Delyth Jewell: Further to what's already been said, the decision taken by the UK Government to transfer the burden for providing free licences for people over 75 was entirely cynical. The upshot of this was to place the responsibility on the BBC to implement a commitment made by the Tories in their own manifesto. The BBC was then in the very difficult position of having to choose to cut back on the free...
Delyth Jewell: I was deeply saddened to hear the news on Monday that 280 workers in my region faced redundancy as a consequence of Quinn Radiators going into administration. As has been said, they were loyal, hard-working people, who gave the company years of exemplary service. My heart goes out to all of them and their families. I'd like to know, Minister, whether you were aware of the difficulties the...
Delyth Jewell: Diolch Llywydd. I would usually like to open a debate like this by setting out why it's timely, but, in many ways, this isn't a timely debate. Improving the M4 has been a matter of debate since before the beginning of devolution. It was first proposed in 1981 by the Welsh Office, yet here we are 27 years later and we are still discussing it. Let me be clear: rejecting the proposed black route...
Delyth Jewell: 1. What is the process followed by the Welsh Government to overturn a decision by a local authority planning committee to reject planning permission? OAQ54087
Delyth Jewell: 6. Will the Deputy Minister make a statement on the training available to recognise and tackle coercive control? OAQ54086
Delyth Jewell: I thank the First Minister for his answer. First Minister, nobody is in a better position, surely, to make informed decisions about local planning than the people who live there. In 2016, Caerphilly councillors voted against granting planning permission for a housing development at Hendredenny. Local residents were rightly angry to see this decision overturned by a Minister in Cardiff bay,...
Delyth Jewell: Thank you for your answer. I was very involved in work that resulted in the introduction of the coercive control law when I was in Westminster so this is an area very close to my heart, but legislation is only as good as its implementation, and there remain concerns about the take-up of training in this area. Until all public services receive training of the highest standard, we are unlikely...
Delyth Jewell: On 13 April this year, we awoke to the news that vandals had destroyed part of the 'Cofiwch Dryweryn' mural near Aberystwyth. It was, no doubt, a political act, and it's given rise to the creation of replica murals across Wales. But the most barbaric element for me was that they had smashed through the word 'cofiwch', meaning 'remember'—an attempt to erase and shatter our memory of our...
Delyth Jewell: I've already referred to that poet from the sixth century, Aneirin. His masterpiece, 'Y Gododdin', is a literary record of the forces of the Gododdin who died in a battle in the Old North, an area near Catterick, or Catraeth, to give its Brythonic name. It's impossible to overemphasise the literary and historic significance of this extraordinary poem, because it’s among the oldest of its...
Delyth Jewell: In closing, Llywydd, I'd like to quote some more words from Gwyn Alf Williams, who pointed out that that the Welsh have made themselves by telling and retelling their story in generation after generation. He said that Wales is an artefact, which the Welsh produce if they want to. It requires an act of choice. Now, I've spoken about murals and artefacts in my contribution today, but I hope...
Delyth Jewell: Llywydd, Plaid Cymru has not sought to amend this Brexit Party motion; it is so far removed from reality that the kindest course of action is to put it out of its misery before it implodes under the weight of its own contradictions. To consider that the Brexit Party only cares about one thing—Brexit—it is really quite astonishing to be confronted with the depth of their ignorance about...
Delyth Jewell: Yes, I'll take an intervention.
Delyth Jewell: On that, at least, we might be able to agree, on Brexit. A 'no deal' exit would likely result in a sudden decline in the value of sterling, which would mean that nothing would be cheaper, so what is the Brexit Party's answer to this? How would they keep prices down? Their policy, insofar as can be deduced, would be to unilaterally reduce tariffs to zero. Of course, under the WTO's...
Delyth Jewell: Thank you for that enlightening contribution, Mark. A WTO Brexit would also lead, however, to a trade embargo, resulting in the halting of exports of UK animal-based products such as meat, eggs and dairy to the EU—I wonder if you would disagree with that as well—a double whammy as this would be for Welsh farmers, courtesy of the Brexit Party. We also have, of course, this lamentable claim...
Delyth Jewell: As regional Member for South Wales East, I am acutely aware of the need to address the congestion issues around Newport. Now that the relief road has been abandoned, which we have welcomed, we need to look at alternative ways of addressing those specific issues, alongside upgrading our transport infrastructure to make it fit for us as a twenty-first century European nation. Yes, it is...
Delyth Jewell: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. As with any ambitious statement of intent on the kind of nation that we want to create here in Wales, be that a statement of a climate emergency or securing the future of the Welsh language, we must ensure that the ideal is reinforced in our actions and our political priorities. We must recognise that it’s no easy task to overturn the situation of the...
Delyth Jewell: Thank you, but, with respect, I would say that the purpose of the commissioner’s office is to safeguard and reinforce the status of the Welsh language, not non-Welsh speakers. I think that might confuse the function generally if it were to be done through the same office. But thank you for that intervention. Perhaps it’ll come as no great surprise—and I would say this—when...
Delyth Jewell: Minister, Labour's new Brexit policy is to support a referendum on Brexit and a campaign to remain if Boris Johnson or Jeremy Hunt is Prime Minister, while intending to renegotiate and leave if Jeremy Corbyn is Prime Minister. I'm sure people who've been following the evolution of Labour policy will conclude that there have now been so many backward steps to accompany every forward step that...
Delyth Jewell: Minister, do you therefore agree that, if there is a general election, it would make sense for people who wish to see Labour campaign to remain in the EU in any future referendum to vote for parties that will campaign to remain under any circumstances?
Delyth Jewell: Thank you, Minister. That was a valiant attempt to justify the latest manifestation of your party's Brexit policy, though I suspect people watching will want to draw their own conclusions as to whether that argument holds water. Boris Johnson recently said that if he were Prime Minister, he'd want a strong Conservative influence over how the EU funding replacement scheme—the shared...
