Bethan Sayed: I wanted to ask if we could have a debate on youth homelessness. It's in regard to a question that Siân Gwenllian asked of the First Minister about how the new money will be spent. It still seems unclear to us—here on these benches at least—how that money is going to be distributed. I also met with another housing association on my tour of housing associations that didn't know, again,...
Bethan Sayed: 6. Will the Cabinet Secretary outline plans to improve further education to support more people to gain qualifications in Wales? OAQ51681
Bethan Sayed: Thank you. Page 8 of 'Education in Wales' discusses the need for a strong commitment to effective collaboration as well as the integration of services where appropriate. Could you expand on what the opportunities to collaborate more effectively are in terms of colleges and schools? For example, the Welsh Government used to fund 14 to 19-year-old fora through the medium of Welsh, and this did...
Bethan Sayed: 3. Will the Cabinet Secretary outline progress on plans to change community health councils in Wales? OAQ51680
Bethan Sayed: Well, of course, Cabinet Secretary, I think that if we're going to have the grown-up debate that you want us to have on the future of the health service, we need to have a community health council sector that is able to respond effectively to that call as well as the politicians. I believe that community health councils are crucial, but I have some reservations from my own patch about how...
Bethan Sayed: Well, historical sexual abuse doesn't become historical if we deal with it in the here and now. We know that there is an investigation by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales as a result of the Kris Wade allegations, but it had to take significant public and political pressure for the Cabinet Secretary for health to initiate that particular Healthcare Inspectorate Wales report. I was shocked that...
Bethan Sayed: I wondered whether we could have a debate or a statement giving us an update on the Valleys taskforce and its discussions. I'm aware that they had engagement with Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council last week, and it would be useful for us as AMs to understand what those deliberations were. I say it in the context of having been at a public meeting last night, where there are proposals...
Bethan Sayed: Thank you for the statements today. I'm pleased that there is extra funding over coming years for homelessness prevention and reaction. In the past, there has been focus on preventative measures, but perhaps there has been an eye taken off the ball to the growing extent of the crisis, with those slipping through the gaps of the services that are meant to be preventative. However, reading...
Bethan Sayed: Plaid Cymru are broadly supportive of this motion today. We believe that children living with disabilities and special needs should be able to have the important and precious life experiences that any other child in our society should have. But I do feel that it is unfortunate, in a sense, that we should be considering the needs to place inclusive play and access to play opportunities for...
Bethan Sayed: It was just to comment, basically, on what you've said already in relation to the exceptional circumstances. We agree with the direction of the regulations, as you say, in dovetailing with England, Wales and Scotland, but I think, for the record, we want to make it clear that it would only be for exceptional circumstances where finding provision in Wales would not be possible. And do you have...
Bethan Sayed: Will the First Minister outline what support the Welsh Government can offer to people who have lost pensions due to company closures?
Bethan Sayed: 3. How does the Welsh Government plan to develop an education system that reflects the objectives of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015? OAQ51835
Bethan Sayed: Thank you for that reply. The policy of school reorganisation and the creation of the centralisation of superschools, particularly in Neath Port Talbot and across Wales, has caused some concern, particularly with the potential closure of Cymer Afan Comprehensive School in my region. It's particularly acute in relation to the Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013, and it's going against that, because...
Bethan Sayed: 11. Will the Cabinet Secretary outline plans to improve tourism in south-west Wales? OAQ51853
Bethan Sayed: Thank you for that clear explanation of what is important for my region and that of others in this Chamber. I ask this question because one of the main points of your economic plan is tourism and culture. We have seen in the Neath Port Talbot area that the local authority has proposed that cuts be made to the Cefn Coed museum, which is something that we would like to see restored and...
Bethan Sayed: I'd like to thank David Melding for bringing this question forward because I think it would have merited having an oral statement from the Minister on this. But in your statement, you wrote that the five developers with which you have agreements would only build leasehold under circumstances judged by you to be absolutely necessary. I was wondering if you could clarify what you and these...
Bethan Sayed: Plaid Cymru ultimately believes, with many of these points on this motion, that they won't have a realistic chance of being brought forward until we have proper criminal justice devolution and we can develop a distinct Welsh criminal jurisdiction. I would argue that this is becoming more and more imperative, in part because, as we pass more and more distinct Welsh legislation—particularly...
Bethan Sayed: And I would agree with you on that, and I think that's what I was coming onto, as Jenny has mentioned earlier: where we can, try and put policies in place so that they are not put into prison, and whether they're in different types of centres that are developed here in Wales is something that I know you and others—in Plaid especially—have been advocating for many years, and especially...
Bethan Sayed: This is an issue that is close to my heart. I've tried to make an effort in my time here in the Assembly, and particularly over the last year or two, in drawing attention to these issues. This is in part because, just as it is close to my heart, it's also close to the heart of the vast majority of people in this country. How we treat animals is a reflection of who we are as a society and as a...
Bethan Sayed: The First Minister has said that he wants a different justice system for Wales, in an answer given over the past few weeks, but the Government policy isn't clear on new prisons here in Wales. The First Minister tends to be more willing to accept that than the new Minister, Alun Davies. What discussions has the commission had in the context of the fact that, if there were to be a new prison...
