Lynne Neagle: 4. Will the Minister provide an update on the SenCom service in Gwent? OAQ53957
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Minister, and I'm really relieved that there is now somebody appointed to take this forward, because I'm sure, like me, you recognise that the uncertainty hanging over SenCom has been very poor for the staff morale in the service. I'd like to thank you for your oversight and input into this, and I'm pleased to hear that that's going to continue. I wonder if you would join me today...
Lynne Neagle: 3. Will the Minister provide an update on the review of bereavement services in Wales? OAQ53956
Lynne Neagle: Minister, you're well aware of my concern that there is a lack of support for people bereaved by suicide in Wales. This matters not just because suicide is a uniquely devastating loss, and that it's the right thing to do, but also because we know that those bereaved by suicide are much more likely to die by suicide. So, support for those bereaved is in itself suicide prevention. The health...
Lynne Neagle: Aneurin Bevan once said that 'we know what happens to people who stay in the middle of the road. They get run down.' Sadly for my party, that's exactly what happened in the European elections last Thursday. Our failure to grasp the nettle on the most important issue of our times left the door open to a ragbag of opportunists, zealots and charlatans. If there was one thing that did unite that...
Lynne Neagle: In a sec. —and animal welfare standards in exchange for chlorinated chicken and hormone-injected beef. And he is openly backing Boris Johnson to deliver this for him. Briefly, Mark.
Lynne Neagle: I did. I did notice the President's remarks today, but I don't believe him and I don't think anybody else here does either. Now, there is no part of that equation that sits easily with me, least of all the last part. The only thing that could have made this situation worse is a Conservative Party leadership contest that is increasingly becoming a hard Brexit measuring contest. Only the Tories...
Lynne Neagle: The country has had enough of being held to ransom by an intra-party melodrama on Europe. We know that the promises made for Brexit can't be met, we know the public was lied to, there are real costs to leaving—to our economy, our NHS and our safety—and forcing Brexit through won't provide certainty about where we're going. Whether you want to stay in the EU or leave, there is only one way...
Lynne Neagle: Imagine being a youngster waking up on one of the last school days in December, a time when excitement and fun runs through the school like electric. It means concerts, games and an exchange of cards, but then you realise you won't be going in that day. You won't be going in because it's Christmas jumper day, and you don't have a Christmas jumper; your family can't afford one. A research...
Lynne Neagle: Two things happened this week that should give everyone pause for thought when it comes to the prospect of a shared prosperity fund designed by this current UK Government. The first is the report from Communities in Charge, already referred to by my colleague Alun Davies. Those stark figures—a £200 cheque for every Londoner, a £700 bill for every Welsh person—show what awaits this...
Lynne Neagle: Very quickly.
Lynne Neagle: Well, this isn't a debate about the local government formula. Decisions taken by this Government have been as a result of Tory austerity. And as I was saying about European funding, it has created 48,000 new jobs and 13,000 new businesses, 25,000 businesses assisted with funding or support, and 86,000 people helped into employment. There were no regulatory obstacles that stopped the...
Lynne Neagle: There won’t be many occasions on this or any other afternoon where I find reason to thank the Brexit Party, but I will make an exception today for thanking them for the clarity of their motion, which specifically calls for a ‘no deal’ Brexit and to hell with the consequences for communities like Torfaen. [Interruption.] Yes, it does. To combine this new-found zeal for no deal with a...
Lynne Neagle: Absolutely, I do, and I think that is an absolute disgrace. You think that the things you say in here—[Interruption.] You think that the things you say in here don't have a real-life impact. Well, they do. We can disagree—disagree passionately—about what we think is best for the economy of Torfaen, but to accuse me of not caring about Torfaen people's views is just plain wrong. I could...
Lynne Neagle: Well, I hope that you will also then consider in the future the language that you use here, not just accusing some of us of disrespecting people, but I have heard the term too often 'betrayal', and the term 'betrayal' leads to accusations of people being traitors. I'll give way again.
Lynne Neagle: Well, I will certainly check that, but certainly some Members have. Needless—
Lynne Neagle: You've made your speech, Mark. I am speaking—
Lynne Neagle: No, I—
Lynne Neagle: I did not accuse you of using the word 'traitor', I was talking about the word 'betrayal', which does—
Lynne Neagle: Thank you very much, but I'd like to finish my speech now, and I hope that you will reflect on the comments that I've made. Needless to say, I won't be voting for this motion today. I remain on the side of the manufacturers who see any form of Brexit as harmful and a 'no deal' as straightforward economic vandalism. Far from disrespecting the people of Torfaen, it is the high regard I have for...
