Leanne Wood: In recent weeks, I've received many representations from supply teachers, and it's clear that the system that currently exists is uneven, chaotic and exploitative. Agencies are driving down pay rates to such an extent that one supply teacher is now getting less than she was able to earn as a newly qualified teacher two decades ago. Now, that can't be right. Nor can it be right that profits...
Leanne Wood: 3. What representations has the Counsel General made on behalf of the Welsh Government in relation to the Brexit process? OAQ51333
Leanne Wood: What representations has the Welsh Government made recently regarding the devolution of the criminal justice system?
Leanne Wood: I've received many representations from schools in the Rhondda regarding the funding crisis that they face in this financial year and, of course, for the foreseeable future. Treorchy Comprehensive School alone has lost nearly £0.25 million in this financial year, with no corresponding drop in pupil numbers. Then we have the state of some school buildings. One I visited recently posed a clear...
Leanne Wood: ...offer will not support this aim. In fact, it'll make the situation in the Valleys even worse, leading to even more families being left behind. Therefore, as a member of the Government, what representations have you made to your colleagues to urge them to expand the childcare offer to all parents in Wales? The problem in many of the Valleys communities is not the number of jobs, it's the...
Leanne Wood: ...the petition calling for positive action with regard to this case—and I'm aware, of course, that immigration is not devolved—I'd like to know the extent to which the Welsh Government can make representations to Westminster on these matters. Will you be prepared to work with charities that assist refugees to improve the situation for the 32 people stuck on this Sea-Watch boat? Can you...
Leanne Wood: ...issue not just for commuters, but also for staff who bear the brunt of passengers' anger, especially when people are forced to endure cramped conditions. On behalf of staff, who I've received representations from, and on behalf of the many people who use the trains every day, I want to know when we can expect to see more rolling stock—new rolling stock—on the Treherbert line? And I...
Leanne Wood: I want to raise the state of bus services in the Rhondda. I've received a number of representations from constituents about the deterioration in the frequency and quality of service. Many of the modern gold Stagecoach buses have been replaced by older and smaller models in many cases, and I've been informed that these buses have been reallocated to the Blackwood, Newport and Cardiff routes....
Leanne Wood: ...to. Policy is something that's done to them, rather than something that they are a part of. So, I want those who oversee the delivery of services crucial to tackling poverty to ensure that proper representation of people experiencing poverty in decision making. The recent remarks of Philip Hammond, claiming that poverty doesn't exist and dismissing the findings of the UN rapporteur,...
Leanne Wood: ...up more than 50 per cent of the population, gender balance in our democracy is vital. But we must also take an intersectional approach to this and make sure that we do whatever we can to increase representation of women from all backgrounds: women of colour, gay and trans, disabled, young and older women, working-class women and so on. I’m supportive of quotas to achieve this balance,...
Leanne Wood: ...as it is in effect in Wales, but until then, I'd like to know what official discussions have been taking place with the police regarding the execution of this Act. Has the Welsh Government made representations to the police forces and local authorities in Wales to encourage and promote kinder methods of helping homeless people, rather that increased enforcement of the Vagrancy Act? They...
Leanne Wood: ...Post Office network as well? This would jeopardise personal banking in isolated areas of the country, and it would jeopardise the sustainability of the Post Office branches. So can you tell me what representations have been made by this Government, or what representations can be made by the Welsh Government on this matter? I want to express my deep concern at events in Catalonia. Nine...
Leanne Wood: ...agree with me that Alun Cairns is unfit for public office and that any inquiry should include who else within the Tory party knew of Ross England's collapsed rape trial? And will you also be making representations to the UK Government when a new Secretary of State for Wales is announced to insist that someone with a knowledge of what our country needs is appointed? While this anachronistic...
Leanne Wood: ...the prison education system, for both those people serving terror-related offences within Welsh prisons and for those Welsh prisoners serving their sentences in England? I'd also like to know what representations are being made to your counterparts in Westminster about the cuts to the National Probation Service and the failures in assessment and monitoring of former inmates released on...
Leanne Wood: ...and homelessness from previous conflicts. So many former troops have not had the help that they need to have from their Government. I'd like a statement from the Welsh Government outlining what representations are being made to the UK Government to argue against involvement in conflict. What is needed now is cool, calm, collected diplomacy. The actions of Trump, which don't appear to be...
Leanne Wood: ...sentenced to a four-month suspended sentence and fined €140. This followed the retraction of her statement to police after an eight-hour unrecorded interrogation session without access to legal representation. The multiple injuries on her body were, according to one expert, said to be consistent with a violent assault. I and many others are of the view that an atrocity has been committed...
Leanne Wood: ..., albeit informally, that this Welsh Government look into the matter, because community cohesion is devolved, and so this is a case that should be of concern to you from that perspective. So, what representations do the Welsh Government intend to raise on this matter? And can this Government send out a clear statement that everyone in Wales is equal, that they should be treated equally,...
Leanne Wood: ...and workers from over 50 countries who settled in the community as a result of the bustling docks are central to the development of the industrial south of Wales. But as much as this is a matter of representation, it's also a matter of protecting minority groups in Wales. In the same vein as the Minister's decision to make sex and relationships education statutory, this, too, is about...
Leanne Wood: ...from the first lockdown. Some people can work from home, some people are self-employed, some people are entitled to sick pay or statutory sick pay, and others can get nothing at all. Now, I've made representations to Westminster about this with no joy. We have to make it easy for people to abide by the rules. Now, given that we can't rely on Westminster, can we hear from the Welsh...
Leanne Wood: ...Westminster-imposed ones. Will the Government, therefore, make a clear statement on the legal status of these restrictions in Wales and how they should impact on insurance policies? I know that representations have been made to the Association of British Insurers, but it wasn't clear from the First Minister's answer whether a legal statement, which I've asked for, has been made, and they...
