Joyce Watson: 4. What discussions has the Welsh Government had with UK Government Ministers regarding plans to cut universal credit from April? OQ56123
Joyce Watson: First Minister, I thank you for that answer, and the figures are indeed, as you've just said, staggering, with the numbers of people who would be subjected to this decrease in what is, we know, the very basic income that they need to exist. I assume, of course, that the UK Government did predicate this change on some evidence that people needed an additional £20 per week just to survive....
Joyce Watson: Will the Minister provide an update on the administration of the council tax reduction scheme?
Joyce Watson: 6. What assessment has the Counsel General made of the impact of the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020? OQ56178
Joyce Watson: I absolutely support the actions that you've taken, and I hope that everybody here will as well. We find ourselves—and I'll use the terminology of the right wing—in splendid isolation in terms of the ports in the areas that I represent actually not having any trade. However, there is nothing splendid in being isolated in a way that threatens jobs and threatens the economy. People are...
Joyce Watson: Will the Minister provide an update on Welsh Government efforts to support businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Joyce Watson: 5. Will the Deputy Minister provide an update on how the Welsh Government is supporting the voluntary sector during the pandemic? OQ56220
Joyce Watson: I thank you very much for that commitment that is being shown by Government, but it is equally the commitment that voluntary sector organisations give to their communities, particularly in this time of great need. What I want to ask you today, Deputy Minister, is whether you would commit to thanking all of those individuals right across Wales, the charitable organisations that have given...
Joyce Watson: 7. What action is the Welsh Government taking to enhance insect numbers in Wales? OQ56219
Joyce Watson: Thank you, Minister, but I was alarmed to see the UK Government's recent u-turn on allowing some farmers to use neonicotinoid pesticides—or neonics, which is easier to say—an incredibly harmful pesticide, on sugar beet crops. In 2018, the UK Government declined a similar application to use neonics and supported restrictions on these pesticides across the European Union, and, at the time,...
Joyce Watson: What is the Welsh Government doing to reduce the carbon footprint of house building in Wales?
Joyce Watson: Will the First Minister provide an update on the potential easing of COVID-19 restrictions in Wales?
Joyce Watson: Thank you for that question, Bethan. Our flexible working culture is supported by a range of policies that include flexible working, job sharing and homeworking, which enable staff to manage their own working hours, balance work and also home commitments. Forty per cent of Commission staff have caring responsibilities for young children, and 15 per cent of staff have regular caring...
Joyce Watson: I thank you for that. I recognise that this is dear to your heart and you've made your feelings known through your statement on having your young son and the challenges of that. They're real challenges, as has been brought home to you, and have, in your own words, made you reconsider your future. And I'm really sad to lose you, as I'm sure other people are, from this institution. We know that...
Joyce Watson: I'd like to nominate David Rees.
Joyce Watson: 3. What discussions has the First Minister had with the UK Government regarding the underpayment of pensions to women by the Department for Work and Pensions? OQ56575
Joyce Watson: We know that the underpayment of the state pension to an estimated 200,000 married women has spanned more than 20 years, and it has particularly impacted women who had a poor state pension in their own right. They were entitled to claim 60 per cent state pension based on their husband’s pension contributions. What is particularly scandalous about this error is that many of those women may...
Joyce Watson: 6. Will the Minister provide an update on proposals to give the COVID-19 vaccine to children? OQ56562
Joyce Watson: Thank you for that answer. We have now vaccinated a greater share of our population than any other country with more than 1 million people, and that extraordinary success means that Wales might be able to start vaccinating children, pending the evidence and advice that you have just mentioned. But leading the world means that we can't follow by example, and extending the vaccine to children...
Joyce Watson: I thank the Welsh Conservatives for tabling this motion. It affords an early opportunity for this Senedd to debate a critical topic, namely the health and future of our country's waterways. The motion asks us to note the adverse impact of a Government policy on Welsh agriculture. I do think somehow that that's pretty rich coming from a party that would sell Welsh farmers down the river for a...
