Laura Anne Jones: This is an exceptionally important topic, especially this week ahead of White Ribbon Day, and I'd like to put on record my thanks to Joyce Watson for all her work in raising awareness of this important issue. We welcome the fact that, now, harassment has been included in the Live Fear Free campaign, but for those who reach out and escape violent situations for good, many will have to rebuild...
Laura Anne Jones: Thank you, business Minister. Of course, I welcomed your assurance last week that you and your Government have been liaising with the UK Council for Internet Safety, after it came to light that teachers were facing abuse on social media platforms such as TikTok. However, the situation has escalated, and teachers are continuing to be uploaded to the social media platform, and it's now being...
Laura Anne Jones: Minister, in the Welsh Government social research paper published last month, 'Implementing the Socio-economic Duty—A review of evidence on socio-economic disadvantage and inequalities of outcome', people experiencing socioeconomic deprivation are less likely to participate in sporting activities and, as a result, that leads to poorer health outcomes and higher mortality rates. One of the...
Laura Anne Jones: First Minister, as with the free school meals, of course, and it is welcome, but doesn't it concern you, like with your pilot for universal basic income, that millionaires will be benefiting from it? Do you think this is the real best use of resources for really tackling poverty in Wales head on? You've had 20 years, First Minister, to make your mark here in Wales, and yet this Government has...
Laura Anne Jones: Minister, as the nights draw in and temperatures plummet, community groups such as Pride in Pill in my city, in my region of South Wales East, have been going out on these cold nights providing people with clothing and food in these freezing temperatures, to rough-sleepers. They do an absolutely sterling job and never miss a night going out because of the cold; in fact, it makes them more...
Laura Anne Jones: —failure in tackling homelessness over the last two decades. So, in your proposals, do you think there are enough incentives there to ensure the speed at which we need to see this turnover? And when it comes to supporting people—my last question—to live in temporary accommodation, the Welsh Government guidelines have allowed local authorities to end their duty of care to house them for...
Laura Anne Jones: Thank you, Presiding Officer. Just a quick question, because you've actually answered all my questions, Minister, in that, but, obviously, as shadow education Minister, that area's obviously a concern to me and as you know, parents and carers really struggled to support their children during the pandemic, particularly in lockdowns. Those families with disabilities struggled more than most,...
Laura Anne Jones: 3. What assessment has the Minister made of hospital capacity in South Wales East over the winter period? OQ57297
Laura Anne Jones: Thank you, Minister. New data published in 2021 by the Welsh Government show that, within Welsh hospitals, there is an average of 10,340 beds available, a drop of over 200 beds recorded from the previous 12 months. Minister, when was it decided that slashing beds was the right course of action, especially during the pandemic? In 1999, when the Senedd was first established, there were 14,723.4...
Laura Anne Jones: I'd like to firstly thank Mabon for bringing forward such an important debate today, and also say that I'm sorry to hear what his family is going through and to hear the personal reasons for him bringing this debate to the Senedd today. The points raised so far will be both concerning and upsetting to people the length and breadth of our country. The Welsh Government's announcement of the new...
Laura Anne Jones: I concur with much that’s been said already across the Chamber, and it’s wonderful to hear so many Members championing their local businesses today, and rightly so. We are blessed with a plethora of diverse, wonderful small businesses across my region of South Wales East, and it’s so important too that we support them in any which way we can, and lead by example. Small businesses are...
Laura Anne Jones: Did you say my name then? Yes. I couldn't hear you. Your microphone was muted. Okay, thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I welcome the debate here today, and I'd like to thank Peter Fox for bringing it forward; it is absolutely crucial that we talk about this. Although rare, there are few conditions as devastating as motor neurone disease, a rapidly progressing condition in the...
Laura Anne Jones: Thank you, Minister. Your statement is once again, as always on these subjects, very, very welcome. Any violence against women and girls cannot and should not be tolerated within today's society. The fact that domestic abuse is the biggest killer of women aged 19 to 44—as you say in your statement, Minister, even more than breast cancer—is a sobering reminder of the urgent need to tackle...
Laura Anne Jones: [Inaudible.]—in the education Bill, but now is the time for that detail, please, and what moneys will follow to ensure that these ambitions are reached. Thank you.
Laura Anne Jones: 4. Will the Minister make a statement on the updated COVID-19 guidelines for schools? OQ57324
Laura Anne Jones: Diolch, Deputy Presiding Officer. Minister, you'll be aware of the awful case that occurred in Solihull in the west midlands, where six-year-old Arthur Hughes lost his life after a cruel and callous series of abuse. Despite concerns being raised, young Arthur's life was cut short, due to significant failings across the board. From an educational perspective, Minister, we are now acutely aware...
Laura Anne Jones: —additional training for teachers to identify potential signs of abuse. So, can you reassure us, Minister, today that lessons will be learnt from this case, including the severe impact that lockdowns and no school have on our children, particularly vulnerable children?
Laura Anne Jones: Thank you, Minister. Minister, the Estyn report released earlier this week is quite damning, I'm sure you'll agree. It was hard enough when we were at school, socially, but now for young people they have far more to cope with, with the added pressures of phones and social media, and it makes me glad not to be in school anymore, but, as a parent, it does worry me daily. The Estyn report that...
Laura Anne Jones: Thank you, Minister. Questions have already been asked on this today, but I would like to press you further, if I may, on whether schools are going to close early for the Christmas break. Some schools are preparing by having their Christmas activities this week rather than next week; some schools have said they're going to close; some schools have said they're definitely not going to close....
Laura Anne Jones: Minister, with so many teaching staff self-isolating, it has become a real struggle to maintain even the status quo in schools, let alone providing the enhanced provision for those who fell behind during the pandemic. With PISA results as low as they are—the lowest in the UK, and on a par with ex-Soviet bloc countries—it has become very apparent that our children can't miss out on any...
