Elin Jones: Item 6 is next, namely the Representation of the People (Amendment) (Wales) (Coronavirus) (No. 2) Regulations 2021. I call on the Minister for Finance and Local Government to move the motion. Rebecca Evans.
Rebecca Evans: ...to our democracy. Anything that impacts them should be taken seriously, so I am pleased to bring these regulations before you and to hear the views of colleagues in the Chamber today on the Representation of the People (Amendment) (Wales) (Coronavirus) (No. 2) Regulations 2021. I want to ensure that local by-elections are conducted safely and in a way that maximises the opportunity for...
Rebecca Evans: The Representation of the People (Amendment) (Wales) (Coronavirus) (No. 2) Regulations 2021 temporarily extend these provisions to 28 March 2022. After this date, no local by-elections of any kind may be held before the ordinary local elections in May. We will consider separately what arrangements will need to be in place for the local government ordinary elections in May next year. I am...
Alun Davies: ...the-post, and I hope that we will be able to introduce proportional representation—fair proportional representation—STV, to ensure that everybody is included in choosing who represents them and not just people who happen to live in constituencies where the majority of people agree with their choices.
Natasha Asghar: ...bus service between Cardiff and Swansea. One of the reasons given by First Bus for this service withdrawal is that, and I quote, 'It carries a disproportionate amount of concessions customers, and not commercial customers, which makes it impossible to sustain the costs.' Senior citizens and people with disabilities who were able to use a bus pass to travel between Cardiff and Swansea with...
Lesley Griffiths: ...In response to changes in milk contracts, we allowed the establishment of orange markets and rearing approved finishing units, giving farmers outlets for surplus dairy calves. Having received many representations from farmers wanting these outlets, it is disappointing to see low use. I would encourage the industry to consider setting up more to maximise their potential. A key aim of our...
Lesley Griffiths: ...the figures in my statement. People don't seem to want to accept statistics, so I won't say it again. Regarding on-farm slaughter, I absolutely agree with you how distressing that can be. I had representations made to me from the industry, and I thought it was really important that we looked to find a solution for on-farm slaughter. And we piloted—and you might be aware of this—farm...
Sam Rowlands: ...leaders across the country, is their democratic nature, or perhaps lack of, and the potential impact of powers being taken away from councils and those democratically elected to make decisions and representations on behalf of their communities. In your letter to the Local Government and Housing Committee on 29 October, you stated that CJCs aim to bring more coherence to and strip out some...
Lesley Griffiths: ...and they provide guidance for continuous improvement. We too have concerns about the UK trade deals with New Zealand and Australia that have been agreed in principle and officials continue to make representations to the UK Government.
Lesley Griffiths: ...replacement EU funding over the spending review period. That's on top of last year's £137 million that wasn't provided for my budget from the UK Government. That netting away of that funding would not have happened if we'd still been in the European Union. As you probably are aware, and you will have heard the Minister for finance in her questions saying, this rhetoric—and it was...
Lesley Griffiths: Well, I'm sure, as you can appreciate, as the sustainable farming scheme is obviously in development, I can't commit here in the Chamber to that, but I do have representations being made to me regularly regarding the capping of payments, and will certainly be looking at that as part of the sustainable farming scheme.
Julie James: ...Government. Since you and I last discussed the issues facing residents in Caerau, we made some progress, but I recognise and share your frustration and that of your constituents that action has not been taken quickly enough to resolve the difficulties generated as a result of the UK Government community energy saving programme scheme. And I know, and you’ve set out today, that this is a...
Julie James: .... I understand it's the local authority's intention to project manage the reinstatement of the properties to a fit state, supported by funding from themselves and from Government. It's obviously not right that residents should have to meet the costs for remedial work. In some cases, the cost could be around £30,000—a sum totally out of reach for some of the lowest income households in...
Mick Antoniw: ...in, so I hope he doesn't think that some of these comments are more in light of an obituary, because I can assure you that he is alive and well—it just sometimes sounds like that; I'm sure he's not going anywhere for quite some time. Can I also say that one of the things that he—? I obviously have met with him to discuss his report, and again with the First Minister, and again with the...
Mark Isherwood: ...in Wales; support for advice service providers; quality and location of court buildings; Welsh language provision in the justice system; and the organisation of the senior judiciary, including representation in the UK Supreme Court. What therefore is the state of play with these discussions?
Mick Antoniw: ...that we hope to bring to reform, to modernise and to bring our electoral system into the twenty-first century. I think it is also fair to say, about the proposals by the UK Government, that it's not intended that they will apply to Welsh elections, and, in any event, the UK Government's legislation is unlikely to come into force before or even be completed by the time of the May 2022...
Samuel Kurtz: ...owners were dumping their once-beloved pets on the sides of quiet country lanes, in the hope that their misjudged lockdown purchases could be easily forgotten and erased. Unfortunately, this was not an uncommon occurrence. Up and down Wales, there are rescue centres and sanctuaries that have now reached a crisis point. RSPCA Cymru highlight that the 998 cases of pet abandonment that have...
Jane Hutt: ...impacted their mental well-being and their lives. It is also a terrible fact that, across the UK, six in every 10 of COVID-related deaths were of disabled people. Many of these deaths were not the simple inevitable consequence of impairment, with many deaths being clearly rooted in socioeconomic factors. Today, I'm not only reiterating that this Government recognises these inequalities,...
Jane Hutt: ...with our partners across the public, private and voluntary sectors. And it was so important that we had people with lived experience. I co-chaired it with Professor Debbie Foster, but we also had representation from the Welsh Local Government Association and our steering group of disabled people, many of whom also sit on our disability equality forum. The taskforce is crucial in that...
Jane Hutt: ...work that's been done with funding from the Deputy Minister for Social Services in terms of Carers Rights Day. I think it is important to recognise that we have serious issues where we are making representations to the UK Government, raising concerns about the impact of welfare reforms in Wales, particularly the impact on certain groups. I'm sure Senedd Members will know from their...
