Llyr Gruffydd MS Member of the Senedd for North Wales

An MS has welcomed a group of Conwy school pupils to the Senedd.

A North Wales MS has paid tribute to the RSPCA on its 200th anniversary.

This week Llyr Gruffydd MS in his role as Plaid Cymru's Spokesperson on rural affairs questioned the Cabinet Secretary on Wales' voice in post-Brexit trade deals.

In the Senedd Chamber Llyr Gruffydd - Plaid Cymru's spokesman on rural affairs questioned the Cabinet Secretary on whether current trade deals negotiated on behalf of Wales' food producers are 'undermining' the industry.

In his question to Huw Irranca Davies, Llyr Gruffydd asked-

"Do you agree with Plaid Cymru's calls for Wales to have a veto on future trade deals if we believe that they are detrimental to the food and drink sector here in Wales? And would you agree with Plaid Cymru again that we would be better off as part of a single market and customs union?"

In his response Huw Irranca Davies indicated that he agreed, and went on to reply-

"On the issue of the voice for Wales in future trade deals, we've had no voice, we have no voice in the trade deals.

"It would be good to have some voice. Regardless of who is sitting in those top seats at a UK level going forward, particularly in food, not just our primary producers, but in the wider food supply chain, we need to have that voice. I'm not saying veto, I'm saying a voice. It's the sort of voice that we used to have, curiously, before we went through Brexit."

In the 8 years since voting to leave the European Union Plaid Cymru have accused both Labour and the Conservatives of being deadly silent on the damage Brexit has caused, and point out that Brexit has been hugely damaging to Wales for several reasons including -

• higher costs of household essentials;  
• Red tape and high charges for businesses;  
• Farmers undermined by post-Brexit trade deals allowing cheap imports to come to Wales.  
• Freedom of movement denied.  
• Local economies around Welsh ports such as Holyhead have suffered a real blow with a reduction in EU freight flow traffic.

"For how long will the Government insist that the mounting issues facing Hybu Cig Cymru are someone else's problem?" This is what Llyr Gruffydd asked the Cabinet Seceretary in the Senedd last week.

Following recent alligations, resignations and high staff turnover it seems that the problems are mounting for government agency Hybu Cig Cymru. The agency – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) is the industry-led organisation responsible for the development, promotion and marketing of Welsh red meat. The organisation is fully funded by Welsh Government.

Earlier this year the organisation faced serious alligations of bullying of staff, when six members of staff complained separately about bullying behaviour by a manager and an external investigation upheld several complaints against the individual concerned, according to S4C's Newyddion programme.

Llyr Gruffydd wrote to the previous Cabinet Seceretary, or Minister as it was then - Leslie Griffiths back in February of this year, expressing concern about the situation in HCC. At that time, he was told that the Government wasn't going to intervene. In the week leading to Mr Griffiths' intervention in the Senedd two directors resigned from the board, and it's become clear that the situation is deteriorating. Llyr Gruffydd has subsequently written a second letter to the Cabinet Seceretary to express concern about the deteriorating situation.

Last week Llyr Gruffydd asked the Cabinet Secretary, Huw Irranca Davies -

"You have said that they are focused on resolving these problems, but of course, that's what the Government's been saying for almost a year now. Don't you feel a responsibility for safeguarding the well-being of individuals within the organisation who are affected by these difficulties?

"We've heard already about the risk that exists of undermining the faith of levy payers, and, at the end of the day, the risk of having a negative impact on the brand and reputation of Welsh red meat. For how long will you say that this is someone else's problem?"

The Cabinet Secretary, Huw Irranca Davies responded-

"Whilst I'm very aware of the problems, it is not for me to step in and, in some ways, tell Hybu Cig Cymru what to do, or intervene in what are sensitive—I'm sure you'll appreciate—and delicate discussions with both current and former members. That is for Hybu Cig Cymru to do. Meanwhile, I as Cabinet Secretary am keenly focused on both the reputation and the performance of this organisation, and I'll continue to hold that focus on them."

Labour’s mixed messages over devolution of justice reveals a party in disarray.

That’s the view of Llyr Gruffydd after Welsh Government minister Rebecca Evans responded to a question about devolution of policing and justice by contradicting her UK Labour counterpart Jo Stevens.

Llyr Gruffydd,  said: “The UK Labour shadow Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens was unequivocal in her refusal to consider devolving policing and justice to Wales if Labour win the General Election.

“Yet her counterpart in Wales, Rebecca Evans, is equally unequivocal in her answer to my question about this matter. She wants this to happen.

“Labour in Wales has been an outright supporter of the devolution of policing for years. The 2021-2026 programme for Government and the Labour 2021 manifesto clearly states that this government is committed to ‘pursuing the case for the devolution of policing and justice’. They reiterated this call in 2022 stating: ‘It is clear that Wales does not benefit from this UK Government led approach’.

“Three further reports have made the case for devolving criminal justice powers, but UK Labour isn’t listening to Wales – with even its own members being ignored in the scramble to centralise power.

“Labour’s in disarray and is speaking with a forked tongue. The situation is totally unsustainable because, once in power in London, Labour will continue to ignore expert voices and their own members in Wales as they always have done.

“At what point do Labour members in Wales realise that they’re constantly being taken for granted, their views are ignored and that people can see that it’s London calling the tune? The only way Wales gets noticed is when we vote Plaid Cymru. That’s the stark choice ahead of people in a fortnight.”

An MS has welcomed a Minister’s commitment to work with the Royal Welsh Show and the National Eisteddfod on reform of the school holiday calendar.

