Helen Mary Jones: Leader of the house, yesterday at the winter fair I published a consultation document about economic futures for Powys. And there at the show, and also in e-mails that I've received since, I've had numerous communications highlighting the difficulties faced with the poor access to 4G in the Newtown and Llanidloes areas. Now, I appreciate from your response to Russell George that there are...
Helen Mary Jones: Will Mark Isherwood acknowledge that the Government's own assessment in 2011 highlighted that some of these problems that are arising with universal credit, particularly in how they affect women, were known. They were known in that assessment, which is a public document. How can Amber Rudd—how can you believe Amber Rudd now when she says that she's going to mitigate these effects when the...
Helen Mary Jones: I am going to focus most of my remarks today on universal credit, particularly as it affects women. Now, this was sold to us as a new, more flexible system that would help people move more easily between work and benefits, and would be easier for people needing benefits to understand and navigate. But behind these apparently laudable aims lurked a poisonous, archaic and, I would argue, as the...
Helen Mary Jones: I will happily give way to Jane Hutt.
Helen Mary Jones: I'll come to my comments about Ms Rudd in a moment, but I would agree with what you've said. Now, if we put the way that universal credit works together with, for example, housing benefit rules, which will only pay young people the cost of a room in a shared house, which leads to vulnerable young women often being forced to share with entirely unsuitable fellow tenants, and the vile rape...
Helen Mary Jones: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on plans for economic development in mid Wales?
Helen Mary Jones: There is no doubt that the agricultural industry and family farms face the greatest challenge in at least a generation due to Brexit and the uncertainty that it brings. I don't think you would have found many people at the winter fair earlier this week who were seeing this as the opportunity that some Members in this Chamber would like us to see, though one must of course remain optimistic. ...
Helen Mary Jones: 1. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on Welsh Government support for rural councils? OAQ53046
Helen Mary Jones: I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his answer, but here's the reality: Powys is looking at a £14 million budget gap for the next financial year, Carmarthenshire has had to make £50 million-worth of cuts at the same time as raising its council tax by 22 per cent over the past five years, and citizens in Pembrokeshire are facing a 12 per cent increase in their council tax in the next...
Helen Mary Jones: The Cabinet Secretary will be aware that veterans are often over-represented in the homeless population. In Mid and West Wales and rural communities, these people are perhaps less likely to end up actually rough sleeping, but are very often in very insecure, sofa surfing from one family member to another type of situations. What discussions have you and your colleagues had with local...
Helen Mary Jones: Diolch, Llywydd. Yesterday we said goodbye to Professor Mike Sullivan, director of Swansea University's Morgan Academy, socialist and Welshman. Mike grew up in a working-class family in Risca, the first in his family to go to university. Graduating from Oxford, he worked as a social worker before starting a distinguished academic career, first in Cardiff, then in Swansea. He served here, as a...
Helen Mary Jones: 4. Will the Cabinet Secretary outline how local air quality measures, such as clean air zones, will be funded? OAQ53084
Helen Mary Jones: What steps is the Welsh Government taking to promote the equality and human rights of older people with mental health issues?
Helen Mary Jones: What recent discussions has the Leader of the House held in order to secure the provision of broadband in Rhydymain in Dwyfor Meirionnydd?
Helen Mary Jones: Thank you. I'm grateful to you, Minister, for your answer. You will be aware that air pollution contributes to about 2,000 deaths per year in Wales and has been described by Public Health Wales as an urgent public health crisis. Is the Welsh Government prepared to act to ensure that councils introduce clean air zones if local action isn't adequate or isn't timely enough in your view? And...
Helen Mary Jones: Last week I met a group of family farming businesses, about 20 businesses altogether, at Trecelyn Isaf farm in Eglwyswrw. They highlighted to me some of the issues for farming businesses that I actually, to be honest, hadn't thought of, if they can't get access to really high-quality broadband, and that included not being able to use the best technology to regulate their use of inputs—all...
Helen Mary Jones: I wonder, leader of the house, if you will ask the next Cabinet Secretary for the environment to consider making a statement to this house on the potential of licensing systems for commercial shooting businesses in Wales. I'm not an opponent of field sports, but my colleague Councillor Bryn Davies in Pennant Melangell in north Montgomeryshire, is facing a situation where a particular...
Helen Mary Jones: Adam Price.
Helen Mary Jones: I have to say that I concur with the Cabinet Secretary's colleagues in London and with the union Unite in their very firm suggestion that it is not appropriate to be letting major new contracts to this company while they are in such a fragile financial condition. I appreciate what the Cabinet Secretary has said about this being phase 2 of an ongoing project and it may not be appropriate at...
Helen Mary Jones: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm very pleased and grateful to you for allowing me to make a brief contribution to this debate today. As others have already said, this is undoubtedly a time when human rights are under threat. Goodness only knows what will become of the shambles that is the Brexit process, and how that will affect our rights and our ability in Wales to access those European...
