Helen Mary Jones: 1. Will the Commission provide an update on plans to engage with newly enfranchised voters, particularly as schools and colleges have moved once again to online learning? OQ56092
Helen Mary Jones: What recent discussions has the Minister had with Carmarthenshire County Council regarding addressing the digital divide as pupils continue to learn remotely?
Helen Mary Jones: I'm grateful to the Minister for her answer, particularly to Suzy Davies. I just wanted to pursue the issue of funding for the Urdd. The funding that has already been granted has been a huge help, but I'm sure that the finance Minister and other relevant Ministers will be aware that the Urdd faced a £14 million loss of its income—the income that it generates itself, its commercial income,...
Helen Mary Jones: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Thank you very much. I'm sure that all Members will be very much encouraged to hear that the work has been adapted and is continuing. Is there anything further that the Commission feels that individual Members of the Senedd might be able to do to help promote young people's understanding of their new rights to vote?
Helen Mary Jones: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. A Llanelli bus driver, who is known as Mr Selfie, has set himself another challenge of posting a selfie every day this year to raise funds for the Welsh Air Ambulance. He's asking others to send him selfies to share to help spread the word. Keith held a similar challenge four years ago and raised £3,700 for Marie Curie. The original fundraiser was set up because this...
Helen Mary Jones: 6. Will the First Minister make a statement on the level of child poverty in Llanelli? OQ56147
Helen Mary Jones: I'm grateful to the First Minister for his answer. In an earlier answer, he told us, and I would not disagree, that we can't trust the Tories, and when it comes to providing support for our poorest families and our poorest children, I don't believe we can trust them either. The First Minister makes reference to the threat of the withdrawal of the £20 uplift for universal credit, but given...
Helen Mary Jones: I'd like to thank the Deputy Minister for his statement. As Russell George said, it was very useful indeed to have Lord Burns attend the committee so we had an opportunity as committee members to explore some of the ideas with him directly. I want to offer the Deputy Minister Plaid Cymru's support for this approach, and to say that we are pleased that he has been able to accept the...
Helen Mary Jones: 7. Will the Minister make a statement on the vaccine roll-out in Carmarthenshire? OQ56146
Helen Mary Jones: 3. Will the Minister make a statement on mental health care provision in Carmarthenshire? OQ56145
Helen Mary Jones: I'm grateful to the Minister for his answer, and I'm very grateful to the staff for all that they are achieving in getting patients vaccinated. But I've received correspondence from the families of two patients over the age of 90 in Llanelli and one patient over the age of 90 in Llangennech, who, as yet, haven't heard from the NHS as to when they will get vaccinated. Now, obviously, these...
Helen Mary Jones: I'm grateful to you for your answer, Minister, but just in the last three weeks I've received a number of constituency contacts from people in the east of Carmarthenshire county, in Llanelli and surrounding communities, that I'm really concerned about. One was around the lack of support for survivors of sexual abuse, and very long waits where there is support; a case of a constituent being...
Helen Mary Jones: I'm very pleased to take part in this debate on behalf of my party, Plaid Cymru, but also as co-chair of the cross-party group on children and the cross-party group on looked-after children, roles that I'm very proud and grateful to share with David Melding. I'd like to thank the Chair and the committee for what is an excellent report, with very powerful recommendations and very well...
Helen Mary Jones: I want to briefly mention recommendation 15, that all devolved public bodies must be placed under the same 'due regard' duty. I think those of us who were part of the process of passing the original legislation perhaps assumed that if that responsibility was placed on the Government, that due regard would trickle down to the public bodies for which the Government is responsible. The report...
Helen Mary Jones: 7. What action does the Welsh Government plan to undertake to reduce poverty in the mid and west region? OQ56198
Helen Mary Jones: I'm grateful to the First Minister for his answer. He will be aware of the report from the Wales Governance Centre in April 2019 and, indeed, the report from a committee of this Senedd. The Wales Governance Centre estimated that if we were able to secure the devolution of welfare benefits on the same model that Scotland has, we could boost the Welsh budget by £200 million a year. Does the...
Helen Mary Jones: 1. What assessment has the Counsel General made of the impact that the trade agreement between the UK and EU will have on the future of the Welsh steel industry, particularly the Trostre works in Llanelli? OQ56175
Helen Mary Jones: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Further to the Minister's responses to Russell George, does he share the concerns that did seem to be being expressed to the committee last week about actually getting the money out of the door quickly enough? In saying this, Llywydd, I completely acknowledge that this is a huge task, and that many of the people who've been involved, at all levels, in delivering...
Helen Mary Jones: I'm grateful to the Minister for his answer. There is still quite a complex picture out there, and I'll return to this through correspondence with the Minister about the issue of whether we can use local authorities more, particularly for getting support to some of the very smallest businesses that are still really important in terms of the people that they employ. Can I ask the Minister now...
Helen Mary Jones: I'm grateful to the Minister for his answer, and I'm particularly pleased to see that he's continuing to take up the case of those excluded from support, as represented by ExcludedUK. I know the Minister is very well aware of the extent to which this COVID crisis has highlighted and thrown into sharp relief some of the underlying structural injustices and inequalities, whether that's between...
