Vikki Howells: Diolch, Llywydd. This Friday, as local AM and a member of the Cynon Valley History Society, I will be joining society members to unveil a blue plaque to George Hall at Penrhiwceiber Institute. Born in the village in 1881, Hall started work in the local colliery aged just 11. Elected checkweighman by his colleagues after 18 years at the coalface, Hall was a keen trade unionist. This led him...
Vikki Howells: Leader of the house, I'd like to ask for two statements today. Firstly, I'd welcome an update from Welsh Government on discussions around the banning of the third-party sale of dogs and cats. There's a large body of evidence and public opinion in favour of introducing the so-called Lucy's law, due to concerns around health and well-being. With changes proposed in England that would bring in a...
Vikki Howells: I'd like to also place on record my sympathies to any families within the Cwm Taf health board area who've been affected by these adverse outcomes. I welcome the fact that, in your statement this afternoon, Cabinet Secretary, it seems that the terms of reference for this inquiry are flexible and can encompass many different strands. I've been involved in one case relating to maternity...
Vikki Howells: What recent action has the Leader of the House taken in relation to her portfolio responsibilities for equality?
Vikki Howells: First Minister, back in February I raised, under the business statement, the pioneering work of North Lanarkshire Council in Scotland, which looks to provide free school meals for those eligible 365 days a year. Now, there are proven benefits there to pupils not just in terms of health and well-being, but also in academic attainment too. The leader of the house said the Welsh Government would...
Vikki Howells: Thank you, Minister, for your statement. As I'm sure you will know, my constituency was especially affected by storm Callum, with Aberdare being widely described as the town hardest hit by flooding. In Rhondda Cynon Taf, around 40 homes and 29 businesses have been flooded, many of which are in my constituency. And, in Penrhiwceiber, over 30 people who were trapped on a train in rising flood...
Vikki Howells: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. I think it's fair to say that there's an awful lot of goodwill across this Chamber for the Valleys taskforce initiative, but, perhaps, at the start, that was tempered with some cautious optimism when it was thought that there were wouldn't be a discrete budget line for it. So, I very much welcome the commitment of £7 million towards the Valleys regional park. I...
Vikki Howells: Cabinet Secretary, as you will know, there has been significant work between Cwm Taf Local Health Board and Rhondda Cynon Taf council to develop a new integrated primary care facility in Mountain Ash. Now, this planned £6.5 million healthcare facility would replace outdated services in the town and adopt a holistic approach by bringing services together. Whilst recognising the work that has...
Vikki Howells: Diolch, Dirprwy Llywydd, and my thanks to Members for their contributions to this debate today. I think we've had some very thoughtful contributions, covering a range of policy areas, and that's really important because, of course, the foundational economy does include so many varied aspects, from sofas to social care, the food we eat, the energy we consume, hairdressing to housing, transport...
Vikki Howells: As previous speakers have noted, not only are we seeing existential changes to the Welsh economy, just as the economy undergoes changes—some good, some bad—so too does the world of work. The jobs of the future will belong not just to another time from the jobs of the past, in their opportunities, challenges and requirements they will also belong to another world. I've enjoyed contributing...
Vikki Howells: Leader of the house, I recently met with volunteers involved in preserving and promoting the blast furnaces of the former Gadlys ironworks. The works opened in 1827 and the furnaces are described as possibly the best-preserved in the UK, despite being largely unrecognised both locally and further afield. This project could be a real draw in terms of promoting the industrial heritage of the...
Vikki Howells: 4. What discussions has the Cabinet Secretary had with the Leader of the House about working with transport providers to ensure that their services are accessible to people with disabilities? OAQ52803
Vikki Howells: Cabinet Secretary, I was very impressed a few weeks ago by an announcement from Arriva Trains Wales about their new package to assist rail users with sight loss. That included such things as specialist audio guides, assistance dog cards and familiarisation trips for groups that support people affected by sight loss. We know that there are 107,000 people affected by sight loss in Wales, and...
Vikki Howells: First Minister, we know that the Welsh Government has a proud record of supporting small businesses here in Wales with generally a more generous package of rate relief, and has supported more small businesses than anywhere else in the UK. I note that, in the recent UK budget, the Chancellor announced additional rate relief for small retail businesses in England, who will see their rates cut...
Vikki Howells: First Minister, when I speak to residents up and down the Cynon Valley, there's great passion about wanting to see our town centres rejuvenated. But, at the same time, that's often set against a reluctance by local people to actually shop locally. And when I speak to them about the reasons for that, one of the things that's most often cited is the lack of diversity of businesses on our high...
Vikki Howells: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your statement here today. I've got a couple of questions for you. Firstly, will you join with me in congratulating the extrication team from the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service? Not only are they now five times UK national champions, but, for the third year in succession, they recently won the world rescue organisation challenge in Cape Town, firmly...
Vikki Howells: 5. What consideration has the Cabinet Secretary given to providing funding to prevent flooding when determining the draft budget for 2019/20? OAQ52909
Vikki Howells: What consideration did the Cabinet Secretary give to funding for further education when deciding on the draft budget for 2019/20?
Vikki Howells: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. As you will know, authorities around Wales, including my own of RCT, have already had to stretch budgets even further to cope with the effects of storm Callum. In RCT, £100,000 was spent immediately on tackling the floods, and a further £100,000 from reserves has been earmarked for investigative and clearance work. Bearing in mind the impact and cost of future...
Vikki Howells: Diolch, Dirprwy Llywydd. This year, Social Enterprise Day falls on Thursday, 15 November. The day is a chance to raise awareness of social enterprises, those businesses committed to a social or environmental mission. It is also part of Global Entrepreneurship Week. Something of the scale and scope of the sector in Wales is suggested by the report on social businesses in Wales: the state of...
