Julie James: We've been making representations to that effect, and that's a very good example of one of the benefits that the European Union brings—the other one, of course, is roaming right across Europe, which doesn't necessarily happen after Brexit. So, very much as part of our preparedness for it, we are lobbying the UK Government and actually having negotiations with Europe itself about how best to...
Julie James: Yes, 5G is very interesting, because, really, you need 4G in order to be able to advance to it. So, what we've been doing is working to make sure that people don't have to start with nothing and then climb up the ladder, so that they can leapfrog it. There are lots of issues there, so we have a number of test beds around Wales—Cardiff is actually part of the national test-bed programme....
Julie James: We've been very much part of the UK Government's competition, where business-led consortia, including local authorities and academia, can apply to get a slice of £25 million-worth of funding, as I said, from DCMS. And that's looking to support the development of all of the technology; it's not just the connectivity—it's all the widgets, if you like, that go with it. So, 5G doesn't go very...
Julie James: Yes, indeed, and we belong to the national cyber security network, and we are committed to the national cyber security strategy. I've had a number of very good meetings with the National Cyber Security Centre, and they've visited us twice to make sure that our cyber resilience plans are in order. The Cabinet Office has made funding available to Wales for cyber resilience, and we've allocated...
Julie James: Our new framework, 'Action on Disability: the Right to Independent Living', currently out for consultation, sets out priority actions under way across Welsh Government to tackle key barriers to equality of opportunity identified by disabled people themselves. This includes transport, employment, education, health, housing and accessibility.
Julie James: Yes, I'm very aware of that as an issue; it's been raised with me by a number of constituents as well. We are having ongoing discussions with various public service travel operators to see what can be done about that; often on a bus, for example, there's one wheelchair space, not two, and, if you are travelling with two people together, they often have to catch subsequent buses, and so on....
Julie James: Yes, we share him out.
Julie James: Yes. So, on the second one, I'm very keen on doing that. I've had several conversations with the Permanent Secretary around the civil service, and I know that the Commission has also had a couple of conversations about it in terms of becoming Disability Confident. We're very keen to do that. The difficulty with this is that you need to get a standard in place. So, you can declare that you're...
Julie James: Yes, I'm actually very happy to commit to that. There's certainly no intention whatsoever that any person, any individual, will be any worse off as a result of the transition. Most people should be better off, and people should be at the very least the same, so I'm very happy to undertake that. I know that, in our final budget proposals, we are looking to guarantee that. My experience in my...
Julie James: We've been very consistent in the communications regarding the importance of gender equality, and I'm pleased to note that the draft blueprints for youth justice and female offending that have been developed will contribute to ensuring greater equality for those within or at risk of entering the criminal justice system in Wales. This is particularly the case in the draft female offending...
Julie James: Indeed, and the Cabinet Secretary and I have had a very good working relationship over this and we've been working very hard on it over the last couple of years, actually, haven't we? And I think that the statement is very reflective of that. We're very keen that women are deflected from prison or the criminal justice system where at all possible, that we work hard with the judiciary,...
Julie James: The Cabinet Secretary will be covering this, but I will just say, briefly, that I do not agree that we should have a women's prison in Wales, because having men's prisons in Wales has not stopped Welsh men being sent all over the UK. What we want is for women to be deflected from the criminal justice system, except in the most extreme cases of violence. So, we do not need a bigger prison that...
Julie James: We have had many discussions on exactly this point. I completely agree with the Howard League for Penal Reform. I've been a fellow traveller of theirs for many, many years. And that's exactly on the point of the discussion that we've been having. We are very keen to have the criminal justice system devolved as fast as possible, including the probation services. Probation services are...
Julie James: Yes. I very much welcome the recent industry announcement declaring the planned 5G investment in Cardiff.
Julie James: Yes, I'm very keen to do that. I've already met with the company's roll-out leader in this regard and we've been working very closely together to make sure, alongside the city deal people, that we are completely in that space. David Melding is absolutely right—5G-enabled technologies will completely transform the way in which Wales's future industries grow. If you think of the difference...
Julie James: Yes, I'm very happy to. There has been good progress on digital transformation across Pembrokeshire’s public sector. Alongside our investment in broadband through the Superfast Cymru programme—. I was going to say very recently, but I believe it was actually August, I met with Councillor Paul Miller, who's the cabinet member for economic and community development, I believe; he has...
Julie James: Yes, I'm very, very well aware of the school there; it's in a very beautiful part of Pembrokeshire, and it has a very interesting little pub with a bar in its front room just around the corner. But it is very isolated, I think it's fair to say, and part of its beauty is its isolation. We are very well aware of it; we are working very closely with the school to see what can be developed in...
Julie James: Yes, indeed. We know that studies show that incidents of domestic violence spike following sporting events, so I look to the sports sector to promote the firm message that violence against women is completely unacceptable and to take action within their own ranks. We should promote the positive effects and outcomes of sport and make sure that the negative aspects are well known.
Julie James: I absolutely congratulate many of the sporting clubs across Wales, and especially the male versions of the sporting clubs who've been very active in the White Ribbon campaign. Many of the clubs around—the Ospreys in particular, for example, and their community programme and Swansea Whites and a number of others across—. It's invidious to name them, actually, because there are large...
Julie James: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. There were several changes to this week's business. The planned oral statements on update on care for the critically ill and reforming dental services will be issued as written statements. The Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Public Services will make an oral statement on 'Towards a distinct approach to the penal system in Wales', as we've...
