Jenny Rathbone: What priority is the Welsh Government giving to children’s rights to an education in light of the public health measures required to combat coronavirus?
Jenny Rathbone: 8. What action is the Welsh Government planning to take to tackle the underlying health inequalities that have made some citizens more vulnerable to COVID-19 than others? OQ55434
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you, First Minister. At the root of this problem is poor diet. We know that the food manufacturers spend billions of pounds encouraging people to eat processed food high in fat, sugar and salt, and that this obviously is not nourishing and it leads to obesity, which then leads to diabetes, heart disease and, indeed, cancer, and now COVID-19. So, I wonder what measures the Government is...
Jenny Rathbone: 8. What action is the Welsh Government taking to transform the delivery of education in school playgrounds and other outdoor settings in light of the COVID-19 pandemic? OQ55420
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you, Minister, for that. I'm glad that you recognise that this is a really important tool in the armoury for getting all children back to school where possible and really maximising those opportunities. So, I'm disappointed to report that, in at least one of my primary schools, children have only been offered four hours maximum over this three-week period, simply because they've been...
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you, Minister. I particularly was very pleased to hear you say that the relationship and sexuality education is going to have much more direction to it than some other parts of the curriculum. So, I won't ask you about that. I wanted to explore some of the complexities of your ambition, and I fully support it, to ensure that it's a duty on the headteacher to design the curriculum that's...
Jenny Rathbone: I appreciate it must be very frustrating not to know how much money Wales is going to get from whatever is going to replace the common agricultural policy, but I do feel that, whether it's going to be £5 million or £105 billion or million, we need to have set the parameters in which we're going to operate. I feel that we're just going to be done to, depending on what the UK Government comes...
Jenny Rathbone: So, I wondered what assessment the Welsh Government plans to make of the link between COVID and its incubation in intensive food environments.
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you, First Minister. I share the concerns about our inability to go ahead with the bus Bill, but I'm reassured that you think you've got other ways of protecting this sector, because in particular in Cardiff, where we're fortunate to have a publicly owned Cardiff Bus, they are constantly facing unfair competition from private, so-called commercial operators who have managed to cherry...
Jenny Rathbone: Have you called me?
Jenny Rathbone: Sorry, I didn't hear you; it was rather faint. Thank you very much for calling me. It's good to know that the Deputy Minister is going to be having discussions with the unions on this matter, but I've never been in favour of separate legislation for the media, simply because although local newspapers and local radio and local television have a very important role to play, we still have to...
Jenny Rathbone: I think David Rowlands is looking at this problem down the wrong end of the telescope. It would, indeed, be a good idea if we all returned to walking, because then we'd all be a lot healthier. But I don't think that simply because some people are defying the speed limit at the moment, and therefore need dealing with, and the police are aware of this, we should, therefore, not introduce a...
Jenny Rathbone: I fully support the Government's position of prioritising the return to school of all, hopefully, pupils for the start of the school year next month. Linked to the important change to the regulations last Friday that children up to the age of 11 no longer need to observe social distancing, either with each other or with adults, I'm keen to understand how that will facilitate the reopening of...
Jenny Rathbone: I appreciate that the pandemic has been a terrible tragedy for many families, but it is also an opportunity for us all to rethink the way we live our lives. Just as the coronavirus pandemic hasn't gone away, nor indeed has the climate emergency or the obesity emergency. So, I'm delighted that there's a company called GOiA who's going to be trialling e-scooters in Cardiff very shortly, which...
Jenny Rathbone: 7. How many Gypsy and Traveller sites in Wales have sufficient broadband in order to provide children with adequate at-home learning in the event of further lockdowns? OQ55501
Jenny Rathbone: So, from what you're saying, Minister, I gather that half the Gypsy and Traveller sites have no broadband to enable pupils to be able to access the curriculum in the event that they're unable to attend school because of further lockdowns. What conversations have you had with the local government Minister, and indeed the education Minister, to ensure that this is a top priority for local...
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you very much for your statement and the comments you've made to other Members. I agree with you that emotional well-being has to be the top priority, because a child that is distressed is not going to be learning effectively. So, that absolutely has to be the top priority. And it is wonderful to hear the sounds in the playground of children playing, because we know, then, that they are...
Jenny Rathbone: This Bill takes us back at least 100 years to when the Encyclopaedia Britannica said, 'For Wales, see England'. Instead of being leaders on environmental protections, we're going to be laggards, dependent on the UK Government's enthusiasm, or not, for protecting our seas from plastic pollution. You've already told us that our attempt to ban all single-use plastics in this country would be...
Jenny Rathbone: —that the UK Government seems to have in mind, to abolish all planning laws and allow developers to build whatever instant slums they have in mind, rather than the quality-for-life housing that we would like to produce. Presumably, we would be prevented from amending our Part L regulations so that they were fit for purpose with our climate emergency obligations.
Jenny Rathbone: 1. What strategy is the Welsh Government applying to city and town centre planning decisions so that its carbon emission reduction targets are taken into account? OQ55517
