Vikki Howells: Thank you, First Minister. It's really useful that the pupil development grant—access can be used for funding things like equipment, sports kit, and also kit for activities outside of schools too, especially when we remember that household incomes are now £1,500 lower than they were three years ago due to the ongoing impact of the Westminster austerity agenda. How is the Welsh Government...
Vikki Howells: Thank you, Minister, for your statement. I'd like to warmly welcome your statement, and I know that very many of my constituents will too. My first question is regarding the extra requirements on local authority inspectors. I accept your very valid point that breaches will be easy to detect, but what discussions have you had around the capacity of local authority inspectorates, and is there...
Vikki Howells: Thank you, First Minister. I was very pleased to welcome your statement today and especially the mention of policies like the economic contract, Better Jobs Closer to Home and the foundational economy. All of these offer a very different model for economic development and can improve conditions for Welsh workers. I'd like to build on the comments made by my colleague Alun Davies about the...
Vikki Howells: 9. How is the Welsh Government supporting economic development in the Heads of the Valleys area? OAQ54195
Vikki Howells: Thank you, Deputy Minister. I'm sure you'll be aware that the final costs for the dualling of the A465 Heads of the Valleys road look to stand at more than £2 billion—more than the rejected plans for the M4 relief road. The final section of that road, the last 16 miles, will come in at more than the total that the Welsh Government will be spending on the south Wales metro. Now, I'm a...
Vikki Howells: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. This Saturday, I'll be attending celebrations to mark the hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Aberdare park. The park—the 'people's park', as it was initially called—was the very first public park in Wales. Developed by the local board of health, it occupies nearly 50 acres that had been part of the ancient Hirwaun common. Undrained, unkempt land, ankle deep in...
Vikki Howells: 6. Will the Deputy Minister outline the Welsh Government’s priorities for improving human rights during the remainder of this Assembly term? OAQ54258
Vikki Howells: Thank you, Deputy Minister. I was interested recently to read Oxfam's supermarket scorecard. That campaign analyses how well supermarkets promote human rights within their food chain. The picture is very mixed, with, for example, good progress from Aldi, contrasting with other chains that worryingly received no score at all for ensuring that women workers are treated fairly and equally. How...
Vikki Howells: I'd like to thank you, Minister, for your statement, which offers us a stark warning of the challenges ahead of us, challenges that are made all the more pressing because of the failed economic policies of the UK Government. I'd welcome your reflections on the dangerous hyperbole that we've seen from the two candidates for the leadership of the Conservative Party. You've alluded to some of...
Vikki Howells: 2. Will the Minister provide an update on Welsh Government interventions to reduce incidences of wild fires? OAQ54248
Vikki Howells: Thank you, Minister. A short while ago, I had the privilege to meet with Craig Hope and other members of the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service at Aberdare Fire Station to discuss their innovative approach to tackling wildfires. Craig is internationally renowned for his approach to the issue, for example through the development of the wildfire toolbox and the focus on taking a year-round...
Vikki Howells: Will the Minister provide an update on Welsh Government actions to improve the welfare of game birds reared for sporting purposes?
Vikki Howells: I would like to thank the Deputy Minister for bringing forward this debate in Welsh Government time and giving all of us the opportunity to scrutinise the work of the Valleys taskforce and, in particular, the changes that have been made over the last few months—
Vikki Howells: I don't share your concerns on that, no, because money is not the answer to everything here—[Interruption.]—in terms of allocated budgets. There are Ministers with responsibility right across the Government; for example, health is a really important part of the way that we need to look forward with the Valleys, as well. So, I think it would be quite a simplistic approach to try and have...
Vikki Howells: Anyway, I wanted to make a few remarks, starting off with transport, which I know all of us Valleys AMs have raised at one point or another. Better transport links both in terms of roads and public transport are absolutely crucial, and I'm really pleased to see that this is one of the priority areas for the Welsh Government to focus on. I will start by talking about the dualling of the Heads...
Vikki Howells: Trefnydd, I'd like to request two statements today, if I may. Firstly, last Friday, I had the pleasure of visiting Sheppards Pharmacy in Abercynon to find out about their new sore throat test-and-treat scheme that's being run as an extension of the Choose Pharmacy common ailments scheme. This innovative practice is another example of the way in which community pharmacies can be used to...
Vikki Howells: Thank you. I'd like to thank you, Deputy Minister, for your statement today. I was very proud that you kicked off Recycle Week with a visit to Bryn Pica in my constituency, which—. I may be biased, but I think it's at the vanguard of recycling in Wales, with innovative schemes there like their mattress recycling—I think they're the only place in Wales that does that—nappy recycling,...
Vikki Howells: How is the Welsh Government monitoring orthodontic waiting times in the Cynon Valley?
Vikki Howells: I would like to second that.
Vikki Howells: 6. What is the Welsh Government doing to monitor the waiting times for access to orthodontic treatment in Wales? OAQ54428
