Julie James: Absolutely. It's not mentioned because it's just a fundamental part of the infrastructure. I'm a member of the Valleys taskforce board. We're working very closely together. A very large part of the economic plan for 'Our Valleys, Our Future' is based on that sort of infrastructure development, and I think it's actually part of where we're going with this, and it's just becoming part of the...
Julie James: Diolch, Llywydd. Thank you so much to Siân Gwenllian for bringing forward this extremely important debate. I am absolutely delighted to be here to witness it. I'm going to start by saying that I was, myself, elected off an all-women shortlist—something my party battled for for years, and many of the women who battled for it are here with us in the Chamber. It's something that I was...
Julie James: Certainly.
Julie James: Absolutely. That's very much a part of the fair work agenda, and Chwarae Teg are running a programme at the moment that gives accreditation to employers who have a fair work ethos, and that's very much a part of that ethos: making sure that you have no discrimination against anybody who takes parental leave—obviously, it is mostly women who do, but no discrimination against people who take...
Julie James: I recognise the ever growing importance of mobile communications in both rural and urban areas. Our mobile action plan sets out how we plan to work with the industry and regulator to improve mobile connectivity across the country.
Julie James: The Superfast Cymru scheme has, to date, facilitated the roll-out of superfast broadband access to over 167,000 homes and businesses across the region, delivering average speeds of over 87 Mbps and investing over £51 million.
Julie James: Through Digital Communities Wales and the many other actions set out in our framework and delivery plan, we are supporting more people to gain maximum benefit from the life changing opportunities digital technologies can offer, be it for employment, health, learning or leisure.
Julie James: I am clear that our aim is to bring people together digitally by offering fast reliable broadband to every property in Wales. Through Superfast Cymru, Access Broadband Cymru and our ultrafast connectivity vouchers, huge progress has been made and will continue to do so through new broadband interventions.
Julie James: Work to deliver the mobile action plan is under way with good progress being made against a number of the actions in the plan.
Julie James: The Superfast Cymru scheme has, to date, facilitated the roll-out of superfast broadband access to over 53,900 homes and businesses across Pembrokeshire delivering average speeds of over 71 Mbps and investing over £15 million.
Julie James: In Wales, we have introduced legislation to help address the gender pay gap in the public sector. The duties that apply in Wales are broad, encompassing the need to understand and address the causes of any pay inequality.
Julie James: Diolch, Llywydd. There is one change to this week's business: later this afternoon, the Cabinet Secretary for Education will make an oral statement on securing the right to a suitable education for all children. Business for the next three weeks is shown on the business statement and announcement found amongst the meeting papers, which are available to Members electronically.
Julie James: We will be publishing waiting times in general, and that will be fit for a statement. I suggest that if the Member has particular constituency issues that he wants to raise, with individual cases, that he raises them directly with the Cabinet Secretary. It's clearly not appropriate for a Government statement to address individual constituency matters. So, I suggest he takes the correct route...
Julie James: There is indeed an existing consultation about the location of the major trauma unit, and I am going to take this opportunity to encourage everybody to participate in that consultation, so that we hear the widest possible range of views. The Cabinet Secretary, I am sure, has heard the speech made—sorry, the question asked—by Dai Lloyd just now, and he will, I'm sure, be making a statement...
Julie James: Well, thank you to Dawn Bowden for highlighting that very important point. I'll be very keen to speak with her again myself afterwards, and I'd also like to highlight the Live Fear Free helpline for anybody who is experiencing this kind of problem in their accommodation. The Minister is indicating to me that she'd be very happy to write to Members to clarify what the situation is in Wales and...
Julie James: I'm very happy to endorse that last sentiment, of course, and I myself am very fond of walking the Pembrokeshire coast path, so I can totally get behind that. In terms of the other two statements that she called for, the Cabinet Secretary for health has indicated to me that he's due to give a written statement very shortly on the vaginal mesh issues that she raised. In terms of Audley...
Julie James: The Member raises a very important point. We do have—unfortunately, because it is always as a response to redundancy—a very good way of dealing with those sorts of issues. The Cabinet Secretary, I know, will be engaged in that matter. I think the best course would be for the Member to ask the Cabinet Secretary for an indication of exactly what is happening in this regard, so that he...
Julie James: Well, thank you for those two very important points. The Office for National Statistics is now deep in preparation for the 2021 census of population in England and Wales. They've undertaken significant work on the proposed content for the 2021 census, and, in early 2017, undertook a large-scale test, which included parts of north Powys. It'll be mainly online for the first time, and we've...
Julie James: The Member raises a very important point, but he does have the opportunity to raise that point in questions to the Minister. The Minister I think walked in as he was making his point, and I'm sure will be able to answer the questions in formal Assembly questions for him.
Julie James: On the first one, obviously PGI status is something we're all very proud of, and I'm very proud of our Welsh products that get it. It will be very much part of the case put forward by the devolved Governments that such status should be protected, and that, obviously, our market share should be protected accordingly. And it's one of our great concerns in the ongoing negotiations that such...
