Joyce Watson: 2. Will the Minister make a statement on the Holiday Hunger Playworks Pilot? OAQ54910
Joyce Watson: I'm really pleased to say that we are carrying out this scheme, and it is helping children from low-income families, but I'm sure people would share my distress that hundreds of families—both those in work and receiving benefits, and those relying solely on benefit incomes—feel that they have to depend on such schemes to feed their children during school holidays. It is a mark of 10 years...
Joyce Watson: I want to thank Plaid Cymru for putting this debate forward, and particularly Leanne Wood, because it's hugely important and it's pleasing to hear that it's being supported, in the main, across the Chamber. Because it is clear that the system isn't working in the way that it ought to be for the victims. I notice that Darren Millar's amendment asks us to note that the UK Government finds the...
Joyce Watson: I agree with you, Minister, that Paul Davies would be better off asking his masters from Westminster about having some money here to fund something that they are ultimately responsible for. And the other thing, of course, is, because we have, the Welsh Government have had to invest money in a non-devolved area, they will be asking us for funds for something else that is devolved, and we've...
Joyce Watson: 1. What discussions has the Minister had with the UK Government regarding regional investment funding in Wales post-Brexit? OAQ54960
Joyce Watson: Thanks for that answer, Minister, but I think the two big questions regarding the UK shared prosperity fund are: will it match the money that Wales currently receives from Europe, as the Brexiters promised?' and 'will it be devolved?' Has the UK Government deigned to share its plans with Wales yet, or, for that matter, Scotland or Northern Ireland?
Joyce Watson: Yesterday marked the seventy-fifth anniversary since the liberation of Auschwitz death camp. It's estimated that over a million people who were predominantly Jewish died a horrific death there. And that included men, women and children of all ages. And it is certainly, we will all agree, one of the darkest periods in our human history. Minister, do you agree with me that we must always...
Joyce Watson: Will you take an intervention?
Joyce Watson: Thank you. I thank you for taking the intervention. I hear what you say, but I clearly don't agree with it. Because if we went along the trajectory that you're going on, it seems to me that what you're saying is that the personal is not political, and that, then, in turn, would clearly mean that all the legislation that we've had to protect people within their families from whatever form of...
Joyce Watson: How is the Welsh Government improving rail connectivity in Mid and West Wales?
Joyce Watson: I'm not going to repeat anything. What I'm going to ask is a very pointed question on NVZs. It's been brought to my attention that concentrate of nitrates from chicken farms is more difficult to deal with because it simply stays at the bottom of the watercourse. So, in your deliberations on NVZs, can I please ask that you look at that specific issue that I have just mentioned?
Joyce Watson: 7. What actions is the Welsh Government taking to ensure high welfare standards in breeding establishments in Wales? OAQ55004
Joyce Watson: Thank you for that answer. But there was a recent report from Carmarthenshire County Council into dog breeding in the county, and there are 85 licensed dog breeders in Carmarthenshire. That is one of the highest numbers in Wales and England, and about 10 of those breeders have over 100 dogs. And what struck me particularly in the report is that, in some cases, officers were only carrying out...
Joyce Watson: So my question is: will you consider reviewing the number of licences a local authority can issue according to the ratio of inspectors that they currently have?
Joyce Watson: Well, we'll soon see what the reality of, 'Taking back control of our waters' looks like. Will Britain rule the waves or will Boris Johnson sell UK fisheries down the river, using them as a bargaining chip in the upcoming trade negotiations? Several EU politicians have made clear their intentions: they want British access to EU financial service markets predicated on access to UK waters....
Joyce Watson: 4. What assessment has the First Minister made of the effectiveness of the Welsh Government’s strategy to tackle domestic violence and abuse? OAQ55083
Joyce Watson: Yes, I agree with that, but last Thursday I attended the launch of the Welsh Government and New Pathways' This is Sexual Abuse campaign, where Jane Hutt, Minister with responsibility, actually launched that campaign. And it was great to be in a room where everyone was committed to working together to bring an end to the silence around sexual abuse for men, women and children, regardless of...
Joyce Watson: I really welcome your statement today, but I want to particularly focus on 16 to 24-year-olds and loneliness, and to recognise, as it says in your statement, that 60 per cent of that population do suffer some loneliness at some stage in their lives. Unemployment, of course, is a main driver for that, and there are things that the Welsh Government is doing in terms of training and education...
Joyce Watson: 1. Will the Minister provide an update on the provision of school counselling services? OAQ55082
Joyce Watson: I thank you for that answer, and it really is a good investment in the well-being of young people. But there was a report by the Children, Young People and Education Committee in 2018, and it reviewed school-based counselling and found that the service was indeed making a significant contribution to building an emotionally resilient population of young people. But there was one area of...
