Hannah Blythyn: Yes, absolutely. As the Member said, I'm very much aware, and the Government is, of the important role that posties play in communities across Wales in terms of not just the service they provide, but almost that link to people, that lifeline to people as well. I will be meeting Royal Mail shortly to discuss this, but also I place equal importance on meeting both the CWU and Unite trade...
Hannah Blythyn: Clearly, Royal Mail services find themselves under pressure because of what has happened in the recent past in terms of privatisation. But, as I've already said to the Member previously, we place great emphasis on retaining the universal service obligation. We know the value that brings to our communities, particularly rural communities across Wales. And that is something that I will...
Hannah Blythyn: Our fire and rescue services continue to take a range of actions to reduce the number of wildfires in communities across the country. Many interventions are directly funded by the Welsh Government, and these have resulted in a 60 per cent reduction in the incidence of wildfire since 2009.
Hannah Blythyn: I thank the Member for her question. South Wales Fire and Rescue Service are indeed internationally renowned for the work they're doing, and have actually provided support to fire services across the UK in terms of the expertise that they have built. And I know it already works hard to find that extra support for the specialised equipment that they need in the area. The Member is absolutely...
Hannah Blythyn: For your constituency you raise that you live with that apprehension about potential wildfires. Deliberately set grass fires of any shape or size are totally unacceptable. They're irresponsible, dangerous and criminal. They not only put communities at risk, but they put them in that position of fear, which is why the preventative approach is so, so important. We do full collaboration with...
Hannah Blythyn: The Welsh housing quality standard has had a positive impact on all of our 226,000 social homes in Wales, ensuring that they are of a good quality and suitable for residents. At present 90 per cent of social homes in Wales, including those located in mid and west Wales, meet the standard.
Hannah Blythyn: We have invested significant effort and funding into tackling rough-sleeping in Wales, not least through our support for Housing First. Our homelessness action group, chaired by Jon Sparkes, will advise on further action needed to address homelessness in all its forms, including specifically reducing rough-sleeping, this coming winter.
Hannah Blythyn: I set out the next steps for strengthening local government in my statement in Plenary on 18 June.
Hannah Blythyn: We are investing over £20 million this year alone to support a range of statutory and non-statutory services, including Housing First to prevent and tackle homelessness. Our homelessness expert group has already convened for the first time and will focus on identifying our next steps in tackling all forms of homelessness.
Hannah Blythyn: Diolch, Llywydd. This year marks the twentieth anniversary of devolution in Wales and has served as an opportunity to reflect on the difference devolution has made. We should rightly be proud that the past two decades has seen us become a global leader when it comes to recycling. In 2017-18, we recycled 62.7 per cent of municipal waste, and are third in the world for household recycling. This...
Hannah Blythyn: I welcome the way you opened the contribution there in terms of actually touching on how the mindset has changed, and we've seen that cultural shift within Wales, whereas, perhaps a decade ago, we wouldn't have seen it, it wouldn't be second nature, and now, for the majority of people, it is second nature to sort their waste for collection. I remember being gobsmacked when I visited a friend...
Hannah Blythyn: I don't disagree with many of the points that the Member's made there in terms of, actually, the need to develop the infrastructure here, and, at the same time, not only does that have the environmental benefit, if it reduces our carbon footprint, but also it creates the green jobs of the future as part of the circular economy within Wales. As I touched on previously, we've written to local...
Hannah Blythyn: I thank the Member for the question. I obviously want to start by offering my congratulations to St Teilo’s school for what sounds like an absolutely fantastic initiative, and one that’s to be very rightly applauded and recognised for the work that they’ve been taking. There are so many examples of such enthusiasm and ideas from young people in secondary and primary schools right across...
Hannah Blythyn: Thanks. I'll do my best to touch on all the points that the Member raised there. Yes, obviously, I was really pleased to be able to visit the Bryn Pica site today. As you say, there's a lot of innovative work going on there, and I was really encouraged by what's happening—less so the weather I was greeted with when I got there this morning, but—. I visited them to open the newly redone...
Hannah Blythyn: Fair working practices should be the norm across both the public and private sectors. While local authorities are responsible for their contracts, we have been working with them through the code of practice on ethical employment in supply chains and the two-tier code to remove unfair working practices.
Hannah Blythyn: I thank the Member for her question. I'm aware of this particular—. I'm aware of what you refer to, and my understanding is that the proposal has now been withdrawn and that negotiations are ongoing with the trade unions, and I would encourage those negotiations to continue, particularly with Unison, representing the workforce there. Clearly, as set out within our code of practice on...
Hannah Blythyn: Diolch, Llywydd. I want to thank Huw Irranca-Davies and all of the Members who've been part of bringing forward this debate today. I think the strength of cross-party support of speakers in the debate is testament to the non-partisan passion in this area, a passion that I share both personally and politically. I think the interest to tackle the use of single-use plastic within here, within...
Hannah Blythyn: Diolch. In November of each year we rightly take the opportunity to honour and mark the debt of gratitude we owe to the fallen, to our veterans and to our armed forces communities across Wales as part of the annual remembrance period. The year 2019 sees a number of significant anniversaries. In June we commemorated the seventy-fifth anniversary of D-Day, a momentous moment that we now know...
Hannah Blythyn: And through our Cymru’n Cofio Wales Remembers programme, we continue to mark the centenary of the first world war. The programme works in collaboration with national and local partners, providing a fitting tribute to those touched by that terrible conflict, and I was pleased that funding has been provided to extend the programme until 2020. In May I launched the Welsh Government’s first...
Hannah Blythyn: Can I start by thanking Mark Isherwood for sharing his own family stories of Mack, who flew a glider in the second world war? There are so many tales of tremendous bravery in service that I'm sure that we're all able to share ourselves now as we reflect and remember and also learn from the past. I'll do my best to try and address a number of the questions that the Member raised. Just to start...
