Vaughan Gething: I set out a range of actions within the employability and skills plan to maximise fairness and eliminate inequality. This includes improving labour market outcomes for women.
Vaughan Gething: I regularly reflect back on my time before coming to the Senedd, and the groups of people that I represented, including lots of women in equal pay claims, and understanding that, even in organised workplaces there are inequalities in pay outcomes, and some of those are structural and are about discrimination within the pay system. And then you have the broader challenge, of course, that...
Vaughan Gething: I think, actually, the pandemic made things harder. I think it saw a retrenchment back in many family and community groups where women took on more of the caring role and less of the economic activity role. That's taken us back. In my own family, we had real challenges at the time with home schooling, but it was part of my job to do some of that as well. I couldn't simply say, 'My job is more...
Vaughan Gething: I have regular conversations with my friend and colleague the Minister for Climate Change. We fully realise the economic benefits of proposed offshore energy projects in north Wales; this is significant for the whole of Wales. It is my responsibility to ensure that we try to maximise these opportunities for Wales, including those opportunities within the Celtic sea.
Vaughan Gething: I think tidal energy has significant opportunities for Wales. Again, it's not just the power generation, but it's an area where there is a new technology and a new form of economic activity being developed, and I want to see Wales at the very leading edge of that. Of course, we've already invested £59 million of former structural funds to help progress matters in this area. There is more...
Vaughan Gething: Our shared vision for retail was launched in June, and it marked the start of a broader and deeper conversation with the sector. The Wales retail forum, made up of partners from business and the trade union side—and I'm sure that the Member and others have had the opportunity to see one of those partners, USDAW, in the launch of their Freedom from Fear campaign—have been working together...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the question. I certainly do recognise the significant challenges that exist within the sector. I was recently with the Deputy Minister for Social Partnership at the consultation event around the detailed plan. Again, the leading trade union, USDAW, together with other colleagues and the Welsh Retail Consortium, which you will be familiar with—your former deputy leader, Sara...
Vaughan Gething: Yes, thank you for the question. It is deeply regrettable that Garth Bakery has gone into administration. The Working Wales and the ReAct+ team, along with Jobcentre Plus, are engaged with the employees, and I understand that assistance has also been offered from the local authority, Rhondda Cynon Taf. ReAct+ will provide tailored information, advice and guidance to the affected staff over...
Vaughan Gething: Yes, thank you for the questions. I recognise completely your point about the timing of the company going into administration and what it means for workers at this point in the year. And we know that the great majority of fuel bill costs are in this chunk of the year, through autumn, winter and into early spring, and the run-up to the turn of the year and Christmas. But we will and are...
Vaughan Gething: I'm not entirely sure there will be food shortages as a result of Garth Bakery no longer existing; it's the challenge in the broader sector, and whether actually there are alternative suppliers. Think about the supermarkets: if you go into broadly any supermarket, you'll find a range of products on the shelves at slightly different price points as well. I'm not aware that there's going to be...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. First of all, I'd like to thank the committee for its work on the report, which succinctly highlights those areas where we are continuing to make progress, and further progress, indeed, is required. We can all agree that digital connectivity is an essential service. I also agree that I would like it to be treated properly as a public utility, with all of the...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'd like to start by thanking the committee again for their work in preparing this report, which has led to the debate. We are all very well aware of the cost-of-living crisis. It is being fuelled by a range of factors. But of course, the headline inflation rate today is partly driven by energy, but of course, as I mentioned earlier, the headline rate of food...
Vaughan Gething: And since this report was published, unfortunately the situation has worsened. Many Members have highlighted the appalling reality for far too many families, and just to return to one of the points Jenny Rathbone made, for those people that are helping, there will be real challenges, and I think it is true that help for the hungry will be stopped to be better able to help the starving. That...
Vaughan Gething: Formally.
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, Llywydd. As Members will know, we have debated this matter before. On 27 April, the Minister for Finance and Local Government responded to a debate on taxes and tourism making all of these similar points, and on 6 July, she responded to a motion to annul the legislation in question. It is clear that there is majority support within the Senedd for our change to criteria used to...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you to Mabon ap Gwynfor for bringing this debate and for the other contributions. I welcome the debate as an opportunity to both note the importance of the nuclear sector in Wales, but also to recognise, from my point of view, the contribution the sector makes in sustaining local economies, developing communities and helping to create jobs. I appreciate I have a different perspective...
Vaughan Gething: Now, on our net-zero agenda, net zero and energy security are focused on deploying nuclear and renewables together to sustain our low-carbon energy transition, and we all accept the reality that more work is needed to decarbonise power supply in Wales and across the UK, and we have seen that colleagues in Germany are stuck in a position where they're still relying on coal power, which I think...
Vaughan Gething: Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. Last month saw the one-year anniversary of the launch of the young person's guarantee here in Wales. This key programme for government commitment provides under-25s in Wales with the offer of support to gain a place in education or training, support to find a job, or support to become self-employed. I recognise the importance of work for our young people, and I...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the series of questions and comments. Let me just go to some of the starting points he made. When it comes to how we're actually understanding who the young person's guarantee is reaching, and how we're actually dealing with a diverse range of young people, and the complexity, it's because of a number of things. So, some young people have a successful route already into work,...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you. On your point about the take-up of opportunities between different genders, I'll look again at that, but I want to be clear about the budget review that we've got and actually starting off the guarantee and understanding where we go, because in some parts of it, it'll be clear. We already collect data, for example, on who goes into further education, it's an easy thing to collect,...
