Leanne Wood: Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, the chief executive of the Huggard Centre has been quoted in the media as calling on people not to donate tents to rough sleepers. Do you agree with him?
Leanne Wood: Well, I'm glad that you disagree with the sentiment, Minister, because it's got to be said that a lot of people are very disappointed with those remarks. They seem to suggest that rough sleeping is a lifestyle choice, as opposed to being a consequence of austerity. The homeless people quoted in the story explained that shelters for homeless people could actually be very dangerous, with a lack...
Leanne Wood: Thank you for your full answer to that question, Minister. You will know that I've been an advocate for some time of the Welsh Government adopting all of the recommendations in the Crisis report, which outlines very clearly how we can end homelessness. However, we know that deaths among people who are homeless has risen by 24 per cent over the last five years, which isn't surprising given...
Leanne Wood: I concur with the points made earlier about the maternity services at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital and I would support the calls for a statement. I also agree with the point made earlier about the late night trains to the Valleys, and I'd like to add my weight behind that statement as well. But I'd like to bring another matter in relation to public transport to your attention, and that's an...
Leanne Wood: 3. Will the Minister make a statement on budget allocations to the housing and local government portfolio in relation to the post office network? OAQ53319
Leanne Wood: In the last month, we've lost three bank branches in the Rhondda. Barclays announced that they're closing their branches in Tonypandy and Ferndale, and more recently, Santander have announced that they are going to close their branch in Tonypandy as well. This now means that there is not a single bank branch in the Rhondda Fach. Now, it's clear to me that in the wake of this callous closure...
Leanne Wood: Diolch. I'm pleased to move this motion in Plaid Cymru's name that has followed the publication of a piece of research that deserves serious attention. The finding by the Wales Governance Centre that Wales has the highest incarceration rate in western Europe should be a source of shame for us all. It's also deeply concerning that this trend has developed without detection until the Wales...
Leanne Wood: Looking at rates of imprisonment across Wales, we also know that Wales's most deprived communities have higher rates of incarceration. There is a clear link between poverty and crime and the treatment of working-class offenders by the courts. Inequality is built into the heart of our justice system, whether that's racial, gender, class or geographic inequality, and this is no accident. It is...
Leanne Wood: Racist.
Leanne Wood: Racist.
Leanne Wood: Racist.
Leanne Wood: Racist.
Leanne Wood: Will you take an intervention? I just might be able to help you with some of the questions that you're asking there, because I recently met with some representatives of Napo, my former trade union, the National Association of Probation Officers, and they were telling my that clearly what's happening is: the fact that the probation service has been partly privatised has meant that that that...
Leanne Wood: Diolch, Llywydd. I'd love to thank almost all of the Members for their contributions this afternoon. I'm not going to address UKIP's argument, because most of them made no sense and most of them were not backed up by fact—they were mostly informed by fake news, I think. If they really believe that nationality and ethnicity are linked to offending rates, then I wonder whether they see the...
Leanne Wood: I welcome the recent shift from the Labour Government when it comes to the devolution of the administration of welfare benefits. There's no doubt in my mind, nor in the minds of many people who work for homeless support agencies, that austerity is linked to the shocking rise in visible rough-sleeping on our streets, and it's no wonder that this has been described as reaching crisis point by...
Leanne Wood: I'd like some clarity, please, from the Welsh Government about your policy when it comes to care homes and protecting and retaining public care homes in the public sector. I raise this matter because Labour-led Rhondda Cynon Taf council is looking to outsource public service provision to the private sector on the back of an alleged modernisation programme for services to the elderly, and this...
Leanne Wood: Your statement claims that the number of rough-sleepers appears to be stabilising, but that's based on the rough-sleeping count, which still shows a 45 per cent increase since 2015. Furthermore, whilst those counts are useful in some respects, they can miss rough-sleepers who've been driven from the areas where people are being counted, which we know is happening as a result of over-zealous...
Leanne Wood: Finally, this week the UK Government has admitted that the huge rise in the numbers of people reliant upon food banks is partly, at least, due to the roll-out of the disastrous universal credit. We also know that welfare reform is partly responsible for the steep rise in street homelessness as well. So, surely, after admitting this, the UK Government cannot carry on with it. So, will you...
Leanne Wood: The motion before the Senedd this afternoon seeking approval of the Government's financial police settlement to 2019-20 reminds us yet again, in a very practical sense, of the inadequacies of the current constitutional framework in terms of policing and justice. Overall policy and funding responsibilities lie with Westminster, but essential elements of police funding in relation to matters...
Leanne Wood: Diolch. I move the Plaid Cymru amendments, but I want to use my contribution today to focus on amendment 4 in particular. Now, this debate is timely because just last week, the UK Government announced its intention to conduct a review into drugs policy, including treatment options. Unfortunately, they pre-decided not to consider the questions of decriminalisation or legalisation as part of...
