Julie James: Through the Superfast Cymru scheme, we've connected businesses across Wales to superfast broadband, and our ultrafast connectivity voucher scheme is providing up to £10,000 for businesses to acquire an ultrafast connection. The Airband project has also connected around 2,000 premises on industrial estates across Wales.
Julie James: So, the issue with the industry is really complex, but basically the industry assures me—and I've asked for that assurance on a number of occasions—that business products are available everywhere in Wales. However, a large number of businesses can't afford to buy the ethernet connection that's being talked about there. We've put the ultrafast connectivity voucher in place in order to...
Julie James: I assume the Member is referring to people being paid less than the minimum wage, and I share his concern that people should be paid the minimum wage in all business places. In my role as chair of the fair work board's phase 1, I've had a meeting with the enforcement authority, which is a UK-based enforcement authority, around the enforcement of the minimum wage, and we are looking at ways...
Julie James: Well, if the Member has any specific details that he'd like to draw to my attention, I'd be most grateful to receive them, because that is quite a series of accusations. And I'd be very happy to look into any aspect of that that he's able to provide details of.
Julie James: Thank you for that. I will have another look at it. We have a number of preventative programmes around several of the issues that you've raised, including modern slavery, prevention of sexual harassment in the workforce and the minimum wage provisions, as I've suggested already. I'm more than happy to have another look at it, but if the Member has any specifics he'd like to actually direct...
Julie James: I've only just got to grips with this part of my portfolio, the Member will be aware, and I've yet to have a series of meetings with the officials who work in this area. I've not yet got a full grasp of that, but I'd be very happy to discuss this issue with the Member. I do, myself, have some concerns about the speed of implementation, but I'm not yet in a position to be able to detail them,...
Julie James: Well, as I say, I'm not in a position to comment on the situation before I took control of this portfolio. Since I've been in post, which is only a month, I've had a number of meetings around, for example, the progress of the healthy relationships guidance, which I understand will be ready in the new year. We are in the process of appointing the new national advisor, and I've been involved in...
Julie James: Well, I've had a number of discussions already about how we do the commissioning guidance, and what we're doing in terms of the national advisors going out. I've also had one preliminary discussion with my colleague here on my right about the financial arrangements for this. I'm not yet in a position to be able to make any pledges about where we are with that until I've got a better grip....
Julie James: The Member raises a very important point. We've established the Wales anti-slavery leadership group to provide strategic leadership and guidance on how to tackle slavery in Wales, and also to provide the best possible support for survivors. The membership of that group includes the National Crime Agency, the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, Cymru Wales Safeguarding, and other UK...
Julie James: Absolutely. I'm very much looking forward to going around the various organisations in Wales to talk about both how the national strategy works locally, and also to pick up the local issues which are around co-ordination, as the Member rightly identifies, and where the overlap of powers between devolved and UK Government responsibilities lies, so that we can make the most of those powers in...
Julie James: Yes, and that's a very important point, and we have a large range of Government initiatives that are designed to make sure that people have the right information to ensure that they don't enter into arrangements that they find themselves slowly sucked into, into situations where really they can't get back out. The Member has highlighted a number of issues. I'm aware of some that have arisen...
Julie James: Yes. There is a strong sense of respect and tolerance in Mid and West Wales, with low levels of hate crime, and a very good community response to the Syrian resettlement programme. Where tensions do exist, we are working closely with partners, including the police, local authorities and communities, to reduce them as much as possible.
Julie James: Thank you very much.
Julie James: If the Member would like to provide me with any specific evidence he has, I would be more than happy to receive it. I have a large number of my own constituents who work at Amazon and I've had a number of correspondence occasions with them over the past about some of their employment practices. I'd be more than happy to write to them with my new hat on if the Member can provide me with the...
Julie James: Well, we've a whole series of regional community cohesion co-ordinators, who have a range of duties amongst them, and one of their main duties is actually to make sure that all of the other agencies collaborate properly and come together with this agenda. So, one of the things that I'll be doing is looking to see how those co-ordinators have worked in the past, to make sure that all of the...
Julie James: Workers from overseas contribute hugely to Wales's economy and society. Our paper, 'Brexit and Fair Movement of People', outlines a framework for future migration that meets Wales's needs and supports vigorous enforcement of non-devolved employment legislation. This approach is underpinned by our anti-exploitation code of practice for ethical employment in the supply chain.
Julie James: Indeed. I think the ongoing uncertainty is completely unnecessary. Welsh Government has been calling for confirmation of EU citizens' rights ever since the referendum. We're very aware that Brexit arrangements are causing many migrant communities anxiety across Wales and we're attempting to contact as many of the migrant community groups, social organisations and other support mechanisms in...
Julie James: Yes, that's one of the things that we've been discussing in our Brexit preparedness arrangements, and our papers, I'm sure the Member knows, all reference the issue around seasonal migrant workers and other, very important elements of our society. We don't agree with quota arrangements, but if such an arrangement were put in place, then we would, of course, be pressing to have the very...
Julie James: Yes. The Welsh Government is working closely with the stakeholders, including local government, health services and the Welsh Refugee Coalition, as well as refugees and asylum seekers themselves, to develop a new delivery plan. This is being done with close reference to the committee's report 'I used to be someone'.
Julie James: Yes. A draft of the plan will be brought to the refugee and asylum seeker operations board on 16 January and subsequently presented at the refugee and asylum seeker taskforce meeting in mid March, in terms of the timing. In the meantime, we've been working very hard to ensure that we take the committee's full, and very good report if I might say, into account in our completely new approach...
