Helen Mary Jones: ...and the Minister talking about need for such a return to be done with compassion and understanding from businesses, can the Minister confirm this afternoon that those who are shielding at home, not because they are vulnerable themselves but because their family members are vulnerable, can he confirm that he does not expect businesses in Wales to be pressurising those people to return to...
Sioned Williams: ...since 2017, but far from being where we should be in terms of equality, of course. Although two councils are equal in terms of gender balance, the picture in other areas is unacceptable, where the representation of women is as low as 18 per cent. So, what specific steps is the Government taking to improve representation of women in local government? You mentioned in the introduction to...
Jeremy Miles: ...s helpfully indicating that she's prepared to do that—so that Members can see fully what correspondence we engaged with on this important matter with the UK Government in the course of making our representations.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thanks very much. Let's just be clear that the board is not supposed to be a geographic representation. If we started that, then it would be very difficult to get representation from the whole of Wales. [Interruption.] I will carry on. I've had the pleasure of speaking to Dr Rajan Madhok. He is somebody who retired to Wales four years ago. He's had an incredibly sparkling career. He's been a...
Mark Isherwood: ...been proud to host and speak at both the 2022 and 2023 Equal Power Equal Voice Senedd events, celebrating the Equal Power Equal Voice project, a mentoring programme aiming to increase diversity of representation in public and political life in Wales. Equal Power Equal Voice, or EPEV, is a partnership between Women's Equality Network Wales, Stonewall Cymru, Disability Wales, and Ethnic...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Our amendments here specify that not only should Welsh Ministers be able to be recipients of representation by the CVB, as is proposed by the Conservatives, but that if they do receive representation the Government then has to provide a response. So, I would ask the Conservatives to perhaps look at ours as an improvement on their amendment—or at the very least, if your amendments fall, that...
Rhianon Passmore: .... With the omicron wave that engulfed us, public health measures were required, and we see encouraging signs, with the infection rate falling for two days in a row. First Minister, I have received representations from hospitality businesses in Islwyn, clearly concerned about the loss of business that they're currently suffering from. What representations has the Welsh Government made to...
Mick Antoniw: ..., a considerable knowledge of Welsh law and matters relating to the Welsh language, and fulfils that function, I think, very, very satisfactorily. Of course, you’ll be aware that we have made representations over the years in respect of the need for a permanent Welsh judge on the Supreme Court. By ‘Welsh judge’, I suppose you have to mean a judge who has a commitment to and an...
Leanne Wood: ...from the first lockdown. Some people can work from home, some people are self-employed, some people are entitled to sick pay or statutory sick pay, and others can get nothing at all. Now, I've made representations to Westminster about this with no joy. We have to make it easy for people to abide by the rules. Now, given that we can't rely on Westminster, can we hear from the Welsh...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Let me begin just by welcoming the additional support that's come in yesterday. It's not going to help everyone, but it'll go a long, long way, I have to say, particularly the discretionary fund, to fill some of those gaps for people who've fallen between the stools so far. And I'm certainly speaking to local authority leaders in my area so that they can process the applications quickly and...
Suzy Davies: ...the first local authority to sign up to the FairPlay Employer scheme to tackle the gender pay gap. But we do have other pay gaps as well, including with the BAME community, and Welsh Government was not able to say recently how many BAME people work in the public sector in total in Wales, let alone how many BAME women. Your Government intends to improve representation within Welsh...
Alun Davies: I actually hadn't said that, but I was just about to. [Laughter.] I do not believe—. I recognise what you're saying, Joyce, and I recognise, of course, why you're saying it, but I do not believe that regional representation is real representation, I'll be absolutely clear about that. I do not believe—[Interruption.] I don't believe it. I'm afraid I don't believe it. And do you know what?...
Suzy Davies: Mike Hedges has been raising this in our weekly meetings with the local health board for as long as I can remember, so I'm glad that we're having the opportunity to discuss it today. It's not the only big operation in South Wales West that's been dealing with big figures, though; we have had some difficult news from Tata and from Amazon as well, which have also seen a rise in cases. I've had...
Rhys ab Owen: ...in western Europe, but also black people are six times more likely to be in Welsh prisons than white people. Then the Lammy report, that pointed out that the number of the causes of over-representation of BAME people within the criminal justice system lie within the devolved competencies of the Senedd. And finally, the third report, the Commission on Justice in Wales report, and that noted...
Kirsty Williams: Perhaps there's one silver lining to the predicament I find myself in: at least the Welsh Liberal Democrats can claim 100 per cent female representation in this particular Assembly term. [Laughter.] Although, I must admit that's not a particular silver lining I would have welcomed. I have always, throughout my political career, paid tribute to other political parties that, I believe, took...
Jeremy Miles: ...of litigation under review, and, equally, I would just like to make it clear that, though I don't see a statutory basis for the Counsel General to intervene in the litigation itself, that does not mean that there isn't a basis on which Welsh Ministers can and can continue to make representations to the UK Government. And, indeed, since the response from Amber Rudd, which the Deputy...
Mick Antoniw: ...those workers can expect to receive those payments, but, secondly, in respect of the issue of the tax and national insurance that would be chargeable to it. I know that you reported previously that representations had been made to the UK Government to waive the tax and national insurance because of the exceptional circumstances. I think across all parties we would see it as offensive if...
Rebecca Evans: ...on Christmas Day, I was in contact with the First Minister, expressing my concerns as a constituency Member on Christmas Eve, and I know that many Members of the Assembly have been making representations very strongly to the Home Office on a number of issues. The fact that Otis is very much a valued member of the community in Swansea—he's a volunteer, he's very active in his local...
Elin Jones: Thank you for the notification of your intention to raise this as a point of order. As I said following a similar issue that was raised in a point of order yesterday, Government business is a matter for Welsh Ministers, not for me. But Ministers are accountable to this Assembly, and it is my expectation that they should not undermine that principle by making major policy announcements outside...
Mark Reckless: ...then in the English version, 'Welsh Parliament', and it was suggested that that was the best option to command the closest to a consensus. Yet that then changed, and it changed, I'm told, following representations from within the Labour group and from one senior figure in particular. You tell us now it's a choice for Members, but is it not the case that the Bill we have before us is as it...
