Jenny Rathbone: 4. What discussions has the First Minister had with the UK Government regarding the oversight of the new England football regulator? OQ57969
Jenny Rathbone: That's, of course, disappointing, because, obviously, Welsh clubs do play in the England and Wales leagues. We can all recall the tragic death of Emiliano Sala over three years ago, whose plane crashed on his way to Cardiff from Nantes. Last year, David Henderson was found guilty and received 18 months in prison for putting him on a plane piloted by someone who was not licensed to carry...
Jenny Rathbone: 8. Will the Counsel General provide an update on Welsh Government discussions with the Ministry of Justice in respect of a new justice centre for Cardiff? OQ57958
Jenny Rathbone: 2. What action is the Commission taking to reduce energy consumption in the Senedd estate’s buildings? OQ57959
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you, Counsel General. The current building, which sits in my constituency, in outdated and utterly inadequate. It's unsafe for families and it's not a good place for the judiciary, its staff and lawyers to be working in. As it's the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice to sort this problem out, I wonder how it is possible that we are still seeing no progress since your meeting in...
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you. These behavioural measures need to start with the way that the electrical lighting system is set up. For example, my colleague Mike Hedges, the lights are permanently on in his office, whereas it took a huge effort on my part to get the business people in the Senedd to change the lighting system so that it didn't automatically come on. You don't need the light on in a south-facing...
Jenny Rathbone: I'd like to thank you, all your predecessor Ministers with housing responsibility, and all the other stakeholders involved in bringing WHQS to all our social housing. That doesn't mean to say there isn't more work to be done. I've still got tenants living in no-fines accommodation that is freezing cold in winter. I do want to take you up on the opportunity you've given us in your final...
Jenny Rathbone: —there are opportunities from the zero-rated VAT on insulation that private landlords ought to be incentivised to seize. I'm not looking for grants; I want loans for private landlords so they do the right thing. Ultimately, I want to see sticks for private landlords who don't do the right thing, and I wonder if you could tell us a little bit more about that.
Jenny Rathbone: I'd just like to say that the role of journalists in uncovering these dreadful acts of genocide is absolutely crucial. And would you agree also that the death of Shireen Abu Akleh in Palestine, apparently by Israeli forces, is another example of how journalists risk their lives to report what is going on? And obviously that is an everyday occurrence amongst journalists from across the world...
Jenny Rathbone: The experience of Altaf Hussain is, I'm sure, repeated, and I know it's repeated, amongst many of my constituents, but that doesn't really get us very far, in the sense that we can acknowledge that the service is under huge strain at the moment, not least the pent-up demand from two years of lockdown, but also the reduced capacity of hospitals caused by the additional public health measures...
Jenny Rathbone: I agree. And that was on my little list. [Laughter.] So, the Welsh Government is investing £43 million in social care, which is the main cause of delayed transfer of care, by offering the real living wage to make it more attractive to go into social care and also by having the wraparound care that's available through the neighbourhood nursing schemes. These are definitely things that need...
Jenny Rathbone: —had a Greek ophthalmologist—. A Greek othalmologist was—. An appropriate person was offered the job by this health board, and, when the Home Office told them they couldn't allow their family to come with them, guess what? They decided they didn't want to take that job. So, that problem is exacerbated for all the other health professionals who we have, in the previous iteration, allowed...
Jenny Rathbone: So, we absolutely have to change, and I think that the recovery plan is a coherent plan for change. But doing things the way they have always been done is definitely not an option.
Jenny Rathbone: Yes, it has only been there for two weeks. What is it that's not adequate about this now? You said it's not an adequate plan, so what would make it adequate in your view?
Jenny Rathbone: We heard earlier from the leader of Plaid Cymru of the risk of cuts to public services that are controlled by the UK Government, including the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. One of my constituents, who's waiting to renew her short-term licence, which, because of her medical condition, she has to renew every three years, but unlike certain conditions like epilepsy and diabetes, she's...
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you very much. I very much welcome your mention of regional residential services for children with complex needs, because this is a really good example of invest-to-save, because, at the moment, as you say, we spend over £200,000 per place, and if they're far away from home, then who is actually monitoring the quality of that provision? So, I wondered if you could give us a bit more...
Jenny Rathbone: I'm always pleased to take part in any debate about women's health, but I think that the way the motion has been phrased is a little unfortunate because it isn't either timely nor is it strategic in its approach, so it's going to have limited impact. This is because the health Minister has already announced in the Senedd a few weeks ago that she was working on an equality statement on women's...
Jenny Rathbone: Having said that, obviously, all the points that have been made by other Members are really important. It's always going to be a good idea to be focusing the lens on women's health, because women have traditionally never had the same care as men. We have to remember that, before the NHS was founded by the post-war Labour Government, women next to never had any healthcare, because they always...
Jenny Rathbone: What action is the Welsh Government taking to improve food security in Wales in light of the risks to trading arrangements with the EU?
Jenny Rathbone: I'd first like to draw everybody's attention to the St Teilo's Estyn report, which said that the needs of pupils with additional learning needs are met exceptionally well. Unlike in some schools, pupils who need bespoke support get bespoke support to thrive and achieve to the best of their ability. I saw that last week when I visited. I'd also like to pay tribute to Bridgend College, which is...
