Helen Mary Jones: I'm not able to respond to that intervention since we're not allowed to have interventions, but I don't care where Ministers are, I care what they do. I stress again the need for the Government to reconsider the economic resilience fund. We can't support this amendment, because if you support this amendment, you're assuming that they are the fount of all wisdom and they've got it all right....
Helen Mary Jones: I'm sure the First Minister will agree with me that, for the medium-term future of our universities, it's vital that they get sufficient access to funding for research. Does the First Minister share my concerns that at no time during the whole of devolution, over the last 20 years, have our universities ever got what would have been their Barnett consequential from the research councils? And...
Helen Mary Jones: 1. What discussions has the Counsel General had with other law officers regarding the legal implications of the UK internal market Bill? OQ55726
Helen Mary Jones: I'm grateful to the Counsel General for his reply, which, of course, builds on an earlier reply from the First Minister to Adam Price. The Counsel General will be aware of the new academic report from Cardiff University's Wales Governance Centre, and other partners, on the impact on regulations, particularly after Brexit, and the potential effect on the territorial scope of devolved...
Helen Mary Jones: 7. What assessment has the Counsel General made of the effect on Welsh law of a 'no deal' outcome of the Brexit negotiations? OQ55727
Helen Mary Jones: I thank the Counsel General very much for his answer. The clock is, of course, ticking, and the Counsel General's action plan identifies a large number of areas where there will be legal uncertainty if this isn't resolved. Can you tell us, Counsel General, how confident you are that Wales will have a functioning statute book if we reach the point where there is a 'no deal', fully taking on...
Helen Mary Jones: I thank the Deputy Minister very much for his statement. I just want to begin by saying that we, in this part of the Chamber, believe that the response to the two-week firebreak is completely appropriate; it seems entirely the right thing to do and we're very happy to offer the Minister our support on that. In that context—and we don't know, of course, whether such actions may be necessary...
Helen Mary Jones: I rise primarily to speak to point three of the motion, and to make some additional points with regard to the impact on the economy. But before I do that, I want to emphasise that nobody thinks this is easy, and nobody wants us to be here. We will all be thinking today of people that we will miss in the next 17 days, and for some of our fellow citizens, that's much, much more serious. But the...
Helen Mary Jones: 1. How does the Commission support staff working from home during the coronavirus pandemic? OQ55729
Helen Mary Jones: I'm very grateful to the Commissioner for her answer. I have to say that that is very reassuring. I'd specifically like to ask whether those criteria that enable some staff to come into the workplace include circumstances where people may be at home with very small children and may find it very stressful to be working from home. So, are those kinds of family circumstances included in the kind...
Helen Mary Jones: Thank you very much, acting Presiding Officer. I'm grateful to everybody who has participated. It was indeed deliberately set to be a wide-ranging motion and it's provoked a wide-ranging debate, and I'm grateful for that. I can't possibly respond to all the comments that have been made. I think Siân Gwenllian's points about the importance of diversity in the history of our nation were very...
Helen Mary Jones: What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the resources required by Welsh universities to support teaching and learning for students during COVID-19 outbreaks on campus?
Helen Mary Jones: If I can return us, First Minister, to free school meals, I'd associate myself with a lot of what Joyce Watson said about how positive it is that we are still providing those, particularly in school holiday times. The First Minister will be aware of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report that was published yesterday, calling for a Welsh benefits system. One of the issues that we still have...
Helen Mary Jones: I thank the First Minister for his statement and, as Adam Price has already said, the First Minister is aware that Plaid Cymru has broadly supported the need for the firebreak and advocated a cautious approach as we come out. The First Minister referred to consultation in this process, and I think he will understand that there are some sectors of the hospitality sector who perhaps haven't...
Helen Mary Jones: Can I just finally, then, ask, in terms of further business support, whether the First Minister can consider that that should perhaps be more targeted in future to those businesses most affected, rather than taking a first come, first served approach?
Helen Mary Jones: I thank the Minister very much for his statement. I do understand the circumstances that led to this statement coming into the public domain before it had been placed before the Senedd, and I do accept that the Minister himself regards that as suboptimal and not the way that he would usually wish to proceed. As the Minister knows, Plaid Cymru are pleased to support him in this approach. When...
Helen Mary Jones: Minister, having heard what you've said to others about the difficulty of creating COVID-free areas or COVID-free hospitals, I've had some correspondence this week from constituents who were worried about going into Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli for non-COVID-related treatments because they're concerned about the possibility of contracting COVID there. What further reassurance can you...
Helen Mary Jones: I was very pleased, Minister, to hear what you said to Rhun ap Iorwerth about the Time to Change campaign. I was also pleased to hear what you said about not unnecessarily medicalising distress. In the region that we both represent, in Llanelli and Carmarthenshire, there is a very innovative project being run by the voluntary organisation Connecting Children, Youth and Adults, where GPs are...
Helen Mary Jones: 1. Will the Minister make a statement on the early closure of applications to the economic resilience fund relating to the firebreak lockdown? TQ499
Helen Mary Jones: I'm grateful to the Minister for his answer. I'm sure he will acknowledge that because of the oversubscription to this fund, there were many businesses who were disappointed and some business owners who were quite distressed not to be able to make the applications that they expected to be able to make. And I say this while fully understanding the pressure on the Minister's budgets and the...
