Siân Gwenllian: 6. What discussions has the Cabinet Secretary had regarding the UK's shared prosperity fund? OAQ52200
Siân Gwenllian: It is a cause of concern that there are no comprehensive proposals that have been published by the UK Government as of yet, in terms of how exactly the shared prosperity fund will work. At the moment, the Welsh Government and councils in Wales, through the Welsh European Funding Office, decide on how the regional funds are spent in Wales. In the first place, it’s important that Wales...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you, Llywydd. Equality means ensuring that people can live their lives to their full potential, and that they can live independently. I'm sure that you would agree with those words. That is why the social model in relation to disability has been a way of empowering the lives of disabled people, and making public services think about disability in a different manner. One of the greatest...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much. You will be aware that Plaid Cymru has a motion later on this afternoon where we will be discussing child poverty, and that that motion calls for the devolution of the administration of parts of the welfare system. But, of course, there are some benefits that have already been fully devolved, or the administrative responsibility for them already lies in Wales—the...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much, and we look forward to having that debate on the devolution of welfare later on this afternoon. But it is clear that not everyone in your party is content with some aspects, certainly, of these funds—for example, abolishing the independent living fund. I understand that a proposal was passed to restore this fund by the Labour Party conference, which was in favour of...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much. The definition of inappropriate behaviour is included in the dignity and respect policy, and it includes harassment, sexual harassment, bullying, threatening behaviour, and illegal discrimination. In looking at inappropriate sexual behaviour, the definition is: 'unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature towards another person…Behaviour "of a sexual nature" can cover…for...
Siân Gwenllian: Sorry, I was just finishing.
Siân Gwenllian: Of course. I agree with you entirely, but the statistics tell a very clear story: that women are far more likely to be affected by harassment and violence. For example, one in four women in England and Wales suffer domestic abuse. With men, it's 13 per cent. So, there is a disparity there, and that's not to say that it doesn't happen to men too. I will finish on that note. Thank you.
Siân Gwenllian: In the summer of 2017 a report was published, ‘Communities First—Lessons Learnt’, and that was by the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee, of which I am a member. Recommendation 4 of the report stated: 'We strongly recommend that a clear tackling poverty strategy is published, which brings together the many strands of poverty reduction work to help provide clear...
Siân Gwenllian: Are you willing to take an intervention?
Siân Gwenllian: I am talking about a strategic plan across Government—an overview across Government with clear targets on tackling poverty. Now, I recognise that there's a child poverty strategy but, of course, children are part of families and we need a strategy to tackle poverty that is over and above that. There isn't one, and it's scandalous that there isn't one.
Siân Gwenllian: I too welcome this statement today. Creating a new way of introducing sex, sexuality and relationships education is an important positive step forward, and I congratulate you personally for driving this agenda forward with energy. I agree entirely with you that the emphasis needs to be on healthy relationships as well as the other aspects, and I also agree that children at the age of five are...
Siân Gwenllian: Okay. Just one sentence on that: that can’t be empty rhetoric—we need a detailed action plan on all of those aspects. So, the question is: what difference do you expect to see in light of the introduction of the transformed sex education?
Siân Gwenllian: 2. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on training occupational therapists in north Wales? OAQ52243
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much. In 2014, the training courses for occupational therapists came to an end at Bangor University and, as a result, Wrexham is now serving the whole of north Wales. Now, there is a recruitment problem in the north-west, and as you know, there is evidence demonstrating that students tend to remain in the areas where they trained, and that is one of the many reasons why Plaid...
Siân Gwenllian: Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on implementing the recommendations of the review of Welsh in education strategic plans?
Siân Gwenllian: One of the main arguments made by your Government over the need to reform local government in the way proposed in the Green Paper is the need to ensure financial sustainability of councils for the future. Council leaders the length and breadth of Wales of all political hues have strongly questioned whether merging councils would save money. So, on the basis of that, what financial assessment...
Siân Gwenllian: There was a feast of Welsh last week as competitors at the Urdd Eisteddfod came together to celebrate their Welsh identity—young people from all parts of Wales: learners and first-language speakers. And what united them was confidence—confidence in the Welsh language and confidence in their Welsh identity. I think that confidence is crucial for the future of the Welsh language, and that...
Siân Gwenllian: In my constituency in Arfon, we have three successful community hydroelectricity schemes, with plans in the pipeline for further initiatives. These are exactly the kinds of initiatives that need support, and establishing the Ynni Cymru company, as recommended Plaid Cymru today, could give a significant boost to this sector, on top of the other benefits that have been outlined. The community...
Siân Gwenllian: How much will it cost to halve the number of councils in Wales?
