00:00Let me remind the Senedd, and let me remind the First Minister, that last month Wales's
00:06latest health statistics were released, and they were truly shocking, First Minister.
00:11Welsh NHS waiting lists haven't just hit record highs, they've now hit record highs for 10
00:17consecutive months. That is truly shocking.
00:21There are 2 million contacts every month in a population of 3 million people. That is
00:26a huge amount of work being done. And you talk about the waiting lists, let me tell
00:32you about waiting lists. The diagnostic waits in Wales are going down, the therapies are
00:38going down, and do you know what? They don't even count those in England. They're not even
00:42counted in the statistics. So we're being far more honest with the public about what
00:48is going on in Wales.
00:49For Plaid Cymru, concerns go further than just the NHS, as Cardiff University and other
00:54establishments are coming under unprecedented pressures across the country.
00:59Institutions of cultural, educational and national importance are being dismantled
01:03one by one under this Labour government, from our health service to the health of our cultural
01:09and education institutions. The First Minister will have heard the rally on the steps of
01:13the Senedd today. 400 jobs on the brink at Cardiff University, the National Museum closed,
01:19cuts to the Arts Council, the loss of a national theatre, a world-renowned music department
01:24going, the land of song being silenced on Labour's watch.
01:28A very unsettling time for staff and for students at the university. I think Cardiff is one
01:34of the jewels in the crown of our higher education sector in Wales. There are lots of reasons
01:39for the difficulties that universities are facing in Wales. It is not unique to Wales.
01:49We've got to take account the fact that there are changes to visa requirements, Brexit,
01:53lots of EU structural funds. All of these things have impacted on the university.
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