Julie James: ...essential to our democracy. Anything that impacts them should be taken seriously, so I am pleased to bring these regulations before you and hear the views of colleagues in the Chamber today on the Representation of the People (Amendment) (Wales) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2021. I want to ensure that local by-elections are conducted safely and in a way that maximises the opportunity for...
Mick Antoniw: ...that we hope to bring to reform, to modernise and to bring our electoral system into the twenty-first century. I think it is also fair to say, about the proposals by the UK Government, that it's not intended that they will apply to Welsh elections, and, in any event, the UK Government's legislation is unlikely to come into force before or even be completed by the time of the May 2022...
Vaughan Gething: ...group for the work they have undertaken. I do want to acknowledge the courage and commitment of those women who have worked tirelessly to highlight this issue. Whilst, understandably, they chose not to participate directly in the group’s work, the evidence that they provided has informed the findings and recommendations—and, of course, I've previously reported meeting a group of mesh...
Vaughan Gething: ...think that reinforces two points. The first is that I still don't think it's helpful to try and say there is a good community health council and that others aren't. I think that's problematic. It's not a view that the national board of community health councils themselves take. And the second is, of course, that, in talking about wanting to have different ways of working, there's a point...
Julie James: ..., but I’ll just reiterate. The Valleys taskforce is just mentioned as being the pilot test bed for some of the pieces of work that we’re doing. As I already indicated to other Members, it’s not the only place that we’ll be doing it and we have to start somewhere. Obviously, the communities of north Wales also have similar problems, and we will of course be addressing employability...
Mick Antoniw: ...raised this particular issue, and basically said that: 'Cutting the cost of legal aid deprives the very people who most need the protection of the courts of the ability to get legal advice and representation.' And another Supreme Court judge in 2018, Lord Wilson, said that: 'Even where it is required to continue to provide free legal aid, for example to defendants to criminal charges and...
Julie Morgan: ...statement, as soon as possible, from the Government, about how they see the setting up of this public inquiry, and how Wales will take part in it? It is absolutely essential that Welsh victims have representations in the process. So, I ask for a statement, as soon as we possibly can, to look at what is a victory for all those people who’ve campaigned for so long. But we want to make sure...
Jayne Bryant: ...made recommendations in relation to the learner and worker associate members. The Bill provides for at least two worker and at least one learner representative. Whilst this sets the minimum, and not the maximum level, we think that the Bill should be more ambitious. The work of the commission will drive change across the sector, and it's imperative that the learner and worker voice is...
Janet Finch-Saunders: ...came before committee last term and I look forward to scrutiny in our committee when it comes forward. We firmly believe that the ombudsman should be accountable to the National Assembly for Wales, not just the Welsh Government, so the Welsh Conservatives are pleased to note that the nomination for this role will be here through the Assembly. However, I’d like some further clarification...
Jane Hutt: ...their mark. In terms of local authorities—and I recall when Elyn Stephens was taking this forward—actually, local authorities have embraced this. We have a round-table, we have local authority representation, officers from the council. We must never forget our officers, must we, because councillors can say, 'We want this, we want that', but actually, the officers have to deliver. I...
Julie James: ...of our responsibility to act as a globally responsible nation, we've been clear with the UK Government that no trade agreement should ever undermine our economic domestic policies. In Wales, we do not view trade deals in purely economic terms. Elements of trade deals that could advance protections around labour and the environment, including deforestation, are treated as one of our main...
Mark Isherwood: .... I consulted some colleagues in local government for their take on that. You'll be pleased that one of them came back to me stating that the working group has been very productive. There'll be nothing, he said, in your statement that will frighten colleagues in local government. He's not at liberty to share the outcomes of the work to date, but can share that it's likely that a sub-group...
Dawn Bowden: Can I thank the leader of the house for her statement, which, I was pleased to note, acknowledges the sacrifices of those who went before us and those who spoke up for women's right to vote, and, indeed, women's right to stand for election? In the case of the Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney constituency, it's a matter of pride to me that such support came from Keir Hardie, who was their MP at the...
Mark Drakeford: ...comes to be done, I think what we will see is that those communities who find themselves at the sharpest end of deprivation in Wales have one key characteristic in common—that they have an over-representation, compared to other parts of Wales, of families with children. And the reason that they end up in the position they are in is because of the cuts in benefits that those families have...
Suzy Davies: I’m going to disappoint you there, Bethan—I’m not going to start off talking about Ofcom. I won’t have time in my short submission, I’m afraid. I did want to stress, actually, to start with—while thanking the committee and the staff for their work on this—that it is a very innovative committee, the one that we are sitting on now. I just wanted to, as I said, talk about that for...
Mick Antoniw: ...valid question. It's one we're asked many times. What do you do when you're in an impasse, where you, effectively, have a UK Government that seems to be oblivious to all the protestations, all the representation, all attempts at engagement that are made, and then the consequences of that are a deterioration in relationship? Well, look, I think the first thing is this: Governments do not...
David Rees: Minister, I hope your last point is true, because, as you say, it becomes a separate commercial entity and they will look for the cheapest deal they can get, not necessarily the best deal they can get. Therefore, clearly, the implications for Port Talbot are serious and our concerns are for Port Talbot, but also for the workers in Trostre, because it's a package—it's a whole package across...
Llyr Gruffydd: ...to their own policy. So, that tells us something about where this Government finds itself at the moment. And this is the party, of course, that claims to be 'for the many'—no. 'For the many, not the few', yes, I was right the first time. I have become confused today. But who are we talking about here? Who do they represent? Well, if we are talking about a group that needs representation...
...and parents in all parts of Wales. In addition to this, I was very lucky to be able to appear on Wales Live with Hannah Blythyn and Andrew R.T. Davies in order to discuss votes at 16 and the representation of young people in politics. Finally, Betsan Angell and I appeared on Heno when we released our report on life skills in the curriculum. It was a privilege to be able to discuss...
Mark Reckless: ...limits? Five of them, you're saying, are now being made permanent. What evidence have we got as to how they've worked in terms of reducing or otherwise the pollutants we're concerned about? I get representations particularly around the 50 mph limit approaching the Brynglas tunnels, and I know there can be other reasons for that, but the emphasis recently has been on the air pollution when...
