Janet Finch-Saunders: Diolch, Llywydd. Can I firstly thank all the Members who've participated today, all excellent contributions acknowledging the principle and the merit of these petitions? In conclusion, the size and breadth of the petitions we have received on the subject of sports and physical activity have left our committee, the Petitions Committee, in no doubt of the importance of such activities for so...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Minister, the First Minister, in making the statements he did yesterday, has caused a lot of anxiety, concern and upset. Actually, he's leading vulnerable people to believe that they are now at an increased risk of contracting the virus, and no more so than in Aberconwy. Do you agree with the First Minister that all available Pfizer vaccines should not be made available as quickly as...
Janet Finch-Saunders: I would like to place on record that, in principle, we very much support the bringing forward of a Bill that will actually ensure that our residents can feel safe in their homes and that we never, ever witness anything again like the Grenfell tragedy. As Dame Judith Hackitt has made clear, there is a need for a radical rethink of the whole system and how it works. She has described this...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Yes.
Janet Finch-Saunders: Right. The regulator is key to the major reform that is needed. The Hackitt report highlighted that the current regulatory regime is fractured, so why not be bold and pursue the option of a single national regulator? I welcome this consultation, Minister, and hope that there will be quick and decisive progress to introduce legislation in the next Senedd, be it you or our party in power....
Janet Finch-Saunders: Minister, you will no doubt be aware that my constituency of Aberconwy sits within the Conwy County Borough, and that we have the highest percentage of old people aged 65 plus in Wales. We also have a number of 80 to 90-year-olds who have been shielding since last March, facing life like never before, living indoors, struggling with loneliness, fear and anxiety. I am reliably informed by...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Diolch, Llywydd. On behalf of the Petitions Committee, I am pleased to open this debate on a petition calling for steps to be taken to help prevent Welsh house names being changed and lost. This was submitted by Robin Aled Davies, having collected more than 18,000 signatures, a fact that I believe demonstrates how many people feel strongly about this issue, and about the protection of Welsh...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you, Minister, for your response, and to Dai Lloyd, as a Member, for your contributions today. In concluding this debate, I also wish to thank the petitioner, Robin Aled Davies, for bringing this petition forward, and to all 18,000 people who signed this, and who themselves have engaged with the petitions process within our Senedd. I do hope that the points raised today will contribute...
Janet Finch-Saunders: First Minister, the UK Government has been very clear that our high standards on protections for workers were never dependent on our membership of the EU. Now, whilst we can all be proud that the UK has one of the best records on workers' rights in the world, it is true that the Welsh Government could and should be doing more. Let's take, for example, your self-isolation support scheme, which...
Janet Finch-Saunders: 7. Will the Minister make a statement on financial support for businesses closed in January 2021 due to COVID-19 regulations? OQ56188
Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you, Minister. I can tell you that that money will be not just very welcome, but is needed in Wales. Now, I have a number of small accommodation owners contacting me stating that the only Welsh Government funding they can access is the restrictions business fund non-domestic rate grant. It seems that, for some reason, now, tourism businesses are blocked from the sector specific fund...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Diolch, Llywydd. To my delight, the UK Government has announced that seafood exporters across the UK will now receive Government funding of up to £23 million. That funding is to support businesses that have been most adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic and the challenges of adjusting to new requirements for exporting. So, I hope, Counsel General, you will join with me in welcoming...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you. One example of action you could take is to encourage the Welsh Government to review the exclusion of crew members employed on a share-of-catch basis from the ERF sector-specific grant. Now, it will come of no surprise to you that I am again pleased that the Prime Minister's trade deal does allow UK goods and components to be sold without tariffs and without quotas in the EU...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you, but again, my questions, really, are trying to ascertain what you are actually doing, rather than saying, 'Oh, this is for the UK Government' or, 'It's for those who wanted Brexit'. I'm trying to establish what you are doing in your capacity. Now, I appreciate that the Welsh Government has urged all hauliers and freight companies that transport goods from Welsh ports to Ireland to...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Before I start my contribution, I'll just say I'm disappointed to see amendments rejected when one amendment by Neil McEvoy reads: 'Calls on the Welsh Government to confirm whether it turned down 200,000 Pfizer vaccines at the beginning of January 2021.' So, I'd like that as a specific question as part of my contribution. Now, despite the Welsh Government receiving over 327,000 doses of both...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and, yes, I would like to move those amendments. I would also like to pay tribute to all emergency services, our local authorities and Natural Resources Wales, who were out just last week assisting our residents as a result of storm Christoph. Our hearts must go out to all those affected. However, we should all offer more not only to the people of Rhondda...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, the front page of the Farmers Guardian says it all: 'NVZ Nightmare'. Now, on 8 April last year, you informed the Senedd that you were minded to introduce these regulations once the crisis had ended. You reiterated that promise another six times, most recently on 14 October. A recent report by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board found that 2020 has...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you, Minister. But, I have to say, it's quite insulting to all our farmers to say that the voluntary scheme hasn't worked. Now, the First Minister is also out of touch, because he responded yesterday, stating, 'we've seen no diminution in the rate of agricultural pollution'. Clearly, then, he's not even read your statement, in which you fully acknowledge that there has been progress....
Janet Finch-Saunders: Thank you, Minister. What your answer there tells me is that it's not the farmers who've failed; it's 20 years of the Welsh Labour Government who've been unable to work more beneficially for farmers, to work with them to support them, rather than these horrendous restrictions. So severe are they that in addition to being like a criminal electronic tag for farmers, they do come despite the...
Janet Finch-Saunders: Now, of course, the Petitions Committee will be considering a petition on this topic at its meeting on 9 February. This petition has collected more than 14,000 signatures since news of the financial challenges facing the National Library of Wales became public. The petition notes the current threat to 30 jobs at the library and the associated risk to services, and calls for fair funding for...
