Bethan Sayed: I wanted to ask specifically about your conversations with the new organisation National Youth Arts Wales. I was speaking to tutors at Gartholwg school, when we went as part of the committee inquiry on music, with Dawn Bowden, and one of the tutors said to me, ‘My daughter is applying for the European orchestra because she can afford to do that more than she can afford the fees for the...
Bethan Sayed: I was wondering what work you had done in relation to community relations and schools that are community focused. For example, in my area—and others’—we’ve got a new superschool in Ysgol Bae Baglan. They were told before the school was built, amalgamating different communities around that area, that they would be able to access provision—be able to access the field—for activities,...
Bethan Sayed: Thank you, Llywydd, and thank you to Adam Price for his opening remarks in this regard. In our meeting on 10 May, the Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee considered the draft official languages scheme, as previously mentioned, and we heard oral evidence from Adam Price, the Assembly Commissioner with responsibility for official languages, and from Assembly officials. However,...
Bethan Sayed: It’s somewhat disappointing that the committee was asked not to publish this assessment for administrative reasons. This means that other members of the Assembly and the wider public are unable to judge whether the mitigation measures it outlines are sufficient. It’s important that this is published as soon as possible. And an addition that I would like to mention is that we often ask the...
Bethan Sayed: As we’ve heard previously today, last week, we all know that the Cabinet Secretary for health released a written statement announcing a Healthcare Inspectorate Wales assessment of the lessons learned desktop review by Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Local Health Board. I’m not going to go into the detail again, but this was a major breakdown of patient care and protection, and the...
Bethan Sayed: 1. Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on work to establish an animal abuse register in Wales? (OAQ51033)
Bethan Sayed: Thank you for that update. You said in your response that it was the RSPCA’s task and finish group. I just wanted to confirm whether you are going to be including other organisations on this task and finish group, and taking evidence from those involved in the area who have been working—with no intention to undermine the RSPCA, but a number of groups have been lobbying for this animal...
Bethan Sayed: Thank you. My first question is with regard to Grenfell and I’ve asked many questions on it here in the Chamber, and you have, to be fair, sent us regular updates as requested over the summer about what you are doing in relation to Grenfell on a Wales level. On 25 August, it emerged that some private high-rise apartment buildings in Cardiff, such as those at Prospect Place, had failed...
Bethan Sayed: And on the same theme, in response to a short debate by Dawn Bowden in May in relation to electrical safety—obviously, this is pertinent here because a washing machine was involved in the situation involving the fire at Grenfell—you said that you would be commissioning research in Wales into fires caused by electricity. I want to know what’s happening with that research and who you will...
Bethan Sayed: Thank you. Well, I would hope that if you get letters from experts, you use their expertise. I think that all I’m trying to say is that, obviously, they have that expertise to offer, and they do have an open door towards speaking to you. I wanted to move on to housing. I’ve been talking about social housing quite a lot recently. I wanted to ask a question in relation to updating homes...
Bethan Sayed: Will the Cabinet Secretary outline the lessons that have been learnt from the Kris Wade scandal at the ABMU Health Board? (TAQ0043)
Bethan Sayed: Thank you for that response. It’s quite hard to know where to start in relation to this issue—an internal report that is fundamentally flawed, and what a former consultant at ABMU said was created by middle-grade managers as a bolt-on to their day job. That, in itself, is a damning indictment of this report. You say today that it’s an independent review. What I read in the written...
Bethan Sayed: Diolch. Since the announcement of a new major Titan or superprison was announced back in March of this year, it has alarmed people across the communities I represent in Port Talbot and the wider area too. It’s galvanised a wide cross section of the community and led to a genuine cross-party effort in Port Talbot to say ‘no’ to this prison. It’s led to people getting involved in...
Bethan Sayed: Thank you.
Bethan Sayed: Well, I’d love to have more documentation, but what we’ve found out is that you have had conversations with the UK Government. You’ve given them a list of potential sites from Wales. As I understand it—and, again, I’m happy to be corrected—you did not need to give the Ministry of Justice that list. In fact, it would take them putting a compulsory purchase Order on that land,...
Bethan Sayed: Will you take an intervention?
Bethan Sayed: I just wanted to clarify, because you said you hadn’t been part of any decision-making processes. But on 28 June, in communities questions in response to my question on the prison, you said your department have been, and I quote, involved ‘in terms of deciding and offering sites that were available right across the south Wales region’. So, you were either involved in deciding or you...
Bethan Sayed: Well, if anything else, I’m glad we’ve had a fiery and engaging debate for those of us who have wanted to have that debate today, but I must say that I am disappointed with the reaction of the Cabinet Secretary because we’re in a week where we’re discussing devolution and the powers that we have. Sometimes, even if you don’t have the powers in your grasp, you have the moral...
Bethan Sayed: So, will you therefore—? Envases, as Adam Price said, the company by that site, has said that they would be interested in purchasing it, and it’s been empty for so much time. Why have you not invested in this land prior to now? Because it’s on an industrial park, it’s your obligation to do that. I said—I didn’t say we wouldn’t be political; I said we are working cross party, and...
Bethan Sayed: Adam, do you want to make an intervention? [Interruption.] I’m going to pull this debate to a close, and I thank everybody for such a lively debate if nothing else.
