Siân Gwenllian: 1. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on funding plans under the Vibrant and Viable Places programme for 2017/18? OAQ(5)0104(CC)[W]
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you. Can you confirm whether the current programme is to come to an end at the end of March, and what will happen following that? Will the programme continue as it is, or will it become part of something larger? What will the guidance be, and what is the timetable for that? Local authorities are eager to have the details as soon as possible so that they can plan for the future. Indeed,...
Siân Gwenllian: I’d like to begin my contribution to today’s debate by emphasising the importance of supporting people in their homes, concentrating on one aspect specifically. One specific area that can have a practical impact on improving the lives of many people is making adaptations to their homes: making it easier for people to use wheelchairs; a purpose-built shower; a stairlift; or railings to...
Siân Gwenllian: We are calling on the Government to cease closing the patchwork of community hospitals and to move towards creating health and care hubs in our communities anew, such as the one that I hope to see in Waunfawr in my own constituency before too long. These are an important part of the care chain that we want to see in Wales for the future.
Siân Gwenllian: 3. Will the First Minister make a statement on how the Welsh Government intends to distribute economic prosperity across Wales? OAQ(5)0428(FM)[W]
Siân Gwenllian: As we’ve heard, there was an announcement that the headquarters of the Welsh Revenue Authority will go to Treforest. Having seen the paper that you mentioned and how the location was selected, the criteria made it entirely impossible for anything to come to north Wales or to anywhere beyond easy reach of Cardiff. The criteria related to skills—or one criterion did—but two related to...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much for the statement, and it does include a number of matters. You’ll be very pleased to hear that I’m going to talk about four of those. I note that you are working with the police and crime commissioners on tackling extremism. I’d like to know whether this includes extremism by right-wing white groups, one of the main threats facing us in modern Wales, and whether you...
Siân Gwenllian: 9. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on Welsh in Education Strategic Plans? OAQ(5)0083(EDU)[W]
Siân Gwenllian: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on Welsh in Education Strategic Plans?
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much, and I look forward to seeing your statement on these extremely disappointing plans. You’ve also announced your desire to reform the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 and to present a White Paper before the summer in order to promote public discussion on the provision of a new Bill. It wasn’t clear to me what exactly the remit of the new Bill will be. For example,...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you, Llywydd. Last week, in response to questions from Plaid Cymru on the location of the new Welsh Revenue Authority, the First Minister said this: we’re talking about jobs requiring specialist skills that aren’t available in Wales, in the main.’ He went on to say: Most of the people will come from London’. Again, when the director of delivery for the authority was asked the...
Siân Gwenllian: May I just remind you of what the First Minister said? He said: Most of the people will come from London’. I’ll move on to the White Paper published by you a few weeks ago on local government reform. There are a number of questions arising from that, mainly whether the kind of regional arrangements proposed create complexity and confusion for the people of Wales. One of the main problems...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you. Plaid Cymru is arguing for a simple regionalisation and that’s what the combined authorities are. We’re also making the case for elected mayors as a way of ensuring accountability. Plaid Cymru does welcome the content of the White Paper in terms of committing to introduce proportional voting as a means of conducting local government elections. We would provide this through STV...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you to the committee Chair for setting out the committee’s concerns in a very clear manner. You will have noted that there are many concerns raised by the committee. I’m going to focus on two aspects of the equality committee’s report and the Welsh Government’s response to that report: I want to look at the delivery plan and the role of education. In recommendation 8, our...
Siân Gwenllian: Yesterday morning at 9 o’clock, a bright, young student from Bangor, and her mother, were supposed to be on a plane to Sri Lanka against their will. Following a brief campaign, Shiromini Satkunarajah was allowed to stay, for the time being at least. Shiromini’s story has grabbed the imagination of thousands of people in all parts of Britain. It’s underlined just how unpleasant the...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much, and thank you for bringing this important debate forward today. It is true to say that the situation of women has been transformed since the days of the suffragettes, but equality is a long way from being a reality. I do hope that Plaid Cymru’s amendments note in a practical way a few areas where this Government can bring influence to bear. One of our amendments...
Siân Gwenllian: 8. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on funding plans under the Community Facilities Programme for 2017/18? OAQ(5)0109(CC)[W]
Siân Gwenllian: Ceredigion was the best performing local authority in terms of recycling in the 12 months up to the end of September 2016, with 70 per cent of waste recycled. All of the local authorities led by Plaid Cymru are reaching the national target of recycling 60 per cent of waste. Some authorities, such as Blaenau Gwent, Cardiff and Bridgend, continue to fail to achieve that national target. Does...
Siân Gwenllian: Yesterday afternoon, you declined to support a Plaid Cymru amendment that would make it mandatory to introduce healthy relationships education in schools. I would like to understand why you rejected that amendment. How are we going to reduce violence against women in a permanent way unless our children and young people have an opportunity to discuss key issues around ensuring healthy...
Siân Gwenllian: Next week, it will be 11 months since Canolfan y Fron submitted an application for a grant from this programme. Delays within the Government are putting the whole project at risk. It’s also almost nine months since GISDA—a vulnerable young people’s charity—sent in their application, and they are still waiting to hear whether they have been successful in their bid. The Government had...
