John Griffiths: First Minister, as you are aware, the plants in Newport East, my constituency, at the Orb works and Llanwern, are very important parts of the overall Tata operations in Wales. Will you assure me that those plants will continue to be properly considered in Welsh Government’s thoughts and actions to ensure a sustainable steel industry in Wales?
John Griffiths: 7. Will the Minister make a statement on Welsh Government policy to improve the environment in inner urban areas in Wales? OAQ(5)0026(ERA)
John Griffiths: Thank you for that, Cabinet Secretary. I believe the doorstep environment, as it’s termed, matters very much to very many people in Wales, given the number of people who live in those particular environments. I believe that if they feel positive about their environment and view it as a quality environment then they are far more likely to feel interested and engaged in the environment in...
John Griffiths: First Minister, one of the issues to address to allow refugees in Wales to contribute fully to life here is to properly and adequately recognise the skills and qualifications that they possess. Will you take steps to ensure that that is the case for all refugees here in Wales?
John Griffiths: Yes, clearly, Cabinet Secretary, it is very, very important that the evidence base for this very important decision is as sound as possible. So, could I ask that in considering the revised methodology that the UK Government has now put on the table regarding future forecasted traffic growth, Welsh Government might also look at methodologies pertaining to this decision more widely? For...
John Griffiths: First Minister, I think you’ve been quite clear that amongst the priorities for Welsh Government and, indeed, legislative priorities is the effective implementation of Acts passed in the last Assembly, as well as taking forward new legislation in this Assembly term. I think, in many people’s views, one of the real headlines of legislation in the last Assembly was the Well-being of Future...
John Griffiths: 1. What actions will the Welsh Government take to strengthen ill health prevention in Wales? OAQ(5)0040(HWS)
John Griffiths: Minister, thankfully, the rates of smoking in Wales have been driven down over a period of years, but, unfortunately, smoking still takes a terrible toll on health in Wales. I believe that public policy and the restrictions imposed on smoking have played a significant role, though, in driving down the prevalence of smoking. A survey this year by Action on Smoking and Health and YouGov showed...
John Griffiths: What level of priority will be given to education in deciding Welsh Government policies?
John Griffiths: Minister, I’m looking at the section that refers to integrated and responsive public services in your statement, and the new model of community learning centres. I wonder if you could tell the Chamber a little more about how that would work in relation, for example, to existing ideas around community-focused schools. It seems to me that community-focused schools have a lot to offer in...
John Griffiths: Minister, I think it’s very obviously the case—and I think all Members here would hopefully agree with this—that misunderstandings often occur and cause problems when we don’t have the level of integration that we might have in our communities, and we’re not effective enough in bringing different sections of the community together. Certainly, in my experience, having been born and...
John Griffiths: 6. What steps will be taken to widen access to the great Welsh outdoors? OAQ(5)0049(ERA)
John Griffiths: 8. What are the next steps that the Welsh Government will take to improve the early years experience of children in Wales? OAQ(5)0047(CC)[R]
John Griffiths: I wondered, Minister, if you could provide the Chamber with a greater degree of detail on the timelines, because I know that there is a great deal of frustration in terms of taking this work forward, which has been debated and considered for quite some time. Later on, we’ll be talking about how we get Wales more physically active and healthy, and I think a major part of that is opening up...
John Griffiths: Yes, Cabinet Secretary, obviously some children are very fortunate to be born into warm, loving, supportive, secure and stable families, but too many children are not in that fortunate position. I wonder if you could say something about Welsh Government policy on early language acquisition, which I think is vital to life chances, particularly in terms of disadvantaged children. So, what will...
John Griffiths: I’ve mentioned before, Llywydd, that in Newport we’ve been having meetings for quite some time now, which I’ve been very pleased to convene, between the local health board, and public health particularly, Newport Live, which is the leisure trust, Newport City council, housing associations, including Newport City Homes, which took the stock transfer and the major estates from Newport...
John Griffiths: 9. Will the First Minister make a statement on the evidence base and research that is underlying the Welsh Government's economic development strategy? OAQ(5)0211(FM)
John Griffiths: First Minister, Professors Brian Morgan and Gerry Holtham recently carried out research on what works in economic development across the globe. They found a very strong correlation between high levels of spend on schools and economic success. As well as the economic advantages, of course, education is a good in itself and benefits all aspects of life. Will Welsh Government work to increase...
John Griffiths: 8. Will the Minister make a statement on progress in implementing the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015? OAQ(5)0043(FLG)
John Griffiths: Thank you for that, Cabinet Secretary. I think there’s widespread agreement that this Act is a very important opportunity to help build a better Wales. I wonder whether you could explain some of the linkages between the Welsh Government’s well-being objectives and accompanying statement under the Act, with the programme for government, the four overarching strategies you mentioned, and...
