Bethan Sayed: Will you take an intervention?
Bethan Sayed: On this particular report, however, the authors were redacted. We’re having an internal review and we don’t know who actually wrote it. So, it’s very hard to have faith in a system where we can’t properly scrutinise it, and where that actual report did not take evidence from those who wanted to give evidence. How can you be assured that that will happen, if health boards investigate...
Bethan Sayed: 1. Will the Commission outline the rules relating to private vendors, such as the Big Issue, on or outside the Assembly estate? (OAQ51228)
Bethan Sayed: I was asking in relation to discussions that I had with ‘The Big Issue’ when I was selling copies with them in Cardiff. They were saying that they were getting squeezed out by people who were begging in Cardiff so that they couldn’t potentially sell their issues very well there. So, I was wondering whether there was capacity around the estate for some ‘The Big Issue’ vendors to come...
Bethan Sayed: There are now only 18 months to go until the phase-out of Communities First is concluded. And, in terms of the transfer of delivery and legacy funding, we must be confident that statutory bodies that will take over delivery of current projects have the funding required to deliver those projects, and that money is ring-fenced accordingly. I say that because, today, there are some questions...
Bethan Sayed: I’d like to open this debate by placing Plaid Cymru’s opinion on this policy firmly on the record from the outset. Universal credit is a pernicious and cruel policy cooked up in the out-of-touch corners of the Tory party like a gone-off Eton mess to penalise those looking for work. It’s a well-known fact that certain elements of the Conservative Party and those in UKIP who used to be...
Bethan Sayed: Well, you can come in if you want to make an intervention. I’m happy for you to confirm your views in that e-mail.
Bethan Sayed: Let’s start with one damning fact. Almost half of the council tenants in the 105 local authorities who receive the housing element of universal credit are in arrears by a month. Nearly a third are behind by two months, whereas those still on housing benefit—only 10 per cent of council tenants—are a month behind, and less than 5 per cent of that group are two months or more behind. So,...
Bethan Sayed: Thank you very much. I think, if nothing else, we’ve had another lively debate, and I think it’s good for democracy. I think it’s important that we start on the administrative costs that Steffan Lewis has intervened on twice. The fiscal framework agreement—[Interruption.]
Bethan Sayed: [Continues.]—between the UK Government and Scottish Government in 2016 states that the baseline Barnett formula—he’s not listening to me, even—will be adjusted to reflect the responsibility over welfare, including costs and administration—including costs and administration. It says in point 31, and I quote, Both Governments have agreed that the UK government will provide £200m to...
Bethan Sayed: [Continues.]—constructive ideas to build our own potential welfare system for the future here in Wales, so that we won’t, potentially, have to put sanctions on people, and that we can administer payments with respect for the individuals. Why can that not be considered by the Welsh Government? We’re not hearing that answer here today. We won’t be supporting the Tory amendment in this...
Bethan Sayed: Thank you. I think it’s important that we take this debate seriously, because we’ve seen on Westminster benches previously when people have taken this too lightly, and it doesn’t go down well with the public. It doesn’t go down well with the public if people see people laughing in the Chamber. The point that I wanted to make to Mark Isherwood is that this was set up by Iain Duncan...
Bethan Sayed: Okay. Thank you very much. As you may have realised, my voice is going; I don’t have Strepsils like Theresa May, and therefore I’m not wishing to speak for very much longer. But I think what’s important is we’ve had the debate, we’ve aired the concerns, but we always describe the problem here in this Chamber. We describe it because it’s bad, but as opposed to continuing to...
Bethan Sayed: Legal advice I've received, and I quote, says: 'Assuming this is correct, there is a covenant and that covenant is legally valid. It means that the site is affected by an obligation in favour of a third party limiting its use to an industrial park only. In those circumstances, building a prison on the site could be a breach of the covenant. In the event of a breach, the party with the benefit...
Bethan Sayed: I've received many, many representations from parents in the Port Talbot area whereby they're claiming that specialist provision of a playgroup for children with additional learning needs at Action for Children at Neath Port Talbot Hospital is under threat and that it may lead to closure. Also they've told me that the autism family support worker is under threat of losing their position....
Bethan Sayed: The strength of feeling regarding the proposed prison is clear, and it's great to see that some of the campaigners are here today. The fact that we're having another debate on this issue so soon after the Plaid Cymru debate is testament to that success. It's also testament to the willpower and the determination that exists in the community and beyond. I too would like to start by paying...
Bethan Sayed: There are lots of placards across Port Talbot, thousands of leaflets have been delivered and volunteers have been knocking doors and doing street stalls. Some people would think there was an election on the cards, because of the level of activity. It's clear, too, that those volunteers are more than prepared to step up that activity if this proposal goes to statutory consultation, as am I....
Bethan Sayed: I just wanted to make an intervention.
Bethan Sayed: Well, the Minister didn't take—the Cabinet Secretary, sorry—didn't take an intervention from me, but what I wanted to try to ask him was on the fact that we're still none the wiser here today as to what the Welsh Government's view is. If you decided not to sell that land, there would be no need for a planning application. So, will the Petitions Committee consider this as part of your...
Bethan Sayed: Thank you for this statement and initially, I think, what it shows is the complexity of the arrangements in Wales and that the lines of accountability are clearly divergent. As has been mentioned previously, I think the devolution settlement in this regard is highly convoluted. We see a situation where the police, the police commissioners, the Welsh Government, the health boards, all, in...
