David Chadwick, MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe makes his maiden speech in Parliament
David Chadwick, the newly elected Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe has used his maiden speech in Parliament to draw attention to the healthcare crisis impacting his constituency.
Video from parliamentlive.tv
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00:00I stand here as the first ever MP for Bracken, Radnor and Comtower, the largest constituency
00:14in England and Wales. Therefore, I have a foot in two worlds—one in rural mid Wales
00:20and the other in the Swansea valley. I wish to pay tribute to my predecessors, Fay Jones
00:26and Christina Rees, for their commitment to Welsh politics and their service to these
00:30communities.
00:32The north of the constituency starts in the uplands of Radnorshire, a historic old county
00:37featuring the market towns of Knighton, Rheada, the outdoor capital of Wales, and Pristine.
00:44Our constituency has three spa towns—Clyndrindod Wells, Bilth Wells and Llanurty Wells. Bilth
00:51Wells, of course, is where the Royal Welsh Show, Europe's largest agricultural gathering,
00:55takes place each summer. At the centre is my handsome, historic home town of Bracken,
01:01home to the army in Wales and a thriving Nepalese community. The world book town of Hay-on-Wye
01:08shows that a small rural town can be a world leader, as does Britain's best high street
01:14in Crickhowell, not forgetting the horticultural talents on display in Talgarth.
01:21At the head of the Swansea valley is Ystrgynlais, the birthplace of the British iron industry,
01:26and Pontydawr, where the roof of the White House itself was made. This enormous constituency
01:33was not created by popular demand, but was welded together following the previous Government's
01:39decision to cut the number of Welsh constituencies by a fifth. Wales responded by cutting the
01:48number of Welsh Conservative MPs to zero. Welsh farmers will not forget the trade deals
01:55they signed with New Zealand and Australia. Wales wants a fairer deal from this Parliament.
02:03Yesterday we debated the challenges facing the NHS in England. Many of my constituents
02:07travel to England for NHS treatment. I have tried healthcare systems across the world.
02:14I was run over by a car in the Netherlands and was paralysed by Guillain-Barré syndrome
02:18in Argentina. It was a tough couple of years. I have seen how high-quality healthcare changes
02:23lives and saves lives. I am sorry to say that the Welsh NHS is in dire straits. Its outcomes
02:31are worse than in England, yet no equivalent review is taking place in Wales. Instead,
02:38the Welsh Government are forcing health boards to make heavy budget cuts. They are proposing
02:44to cut the opening hours at minor injuries units at hospitals in Brecon, Llandrindod
02:49Wells and Ystradgynlais, and forcing local residents to make long journeys, travelling
02:55long distances and relying on roads that are often closed, or bus journeys that can take
02:59a whole day. People living in rural areas should not have to pay a rural penalty to
03:06access healthcare. Indeed, rural areas can help tackle the healthcare crisis that we
03:11face. Take obesity. We can lighten the load on our NHS by bettering the nation's diet.
03:20If we recognised the true value of good food and local produce, we would appreciate the
03:24public health and environmental benefits from the money spent on the agricultural budget.
03:30The Government must be aware of the massive multiplier effect that the agricultural budget
03:34has for the rural economy, and should give farmers the stability and funding they need.
03:40Food security is a major concern. Sixty-one per cent of farmers are considering giving
03:45up, and the farming workforce is dwindling. Our farmers and growers produce world-class
03:52produce, battling harsh weather and constantly changing market conditions. Those market conditions
03:58are often set by retail giants. I know that my predecessor, Roger Williams, fought to
04:04level the relationship between retailers and farmers through strengthening the Groceries
04:08Code adjudicator. It is a shame that the Conservatives did not do more to strengthen that code during
04:14their time in office. I will carry on that fight.
04:18Only this past week have we seen an important campaign from Riverford, holding supermarkets
04:23to account for misleading shoppers with fake farm brands and driving Britain's family
04:28farms to the brink. That is just one example of the challenges that farmers face. We need
04:34to champion local food systems, not imports. Let us support the movement towards rebuilding
04:42local supply chains, driven by a new generation of rural entrepreneurs who are opening restaurants,
04:48building brands, bringing back jobs and remaking our high streets. That spirit of innovation
04:54flourishes still in Wales. We once had the lead in industrial sciences. We were the world's
05:01first industrial nation, but now Wales is £10,000 ahead, poorer than England, and still
05:09shedding jobs. For both of my grandfathers, the steel industry was the first rung on the
05:15career ladder. One of them climbed the ladders at Port Talbot, but now those ladders have
05:21been taken away. Those jobs must be replaced for the families in my constituency who are
05:27now facing unemployment before Christmas. If this Government want to back Welsh industry
05:32and Welsh jobs, they can do so by backing the Global Centre for Rail Excellence in Antloen.
05:39Great Britain has no all-purpose testing centre for railway vehicles and infrastructure, but
05:44this former mine has been repurposed to be that facility. Give us the tools, and we will
05:50get on with it, for we still know how to dig ourselves out of a hole in Wales. We
05:55are a creative people. We love music, we love words and we love singing. We love reading
06:00about other people, which is why my constituency sustains three local newspapers—the Brecon
06:05and Radnor Express, the County Times and the Mid Wales Journal—as well as the Pontymag,
06:10the Beacon and the Roscoff Gossip.
06:12Finally, I would like to thank my partner Gemma, whose bravery and resourcefulness continue
06:18to inspire me. To my son, William, and our next soon-to-be-born child, who does not have
06:23a name yet, I am opting for Enzo, so I would love the House's support for Enzo. I dedicate
06:31my work here to fighting for the future you deserve.