By Mark Isherwood

MS for North Wales

I called on the First Minister to ensure that staff in public bodies properly understand and implement their new duties under the Welsh Government’s Autism Code, after repeatedly representing cases where Flintshire children are denied Autism diagnosis because they have adopted effective masking strategies in School, although they then meltdown at home.

Questioning the Climate Change Minister, I asked what engagement the Welsh Government had with people whose living comes from farming livestock and land within the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty before announcing its plans to turn this area into a National Park. In her response, the Minister said this was “an ambition” and they “will go through those consultation exercises”, but truly sustainable projects require effective community engagement before, during and after.

During a Topical Question on the removal of the Universal Credit uplift, I referred to the UK Government’s new £500m Household Support Fund, from which devolved Governments will receive £79m, and called on the Welsh Government to “ensure that its full share of this money ends up helping those most in need in Wales”.

Responding as Chair of the Welsh Parliament’s Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee to the Social Justice Minister’s statement, ‘Well-being of Future Generations National Implementation’, I criticised the Welsh Government for the “discourteous approach” it has taken in responding to our predecessor Committee’s Report on ‘Barriers to the successful Implementation of the Well-Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015’.

I Chaired meetings of the Cross-Party Group on Hospice and Palliative Care in Hospice Care Week, and the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee, attended a meeting of the Cross-Party Group for Co-operatives and Mutuals, and, as acting Chair of the Cross-Party Group on Fuel Poverty and Energy Efficiency, had a meeting with the Group’s acting Secretary and Head of NEA (National Energy Action) Wales.

Other engagements included Soroptimist International (SI) Llandudno’s tree planting event to mark SI’s 100th Birthday, a meeting of the Senedd Cross-Party Group for North Wales, to discuss reconvening the Group in this 6th Senedd, and a ‘Digital Surgery’ on devolution with The King's School Chester, where their Sixth Form includes pupils from Flintshire, Denbigh and Ruthin.

As the President of Colwyn Bay based NWAMI – ‘Networking for World Awareness of Multicultural Integration’ – I also opened their online International Integration Day event, focusing on hate crimes, and how NWAMI could support Afghan and Iraqi Refugees and Asylum Seekers to integrate into mainstream society.

If you need my help, email Mark.Isherwood@senedd.wales or call 0300 200 7219.