Julie James: Thank you for that. I think the Member makes an enormous number of good points there. One of the things we’ll be looking to do is make sure that we can address individual requirements for particular support and make sure that people can access the jobs and skills they need in the area where they want them to do that. What we’re trying to do is basically get a programme that’s coherent...
Julie James: I’ve made repeated representations to the Minister for employment. I made clear my concerns when we spoke on 5 July. I’ll continue to seek assurances about the position of staff who are adversely affected by these changes. And, indeed, I’m meeting with the UK Minister tomorrow to discuss the matter further.
Julie James: Absolutely. I’m very disappointed that the DWP announced last Wednesday the decision to close the Llanelli benefit office and the job centres in Mountain Ash, Pyle, and Tredegar. Relocating jobs will affect about 150 staff, we understand. I’m also very disappointed that they did not see fit to consult with the Welsh Government about alternative solutions prior to the final decision. I...
Julie James: Well, indeed, that’s very much part of the conversation. We had a conversation about possible relocation areas for people from Llanelli, and a diverse range of places were mentioned, moving me to ask whether he had a map with the mountains marked on it. One of the areas that was mentioned was a possible relocation to Swansea waterfront, for example. I was explaining the difficulty of...
Julie James: Yes, indeed, I’m happy to make that commitment to you. We will, I hope, be having a broad discussion about exactly what the plans are, why they’ve seen fit to do this, why they didn’t consult with us, and indeed what can be done now. It hasn’t actually happened yet. What can we do at this moment in time to assist and to make sure that we understand exactly what the proposals are so...
Julie James: I’m very grateful for the cross-party support. It makes no sense to us to move jobs from areas that need them badly into areas where employment is much higher. I don’t have all the details of the plan for the big new office, nor of the closure of, I presume, some of the satellite offices around it, but I will be seeking clarification on that, and indeed we will be seeking to affect the...
Julie James: Absolutely. As I said, we’re trying to get a picture of the situation across Wales. We are not at all happy about the consolidation of jobs into one particular area. We haven’t been consulted about it. It appears to us to have been driven by estate matters, rather than jobs and employment matters, which is, in my opinion, not the right way round. We have offered to work with them, and...
Julie James: Diolch, Llywydd. I’m very pleased to be opening this debate today to focus on how and why we should be increasing the openness and availability of data. I just wanted to start off by clarifying that by that I mean data that relates to non-personal and non-sensitive issues. Our involvement in the Open Government Partnership initiative demonstrates that we are committed to being a more open,...
Julie James: Well, I’m very grateful to Members for their support of the open data agenda, which is evident across the Chamber. I think there may be a little bit of confusion between what we mean by open data and open Government in this context and publication in general. I take the point about publication that people have made. I feel duty-bound—I’m sure the Llywydd won’t mind my saying so—to...
Julie James: Yes, absolutely. I think the point of the debate, really, is that we need to look backwards a little bit at our systems, but as we develop new systems, we need to develop them in the spirit of open data insofar as that’s possible and permissible and doesn’t reveal any personal or sensitive information. So, I think I can absolutely say that, and we need to design those systems in in the...
Julie James: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Can I, too, add my thanks to the Members who tabled this very important debate and for all the thoughtful contributions from all Members today in the Chamber? I, too, am a bit of a car fan. Everybody who knows me at all well knows that I restore old Minis by way of relaxation at weekends. And I also feel that Wales should be on the crest of the wave,...
Julie James: Certainly.
Julie James: I’m looking forward to it already. [Laughter.] Well, the reason I’ve been visiting all of those places is because I want to make sure that we are embracing the technology as it comes upon us. As I was about to say, understanding intelligent transport systems, the integration of information and communication technology with transport infrastructure, vehicles and users is one of these...
Julie James: [Continues.]—that I won’t indulge myself in reading through. But I do think it’s worth—and you’ll forgive me for doing so—mentioning the need for advancing policy thinking at all levels of government in the UK. The issue about the generation of electricity in order to support these new technologies is a big one. So, I’m going to take this opportunity, unashamedly, to ask the UK...
Julie James: Diolch, Llywydd. Not surprisingly, multiple changes have been made to this week's business. The debates on the regulated services regulations and the Children's Commissioner for Wales 2016-17 annual report, which were due to have been held last Tuesday, will take place this afternoon. The debates on the Official Statistics (Wales) Order 2017 and tackling substance misuse have been postponed...
Julie James: Well, can I say how delighted I am to have received my first question from my predecessor in post, who has an enormous set of shoes for me to step into? And can I also say how incredibly grateful I am for all of the advice and support she's given me over the years, and, indeed, over the last two weeks, which has been a real help, in what's been a very difficult time for absolutely everybody,...
Julie James: Well, thank you for that very important question and your kind remarks at the beginning. The Cabinet Secretary has released a written statement on progress quite recently, but I will ask him to look again at the issue in the light of your remarks.
Julie James: Well, thank you very much for your kind remarks at the beginning and for that series of questions. The first one, which is very much the easiest of them to answer on your first day in a job, is that we will be making a question time available in the normal way for me to be questioned on portfolio responsibilities, and Assembly Members will have the opportunity to table questions in the...
Julie James: The First Minister has an absolute right to organise this Government as he sees fit and he has done so.
Julie James: Thank you for those kind remarks, and I would just like to reiterate the remarks about my predecessor, Jane Hutt, who I’m extremely grateful to, myself, for her advice over the years. I know the Member has worked tirelessly in this campaign to get this inquiry under way, and I pay tribute to her efforts in that regard. We of course also welcome the inquiry being placed on a statutory...
