Vikki Howells: Thank you, First Minister. Just before Christmas, I was fortunate enough to meet with the pupils of Pengeulan Primary School, who expressed their grave concerns to me about plastic pollution. They have a very laudable ambition to make their town of Mountain Ash plastic free and have already done lots of work and research on this. Bearing in mind your manifesto commitment to provide a network...
Vikki Howells: Now, when the history of the fifth Assembly is written, I think it is our willingness to use our powers over taxation that will mark a clear dividing line, a dividing line that shows the political maturity of this Parliament, a sign of our commitment to use all the tools at our disposal and a promise to the Welsh people to do all we can to create a more prosperous Wales. Nowhere is this...
Vikki Howells: 3. Will the Minister provide an update on preparations for the 2019 summer scheme of the school holiday enrichment programme? OAQ53145
Vikki Howells: Thank you, Minister, and one of the key roles of this enrichment programme is obviously to tackle holiday hunger. What discussions have you had with the new First Minister about how he plans to use educational schemes such as this to fulfil his campaign pledge to eliminate holiday hunger in Wales?
Vikki Howells: 6. Will the Welsh Government provide an update on the action it is taking in relation to HIV prevention? OAQ53146
Vikki Howells: Thank you, Minister. I've been closely following the encouraging response to the introduction of PrEP last July. I'm really impressed by the large numbers already benefiting from this preventative treatment. The introduction of a national approach to PrEP and HIV prevention that is being taken here in Wales by the Welsh Labour Government shows a clear commitment to these issues. What plans...
Vikki Howells: Thank you, Minister, for your statement today. Of course, the priority for this intervention is to ensure that the board and its staff are supported and that my constituents and other constituents can have the utmost confidence in their local health services. Your statement highlights six areas of focus and I think this is important, as other Members have said—that it reinforces that this...
Vikki Howells: In Wales, we have just under 35,000 km of roads. Most people's journeys involve the use of the road network, a figure that has been static since records began in the 1950s. We also rely on roads for a high proportion of our domestic freight. Across the UK, Cycling UK’s 'Fill that Hole' website notes an average of 13,500 potholes reported annually. Both of these statistics indicate something...
Vikki Howells: I raise to speak with a heavy heart on behalf of the Labour group. First, I'd like to extend all of our condolences to Steffan's wife, Shona, his son, Celyn, and the rest of his family and friends. Steffan was so widely respected by Members of all parties across this Chamber and held in really great esteem. His razor-sharp intellect was clear to see, as was his grasp of the key issues and his...
Vikki Howells: 6. What discussions has the Counsel General had with the Minister for Economy and Transport regarding preparing businesses in Wales for leaving the EU? OAQ53187
Vikki Howells: Thank you, Counsel General, for that answer. When the previous First Minister was giving evidence to the External Affairs and Additional Legislation Committee a few weeks ago, he said that over 100 businesses in Wales had already engaged with the Welsh Government's Brexit business portal. We know that the landscape post Brexit is so unknown, principally due to the shambolic approach taken by...
Vikki Howells: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Earlier today, I sponsored a launch event for the 2019 vocational qualification awards. The awards are now in their twelfth consecutive year, and their aim is to raise the status of technical, practical and vocational learning. Indeed, their purpose is to ensure that we regard vocational qualifications as an aspirational yet attainable route for all, and that we...
Vikki Howells: Will the Minister provide an update on the work of the valleys taskforce?
Vikki Howells: Trefnydd, I'd like to request two statements today. Firstly, I'd like to thank the Minister for health for his written statement updating AMs on maternity services in Cwm Taf. I'm also grateful to the Minister for meeting with me and other AMs to discuss this, and I've also had frank and useful conversations with the chair of the health board. However, could we have an oral statement in...
Vikki Howells: Thank you, Minister. I've got a couple of questions today around the issue of childhood obesity, which is an issue that I am very concerned about. Of course, we know that there can be specific geographical problems in terms of tackling that issue, and a statistic that has always shocked me is the fact that a quarter of children in the Cwm Taf health board area are obese—not just overweight,...
Vikki Howells: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Last week, my constituency office hosted a Friends Against Scams training session. Organised by Centrica British Gas, it highlighted the scale of the problem. Fifty-three per cent of people aged 65 and over have been targeted by scams, which altogether cost the UK economy somewhere between £5 billion and £10 billion a year. The human consequences are considerable....
Vikki Howells: Since the first British railway line was opened nearly 200 years ago, trains have changed the way that we travel and communicate. For communities like the one I represent in the south Wales coalfield, the railways developed a complex and symbiotic relationship with mining. They offered citizens opportunities to work, learn or enjoy leisure, and that is still true today. In 2016-17, there were...
Vikki Howells: Trefnydd, I would like to request three statements today. First of all, I'd welcome a statement from the education Minister on the next steps that the Welsh Government will take to tackle bullying in schools. The 'Respecting others' consultation is due to close later this week, but after many years in the classroom, I am still concerned that we do all we can to deal with this issue. In...
Vikki Howells: Deputy Minister, it's my belief that there are some key measures that we can take to address our housing needs that don't involve having to build new homes, and one such example is RCT council's schemes to bring back empty properties into usage. Three hundred and twelve empty property grant applications have been received since the scheme began in 2016, and to date, 128 of those homes have...
Vikki Howells: What discussions has the Welsh Government had with the UK Government regarding the proposed shared prosperity fund?
