Peter Fox: Thank you, Minister. As a former leader of Monmouthshire County Council, for which I declare an interest, Llywydd, I was proud back in 2017 to appoint the first cabinet member solely responsible for social justice and community development. I was delighted that, together, we delivered the council's first social justice strategy. This strategy, which is continuously reviewed and has recently...
Peter Fox: Can I first thank Rhys ab Owen for tabling this important debate and for inviting me to support his legislative proposal? I am very pleased to see cross-party support for the motion before us today, and I think this underlines the seriousness with which all of us across this Chamber are approaching this issue. My contribution to the debate is focused on issues that are facing a number of my...
Peter Fox: Most of my questions have been answered, so I won't waste too much time, but I, too, would also like to be associated with sharing my thanks to the NHS staff and social care staff who have done so much and are going to do, sadly, an awful lot more. And thank you for your statement today. The area that I was going to pick up on was only on the back of several very concerned elderly residents...
Peter Fox: 7. How is the Welsh Government promoting international trade? OQ57282
Peter Fox: Thank you, Minister, for that response. As we know, the pandemic has had a substantial impact on the export market across the world. In Wales, for example, the value of goods exports has reduced by £2 billion in the year ending June 2021 compared to the previous year. I recognise the work that your Government is doing to support the export market, such as through the export action plan, as...
Peter Fox: Diolch, Deputy Llywydd. I move the motion in the name of Darren Millar. Before I begin, I would like to declare that I'm proud to be an MND champion for the Motor Neurone Disease Association, and would like to thank them for the help that they have given me to prepare for this debate. Members, just for a few seconds, imagine being robbed of your speech and mobility. Imagine feeling as if...
Peter Fox: 2. How does the Welsh Government support the development of community benefit societies? OQ57315
Peter Fox: Thank you, First Minister, for that response. Recently, I had the pleasure of discussing my proposed food Bill with members of Câr-y-Môr, a community benefit society, which my colleagues in west Wales will be very well aware of. They are owned by over 100 local members, but focused on serving the broader interests of their local community. It was great to hear about their plans and how...
Peter Fox: Thank you, Minister, for the statement. I think, as we've all heard today, everybody welcomed the opportunity to revisit council tax. I think we're all agreed that it's not a particularly good tax, and we've seen that from the huge amount of arrears we've seen over the years, which have increased by 42 per cent to over £156 million-worth of arrears. So, I think there is scope for a fairer...
Peter Fox: —in a thought-out way. Sorry, Deputy Llywydd. So, Minister, I look forward to the statement in February, and just look forward to understanding how better you will work with councils to change that council tax system. Thank you.
Peter Fox: Diolch, Deputy Llywydd. It was remiss of me in the last session not to declare an interest as a county councillor for Monmouthshire County Council, so I'd like to do that at this point. Thank you.
Peter Fox: 9. Will the Minister make a statement on the development of the new curriculum in Wales? OQ57316
Peter Fox: Thank you, Minister, for that response. Minister, as I'm sure you are aware, I am very passionate about the need to strengthen the food system in Wales and to unlock socioeconomic benefits that being able to access good diet can bring. An important part of this campaign is to ensure that people are equipped with the skills and knowledge that they need to reduce the reliance on things like...
Peter Fox: Thank you to Plaid Cymru and Luke Fletcher for introducing the debate today. If I may, I'd like to use my contribution to expand the scope of the original motion away from just the impact of the cost of living on food poverty. It's important that we consider the wide range of socioeconomic factors that can influence whether a person can access food and what food they can access, and it's the...
Peter Fox: 6. What action is the Welsh Government taking to improve the lives of those living with motor neurone disease? OQ57374
Peter Fox: Thank you, First Minister. Members of the Senedd sent a very clear message last month during my debate, where they overwhelmingly voted to end the current unfair adaptation process where MND sufferers have become entrapped in inescapable homes because they're unable to access the necessary support in time. MND sufferers are clear that the current system needs replacing with a...
Peter Fox: Diolch, Deputy Llywydd, and thank you, Minister. Thank you for the statement and thank you to your officials for their technical briefing yesterday at our joint committee. It was really helpful and really interesting. I do have some sympathy with you; budgetary processes and taxation are very complex things, and this complexity has only increased during recent years. It's right, then, to...
Peter Fox: Thank you, Minister. That's a really positive statement, and I thank you for your commitment to getting this right. This isn't a political matter; this is something we just all want to address and make better for the residents who've been suffering so much. I recognise the good work that the Welsh Government and the UK Government have been doing to address this. It is, as you said, an...
Peter Fox: Diolch, Llywydd, and good afternoon, Minister. Minister, the recent emergence of the omicron variant has unfortunately created more uncertainty for all of us. And whilst I sincerely hope that this isn't the case, potentially there are a difficult few months ahead. Understandably, governments and scientists are trying to understand the implications of the variant on public health, but talk of...
Peter Fox: I thank you for those responses, and it sounds like there might be some positive news. I'm sure I'm not going to get too much out of you in regard to the budget, but I will try. So, thank you for that response. Of course, it's not just the economy that is facing an uncertain time, but our health and social care sectors too. There are already huge amounts of pressure as we all know. We only...