An MS has called for the banking sector in Wales to be brought under the Welsh Language Standards regime.

Llyr Gruffydd MS has called for the removal of a “loophole” that can be used by developers who want to build electricity pylons in North Wales. The move would prevent developers from erecting pylons that would “scar” the area’s countryside.

The MS has been contacted by residents in places such as Corwen, Llangernyw, and Bodelwyddan, who had concerns about the possibility of pylons being built in their areas.

Plaid Cymru recently put forward a motion in the Senedd that would ban developers from building electricity pylons and would instead force them to build power lines underground.

Although the Welsh Government says it would prefer developers to build power lines underground its Planning Policy Wales document still allows electricity pylons to be built in a number of circumstances.

Speaking after the debate in which the Plaid Cymru motion was put forward, Llŷr Gruffydd said: “As a party Plaid Cymru wants it to be mandatory for all new electricity distribution lines in Wales to be placed underground rather than conveyed through overhead lines.

“Though it is currently the preferred position of the Welsh Government that new power lines should be placed underground where possible we at Plaid Cymru believe that this does not go far enough.

“Plaid Cymru believes that wherever physically possible the undergrounding of new power lines shall be undertaken by way of cable ploughing in preference to open trenching.

“Developers are able to take advantage of what is effectively a loophole in the current planning system to build electricity pylons in areas where they shouldn’t be built.

“Residents in places such as Corwen, Llangernyw, and Bodelwyddan have been very concerned about the possibility of electricity pylons being built in their areas, and they are angry and frustrated that the planning system allows for this to happen.

“The Welsh Government needs to listen to the voices of people who rightly don’t want to see our beautiful landscapes and of some of the most cherished and environmentally sensitive areas of our country despoiled by big ugly pylons. You don’t have the same kind of issues with underground cables.

“That is why Plaid Cymru is calling on the Welsh Government to update the Planning Policy Wales document.

“Specifically we want it to remove the existing caveat, which says: ‘however it is recognised that a balanced view must be taken against costs which would render otherwise acceptable projects unviable’.

“This caveat is at the root of a number of proposals for long-range pylon lines traversing large swathes of our country, including in North Wales.

“It’s abundantly clear that the current policy is not working from the lack of undergrounding currently, despite that being the Government's stated preference.

“The undergrounding of new infrastructure for conveying electricity should be an absolute rather than a preferred position for the Welsh Government.

“Therefore the policy should state: ‘New power lines should be laid underground.’

“As long as the caveat exists as it is, developers will always attempt to exploit it and build pylons as their preferred option.

“So, we need to remove the caveat and mandate undergrounding, following the example of other European countries, such as Denmark.

“Since 2008, for example, all new 132 kV power lines in Denmark have been laid underground.

“Because of this the Danes have reaped the benefits of a more rapid path to decarbonisation, as public opposition to renewables has been much more muted as a result.”

Ysgol Dyffryn Ial

Ysgol Caer Drewyn

Ysgol Carrog

Llyr Gruffydd recently had the privilege of welcoming three Denbighshire schools to the Senedd in Cardiff.

Pupils from Ysgol Carrog, Ysgol Dyffryn Iâl and Ysgol Caer Drewyn, Corwen came over to the Senedd to learn about members' day-to-day work, as well as discuss some of the important issues he has been campaigning on.

Visits to the Senedd offer young people the opportunity to better understand how democracy works in Wales, as well as learn more about how they can help shape the country's future.

Llŷr Gruffydd said-

"It was great to be able to welcome pupils from Ysgol Dyffryn Ial; Ysgol Carrog and Ysgol Caer Drewyn to the Senedd.

"They were clearly passionate about learning how young democracy works in Wales, and how they can help shape the future of the country.

"They wanted to know how they could get the issues affecting them and their communities above the political agenda. Some of them may well be the politicians of the future.

"Their questions were thoughtful and showed a real passion for making the country a better place."

Last week in the Senedd Llyr Gruffydd called for independent oversight over investigations into mental health scandals, and called for an end to ministers being misled on improvements to mental health care.

Mr Gruffydd said the failure to implement recommendations to tackle problems raised in successive reports were a damning indictment of historic problems at Betsi Cadwaladr health board as well as the failings of oversight by the Welsh Labour Government. A review by the Royal College of Psychiatrists presented to the health board last week confirmed that just 24 out of 66 recommendations had been implemented, with the rest rated as red or amber.

In a question in the Senedd, Llyr Gruffydd said:

“Time and time again, we've had Ministers stand up in this Chamber and tell us that things are being sorted. Report after report, as we've heard, have been commissioned with recommendations made, and we've all been led to believe that things would change.

“Now, this latest damning report to the health board reveals that the majority of recommendations in successive reports into mental health scandals in the North have not been implemented. Have you as a Government therefore been misled - or some would say maybe deceived - by someone? And if you have, that in itself is another scandal to add to a very long list.

“Given all of these failings, is it not now time to try a different tack? Should you not be establishing an independent oversight committee now, made up of Llais, the patients’ voice, affected families, the third sector and others, to work with the health board to make sure that these recommendations are fulfilled, once and for all?”

Speaking later, Llyr Gruffydd added “It’s not good enough for us to have bland platitudes from ministers saying that everything’s in hand when it clearly isn’t. It’s a decade since ministers were being told there was institutional abuse taking place and that was being denied in this chamber. It’s only now that nurses are being struck off for patient abuse but, while overstretched nursing staff are being disciplined there seems to be no equivalent punishment for senior managers.”