Luke Fletcher: ...made clear in the debate on this topic before recess, Westminster’s levelling-up agenda has so far meant more powers for Westminster, more money for Tory seats, and less democracy, funding and representation for Wales. We deserve better than this, and our amendments, of course, reflected that. During that debate we sought to make explicit points regarding the process behind the selection...
Siân Gwenllian: ...of the reasons why I decided to try to become a Member of the Senedd six years ago, because I believed that we needed many more women in influential roles in public life. I also believe that we cannot reach gender equality at the speed required without direct intervention and without specific mechanisms to achieve equality. For some years now, I have been chairing the Senedd's cross-party...
Mark Isherwood: ...and established a stakeholder advisory group, which it says produced a range of views. In contrast, the Scottish Government states that its new scheme was co-produced by the ILF working group, with representation from the Scottish Government, ILF Scotland, disabled people, carers, disability groups and local authorities. Scotland then launched ILF Scotland, to ensure that recipients have...
Mark Reckless: ...for England, but we are getting the vaccine into people's arms less quickly. If the UK Government were in charge in Wales as well as in England, with the same vaccine categories, we would benefit not just from their faster roll-out, but a higher-than-population share, due to our population being older. Thanks to devolution, we don't. Is this what people wanted when they voted in...
Jane Hutt: ...with our partners across the public, private and voluntary sectors. And it was so important that we had people with lived experience. I co-chaired it with Professor Debbie Foster, but we also had representation from the Welsh Local Government Association and our steering group of disabled people, many of whom also sit on our disability equality forum. The taskforce is crucial in that...
Hefin David: ....' And sure enough, I did, I found out. And what Caerphilly council has done is to establish a plastics challenge project group, which consists of a number of its own officers, together with representation from the Welsh Government, WRAP Cymru and Eunomia Research. They are considering the issue of problematic plastics, particularly in the context of waste management and waste prevention....
Mick Antoniw: ...any manifesto or policy proposal in the Welsh Assembly; and their presence in this Chamber is, effectively, an unforeseen consequence of an electoral system that was intended to broaden democratic representation, but has, in my view, been abused to subvert its real democratic objective. And you have to ask what is the real purpose of this motion. Well, I think it is an opportunist attempt...
Heledd Fychan: ...the voices of the children and young people of Wales. I think it shows in this report the value of having that key role of the commissioner to make sure that children and young people have that representation, but are offered those opportunities so that their own direct voices are heard. I think one of the things that I've reflected on, reading the report, was the fact that so many...
Jeremy Miles: ...it to take a strategic view and ensure learners grow as engaged, enterprising and educated citizens of Wales. The Bill sets out the governance of the commission. Crucially, the board will include representation of learners, but also the tertiary education workforce and the commission’s own staff as associate members, reflecting our commitment to social partnership. Much of the primary...
Andrew RT Davies: ...of the south Wales programme when it talks about delivering services for this particular part of the community that I represent as a regional member for South Wales Central. The Royal Glamorgan is not an old hospital; it’s a relatively new hospital. The surrounding area is expanding rapidly. I’ve heard the Member for Pontypridd talk of about 20,000 new houses being erected in that...
Ken Skates: ...that oversaw a procurement process that put our own objectives at its heart, developed skills and expertise in Wales, and delivered a model to maximise wider benefits. This would simply not have been possible through a UK Government-led process. The transfer and transformation of the core Valleys lines to the Welsh Government demonstrates how decentralisation and devolution can develop...
Hefin David: .... Among those things would be, of course, better transport links, more affordable housing, more employment opportunities, but also ensuring that people like me who grew up in a Valleys community do not want to leave, and want to stay and work and contribute. That's why I've never left my Valleys community and never intend to do so. I did have to find work, though, in Cardiff and I was...
Jeremy Miles: ..., as well as educational and additional educational needs experience and expertise. We will be looking for two more board members in the next six months, specifically to ensure that we have representation from black, Asian and ethnic minority communities. The board will consult with representatives from these communities in the meantime, to ensure that full consideration of black, Asian...
Angela Burns: ...a set of recommendations that we believe would enhance the development and authority of the GP cluster network in Wales. We heard of so much good practice by GP clusters where there is a strong representation and involvement by other healthcare professionals, such as occupational therapists, physiotherapists, palliative care nurses and mental health specialists. We heard of examples...
David Lloyd: ...the contributions of two excellent Chairs of the committees that I'm a member of, Mick Antoniw and David Rees? They've set the issues neatly before us, because the UK Trade Bill has many flaws, not least that it asks much of the devolved Parliaments yet fails to recognise our democratic right to approve trade agreements reached on our behalf and whose implementation we would govern....
Mark Isherwood: ...a new support system that recognises the distinct challenges faced by farmers in Wales and provides the financial support necessary to support the industry’s long-term sustainable future. Welsh representation must have a central input as part of the negotiation process for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, where all UK nations face unique, separate challenges. The rights of all EU...
Dawn Bowden: Can I say at the outset that I want to thank the Conservatives for bringing this motion, which I think is a very wide-ranging motion, covering lots of very important issues? I’m not today going to comment on Plaid’s amendment on proportional representation, because this is currently the subject of consultation through the local government White Paper, and I guess we really ought to allow...
Luke Fletcher: ...linked to mental health: 43 per cent of unemployed people report poor mental health, compared to 27 per cent who are in employment. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has noted that job loss, of which there have been many in Wales over the pandemic period, is a traumatic experience in someone's life and has an immediate negative impact on their mental health....
John Griffiths: We found that the lack of available information on the role of a councillor was a barrier to attracting potential candidates. People will not put themselves forward if they do not understand what the job entails, and this lack of information is also fuelling the notion among some people that a role in public life is not for them. The Minister has committed, through the Diversity in Democracy...
Alun Davies: ...to the primary legislation itself. The Auditor General for Wales's critical report 'Community safety in Wales', published in October 2016, suggested that Welsh community safety partnerships were not as effective as they should be. It highlighted important issues including the complex and confusing policy landscape in which partners now operate, and concerns about leadership and...
