Clause 1 - Community Health Councils in Wales
Health (Wales) Bill
11:00 am
Mr Hywel Williams (Caernarfon, Plaid Cymru)
I called NHS Direct and various other bodies, and was told that I might be able to make an emergency appointment in Llandudno Junction on a Tuesday evening. Unfortunately, I am detained in this place at that time. If I were offered an appointment in Llandudno Junction on a Thursday evening, I might also be detained in this place. If I were at home, I should have to travel some 40 miles to take advantage of it.
I want to speak briefly on the subject of name changes. I represent the community of Cricieth. Hon. Members will know that there has been a dispute in my constituency since the early 1960s as to how many times the letter ''c'' appears in Cricieth. Some say there are two in the middle; some say that there are two in total; others say that it should be spelled with a k after the c. I therefore have a little experience of the sensitivity over the issue of name changes.
The Welsh Assembly and Government—the fully democratically elected representatives of the Welsh people—would consult. Were they to move on the basis of a request by CHCs, that would only be a
recipe for dispute and disagreement. I will not say that it would be a recipe for mischief, but that crossed my mind.
I consulted widely before attending the Committee, including with the Association of Welsh Community Health Councils. The hon. Member for Ribble Valley will be interested to know that it is already considering changing its name to something a bit more catchy. It even asked me what I thought, which I felt quite honoured about.