Rebecca Evans: Diolch, Llywydd. I'd like to thank all colleagues for what's been a really wide-ranging debate and thank you for the representations that you've been putting forward today. I do agree that, in future years, it would be excellent for this debate to be held by the Finance Committee. Clearly, for practical reasons, it wasn't possible this year, but I'm really heartened to hear that the committee...
Paul Davies: ...from the Minister for Health and Social Services on the Welsh ambulance service. I understand that the Welsh ambulance service is currently undertaking a pan-Wales roster review, and I've received representations from worried NHS staff about plans for the service in my own area, in Pembrokeshire. The current plans are to reduce the emergency ambulance capacity within Pembrokeshire from...
Jane Hutt: ...up for values such as democracy, women's rights, and freedom of speech: journalists, women's rights activists are vulnerable people; I've mentioned this already, women and girls at risk. I've had representations and concerns raised with me about women in sport and you will have seen some of the concerns and outcomes people have that there is a real issue about who's been left behind and...
Jane Hutt: ...terms of school places. You've mentioned higher education as well. That will all be part of the work that they're undertaking at the moment, but I then will be able to, as we assess the needs, make representations as necessary to the UK Government and account for the impact—you know, assess the impact that it's having on local authorities and our public services, and the good response...
Hannah Blythyn: ...how we approach fair work across Government, providing us with a common approach underpinned by legislation. Promoting and encouraging fair work will no longer be a policy choice, where 'do nothing' is a potential option for Ministers and officials, because we will be under a duty to take action. The Bill will also introduce a duty on Welsh Ministers to report annually on the activities we...
Mick Antoniw: ...the matters that get raised with us as Senedd Members in that capacity with regard to reform. But it's also important to understand that the consolidation process is one where, effectively, we do not want to see—. I mean, we do not want to effectively tie down the entirety of the capacity of the Senedd in terms of legislation and scrutiny to actually reform the entirety of planning law,...
Huw Irranca-Davies: 7. What representations has the Counsel General made to the UK Government regarding restoring legal aid for early advice and reassessing the means test? OQ56853
James Evans: ...the residents of Powys. When I got there, I was shocked and dismayed to see that some of the appointees to the national park didn't even reside within the park boundary, and some of them were not even residents of Wales. And there was also a serious lack of representation from different backgrounds, such as young people, LGBT and BAME. And I always I do wonder how people who aren't from a...
Rhys ab Owen: ...in western Europe, but also black people are six times more likely to be in Welsh prisons than white people. Then the Lammy report, that pointed out that the number of the causes of over-representation of BAME people within the criminal justice system lie within the devolved competencies of the Senedd. And finally, the third report, the Commission on Justice in Wales report, and that noted...
Jane Hutt: ...Governance Centre when he published that report back in 2019. It did give us a very clear picture of the criminal justice system in Wales, and highlighted that trend, as you've identified, of over-representation of black, Asian and minority ethnic people within the criminal justice system. In terms of actions to be taken as far as that's concerned, the race equality action plan provided...
Jane Dodds: Just to follow on from my colleague Rhys ab Owen's question, I also am very interested in the issue of the criminal justice system and the over-representation of those with protected characteristics, particularly black and minority ethnic prisoners. Twenty-six per cent of the prison population in England and Wales are from a minority ethnic group. That's compared to 16 per cent of the entire...
Mick Antoniw: ...praise the work of the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign and those women who have so assiduously campaigned against what is a very, very gross injustice? And I'm sure there's probably not a single Member of this Senedd who does not know a large number of people who've been affected by this injustice. The findings from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report...
Mick Antoniw: Thank you, again, on a very important area. We are continuing to make strong representations to the UK Government about a range of issues relating to the adverse impacts of legal aid reforms by engaging with the means testing and criminal legal aid reviews.
Mick Antoniw: ...the issue of accessibility, the extent to which people are now participating in court proceedings, either directly or even by mobile phone, on serious issues as litigants in person, with no legal representation, is an absolute scandal for the fifth richest country in the world.
Sioned Williams: .... Our understanding of work as a whole needs to change, and this is achievable, I think. Our acceptance of radically new working practices in such a short period of time shows this. Waged work is not the only sphere that needs to be reimagined, but the opportunity offered by a four-day working week to women would be more effective than the myriad of gender equality reviews and policies...
Luke Fletcher: ...made clear in the debate on this topic before recess, Westminster’s levelling-up agenda has so far meant more powers for Westminster, more money for Tory seats, and less democracy, funding and representation for Wales. We deserve better than this, and our amendments, of course, reflected that. During that debate we sought to make explicit points regarding the process behind the selection...
Rhianon Passmore: Well, 'Not a penny worse off' is echoing rather emptily around this devolved Chamber. Two months after the UK Government stated that projects that had been approved would be announced, there has been silence. And, as you rightly point out, Minister, the local authority area of Caerphilly is excluded from the priority funding list, in favour—in favour—of richer English areas, even though...
Paul Davies: Minister, last week I challenged the First Minister on ambulance services in Pembrokeshire, and he accused me of peddling unsubstantiated rumours, which is simply not true. Because the representations that I've received on this matter are from front-line emergency service workers in Pembrokeshire who are very concerned at proposals to reduce local ambulance cover and the impact that the...
Mark Drakeford: ...sure that Members are aware of the history of all of this. The Welsh Government, often at the urging of the trade union movement, committed ourselves to the independent pay review process. We made representations to it. It reported, and it recommended a 3 per cent pay increase, which the Welsh Government decided to honour. In order to fund that 3 per cent pay increase, we have a 1 per cent...
Hefin David: ...benches, and at the time I had grave concerns about what was said, and there was a lot of concerns raised in this Chamber about that. But we need to remember the trade unions are the most effective representation of the workforce that has been seen in this country. I’ve had conversations with my own trade union, Unison, about this issue, and I’m very glad to have had that conversation,...
