Delyth Jewell: It was with terrible sadness that Wales learned about the death of Eddie Butler. A gentle giant, Eddie captained Pontypool RFC, he captained the Wales team and played for the Barbarians and Lions, but it was as a commentator that Eddie became not only a household name but a familiar household presence on match days. In our triumphs and our disappointments, Eddie's melodious voice accompanied...
Delyth Jewell: Crises don't abate when it's inconvenient for them to be continuing. If we ignore them, they don't go away, and the cost-of-living crisis is not a crisis that has paled in significance, as one broadcaster put it, because of the events of the past week, nor had the turmoil and panic felt by people across the UK been put on hold when the Westminster Government put itself on hold over the...
Delyth Jewell: I'd request a Government statement outlining the Welsh Government's tax-raising strategy, please. Last year, I asked the finance Minister whether the Government was in favour of gaining powers to introduce new income-tax bands, a power that Scotland has. I'd hope the Government would look into this, but, as far as I can tell, nothing has been said on it over the past year. Now, the fact that...
Delyth Jewell: What is the First Minister’s analysis of the effect on the Welsh Government’s budget of the recent tax announcements made by the UK Government?
Delyth Jewell: The people of Blaenau Gwent and across the Valleys have suffered disproportionately from Tory misrule. This is a direct consequence of the failure or, rather, the deliberate policies of successive UK Governments that continue to funnel wealth and investment to London while communities in the south of Wales get next to nothing. The Truss Government is probably the worst yet. The Tories won a...
Delyth Jewell: Diolch, Gweinidog. I'm glad that the Welsh Government is now, I hope, moving towards a more ambitious agenda when it comes to addressing the nature emergency. The debates on this area that we've had in the Chamber, I think, have shown that each and every one of us has acknowledged the vital importance of protecting and restoring biodiversity for Wales, but the wider world as well. And I'm...
Delyth Jewell: 6. Will the Counsel General provide an update on the Welsh Government’s efforts to reduce racial discrimination within the justice system? OQ58495
Delyth Jewell: Thank you for that, Minister. Recent data from the Wales Governance Centre paints an extremely worrying picture of racism within the justice system. As this information was not publicly available, they gathered it through freedom of information requests. They found that black and mixed race people are more than four times more likely to be arrested than white people, which is twice as likely...
Delyth Jewell: Minister, I wanted to ask about the mental health impact of miscarriages. There's still this strange societal expectation that we don't talk about miscarriages, and people grieve for the little lives that were part of their world for a short time. They mourn the moments they never had together. And their grief is something that those parents are expected to process privately and then get on...
Delyth Jewell: Thank you, Minister. Plaid Cymru has campaigned for years to ban single-use plastics. I first called for a ban in 2019. This is an important step forward, and something that is very much to be welcomed. Because plastics have become an intrinsic part of our lives—from food packaging, our clothes, the way that people clean, the things that we eat, plastic is everywhere. I read this week that...
Delyth Jewell: The in-tray on the desk under which the Prime Minister is now hiding was substantial, but rather than face the economic challenges with seriousness, Truss favoured this fantasy of trickle-down economics with tax cuts for the rich. She has been forced to reverse nearly every measure, but the damage to the economy is here to stay. As a direct result, as we've heard, my constituents face soaring...
Delyth Jewell: Thank you Deputy Presiding Officer. This debate is exceptionally timely. The cost-of-living crisis is causing real pain to ordinary people on a day-to-day basis, as is raised in the Senedd, and at a time of climate and nature emergencies and of course increasing international conflict. In several ways, these challenges that face our planet, challenges that affect everyone, albeit unequally,...
Delyth Jewell: That picture, Dirprwy Lywydd, I know is bleak, but I think what keeps coming up in this debate is that it need not be that way. Wales is a net exporter of energy and the potential for renewable energy development is enormous. The current crises just make the case for this shift all the more urgent. Beyond the application of energy necessities like electricity, warmth, food production,...
Delyth Jewell: What is the First Minister’s assessment of how recent changes of policy and personnel in the UK Government will impact the living standards of the people of Wales?
Delyth Jewell: Diolch, Llywydd. I'm afraid that efforts to promote growth have been fatally undermined by what the Tories have done to our economy, and I'm concerned about the prospect of job losses and the damage that that will mean not only to our economy, but to people's lives. Businesses across my region are under pressure with rising energy bills and inflation. The Federation of Small Businesses' small...
Delyth Jewell: Thank you, temporary Chair, and thank you, Minister, for your statement. It’s good to hear more about how the public sector can play an important role as we all tackle the climate and nature emergencies. This has already arisen, but I think it's worth us discussing this. It did cause concern that Audit Wales said over the summer that it was not clear whether the sector would reach the goal...
Delyth Jewell: 'we do not expect to see returns until...the end of the decade'.
Delyth Jewell: Are you talking about projects through that, or returns on investment? And finally, in terms of the timescales, 'the end of the decade' is what you said. Now, do you agree that, certainly in terms of community energy projects, we need to act more urgently than that? Thank you very much. I’m sorry if that was a bit quick for the translator.
Delyth Jewell: 5. What progress has the Welsh Government made in relation to its stated intention to consider regulating greyhound racing? OQ58627
Delyth Jewell: Greyhound racing is an issue that concerns lots of my constituents. I've lost count of the number of e-mails that I've received about the plans to expand the only track in Wales in Caerphilly county. As you've said, Minister, 35,000 people—more than that—have signed a petition calling for a ban. The concerns they've raised include the fact that hundreds of greyhounds die in Britain every...
