By Mark Isherwood

MS for North Wales

In a question to the First Minister on support for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), I referred to a new report which has revealed that a rising number of Welsh construction firms are facing administration, and asked how the Welsh Government will work with representatives of SME contractors to ensure that the sector can continue building.

Questioning the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, I raised concerns that school children in North Wales are being left stranded at bus stops because of local authorities' strict interpretation of the Welsh Government's Learner Travel (Wales) Measure, which restricts free home-to-school transport to learners of compulsory school age who live three miles or further from their nearest suitable school.

In the Business Statement, I called for an Oral Welsh Government Statement to be scheduled on the scrapped plans to introduce a British Sign Language, BSL, GCSE in Wales, stating that “Alternative proposals by Qualifications Wales are seen to be a fob-off, causing great offence”.

As Shadow Minister for Housing and Planning, in the debate ‘A Legislative Proposal: A Bill relating to planning processes for quarry development’, I supported the general principles of the Bill, but warned that setting a mandatory buffer zone of 1,000m to all existing quarries arbitrarily - and without impact assessments - “risks impacting negatively on jobs, local economies, and the sustainable supply of key materials”.

I was pleased to attend the first bi-annual Mastering Diversity and Inclusion Awards 2024 at the Senedd and as Chair of the Cross-Party Groups on Autism and on Disability welcomed the Awards for ‘Cognitive and Neurodiversity Champion’, ‘Diversity in Sports Champion’ and ‘Diversity in Business Champion’, amongst others.

Other engagements included meetings of the Senedd Cross Party Groups on the Armed Forces and Cadets, and on Housing; a meeting with the National Residential Landlords Association; Chairing the meeting of the Senedd Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee; Breast Cancer Now’s ‘Wear it Pink’ event; Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and RADLD (Raising Awareness of Developmental Language Disorder); and 'Show Racism the Red Card' event.

I also met those campaigning for far greater thought to be given to Wales’s future renewable energy strategy at the 'Re-think - Don't Break the Heart of Wales’ Senedd event, and had a meeting with Marie Curie to discuss in more detail the findings of their latest report, ‘Time to Care’, as well as the action they would like to see taken to improve end of life care in Wales.

For my help, email Mark.Isherwood@senedd.wales or call 0300 200 7219.