By Mark Isherwood

MS for North Wales

Questioning the First Minister, I referred to findings in February’s Institute of Welsh Affairs's 'Our Land: Communities and Land Use' report ‘that Welsh communities are the least empowered in Britain’, and in January's Wales Co-operative Centre discussion paper, 'Communities Creating Homes', which states ‘Wales is trailing other nations in the UK when it comes to community ownership rights’; and urged the First Minister to respond to calls in both reports for the Welsh Government to strengthen community empowerment and ownership rights.

Responding to the Health Minister’s Statement on COVID-19, I raised concerns that the Welsh NHS system cannot record COVID vaccinations received outside Wales, highlighting the case of a constituent who has been experiencing problems because he had his first COVID vaccination in Scotland, second in Wales and booster in England. He was told ‘his booster had been recorded, but not his initial Scottish vaccination, and there was no mechanism for recording this’.

Speaking in the ‘Devolution of Policing’ Debate, I said that 48% of people in Wales live within 25 miles of the border with England, and 90% within 50 miles; that North Wales Police have a closer affiliation with North-West England than the rest of Wales; and that this threatens “to take more powers from the Welsh regions and centralise these in Cardiff”.

During the Welsh Conservative Housing Debate, I quoted figures from a speech I made 18 years ago, showing that the housing supply crisis in Wales is the consequence of decisions taken by Labour and Labour-led Welsh Governments from devolution in 1999.

During the Welsh Conservative Debate on Ukraine, I asked whether the Welsh Government was going to set up a family sponsorship scheme for Ukrainian refugees.

I also questioned the Rural Affairs Minister over the role the Sustainable Farming Scheme will play in species recovery, calling for urgent action to prevent Curlew extinction in Wales, and challenged the Finance Minister over Anglesey’s poor Local Government Settlement, despite having the lowest prosperity levels per head in Wales.

I Chaired meetings of both the Senedd/Welsh Parliament Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee (PAPAC), which included an evidence session with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board on governance issues, and the Senedd’s Cross-Party Autism Group. As Chair of PAPAC, I met the UK Parliament’s Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee during their visit to the Senedd.

Other engagements included a visit to HM Prison Berwyn, Wrexham, for a meeting with the Deputy Governor and Prison Group Director.

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