Ken Skates: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Can I first of all thank the Minister for making an incredibly important statement today? I welcome every word that she has spoken, particularly when she made reference just recently in her response to Jenny Rathbone about the importance of the new curriculum. My first question is seeking assurance: will the Minister assure Members that she'll continue to engage with...
Ken Skates: 8. How is the Welsh Government supporting councils in repairing local roads in Clwyd South? OQ57732
Ken Skates: Thank you, First Minister, and you'll be aware that the Welsh Labour Government has already provided financial support to Wrexham County Borough Council for assessing the work that is required to bring the B5605 Newbridge road back into use after a major landslide. First Minister, I'd be very grateful if you could confirm whether, as a result of this financial support from the Welsh...
Ken Skates: Dirprwy Lywydd, can I first of all thank Peter Fox for this question? Obviously, the question of where funds are invested is of very great interest to Members at this time, who, rightly, would not wish to see funds invested in any Russian entities. Now, clearly, the Commission has no means to influence the allocation of the Members' pension scheme assets. That power rests entirely with the...
Ken Skates: Could I thank Peter Fox and assure him that we will undertake to work with the pension board to ensure that all the investments are ethical investments? Obviously, the Welsh Government itself, through the economic contract it has with businesses, is driving a values-led economy, and we as Commissioners are also keen to make sure that, where we invest, we invest in businesses—primarily in...
Ken Skates: 5. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the impact of the rising cost of living on people in Clwyd South? OQ57861
Ken Skates: Diolch, First Minister. And you will be aware, I'm sure, of data from the 'Crunch Point' report from Citizens Advice, which shows that 14.5 million people—one in five people in Britain—won't be able to afford their energy bills when prices rise in October, just as we enter winter. And by then, a single person in receipt of benefits will be spending up to 47 per cent of their universal...
Ken Skates: 3. How is the Welsh Government supporting economic development in the Mersey Dee area? OQ57825
Ken Skates: Well, can I thank the Minister for his answer to my question and also for his steadfast support for Wrexham's bid to be the UK City of Culture in 2025? The Minister's support has been noted across the county borough, and it's been incredibly valuable to be able to boast of to other bidders and obviously to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and to the board. In the spirit...
Ken Skates: Just two items to raise. First of all, Trefnydd, Saturday's National League football match at the Racecourse was a phenomenal event—you and I were both present at it, along with almost 9,000 spectators. And it once again demonstrated how the world's oldest international football stadium can host dramatic and sensational events. Would the Government commit to pressing for the return of...
Ken Skates: 4. What discussions has the Welsh Government had with the UK Government regarding the shared prosperity fund? OQ57938
Ken Skates: Thank you, First Minister. Obviously, you've already said that Wales could lose out by over £1 billion as a consequence of the implementation of the shared prosperity fund. That's £1 billion that could have been used to grow the Welsh economy and to support some of the most disadvantaged communities in Wales, including in my constituency. It doesn't feel like levelling up. Is this,...
Ken Skates: 6. What is the Minister's assessment of the local government settlement provided to Wrexham County Borough Council for the current financial year? OQ57937
Ken Skates: Well, thank you, Minister. It's really heartening to hear you, Jane Dodds, Joyce Watson and Sam Rowlands paying tribute to councillors and to councils who have acted heroically during the course of the pandemic and faced criticism often that is unwarranted. The Welsh Local Government Association, of course, welcomed this year's settlement for councils as the best in decades, and it comes at a...
Ken Skates: Will the First Minister provide an update on progress towards publishing the final version of the violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence national strategy 2022-26?
Ken Skates: Diolch. We have safeguards in place that should protect against fire-and-rehire practices, and the Commission is committed to ensuring fair and transparent employment practices are in place throughout the supply chain for our contracts. To win our business, our contractors must demonstrate high standards of corporate social responsibility at the tender stage, and we do have clauses in our...
Ken Skates: May I thank the Member for raising this important issue? I will certainly pledge to examine all contracts to make sure that the abhorrent practice of fire and rehire is not part of the contracts that we are able to sign as a Commission. We'll also continue to look to see whether there is more that we can do to tighten up protections against fire-and-rehire practices, and, as I said, we've got...
Ken Skates: I'd agree with the Member that the practice of fire and rehire has no place as far as we're concerned. As I said in response to Heledd Fychan, we'll continue to look to see whether there is more that we can do to tighten up protections against this particular practice. I would say that it is unacceptable, that it's not something that we would wish to see, and we will do our utmost to ensure...
Ken Skates: Just two statements I'd like to ask for today. The first concerns the campaign by Wrexham AFC to secure UK Government funding for the redevelopment of the Racecourse Kop, and also the return of international matches to north Wales. Will the Welsh Government support the campaign for a stadium for the north, and update Members on the Wrexham Gateway project and the many millions of pounds that...
Ken Skates: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Minister, thanks so much for this very welcome statement today—a statement that you would not be making had it not been for the contribution that Rhianon Passmore has made in regard to this particular issue over many years. Just a small number of questions from me. First of all, how do you envisage using or utilising the Welsh diaspora, and in particular some of the...
