Jane Hutt: ...legislation. In Wales, we continue our commitment to increase the numbers of women in public life and to achieve gender balance in positions of power. We also, through our work to address the under-representation of women on public sector boards, and our diversity and democracy programme driving that, are challenging and changing the status quo. We have pledged our commitment to the 50/50...
Andrew RT Davies: ....] At least the UK Government have put on the table what their aspirations are. What have you done in this document? Fifteen pages of just fine words, but little or no substance. That cannot be a Government that is—[Interruption.] I will not take an intervention at the moment. If I have time, I will take it a little later, Joyce. But that cannot be sign of a confident Government—a...
Siân Gwenllian: .... It is true to say that the situation of women has been transformed since the days of the suffragettes, but equality is a long way from being a reality. I do hope that Plaid Cymru’s amendments note in a practical way a few areas where this Government can bring influence to bear. One of our amendments relates to healthy relationship lessons in schools. The education sector in England...
Sam Rowlands: ...elected to make those decisions. In addition to those concerns, as the Minister outlined, there are some details in the regulations here today, but there are some pertinent issues that are not being addressed or properly detailed. First of all, staffing. Secondly, the cost of all this, the funding of it. How much will it cost the taxpayer, particularly because there are going to be chief...
Peredur Owen Griffiths: ...Bill will contain a statutory social partnership duty on public bodies to seek consensus or compromise with trade unions, overseen by the social partnership council, which will include trade union representation, it's difficult to envisage how these fair work goals can be compatible in any way with the anti-strike Bill legislation, which is designed to seek antagonism and coercion over...
Siân Gwenllian: ‘Enabling candidates standing for the same party or as independents to stand for election on the basis of job sharing arrangements could lead to an increase in the diversity of representation within the Assembly. The flexibility to stand on the basis of job sharing could be particularly beneficial for older candidates, those with disabilities, or those with caring responsibilities.’...
Bethan Sayed: Apologies for my late arrival. Thank you for advance notice of this statement. Following Brexit, it needs to be ensured that international students continue to be welcomed to Wales and are aware that they are valued. It also needs to be ensured that students from Wales are encouraged to be outward looking and to seek opportunities to study abroad. Plaid Cymru believes that students from Wales...
Jane Hutt: ...people with the spiralling costs of energy bills and increasing living costs do lie, mainly, with the UK Government. So, this debate does provide us with the opportunity to unite today to back the representations that we are making as Welsh Government Ministers to the UK Government, because of those powers and fiscal levers they have, but also as well the taking forward of our plans and...
Siân Gwenllian: ..., assess this situation and also consider introducing a similar policy to what is being introduced in the Rhondda, and do so across Wales? Finally, we need to take positive steps to create equal representation between men and women as elected representatives. How on earth can it be right that half the population is under-represented so appallingly in public life? Only 27 per cent of...
Mark Reckless: ...for Public Policy Research are all heavily represented, and I just wonder: is that accepted and intended, as a Government of the left, that you want to have advice externally with at least greater representation from people of a similar outlook? You spoke about the recovery document that was published on 24 April, and that seems to be driving, from what you say, a lot of what you're doing,...
Joyce Watson: ...-led Governments. Since devolution, we’ve been amongst the most gender-balanced legislatures in the world—the first to elect an equal number of able women and able men. The consequences of that representation in terms of policy and legislation cannot and must never be overlooked. One of those landmark policies is the Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales)...
Heledd Fychan: ...in terms of their response to the pandemic, they have also been impacted greatly, with great uncertainty facing many of those working in these areas, as freelance workers or as staff members. It's not overstatement to say that, despite the cultural recovery fund, the future of Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, National Theatre Wales, the National Library of Wales, National Museum Wales,...
Jane Hutt: ...grounds, and I have urged, and I continue to urge, the UK Government to monitor the guidance and ensure it remains fit for purpose post the end of the month. But of course, as you've said, it's not the end of the process for many. Those receiving pre-settled status will have to reapply for settled status when enough time has elapsed for them to do so, and the support that they will need...
Jane Dodds: ...capacity to do that justice, especially given the significant shift in the lay of the land in recent years. Secondly, I am pleased that the committee has been able to navigate the issue of gender representation. We need to bake into the legislation measures that act as a stop-gap to ensure that we don't fall further behind. This also gives us the opportunity to put forward on other...
Mick Antoniw: Again, thank you very much for those thoughtful questions, some of which I will be able to comment on to some degree, but not able to give you a full answer on, because there are many unknowns. The nature of the intervention is really as I have set out. On what will be my intentions in the intervention, it will be to make representations about the role of Parliament in determining any changes...
Mark Isherwood: ...and the EU to a vote in both Houses of Parliament before it comes into force, we respect the Supreme Court’s decision that an Act of Parliament is required before article 50 is triggered, and we note that the UK Government has said it will set out its next steps to the UK Parliament shortly. But, of course, we also note the unanimous decision by the Supreme Court that the UK Government...
Siân Gwenllian: ...is great and detailed work that's been done by Members and committee staff. It is disappointing, despite that, that we by now have missed the opportunity in this Senedd to act on the evidence of another very detailed piece of work that was done at the start of the fifth Senedd under the chairship of Laura McAllister, and adding to the evidence of the need to strengthen the Senedd and to...
Kirsty Williams: ...of the teachers who can decide what is best for them and their learners, and also in the numbers that work best for the school too—pupils can be assessed individually or in small groups. We have not designed these assessments in isolation. We have learned from the best with an expert group, including representation from Denmark and the Netherlands, providing advice throughout. This has...
Suzy Davies: ...and why the difficult task of local government funding reform, when that might begin, because it's just too easy to try and shut down the debate, as we heard in earlier questions and some of the representations today, by pointing the finger at the UK Government. If that's all you're going to say in replying to this debate, Minister, we may as well all go home now, because constituents are...
Hannah Blythyn: Diolch, Llywydd. It might be worth recapping the background to this issue for the benefit of those Members who've not been so closely involved in the passage of the Bill as the members of the scrutiny committee and me. As Peredur set out in his opening remarks, during the committee stages of scrutiny, concerns were raised by some parties in relation to the role of Wales TUC as the body that...
