Delyth Jewell: I'd like to ask for a statement on coal tip safety in the southern Wales Valleys. Earlier this year, it was reported that nearly 300 coal tips in Wales have been classified as high risk, with the largest number for any one local authority area being in Caerphilly in my region. Now, I realise that many of these will be on private land—they're not all under local authority control—but some...
Delyth Jewell: As we enter a summer of football, I'd ask for a statement on the importance of the game at a grass-roots level. And I would add my voice in asking for the Government's stance on the recent restructuring of women's football in Wales. Two teams in my region—Abergavenny WFC and Cascade Ladies—have been relegated from the Welsh premier women's league. The knock-on effect of the restructuring...
Delyth Jewell: Will the First Minister make a statement on the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out in South Wales East?
Delyth Jewell: 1. Will the Minister make a statement on respite support for unpaid carers in South Wales East? OQ56572
Delyth Jewell: Thank you, Minister. As you've noted, it is Carers Week, and I welcome your respite support package for unpaid carers, but I'm afraid that that doesn't tally with the delay in reopening day-care services. These services are one of the principal means of respite for unpaid carers, and some councils have yet to fully reopen them. I understand that Caerphilly have said that they will open...
Delyth Jewell: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. What is the purpose of a power? Why have we in Plaid Cymru used our first debate of the sixth Senedd to talk about our legislature's remit? Well, a power is a vehicle. It proffers the ability to do something. It offers the capacity to change. In our motion, we set out wide-ranging areas where, if we do not gain these powers from Westminster, we will regress, because...
Delyth Jewell: One of the areas where we would like to see movement would be to devolve the Crown Estate. That would not only boost our economy, it would give us more control over the resources that would be so important for us to invest in as part of our green recovery and in the fight against climate change. Following the Scottish independence referendum in 2014, the Crown Estate was devolved to Scotland,...
Delyth Jewell: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Climate change is the single most pressing crisis facing our civilisation and our planet. That is an inescapable fact, and so too are the impacts of climate change that are already taking a damaging toll on the mental health of people everywhere, from heat waves that are increasing suicide rates to floods and wildfires that traumatise the people affected, leaving...
Delyth Jewell: Now, climate or eco anxiety isn’t yet a clinical diagnosis, but it is a recognised term that’s used to talk about negative emotions associated with the perception of climate change. This can manifest itself through panic attacks, insomnia and obsessive thinking. It can exacerbate other anxiety disorders and depression. But research is scarce and is deeply needed into this area, because it...
Delyth Jewell: There is a street in my region, in Hafodyrynys, that's known as the most polluted street in Wales. The likelihood is that there are many other streets like that in Hafodyrynys but we don't know about the pollution because the monitoring isn't there. Now, the clean air Act that you've mentioned, First Minister, which we all await, should provide an opportunity to increase air monitoring, to...
Delyth Jewell: EU funding enriched the communities I represent. From town-centre developments to financing infrastructure projects, it created opportunities. When we left the EU, we were promised not a penny less by the UK Government, but, Llywydd, there is already plentiful evidence to suggest that my area will be short-changed by the successor schemes. Earlier this year, the Tory Government in Westminster...
Delyth Jewell: Thank you, Presiding Officer. Minister, I will be asking my first two questions in Welsh. May I welcome you to your new role? I look forward to being able to work with you on this vital topic. It is clear that Wales is facing a climate emergency, and a climate emergency was declared during the fifth Senedd. But the crisis that we are facing is not just about the climate. There is also a...
Delyth Jewell: Thank you, Minister. Collaboration will be very important in this area, I'm sure, across the Government but also across the parties. I sincerely hope that there will be things that we can collaborate on. Certainly, there will be areas where I will be pushing you to go further, I'm sure. I was very pleased that you talked about the stories and how we give the narrative on climate change, and...
Delyth Jewell: Could I ask you therefore, Minister, what will your Government be doing to respond to these concerns about overcrowding on public transport?
Delyth Jewell: Thank you, Minister. Finally, I'd like to ask about the Welsh Government's membership—or, rather, absence, apparently—of the UK Energy Research Centre's steering committee. That committee is undertaking a review of energy models being used across the UK by public bodies, universities and the energy industry. The Welsh Government's absence from that committee is notable, because it would...
Delyth Jewell: 3. Will the Minister make a statement on teaching children about climate change in schools? OQ56613
Delyth Jewell: Thank you for that response. I'm very eager that we address climate anxiety, which is affecting more and more schoolchildren. There is a danger that we as a society are causing this concern as a result of our approach to climate change in the media, but also in the classroom—talking about climate change as an inevitable crisis and a spectre of devastation on the horizon, come what may. And...
Delyth Jewell: Thank you for your statement, Deputy Minister, and for sharing a number of reports with us today. It's quite clear that we must tackle the nature emergency alongside the climate emergency, as we've already discussed, and we can't deal with one without dealing also with the other. But now, a number of environmental and nature groups are concerned about the funding of projects and policies by...
Delyth Jewell: Turning to something that has already come up, actually, the emphasis in the Welsh Government's ambitions for the environment is largely focused on land-based solutions and a lot of it is on woodland creation. Of course, I welcome this, but as has already been mentioned, actually, I think that more emphasis needs to be put on our marine environment. Could you please, Minister, make a...
Delyth Jewell: At the outset, I'd like to wish the Wales men's football team the very best of luck for the game this evening against Turkey. Turkey may have close to a home crowd, but the hopes from our home nation are behind you, boys. Whatever happens, we know you'll do us proud. Pob lwc i chi i gyd. It's electric how these huge tournaments can lift people's mood, can give us all something to feel joyful...
