Lesley Griffiths: ...and community food co-operatives. The new food poverty alliance is a coming together of public, private and third sector organisations and is taking forward work to address holiday hunger in schoolchildren, which was piloted by Food Cardiff last year. The alliance will also investigate how to improve the uptake of free school meals and will work with retailers to partner them in tackling...
Lesley Griffiths: ...can see the crossover to my portfolio around obesity and, you’re quite right, we should be doing all we can to encourage people to eat at least five a day. Your suggestion around fruit bowls in schools sounds eminently sensible and I suppose, like everything, it’s probably down to cost. But I’d be very happy to have a discussion with the Cabinet Secretary for Education in relation to...
Lesley Griffiths: ...my officials are fully engaged in this process and working with NPS to identify suitable Welsh suppliers to provide them with the opportunity to bid for the frameworks. You raised the point about education, training, skills and innovation, and that’s incredibly important. I think what we need to make sure is that we have a very skilled and capable workforce going forward, and that’s...
Lesley Griffiths: ...in the pilot in Cardiff last year about the holiday hungry. I had one in my own constituency, which was run by a church. When you think about it, for a number of children who receive free school meals, what happens during the school holidays? It is a very successful scheme that’s been run for about a year now, in Wrexham, and I’m sure there are examples right across Wales. But, I think...
Lesley Griffiths: I absolutely agree. I remember walking at least, I think, about a mile and a half each way, both to primary and high school. You’re right, we need to have a look at what we can do to encourage people not to use their vehicles, and to make sure that we have the cycle routes that are needed, and to encourage more walking, and that obviously fits in with a healthier lifestyle and well-being as...
Lesley Griffiths: ...the provision of well-designed, high-quality buildings and public space. Well-planned public transport, cycling and walking routes delivered through the LDP enable sustainable access to jobs, schools and shops.
Lesley Griffiths: ..., functioning ecosystems. I think this is part and parcel of a broader approach that we need to have in relation to the sustainable management of our resources, and you’re absolutely right about schools and young children and teenage children. I think you only have to look at the way that recycling—. I think that went into schools very early on, and now for those children, as they’ve...
Lesley Griffiths: ...very welcome in Wales. I was very pleased to make the announcement regarding the MOU at Aberystwyth University, and the facilities that are being put in place there—not a complete veterinary school, but I think an important first step that we can build on.
Lesley Griffiths: ...to prevent littering is focused on both enforcement programmes and collaboration across key partner organisations working to change public attitudes and behaviour through community involvement and education. Encouraging people to take pride in their local environment and to take action themselves will lead to stronger and longer lasting improvements.
Lesley Griffiths: ...my visit, despite the very heavy rain on that day in August. What struck me about that scheme was the total partnership working in the community, from your environmental organisations to the schools to just local people who came along and helped. To see the thousands of trees that they’d planted was really fantastic.
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. The scientific literature review submitted earlier this year identified welfare considerations on the use of wild animals in travelling circuses and in corporate events, entertainment and educational settings. I’ve written to UK Ministers and I’m considering all options, and will make a statement before the Christmas recess.
Lesley Griffiths: I thank the Member for that question. Professor Harris identified in his report that a large number of captive wild animals are being used in, as I say, corporate entertainment and in educational settings. To be honest, that area concerns me more, because I think that we don’t know the numbers that are being used or anything about their welfare. You will have seen the approach taken in...
Lesley Griffiths: ...mutual benefits through knowledge transfer, cost savings and creating joint opportunities. Three hundred and eighty businesses are already engaged. I continue to support healthy eating in our schools and welcome the recent introduction of the food and nutrition GCSE. Innovation is a main consideration in the appraisal of food industry grant applications, and applications for product...
Lesley Griffiths: ...and young people learnt where their food came from. They were saying that, if you asked a child where an egg came from, they’d say the supermarket. It’s really important our children are educated, and that’s a discussion that I’m continuing to have. I’ve got a meeting coming up with both the Cabinet Secretary for Education and the Cabinet Secretary for health to take this issue...
Lesley Griffiths: ..., which you will appreciate doesn’t fall wholly within my portfolio. I mentioned in a previous answer that I’m due to have a meeting with my colleague Kirsty Williams, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, around issues to do with raising the information around food for our children and young people—where it comes from, et cetera. This will also fall within the Minister for public...
Lesley Griffiths: ...and had that very conversation with the owners. I think you’re right; we need to ensure that we absolutely maximise the procurement sector here in Wales. We need to look at our hospitals and our schools. I remember when I was health Minister undertaking some work in relation to lamb, and we couldn’t procure Welsh lamb because we had to have the cheapest, and looking at how we got...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. Our policy is to deliver programmes that bring together local people, groups, businesses and organisations to deliver services to improve where they live or work. This includes our eco-schools programme, which has 20 schools in inner Newport, empowering and inspiring young people to make positive environmental changes to their lives.
Lesley Griffiths: ...raised were brought up in that. But, certainly, we can look to make sure that—. As I say, I am going to look at the legislation, and certainly alongside that we could look to have some sort of education campaign, as you suggest.
Lesley Griffiths: .... I have the Food and Drink Wales Industry Board and, obviously the food and drink industry action plan, and I think that absolutely recognises the importance of healthy eating, particularly in our schools and in other parts of our public sector. We’ve also got the Peas Please initiative, which was started by the Food Foundation, and that’s bringing together farmers and retailers and...
Lesley Griffiths: ...framework indicators, so that’s an area where you can hold us to account. I’ve committed to issue a new air quality policy guidance to local authorities next month, and that will recognise schools and active travel routes, amongst others, as sensitive receptor locations. And local authorities have to take a risk-based approach to where they site their monitors, but I think it’s...
