Joel James: 2. Will the First Minister make a statement on the role of alternative protein technology in achieving net zero? OQ57224
Joel James: I'd like to start by thanking my colleagues for all the valid and important points they've raised so far in this debate, and to pay tribute to my colleague Joyce for raising her own personal experience. The issue of spiking drinks in pubs and nightclubs has been an ongoing situation for some time. Whilst everyone can be affected, it is, as we have already heard, predominantly women who are...
Joel James: Thank you for allowing the intervention. I wanted to intervene mainly because you mentioned in your argument—you phrased it as selfishness, the nature of it, why we're opposing that. I'm opposed to these proposals, but ultimately if they go through it's a minor inconvenience for me and it's a minor inconvenience for you. But the issue is, ultimately, for those who have disabilities, mental...
Joel James: Thank you, Minister, for your statement. It's great to see that the Wales and Africa programme continues to benefit some of the poorest nations in the world, and that another round of small-scale funding has been launched. This has been a crucial source of income to provide help and support for many small charities and community groups on the African continent. And I would also like to put on...
Joel James: Thank you, Chair. I'd like to start by adding my support to the comments that my colleague Jack Sargeant has made in opening this debate and also thank all those individuals and families who've campaigned tirelessly over the years to bring this issue to light and for it to get the coverage it needs. Throughout the course of bringing this petition to debate, many people have shared their own...
Joel James: Thank you for that intervention. The Conservative Party isn't against co-operatives. One of the fundamental things that we are against, really, with the Marcora thing that was brought in in the 1980s, was a Government-backed investment of 3:1, which was a substantial Government investment that was actually proven to break EU state-aid rules. That is one of the major issues we have here, if...
Joel James: —and a large proportion of these do, then workers will be unable to claim welfare benefits to support themselves and their families for up to three years. I suspect that very few people here have given this any thought, preferring to focus on the perceived benefits, rather than the cold, hard reality of the matter. I doubt Members here are seriously proposing that workers will have to...
Joel James: I'd like to start by thanking the Member for raising this debate and for the way in which he's put forward his argument. Though I recognise the reasons why the Member has brought forward these proposals, I nonetheless think that the Member is off-kilter on what the potential benefits of implementing a 1980s Italian-style Marcora law in Wales would be, and I'm also concerned that the Member is...
Joel James: As the Minister will be aware, despite every effort to stop and prevent illegal fishing, some people are still determined to break the law and illegally overharvest our seas for their commercial gain. This, unfortunately, has a huge knock-on effect, with fish stocks being depleted, the livelihoods of law-abiding fishermen being affected, and the placement of endangered fish species into more...
Joel James: Firstly, I would like to start by thanking the children's commissioner for all her hard work and dedication throughout her time in office. I'd also thank her and her staff for preparing this report. Sadly, like many other sections of society, children, particularly vulnerable children whose conditions may have been made worse by the substantial changes they have faced during the COVID...
Joel James: As the Minister will be well aware, blue carbon ecosystems have been identified as having enormous potential to store carbon, and exhibit carbon burial rates of up to 30 times higher than forests, which, incidentally, receive a disproportionate amount of attention for their capacity to store carbon. As we know, Wales has a very long coastline; it has more than 3 million hectares of blue...
Joel James: First Minister, the week beginning 13 September was National Racehorse Week across the UK, which is designed to showcase many of the fascinating aspects of horse racing, and open the doors of many of the horse trainers to show the high standards of love, care and attention that race horses receive. In Scotland and England, specific organisations have been set up to promote horse racing and to...
Joel James: 9. Will the First Minister make a statement on the horse-racing industry in Wales? OQ56993
Joel James: As the Deputy Minister will be aware, the Connecting Communities programme has ended earlier than planned, because the Welsh Government's invitation and selection of the project was not in accordance with requirements of European regulations. The Connecting Communities programme has been a lifeline for vulnerable people to be able to access vital services, and for them to maintain a level of...
Joel James: How is the Welsh Government tackling CO2 emissions from cars?
Joel James: I imagine that the 'Delivering for Future Generations' report must have made for some uncomfortable reading for the Minister, given the overwhelming number of criticisms that have been laid at her feet and how poorly implemented this legislation has been. The commissioner herself has expressed deep concern that her office is massively underfunded to fully implement this Welsh Government’s...
Joel James: However, it is without question that the Welsh Government must recognise that surveying people about toll roads and being very specific about the M4 and A470 as possible locations will put into people’s minds that this is a course of action that the Government are considering. I hope the Government can acknowledge the considerable concern among motorists and businesses that this would have...
Joel James: Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. The abolition of the Severn bridge tolls has proved to be a massive benefit to the people of Wales. As the stranglehold of tolls was released by the UK Government in 2017, businesses and commuters were relieved of massive financial burdens, with some motorists saving as much as £1,400 per year. Removing the Severn bridge toll road will have undoubtedly opened up...
Joel James: Thank you. As the Minister will be aware, Cardiff capital region has been identified by the Kalifa review as a place for emerging clusters of financial technology companies. The UK Government, through Her Majesty's Treasury, has appointed a fintech envoy to Wales who has been very successful in helping start FinTech Wales, an organisation, as you mentioned, that helps financial technology...
Joel James: 5. What discussions has the Minister had with the UK Government regarding the implementation of the Kalifa review of the UK fintech sector? OQ56914
