Sioned Williams: 4. Will the First Minister make a statement on the reduction in the number of practising dentists in the NHS in South Wales West? OQ57739
Sioned Williams: Diolch. The health board with the highest percentage reduction in NHS dentists was Swansea Bay University Health Board, which serves residents in my region, with 22 per cent fewer dentists in 2021, compared to the previous year. The effect of the pandemic and boundary changes may partly be responsible for this situation, but the fall in NHS dentists is a long-standing trend, and the British...
Sioned Williams: I thank the Minister for her statement and would like to associate myself and my party with her tribute to the women of Ukraine. My grandmother had to give up her job when she was married. My mother started out her career as a teacher on less pay than her male counterparts. I worked part-time for over a decade because I couldn't find suitable childcare. According to the World Economic...
Sioned Williams: 3. What discussions has the Minister had with local authorities regarding the impact of council tax rates on the cost-of-living crisis? OQ57737
Sioned Williams: Diolch, Weinidog. As we all know, families across the whole of Wales are facing one of the most serious cost-of-living crises in decades. Rising costs, increasing energy prices and stagnating wages are all resulting in thousands of households in my region struggling to pay for everyday items. And come April, of course, energy costs will be rising even further, tax hikes will be hitting...
Sioned Williams: I'm pleased to contribute to the debate on behalf of Plaid Cymru and also as a member of the Children, Young People, and Education Committee, and I'm pleased to note that Plaid Cymru and stakeholders are generally supportive of this Bill, although everyone involved in the scrutiny process had their areas that they wanted to amend. But I'd like to thank the Minister for the open way in which...
Sioned Williams: Trade unions have made calls for a strategic duty on social partnership and fair work to be added to the Bill, given that it would line up with all the aims of the Bill. They made it clear to us in committee that it was important for specific reference to be made in this Bill, rather than relying solely on the expected social partnership and public procurement (Wales) Bill, as it would...
Sioned Williams: And, finally, over recent weeks, the Minister will be aware that there have been many policy proposals from Westminster, which included a proposal to limit qualification for student funding in a way that would impact access to opportunities for tertiary education. I'd therefore like to know what's been planned by the Minister to ensure that any changes in England do not have an impact on...
Sioned Williams: What is the Government doing to reduce the unpaid care burden that falls mainly on women?
Sioned Williams: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Minister, 3 million refugees have now left Ukraine. The UK is requiring those refugees to apply for visas, and the UK Government has been resistant to the elimination of visa rules, although this contradicts our international obligations under the 1951 UN refugee convention, which stipulates that no-one fleeing war, no matter where they are from, should have to apply...
Sioned Williams: Thank you for that answer, Minister, and it's good to hear that progress is being made on our response to the UK sponsorship scheme, because that scheme for Ukrainian refugees is wholly inadequate. The system is too slow, it's inconsistent, and has kept Welsh local authorities in the dark. The leader of Gwynedd Council wrote yesterday to the Prime Minister, expressing deep concern as to what...
Sioned Williams: 3. What assessment has the Minister made of the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on children? OQ57787
Sioned Williams: Thank you, Minister. One in three children in Wales is living in poverty, and almost four in 10 homes do not have enough money to buy anything beyond the essentials. And anti-poverty groups say that these levels of poverty will deteriorate as the cost-of-living crisis worsens. As the budgets of too many families are under pressure, it's more important than ever before that every primary...
Sioned Williams: Thank you, acting Deputy Presiding Officer.
Sioned Williams: I move the motion, and I'm glad to open this important and timely debate before the Senedd. Education is considered to be, in that famous phrase, the greatest of equalisers. However, despite the best efforts of our teachers and support staff, poverty is an insidious creature. It creeps into settings where everyone should be treated equally, hampering attempts at levelling the playing field,...
Sioned Williams: Our motion calls for ensuring that school meal debt doesn't negatively impact a pupil, be that through stress, stigma or even having to go without food, as we have heard in some cases. Consideration should always be given to why school meal debt could have accrued. The reason is never within the control of the child, the child that it affects and harms. The child should therefore never suffer...
Sioned Williams: 7. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the effects of COVID on town-centre businesses in South Wales West? OQ57835
Sioned Williams: Diolch, Weinidog. When prompted to rank what they would like to see in their local town centre or high street, thriving small, independent shops came out on top in a survey conducted by the Federation of Small Businesses for its recent report, 'A Vision for Welsh Towns'. Even before COVID, town centres in my region were struggling, and the pandemic has had an especially negative effect on...
Sioned Williams: Minister, the University of New Europe, a collective of academics from across Europe and the US, has published a comprehensive document that contains emergency contact details and funding opportunities for scholars, students, artists, cultural workers, journalists, lawyers and human rights activists fleeing Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. As we accommodate and welcome refugees fleeing the crisis...
Sioned Williams: 3. Will the First Minister make a statement on the effect of COVID on maternity services in South Wales West? OQ57865
