and seas; debt as a percentage of GDP at its highest rate for more than 60 years; mortgage rates through the roof; energy bills soaring; and more foodbanks than there are branches of McDonald's. That is the Conservative legacy, and it's hardly a legacy to be proud of. The budget is the first major step on the road to repairing the country, and how refreshing it is to have a Government that believes in public services and is honest about the fact that good public services need to be paid for.”
“The draft budget will be published later this year, and the health committee's work, I believe, will start in 2025. This debate is not the last word on the issue, and I hope it's the start of a renewed focus on primary healthcare in Wales. Thank you to everybody who's taken part and thank you to the petitioners.”
“I'd like to thank the Minister for his response, speaking about the importance of primary and community care services, making sure that the focus is on that. Also, he spoke about staff welfare, which is really important, and the keenness to work with GPs, going forward, and support them. This is an issue that won't be solved this afternoon, but it has given us all a chance to reflect, before our own budget is finalised, on an area facing considerable pressures. It isn't the only area crying out for additional funding. Increasingly, as a Petitions Committee, we see petitions being used to highlight those areas where funding is disappearing or in too-short supply. Today's debate has given us a chance to take the pulse of GPs' surgeries and to hear some of the urgent issues that they're facing.”
“Thank you. Thank you for that clarification. Laura Anne mentioned also the booking system, and that getting an appointment is still difficult in some areas, so we need to look at shifting resources. You know, very often, new homes are being built, but the infrastructure doesn't always follow. Julie Morgan spoke about this funding formula—the Carr-Hill funding formula—which I hadn't heard about before. We did have a response from the Cabinet Secretary, but maybe that's something that we just need to pick up on further. Russell, thank you for coming in, as Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee. You talked about the inquiry you've done, looking at building on those terms of reference ready for the inquiry taking place next year.”
“We also need to look at restoring the infrastructure as well—so, it's not just GPs themselves, it's also the buildings—and Heledd mentioned corporate services taking over, putting profit before services in some rural areas, and better collaboration is needed. Jenny mentioned that it's also a social care issue. She highlighted that health inequalities are also need-linked as well to certain areas, so, where there are bigger health inequalities, there might be more need as well, and mentioned the Deep End project as well.”
“I'd like to thank the Members for their responses. Sam Rowlands and Laura Anne highlighted the number of signatures—21,000—so it shows how important this issue is and that funding is not actually matching the pressures as well. Everybody spoke about the importance of prevention at the primary level and so did the Cabinet Secretary in his response. Rural communities, in particular, are an issue, and Jane Dodds asked for a GP rural premium and mentioned a programme as well regarding the retention of GPs, and I think that might be something that the Health and Social Care Committee could look at.”
“But underlying all of these is money to pay for the services that we all want to see. As I mentioned earlier, the health committee will be doing further work on GP services later in the year, but I hope that today's debate provides an opportunity to set the table for that in-depth piece of work, to highlight some of the challenges, and maybe even suggest some solutions. I look forward to hearing the debate and the Minister's response. Thank you.”
“Yet the share of the health budget spent on GP services has shrunk. This is the background to the BMA's campaign. There are no easy solutions. We know that money is tight across public services, even after the budget, but we have to find a way to ensure the long-term viability of primary care services and of our GP surgeries. We know that workload, workforce, and well-being pressures are increasing in general practice, and I look forward to hearing what that means in different parts of Wales as we hold this debate today. In some areas, recruitment and retention is their main worry, but in other areas it's the crumbling fabric of buildings. In others, it is the rapidly ageing population or a growing workload that isn't matched by an equivalent rise in capacity.”
“'Current inadequate capacity is a product of longstanding workload, workforce, and well-being issues, which correlate to the chronic underfunding of general medical services. 'BMA Cymru Wales's Save Our Surgeries campaign asks Welsh Government to commit to a rescue package for General Practice, to provide GPs and their patients with the support they need.' At the end of September, the Health and Social Care Committee held a workshop with GPs to inform a piece of work they'll be doing later on this year. At the event, the message from GPs was clear: the current funding model is unsustainable. Over the last two decades, while the number of face-to-face appointments, digital contacts and phone calls has risen, the complexity of the work has been transformed, expenses have risen, and the cost of premises has leapt up.”
“Diolch. On behalf of the Petitions Committee, thank you for the opportunity to introduce this debate today on GP funding. The petition was created by Lewis Williams of the British Medical Association as part of their campaign, 'Save our Surgeries'. It collected 21,620 signatures. The petition text reads, 'Fair and Adequate Resourcing of General Practice in Wales. 'General Practice in Wales is under significant and growing strain. GP numbers are declining, demand is rising, and practices are struggling to recruit and retain staff. 'General practice is being forced to try and cope with inadequate resources, an unsustainable workload, and a workforce under pressure across the whole of Wales, with some areas in crisis.”
“It's important to educate on the importance of kindness, tolerance and equality, no matter a person's background. So, please could you tell me more about the work of the diversity and anti-racist professional learning in education initiative, training teachers and governors, and provide examples of the impact of it in schools? Thank you.”
“I know that you've got the budget here and now, but you need to have the vision over the long term as well, going forward. Thank you.”
“Well, after over a decade of austerity it seems like, finally, we've got a Government that understands that public services are needed as building blocks to grow the economy. We need educated people, we need skills, we need healthy people and we need access to public transport. This morning, I heard about nurses who are now calling for a pay increase. This is about people in our local communities who should be well paid, and this is such a positive budget for me. Cabinet Secretary, I understand that it is going to take a while, though, to rebuild our public services after 14 years of austerity, and that many are on a knife edge. So, how are you going to develop the short and long-term plans, working with the UK Government?”
“First Minister, do you agree that by investing in the building blocks, so that people can have access to transport, education, health, housing and well-being services, such as arts, culture and all these things that can improve health outcomes, that we are helping to rebuild our Welsh economy and health outcomes for the people of Wales?”
“Diolch. I understand that a huge proportion of Welsh Government's budget is spent on public services, and as a county councillor for over a decade, under the cloud of austerity, watching the budget year upon year, and now as a Member of the Senedd on committees, when we hear about services and organisations at breaking point and the demand for services, it actually feels that now there is hope breaking through, and light breaking through that cloud of austerity. And with public services employing so many people in Wales—it's a huge employer—it's so important that that money comes through.”
“6. Pa asesiad y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i wneud o effaith cyllideb yr hydref Llywodraeth y DU ar wasanaethau cyhoeddus yng Nghymru? OQ61802”