Jenny Rathbone: Thank you, acting Presiding Officer. Speaking on behalf of the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee, which has published three reports on four legislative consent memorandums since the first version of the Fisheries Bill went before the UK Parliament in November 2018, I'd like to thank very much all those who have contributed to our work. Our first report on an LCM for the...
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you for your statement, and very good to hear you've consulted so widely as we face such unprecedented upheavals, caused by not just one pandemic, but three tsunamis: the possibility of leaving the European Union without a trade deal, and the climate emergency. These things haven't gone away and the idea that we should go back to our bad old ways seems to me absolutely ridiculous, as I...
Jenny Rathbone: So, basically, I just want to say that we really do need to look to the future of how we manage all these changes, and the idea that there's not going to be enough work to go round is completely false, in my view. But we do need that underpinning to enable people to make the transition in this very, very radical set of changes that we are going to be suffering.
Jenny Rathbone: An excellent introduction by Jack, and a really interesting debate by people from all parties, and that's how it should be. It seems to me that the COVID pandemic, and the collective action that has been required to beat it, is what has propelled radical responses into the spotlight. Who would have thought that a Chancellor of the Exchequer, in one of the most right-wing libertarian...
Jenny Rathbone: I just wondered if you could tell us a little bit more about the attendance rates at school, because I think that will give us an indication of how effective schools have been at reaching out to young people who may be feeling very anxious about returning to school and assuring them that they are going to be safe, and that they should be returning to school for their well-being.
Jenny Rathbone: I'm interested to hear that Janet Finch-Saunders says that the Conservatives back food safety, but unfortunately, to date, they have resisted putting explicit clauses on food safety into the Agriculture Bill. and that is a cause of concern. Now, the House of Lords has very robustly put an amendment into the Bill last week requiring all food products imported under future trade deals to meet...
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you. I think you can hear me now. Thank you very much. I think manufacturing is absolutely crucial to the well-being of our future economy, and we saw what great work was done with getting manufacturers to make PPE during the pandemic. Most recently, we had the closure of the Ford Bridgend car plant, a victim of the UK's refusal to remain in the single European market, and the American...
Jenny Rathbone: Today, I rode on an e-scooter, which is permitted to go on the roads under new regulations, and I wondered if we could have a statement on how we can extend that as another mode of transport to complement the reduction in public transport and, obviously, the necessary reduction in the use of private vehicles. I'd also like a second statement from Lesley Griffiths, as the Minister responsible...
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you very much for bringing this debate. I think it's really important to both our students, but also to our overall economy. First, I want to congratulate Cardiff Metropolitan University, which has been designated Welsh university of the year by The Times and The Sunday Times, which is focused on its courses that are designed for hands-on learning, including the very important food...
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you for that answer, Minister. I just want to address the threat that is posed to food security, given the rising possibility of no trade deal with the European Union. As Professor Tim Lang, the food expert, said again today, we are a nation without a food larder. And that statement applies just as much to Wales as to the rest of the UK, with supermarkets operating on a just-in-time...
Jenny Rathbone: 6. What progress has the Welsh Government made in reshaping public procurement in order to strengthen the foundational economy? OQ55543
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you very much. It is certainly the case that COVID-19 has taken a terrible toll on women's position in the workplace, because they've been targeted by employers as being the first out the door if they're needing to make redundancies. So, we've got some catch up to do on ensuring that we have an inclusive workforce, but also in ensuring that all children have the opportunity of a quality...
Jenny Rathbone: First Minister, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report that was published recently really highlights the importance of high-performing transport networks and skills development to address the historic low productivity that we've suffered in Wales, given the very low level of investment by the UK Government since the industrialisation in the 1970s and 1980s. It is...
Jenny Rathbone: 4. Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's strategy to prioritise a green recovery? OQ55576
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you, David Melding, for raising this important issue. You make a very cogent argument for the justice of doing something to help these people who did all the right things in terms of the conveyancing operations before they bought the lease on their flat, and it's indisputable that there has been a failure of policy makers, as well as a failure of building regulations. I was particularly...
Jenny Rathbone: Yesterday, Darren Millar asked why we put up with the European Parliament holding so much power over our destiny, yet we are objecting to the UK Government capturing those policy responsibilities and powers to exercise on our behalf. The reason we are doing that is that the powers held by the European Parliament, and, in turn, by the European Commission, were negotiated and agreed. Patently,...
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you. I think it's perfectly clear from listening to the debate that nobody's actually grasped the nettle, which is the role of the airlines in spreading disease. Why is it that we have not expected airline travel to be subject to the same restrictions as bus and train travel, not only to wear masks when they're travelling but also to maintain 2m distance? Therefore, I'd like to ask the...
Jenny Rathbone: Okay. Thank you very much. So, how are the planning regulations keeping pace with the need to repurpose redundant office and shopping spaces, create more dedicated walking and cycling paths, and, specifically, your response to what look like empty purpose-built student accommodation investments?
Jenny Rathbone: I fully support that statement, and thank you for that, but obviously the landscape is changing incredibly quickly. The pandemic has exposed many fissures in the town and city centres that we have designed, which no longer look fit for purpose. It isn't just that office jobs can be done from home as easily as in the town centre—and people like the Principality Building Society have already...
Jenny Rathbone: 1. What strategy is the Welsh Government applying to city and town centre planning decisions so that its carbon emission reduction targets are taken into account? OQ55517
