Heledd Fychan Canol De Cymru - South Wales Central

I’d like to share my tribute in the Senedd today to Kyle Sieniawski from Pontypridd who tragically passed away at the end of November at fourteen years of age, having received the devastating diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease earlier this year.  

Kyle was a wonderful, caring and inspirational boy that was taken far too soon. Despite the wonderful care he received at hospital, Kyle wanted to come home.  His family did everything possible to try and make that happen, even putting their home on the market as it was not suitable for adaptations. Unfortunately, he never got his wish but his family have vowed to continue campaigning in Kyle’s memory to ensure no family has to go through what they did.   

I’m hosting a Funding Fair for local groups and charities to connect directly with funders and explore opportunities for support.

I attended the Petitions Committee this week, where they were discussing two petitions which I have been closely involved – one relating to school transport and the other is of particular interest to those impacted by Craig yr Hesg Quarry calling for a minimum 1,000 meters mandatory buffer zone for all new and existing quarries in Wales.  You can view the proceedings through this link. 

It was a pleasure to participate in a cross-party panel discussion last week, hosted by Grayling at the Pierhead and moderated by ITV Wales’ Rob Osborne.   

The discussion, Six Months To Go, was a chance to reflect on the political context and polling perspectives, especially the Caerffili by-election result and offer views on what this might mean for voting intentions towards the countdown to a new Senedd next May.    

I have continued to challenge the Welsh Government to show a renewed focus to reduce our reliance on primary aggregates and to review MTAN 1. This is essential to ensure that those commitments are delivered in all communities, including those impacted by quarrying at Craig yr Hesg.  

Both the First Minister and Deputy First Minister acknowledged that they needed to do more on this issue with the First Minister recognising that “dust, noise and health impacts have always got to be taken really seriously” and also that there’s a need to ensure consistent enforcement by authorities and that they take action when conditions are breached.  

I was pleased to support my colleague, Sioned Williams MS as Chair of the Cross Party Group on Human Rights as the launched a report on their inquiry into the state of human rights in Wales last week. 

The inquiry assessed whether the Welsh Government is delivering on its commitment to strengthen human rights.  Evidence was gathered from over 20 stakeholders, focusing on five key UN treaties:

• UNCRPD (Disabled People)
• CEDAW (Women)
• ICESCR (Economic, Social & Cultural Rights)
• CERD (Racial Discrimination)
• CRC (Children’s Rights)

The report has confirmed what we already know from evidence by key partners and individual testimony that there remains a significant gap between aspirations and implementation beyond the strong policy and legislative foundation we have in Wales.