Vikki Howells: Thank you, Llywydd. I just would like to take a moment to place on record my thanks to the Commission staff for how they've supported Members of the Senedd during the pandemic, and, of course, to MS support staff, who I know have gone above and beyond to help constituents deal with a range of urgent and pressing queries. What assessment has the Commission made of the impact of the pandemic on...
Vikki Howells: I'd like to congratulate you, Trefnydd, on your new role also. Trefnydd, at the start of April, the House of Commons select committee on business, energy and industrial strategy published their report into the mineworkers' pension scheme, and their findings were stark. I quote: 'It is patently clear...that the scheme's arrangements have unduly benefited the UK Government and it is untenable...
Vikki Howells: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Congratulations to you on your appointment, and congratulations to you, Cabinet Secretary for education, as well. Thank you for your statement today, the content and tone of which, I am sure, will be welcomed by teachers, students and parents across Wales. And as a former teacher, I know only too well the burden that bureaucracy places upon our teaching staff, and how...
Vikki Howells: Diolch.
Vikki Howells: 8. How does the Welsh Government intend to strengthen the economy of the south Wales Valleys during this Senedd term? OQ56537
Vikki Howells: Thank you, Minister, and welcome to your new role. The Valleys taskforce was a very welcome intervention by the Welsh Government during the fifth Senedd term, and delivered many tangible benefits to my constituency of Cynon Valley, including £1.5 million for the Dare Valley Country Park, the creation of a remote-working hub in Mountain Ash, and a very exciting zero-waste food project in...
Vikki Howells: 3. What action is the Welsh Government taking to support women in Wales who are experiencing the menopause? OQ56536
Vikki Howells: Thank you, Minister, and welcome to your new role. Menopause is, of course, a condition that will affect half the population of Wales at some point in their lives, with symptoms including problems sleeping, issues with concentration, digestive problems and stiff, aching joints. Recent research has shown that seven out of 10 women say that menopause significantly affects their mental...
Vikki Howells: Diolch, Llywydd. Go back just a few weeks and class 143 trains, the Pacers, would have been part of that long list of temporary measures that never went away. The Pacers, described as a byword for commuter discomfort and chronic lateness, were introduced as a temporary replacement for older diesel trains. The Leyland bus body—yes, they really were made from old buses—bench seating and...
Vikki Howells: Thank you, First Minister. Three short questions. Firstly, I welcome the commitment to proceed with a basic income pilot. Are you able to provide any more detail on this, in particular around geographical criteria? I know that Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council has expressed a willingness to work with Welsh Government on a pilot, so I'd be grateful if that could be considered....
Vikki Howells: In February 2020, the Industrial Communities Alliance published an important consideration of how the economy of Britain's older communities can be rebuilt. The report offered conclusions affecting over a quarter of the UK's population who lived in these areas, and an even larger proportion of citizens in Wales, with recommendations that would affect 12 of the 22 Welsh council areas. The...
Vikki Howells: 7. How will the Welsh Government expand opportunities for outdoor education during this Senedd term? OQ56598
Vikki Howells: Thank you, Minister, for that answer. Learning in the outdoors can bring so many benefits to learners of all ages and abilities. However, perhaps the greatest benefits can be seen amongst those learners who have struggled to settle into mainstream educational settings. This is particularly true of an outdoor educational setting in my constituency, Cynon Valley Organic Adventures, based in...
Vikki Howells: Diolch, Llywydd. The tenth of June 2021 marks the centenary of the formation of Cwmbach Male Choir. The past 16 months have been challenging for choirs across Wales, but Cwmbach Male Choir has weathered the pandemic, as it has all the hardships of the past century—weathered and emerged stronger, making Cwmbach one of Wales's foremost choirs. They've enjoyed considerable success over the...
Vikki Howells: Trefnydd, please could we have a statement from Welsh Government on the action that's being taken to ensure period dignity, and in particular on when Ministers expect to be able to bring forward their period dignity strategic action plan? I welcome the £3.3 million that Welsh Government has again allocated to this issue, and also the commitment in the programme for government, but I'm keen...
Vikki Howells: Thank you, Minister, for your statement today. I note your comments about future roads aligning with the Welsh Government transport priorities and tests that can be set by the panel, so could you provide us with any wider context, building on your earlier replies to Delyth Jewell and Cefin Campbell, around what might be considered a good road that's suitable for investment? Secondly, I note...
Vikki Howells: 8. Will the Minister make a statement on Welsh Government priorities for improving animal welfare during the course of this Senedd term? OQ56657
Vikki Howells: Minister, I was really pleased to see in the programme for government a reference to banning the use of snares, an issue that I've campaigned on since I was first elected in 2016. Snares, as we know, cause indiscriminate suffering to pets, farm animals and protected species alike. Are you able to provide any further details as to when Welsh Government will be bringing forward its proposals?
Vikki Howells: It's a pleasure to support this motion tabled by my friend the Member for Ogmore today. As I was doing some preparation for this debate, I found a figure on StatsWales that shocked me and underscored the importance of today's debate, and that's the passenger journeys on local bus services by country per head of population in 2019-20. For England, this was 72.3, for Scotland 67, and for Wales...
Vikki Howells: Thank you, Minister, for your statement. The Working Wales job-matching pilot sounds really positive in terms of integrating supply and demand. How can Welsh Government ensure, though, that vacancies offered are good-quality jobs for the future, and also that employment opportunities in communities like Cynon Valley are grown and nurtured so that we don't see people from the Valleys having to...
