Rhianon Passmore: I note the Tory proposed amendments and I very much welcome this debate. Much of the contributions here today actually have been very interesting. We only have to look across the border to England and to the actions of the UK Government to see the very stark contrast in approaches to housing policy. It was revealed this week that the billionaire property tycoon John Bloor gave the Tory party...
Rhianon Passmore: 7. What action is the Welsh Government taking to utilise Islwyn’s natural environment to benefit its people? OQ56644
Rhianon Passmore: Thank you, First Minister. Yesterday, as you stated, the Cwmcarn forest drive reopened for the first time since 2014 after undergoing a multimillion pound investment. First Minister, there is a newly improved campsite, lake, several new all-ability trails with access for all, three new play areas, a woodland sculpture trail and a wooden cabin with panoramic—truly, actually—panoramic views...
Rhianon Passmore: Mike Hedges.
Rhianon Passmore: 8. Will the First Minister provide an update on the COVID-19 vaccination rates in Islwyn? OQ56757
Rhianon Passmore: Diolch. The Newbridge mass vaccination centre opened its doors last Saturday for a walk-in clinic for all of those Islwyn adults who have yet to receive a first dose. The Welsh health Minister, Eluned Morgan, has rightly stated that we will have to live with the virus. The fantastic success of the speed, though, of the Welsh vaccination roll-out, thanks to our Welsh NHS, has afforded us...
Rhianon Passmore: I very much welcome this first supplementary budget for 2021-22. It is an extraordinary time for this legislature and for the Welsh people never seen in peacetime. As we grapple with the climate change emergency and transformation, Wales continues to receive block funding 3 per cent below that of 2010 per population head. We face genuine insecurity over EU exit transition, financial ambiguity...
Rhianon Passmore: The Welsh Labour Government was re-elected in May of this year for another five-year term by the people of Wales. For me, the starting point is those discussions on the 2022-23 budget preparations. They can be found within the pages of that contract between the Labour Government and the people of Wales. We know—all of us in this place—that we must end this pandemic and build back fairer...
Rhianon Passmore: Will the Minister provide an update on progress in relation to rolling out the new curriculum for Wales in Islwyn?
Rhianon Passmore: 2. What action is the Welsh Government taking to alleviate food poverty in Islwyn? OQ56842
Rhianon Passmore: Diolch, First Minister. Last week, it was announced that over £1.9 million of funding is awarded to organisations across Wales, as you say, to help tackle food poverty and address food insecurity within local communities. In Islwyn, in Pantside, where I was born, local volunteers set up in February 2020 the Pantside foodbank, and volunteers, such as Jayne Jeremiah, Wendy Hussey, Adrian...
Rhianon Passmore: 1. What is the Welsh Government doing to safeguard high-skilled jobs in Islwyn? OQ56941
Rhianon Passmore: Diolch, First Minister. The people of Islwyn are rightly proud of the proactive nature of their Welsh Labour Government in moving decisively to support Hawker Siddeley Switchgear, with £0.5 million of investment to relocate within the constituency of Islwyn, from their current site in Pontllanfraith to the former British Airways interior seat assembly factory in nearby Blackwood. First...
Rhianon Passmore: Well, 'Not a penny worse off' is echoing rather emptily around this devolved Chamber. Two months after the UK Government stated that projects that had been approved would be announced, there has been silence. And, as you rightly point out, Minister, the local authority area of Caerphilly is excluded from the priority funding list, in favour—in favour—of richer English areas, even though...
Rhianon Passmore: This debate today is an incredibly important one and apt in its timing. Even before the pandemic, one in four people in Wales were experiencing mental health issues, and data indicates levels of anxiety within the population are higher than pre-pandemic. COVID-19 has of course had an impact on the mental well-being of us all, but for those with pre-existing mental health conditions, life in...
Rhianon Passmore: What action is the Welsh Government taking to enhance the employment prospects of young people aged 16 to 18 in Islwyn, who are not currently in training or work?
Rhianon Passmore: Diolch. Thank you for the statement. Minister, the good people of Islwyn and Wales returned a Welsh Labour Government in May because of their democratic desire to entrust the Welsh Labour Government with growing back the Welsh economy fairer, stronger and greener. I also welcome the Welsh Government's young person's guarantee, providing everyone under 25 in Wales with the offer of work,...
Rhianon Passmore: Minister, the vision for the Welsh economy you have set out clearly under the 'team Wales' umbrella. So, Minister, as we approach and digest the zero-carbon UK strategy approaching COP26, what are the challenges, and what are the obstacles that the Welsh Government face in order to continue to create a fairer, stronger and greener future for all the people who call Islwyn home?
Rhianon Passmore: Diolch, Llywydd. Thank you, Deputy Minister, for your statement, which I welcome. I note that you rightly stated that the pandemic affected our creative industries in differing ways, with the differing music sectors very hard hit with extended venue closures, music practices closing, choirs, bands and orchestras in hibernation, and some no longer with us from this dreadful pandemic. As...
Rhianon Passmore: —is rising. Key to that will be a vibrant music education with tuition hub infrastructure across Wales. Minister, when will the national music service concept be realised, as per our manifesto? When will a national music strategy of Wales—part of that cultural strategy—be articulated within Creative Wales, and how will you use the creative skills body to develop that pathway from the...
