Laura Anne Jones: Diolch, acting Presiding Officer. I'd like to firstly declare that I'm still a councillor in Monmouthshire County Council. May I start by thanking Darren Millar and the Welsh Conservatives for bringing forward this debate today? And thank you, Minister, and I thank everybody for their contributions this afternoon. Acting Presiding Officer, having sat in many Senedds and Assemblies like...
Laura Anne Jones: Diolch, Llywydd. I'd like to give a minute of my time to Peter Fox, James Evans, Janet Finch-Saunders and Samuel Kurtz. I'm pleased to bring forward this debate today, 'Regenerating town and city centres in Wales: More of the same will simply not work'. It is now more than ever important to discuss these issues after the past two years inflicting untold damages to our towns and city centres....
Laura Anne Jones: The pandemic cannot foot all the blame, though; things were definitely not rosy before the pandemic. For over a decade, our high streets have been battered by the perfect storm of recession, rising business rates and increased competition online. We see the results of this with the following: between 2012 and 2020, bank and building society branches reduced by 28.8 per cent, falling from 695...
Laura Anne Jones: Diolch, Deputy Presiding Officer. Thank you for your statement, Minister. It is very welcome and we on these benches completely support aims to eradicate period poverty and ensure period dignity in Wales. This is something that not just affects a small minority, Deputy Presiding Officer, but half of our population. It is a massive issue and it's something that actually should have been dealt...
Laura Anne Jones: What action has the Welsh Government taken to reduce river pollution in South Wales East?
Laura Anne Jones: Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, I think we both share a desire for education to be futureproof in Wales, especially at a time post-Brexit, which is presenting and will present so many international opportunities going forward. We need to ensure that pupils from Wales have the very best chances and are truly able to compete on a global stage. I spoke recently in the Chamber about the benefits of...
Laura Anne Jones: Thank you, Minister. I'll just repeat: by contrast, in England, there were noticeable increases in French and Spanish from 2019-20, and that, since records began, Spanish has increased to 100,000 plus. It's completely different to our numbers, which are declining. Also, we have seen the modern foreign language teachers numbers in German and French decline by 14 per cent and 15 per cent...
Laura Anne Jones: Thank you, Minister. Now moving to a more sobering subject, but an important one to address today, Minister, the situation in Ukraine is heartbreaking, and certainly not something I'm sure any of us thought we'd ever see again in Europe. It was made clear yesterday that we all want to see Wales as a refuge for Ukrainian refugees fleeing the conflict. In order to accommodate the children and...
Laura Anne Jones: Good afternoon, First Minister. I just would be grateful if you could enlighten the Chamber today on how many jobs have been created since the project has launched, how many of those jobs have gone to the local area, and outline also what assessment you've made of the rates of pay offered to those local people, to support the alleviation of poverty in Blaenau Gwent. Thank you.
Laura Anne Jones: Obviously, we too would like to join the Minister and the Chair of CYPE in thanking everyone who's contributed and played their part in getting the Bill to this point today. Welsh education is at a crucial juncture, and the tertiary education and research Bill, which we are generally in support of the principles, along with the new curriculum and relationships and sexuality education, are...
Laura Anne Jones: Diolch, acting Presiding Officer. I'd first like to declare that I'm still a county councillor on Monmouthshire County Council. I want to thank Darren Millar for tabling today's debate. Being from a family with a history of serving in the armed forces, it's a great chance to join my colleagues and, I hope, many others across the Chamber in welcoming our first ever Veterans' Commissioner for...
Laura Anne Jones: Diolch, Deputy Presiding Officer. I want to start by saying that I'm grateful to Plaid for bringing forward this debate today. The cost-of-living crisis is something that we're all majorly concerned about, and it'll no doubt have an impact on learners and schools in the coming months. On top of the 22 years of failure from the Welsh Government to bring children out of poverty, with 200,000...
Laura Anne Jones: Diolch, Deputy Presiding Officer. Thank you for your statement, Minister. We welcome a lot of what you say, and hope to see it translate into making a difference. However, what I am concerned about is the timing and content of some of what you've said. I'll start with how you've outlined community schools, our twenty-first century schools. I mean, that's been in progress since 2014—nearly...
Laura Anne Jones: Okay. Then you've got the Seren network as well, which is brilliant; I think that's a great way of doing things. In conclusion, and my last question, Minister: the independent careers advice for young people from low-income families, which you want to target, how exactly are you going to do that, and why only that group? Thank you.
Laura Anne Jones: I'm a proud ambassador of the 'Where's Your Head At?' mental health campaign, and the campaign has culminated in a Bill going through the UK Parliament to ensure that, within first aid training, mental health first aid training is incorporated, and to recognise that the physical and mental side of first aid training are equal. I'm just wondering what you are doing in the strategies that...
Laura Anne Jones: Will the First Minister make a statement on the outcome of discussions between the Welsh Government and the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust regarding the roster review?
Laura Anne Jones: Good afternoon, business Minister. I'd like to call for a statement from the Minister for Health and Social Services regarding the recently released interim report by the Cass review. The interim report highlighted several concerning issues that need to be dealt with and discussed by elected officials and professionals. Some of the findings raised in the report highlighted the lack of...
Laura Anne Jones: 7. What steps is the Welsh Government taking to tackle the energy crisis? OQ57875
Laura Anne Jones: Minister, you're right in one thing: the war in Ukraine, as you said earlier, has brought the importance of energy independence into sharp focus. As it's in your control, and out of interest, as a Government, will you now be reconsidering your stance on fracking?
Laura Anne Jones: Diolch, Presiding Officer. Minister, I could ask you a myriad of things today, on free school meals, the Queen's jubilee book, exams, as my colleague just outlined, or anything, but I have some really pressing matters I wish you to address. It has come to light during our peer-on-peer sexual harassment review that we're holding currently in the Children, Young People, and Education Committee...
