Lynne Neagle: Some of my questions have been answered, but I did want to return to the issue of the shielded letters, because I think that is incredibly important. Because, for many people, that will unlock the support that will enable them to stay at home for three months. I've been advising people to contact their GP if they haven't had a letter and think they should be shielded. I welcome what the...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Minister, for your statement. As you know, I have been inundated with enquiries from constituents who have been struggling to access online shopping. Those are shielded constituents and constituents who are vulnerable as well. There's been a very widespread perception that shoppers in Wales have been disadvantaged as opposed to those in England. So, I think my first question is...
Lynne Neagle: Can I associate myself with the remarks that have been made so far about local government? First Minister, I wanted to ask you about businesses. The support for businesses has been very welcome but, as you know, there are 178 job losses proposed at Safran in Cwmbran, and the aerospace industry is, I believe, uniquely at risk from this pandemic, so I'd like to ask you for an update on what...
Lynne Neagle: We started today by talking about local government, and I would just like to place on record my very heartfelt thanks to Torfaen council—both councillors and officers—because they have been absolutely outstanding during this pandemic and I really do take my hat off to them. I had wanted to raise the issue of recovery that Delyth Jewell referred to, specifically in relation to the role...
Lynne Neagle: First Minister, my constituents have warmly welcomed the decision you took last week to extend the lockdown and to keep the 'Stay Home' message in Wales, and I also warmly welcome the action you took. My questions are around the perimeter of those decisions. Some of my constituents are very concerned about the decision to open garden centres when those items can commonly be bought in the...
Lynne Neagle: Minister, I was very pleased to see the strong focus on mental health in your statement. You'll be aware that organisations like Hafal, Mind, and, indeed, the Government's own suicide prevention adviser, Professor Ann John, have raised concerns about the impact of the pandemic on mental health. I'm pleased to see that there is to be a COVID mental health monitoring tool. Can I ask you for...
Lynne Neagle: I was very pleased to hear the First Minister referring, again, in his statement, to children and young people. The impact of this pandemic on children and young people is immense, and I believe it will be very long standing. I very much welcome the announcement on Monday of the £3.75 million extra funding for children's mental health, and particularly the recognition by the education...
Lynne Neagle: Minister, can I thank you for meeting with me and Nick Thomas-Symonds MP recently to discuss the 200 proposed job losses at Safran in Cwmbran? The situation remains extremely worrying for the workforce there. I and Nick Thomas-Symonds MP are trying to get another meeting with the management of the company, so far without success. I wonder whether you would agree with me that, when communities...
Lynne Neagle: Hello?
Lynne Neagle: Okay. Thank you, Llywydd, for the opportunity to make a brief contribution in this debate. It will be relatively brief, because I must admit this is not an entirely comfortable arena in which to be debating, with all the technology, et cetera. I wanted to start by thanking the First Minister and the rest of the Government for the immense work that they are doing in this area, in particular,...
Lynne Neagle: First Minister, I was pleased to hear you confirm again that the 5 miles referred to earlier is not a rule as such, because it is not just in rural areas that that is an issue, as you know; it is also an issue in many Valleys communities, including my own, where if that was rigorously adhered to, it would mean that someone couldn't go, for instance, from Cwmbran to Blaenavon to see their...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Deputy Llywydd, and thank you, Minister, for your statement. Like many people, I want to take some time to digest it and the associated documents before giving a considered and measured response to it, but I did just want to say that one of the huge concerns for me in this pandemic is that most of our children are largely unseen and hidden. So, the opportunity for welfare checks...
Lynne Neagle: There has to be an independent public inquiry. We owe it to those who have died and to the front-line staff who have put their lives on the line in this crisis. But, I believe that that has to be on a four-nation basis, albeit with a thorough examination of handling in Wales, as all the key initial decisions were taken on a four-nation basis. As the First Minister has said on numerous...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Llywydd. First Minister, I entirely share your concerns, expressed in your statement, about the impact of COVID on children and young people. But as I only have a minute today, I wanted to use my time to ask about another group who are all too often voiceless. Figures released last week by the Office for National Statistics have shown a staggering 83 per cent increase in deaths...
Lynne Neagle: Minister, I have been running an essay competition for children in the constituency during lockdown, entitled, 'My COVID superhero is...'. It has been inspirational and uplifting, but it has also been a really powerful way for me to hear the voices of children in my constituency. It has been very well supported by Ysgol Gyfun Gwynllyw, and I do support them for that, but I would like to...
Lynne Neagle: 3. What assessment has the Deputy Minister made of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on equality for women in the workplace? OQ55316
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Minister. It's good to know that that work is ongoing. As the economy starts to open up, I'm being contacted by increasing numbers of women who are under pressure to return to work although they have responsibilities for caring for children. Of course, that is very challenging, as we are not likely to see children back in schools on a normal basis for quite some time. What can the...
Lynne Neagle: 7. What assessment has the Minister made of the additional financial pressures facing local government because of the Covid-19 pandemic? OQ55328
Lynne Neagle: Minister, I've said to you before that I think local authorities have been outstanding in their response to the COVID emergency, and I am really grateful to Torfaen council for everything that they've done. But I am very clear that they are under immense financial pressures now, and nowhere more so than in social care. I very much welcome the additional £40 million that was announced for...
Lynne Neagle: Minister, I'd like to place on record my personal thanks to you for the absolutely phenomenal effort you have made to maximise children's time in school this summer and, crucially, for putting children first through all of this. Garnteg school in my constituency have been truly outstanding in lockdown, but we know that the variation in what children have been receiving across Wales has been...
