Jenny Rathbone: My community is enriched by the presence of a rich variety of nationalities, faiths and cultures, and I appreciate the great deal of work that the Welsh Government has done to promote racial harmony in our communities across south Wales and tackle racial inequality. In education, for example, we can see the very real differences that have been achieved where educational outcomes amongst...
Jenny Rathbone: We heard last week from Lynne Neagle that there had been problems in Cwm Taf over 16 years ago, and, clearly, we have to ensure that the problems that were identified then were then rectified, but, clearly, that doesn't appear to have been the case in that what other people are saying is that there continued to be problems throughout all this time. The question that I asked myself on reading...
Jenny Rathbone: No, I won't. No. —the service that we have in Cwm Taf and in all our maternity services to ensure that they are fit for purpose, in line with 'Better Births'. So, I think that is the issue in front of us and that's the one we should be scrutinising in detail.
Jenny Rathbone: 6. What plans does the Welsh Government have to develop a whole system approach to improving our food system? OAQ53876
Jenny Rathbone: I'm sure we'll all look forward to that consultation, First Minister, but I'm concerned that we have a fragmented system at the moment. We have the health Minister who's awaiting the responses to the 'Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales' consultation, we have the education Minister in charge of school meals—a debate we're going to be having tomorrow—and we have the very welcome focus on food as...
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you for your statement, Deputy Minister. What's clear to me is that in the context of the climate emergency we have now declared, this has to be everybody's business. You can't do it on your own, and I welcome the fact that you're going to offer training to officers in local authorities who are going to be taking on this new role, because it seems to me that one of the first stops...
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. Just over two years ago I visited Cornist Park School in Flintshire to look at the lunch provision. Why there? Because Flintshire was the only school caterer in Wales to have achieved the Soil Association's Food for Life certification. What did I observe? Every child got the meal they had chosen at registration that morning. Even if they were the...
Jenny Rathbone: However, I would be in a position to tell you that I have seen such denial of water in one of the schools I've visited, and privately I'd be happy to tell you which one it is. But I'm sure that these are not lone examples. You mentioned Estyn earlier on, and I just wanted to probe you as to how much you think Estyn pays any attention to the healthy eating guidelines, because I can remember...
Jenny Rathbone: I'd like to call for two statements. Firstly, late last week we learned that the latest scientific thinking is that air pollution penetrates every single organ in our body, and the World Health Organization is calling this an air pollution emergency. I was very grateful to hear that the Conservative Party is supporting the call for a clean air zone in Cardiff, as well as in Wrexham, Newport...
Jenny Rathbone: I'm very glad that your statement doesn't lose sight of the path-breaking Corston report. Jean Corston's report was published 12 years ago, and very little progress has been made to date. We need to remind ourselves that what Corston said was that only those women who pose a risk to the community need to be put into prison, ergo we don't need a women's prison in Wales, because there will be...
Jenny Rathbone: 6. Will the Minister make a statement about the Welsh Government's relations with Turkey? OAQ53908
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you, Minister, for that. You'll be aware that Imam Sis, a Kurdish citizen now residing in Wales, has been on hunger strike for 157 days. I know you're aware of it because I know that the community much appreciates the private visit that you made to talk to him. But I wonder what progress, if any, has been made on persuading the Turkish Government to end the total isolation of the...
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you for the remarks you've made so far, Presiding Officer. It seems to me that as there was absolutely no breach of the law when all of the protests took place in London earlier that week, it seemed absurd to assume that just because they were from Extinction Rebellion there was going to be, in some way, a breach of the peace. One of the things we don't have in this Parliament that they...
Jenny Rathbone: I thank Leanne Wood for raising the issue and also for Darren Millar's contributions. It seems to me that the UK Government's timing is unfortunate in the context of attempts by the far right to whip up hatred of difference at this time. And, therefore, I'm not taking a position on the wording; it's just that we have to be mindful that our words can have an impact beyond this house. And I...
Jenny Rathbone: What impact will the declared climate emergency have on plans to expand the public transport network to benefit Cardiff Central?
Jenny Rathbone: On behalf of the residents of Cardiff Central, I would like to thank the First Minister for the careful consideration he has given to the evidence and the complex issues that surround it. Because I think it's really important in the light of the UK CCC report on achieving net zero emissions and the UN global biodiversity assessment that when the facts change, we need to change our mind. At...
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you very much for your statement, Minister. We can all agree that this is a very difficult time for farmers, just as it is for all businesses, but I'm surprised that Llyr Griffiths is demanding stability, consistency, and continuity. I just think that is impossible to deliver in the context of the UKCCC 'Net Zero' report, demanding that we go for a 95 per cent reduction in our...
Jenny Rathbone: 5. What plans does the Welsh Government have to ensure that all pupils know how to cook by the end of key stage 3? OAQ53963
Jenny Rathbone: Minister, you and I both had the privilege to see the wonderful facilities at Howardian Primary School, which is one of our new twenty-first century schools, where there was a dedicated cookery teaching area—that was wonderful—as well as some fruit trees and strawberries growing in the playground. Cookery lessons were popular with the pupils I spoke to in year 3, although some of what...
Jenny Rathbone: Whilst I agree with my colleagues for Newport East and Newport West that we need to spend the bulk of the money around Newport to alleviate the congestion there, is it not also important that these transport experts look in detail at the data that we've got? For example, the fact that there is nearly a 40 per cent increase in the number of vehicles using the M4 east of Newport compared with...
