Laura Anne Jones: Minister, firstly, I'd like to join you in commending the incredible work that our councils have done during the pandemic; the way that they've reacted and responded to the pandemic in all forms and the floods has been exceptional. The local government settlement is a missed opportunity. Local councils in Wales will receive a smaller increase in funding compared to the previous financial...
Laura Anne Jones: I, of course, Minister, would like to join you in commending the work of the police forces in its entirety, and the emergency services also, particularly during the pandemic. I do, however, believe that they could have been better protected on the front line. The total amount of central support for police forces in Wales in 2021-22 will be £408.2 million. This is an increase of around £24...
Laura Anne Jones: Furthermore, Wales will benefit from additional specialised police officers, ensuring that Wales is at the forefront of the fight against terrorism and organised crime. Recent statistics show that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, crime in England and Wales has reduced by 6 per cent in the 12 months to September 2020, highlighting that the UK Government's investment in our police is delivering...
Laura Anne Jones: I must begin by thanking our dedicated Chair, my fellow committee members, clerks, researchers and lawyers of the Children, Young People and Education Committee for the phenomenal amount of work that went into scrutinising and improving this Bill. The evidence sessions were scrupulously balanced, witnesses were thoroughly challenged on their evidence, and you can see from the number of...
Laura Anne Jones: I'd 100 per cent back what Jayne Bryant has just said, actually. Local campaigner, Michael Enea, has also raised the issue recently, about this particular site—the 'road to nowhere' near the Celtic lakes. The 100 tonnes of rubbish is a sight for sore eyes—it's an appalling state of affairs, and it really needs—. I was just wondering when it's actually going to be cleared, and how you're...
Laura Anne Jones: Thank you, Presiding Officer. Can I first start by saying 'thank you'? Although short, it's been a pleasure holding the shadow portfolio opposite you, Minister, and I appreciate—and I'm sure Mark does—all your constructive responses. Minister, can you tell me how this Government is working with local authorities to ensure that, when considering sites for local development plans, they do...
Laura Anne Jones: Thank you, Minister. I'm very pleased with your response just now, and I'm sure the local campaign group will be too. Because these sorts of sites shouldn't come around in the first place, in my opinion. We shouldn't have to go through all the cost of having to make checks on things that everybody knows are not suitable. However, the coronavirus has had a major impact on individuals and...
Laura Anne Jones: Thank you, Minister. Recently, Newport City Council approved a motion formally calling on the Welsh Government to carefully consider calls for a regional referendum on the M4 relief road. A poll conducted by WalesOnline found that double the amount of people supported the road than those who voted against. After restrictions were eased following the end of the first lockdown, during the...
Laura Anne Jones: 8. What action is the Welsh Government taking to improve transport in south-east Wales? OQ56468
Laura Anne Jones: Thank you. First Minister, last week, in response to my question on Newport City Council's support for a referendum for an M4 relief road, the Minister for Housing and Local Government said, 'If there is a call for a local referendum, then we're certainly happy to work with Newport council to see how that might be accomplished.' Julie James then went on to say she was all in favour of local...
Laura Anne Jones: The Welsh Conservatives can't still 100 per cent sign up to these regulations. Under the regulations, councils will be forced to participate in new corporate joint committees, public bodies that will make regional decisions on everything—education, transport, land use and economic well-being. The purpose of these regulations is to improve collaborative and regional working between councils...
Laura Anne Jones: Just following on from what the Deputy Minister, Jane Hutt, just said at the beginning of her contribution, I'd like just to put on record as well that the Welsh Conservatives have the family of Sarah Everard firmly in our thoughts too, and we share her sentiments. The need for us to do more is sadly highlighted by her murder, and the need for us all to work collaboratively to ensure the...
Laura Anne Jones: 8. What consideration does the Welsh Government give to improving mental health in Wales when deciding to ease lockdown restrictions? OQ56482
Laura Anne Jones: Thank you. First Minister, the benefits of sport and physical activity to mental health are something that I've talked about a lot in the Chamber since I joined not that long ago. The link between the two are well known, and, I believe, will play a pivotal role in the recovery stage of this pandemic. On 1 February, the mental health Minister said fitness facilities and swimming pools were...
Laura Anne Jones: Business Minister, can I please request that the First Minister of this Government outlines in a detailed statement how and when it's going to bring back adult outdoor organised sport please? As I've already said—and I'll repeat it because of its importance—physical exercise has proven benefits that are well renowned and well known, and the impact on mental health will form an important...
Laura Anne Jones: Thank you. First Minister, a year on, may I just firstly take this opportunity, on this day of reflection, to remember all those who have devastatingly lost their lives to COVID, and also take this opportunity to thank all those on the front line that have gone above and beyond, and have witnessed sights that none of us would have wanted to witness, or hoped for them to witness? They have put...
Laura Anne Jones: The impact, of course, has been massive. First Minister, in the next Parliament, I really hope that whoever's in Government, and all MSs, play their part, and are brutally honest in their scrutiny and appraisal of the next Welsh Government, and this Welsh Government, in the handling of the crisis. I hope that, from that, we learn and can be more holistic and ensure that we have a more...
Laura Anne Jones: Deputy Minister, I just want to say that I concur with all that you said. We very much welcome this plan today. May I first just take this opportunity, though, to thank the Deputy Minister, Jane Hutt, for all her hard work in this role? She was the perfect person to be in such a role, being such a caring and compassionate human herself. She's helped to bring this Senedd and our country great...
Laura Anne Jones: Thank you, Minister. Yes, it's very true that it has to be a cross-cutting, cross-Government approach to this to tackle this significant problem. The pandemic has thrown into sharp focus the issue of health inequalities in Wales, and exposed the consequences of longstanding failure to tackle the problem. Tackling the social causes of health inequalities, as you said, has never been more...
Laura Anne Jones: I myself have known you since I was in the then Welsh Assembly back in 2003. You've been here a long time. You've done a great deal, and I'm sure you'll be missed by many. Wales is a country of enormous potential, Deputy Presiding Officer. Unfortunately, over the last 22 years, Wales has not only failed to achieve that potential, but on so many measures, has fallen backwards. Poorer, our...
