Vikki Howells: 3. Will the First Minister outline the actions being taken to ensure children and young people in the Cynon Valley do not go hungry during school holidays? OAQ(5)0715(FM)
Vikki Howells: Thank you, First Minister. During the year 2015-16, there were over 8,300 children who were eligible for free school meals within Rhondda Cynon Taf. This means that more than one in 10 of all children in Wales who are eligible for free school meals reside within my county borough. New research from the Trussell Trust suggests that, and I quote, ‘lone parents and their children are notably...
Vikki Howells: I’d like to thank the Minister for his statement today, and also to place on record my thanks to the Minister and other members of the Valleys taskforce for visiting my own constituency and carrying out a consultation exercise there. This morning, I chaired the cross-party group on industrial communities, where our guest speaker was Dr Victoria Winckler of the Bevan Foundation. Many of the...
Vikki Howells: Diolch, Llywydd. On 8 July, 1873, 500 members of the South Wales Choral Union left Aberdare at the start of their journey to compete in the Crystal Palace challenge cup. The union, composed of voices from choirs from across the south Wales coalfield, returned to compete as reigning champions. In 1872 they won the cup without a contest. In 1873 they faced a challenge from one of the most...
Vikki Howells: Can I request an update from the Welsh Government on its actions in support of the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign to get justice for the many women who have been unfairly affected by the UK Government’s changes to the pension system? And, leader of the house, I’m sure that WASPI campaigners would also welcome the Welsh Government putting on record that it condemns the...
Vikki Howells: Cabinet Secretary, I welcome your statement today and in particular the comments you made about Sunday services. This is a really big issue for my constituents, who are currently facing services just once every two hours on the rail link through to Aberdare. I’d welcome any further detail you could provide about the provision of Sunday services. We’re not living in 1870s Wales any more,...
Vikki Howells: Leader of the house, during the summer I was pleased to visit the lunch and fun club based at Penywaun Primary School in my constituency. I was really impressed to see the positive benefits the scheme was having on the pupils who took part, not least in tackling the problem of holiday hunger. Could we have a statement from the education Secretary reflecting on this summer’s scheme, and also...
Vikki Howells: First Minister, I’d like to welcome the commitment in the national strategy to a new regionally focused model of economic development. I think that’s particularly important in the face of Brexit and the loss of regional funding that we’ll experience as a result of that. However, in recent announcements on the development of a network of regional growth hubs, these seem to be primarily...
Vikki Howells: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. I’d like to focus my contribution today on issues relating to dystonia, which is the third most common neurological condition in Wales but an issue where public awareness is generally low. And I’d like to thank you for coming to my constituency and meeting with constituents of mine who are members of the south Wales dystonia support group, and listening to...
Vikki Howells: What actions will the Welsh Government take during this Assembly term to improve user experiences on public transport services in Wales?
Vikki Howells: On Thursday 7 September, I joined members of the local community to celebrate the opening of a new Co-op store on Canal Road in Cwmbach, in my constituency. In fact, I was delighted to be asked to formally open the store. The £0.5 million development brought a disused building back to life, providing an invaluable community resource and the creation of 16 brand-new jobs. It will also...
Vikki Howells: It’s a pleasure to be able to contribute to this inquiry and to the resulting report as well, as a Member for a Valleys constituency, where improvements in rail infrastructure are so very desperately needed. For my contribution today, I want to focus on just a few of the recommendations. First of all, recommendation 10 is critical to ensuring that we meet future demand. The previous...
Vikki Howells: Thank you, Llywydd, for calling me to speak today. This debate marks yet another development in the devolution journey that started a little over 20 years ago. Indeed, despite the sober warnings from the Cabinet Secretary, I do find much to be hopeful of, both in terms of the distance that has been covered and of the spending proposals that he has outlined. The Cabinet Secretary has laid down...
Vikki Howells: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on this summer’s school holiday lunch and fun clubs?
Vikki Howells: Will the First Minister outline the Welsh Government’s response to recent incidences of overcrowding on valley lines rail services?
Vikki Howells: As a member of the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee, it was a pleasure to take part in this inquiry and also in the ensuing report. I too would like to thank all those who took the time to contribute to our inquiry. Clearly, the bus is the most well-used of all our public transport services, but also is the most inclusive form of public transport as well. It’s the only form of...
Vikki Howells: 2. What are the Welsh Government's priorities for the allocation of funding under the 21st Century Schools programme during this Assembly term? (OAQ51210)
Vikki Howells: First Minister, I’m very proud that my constituency of Cynon Valley has benefited to the tune of over £100 million in new and improved educational facilities under the twenty-first century schools programme, which I understand is more than any other constituency in Wales. I know that you attended the official opening, just the other week, of the new £22 million Coleg y Cymoedd campus in...
Vikki Howells: I’d like to thank the Cabinet Secretary for your statement today. And as a former secondary schoolteacher myself, I wholeheartedly agree that this is a complex issue, and there is no single approach to GCSE entry that is suitable for all. We must ensure pupils are given time to reach their full potential, not entered early, and encouraged to bank a lower grade than they may be able to...
Vikki Howells: Cabinet Secretary, former service personnel can often have difficulty in accessing new employment opportunities, despite the wealth of transferrable skills that they possess, and I’m sure you’re aware of recent media coverage about this issue. You alluded, in your answer to David Rowlands, to help that the Welsh Government provide in this area. I wonder if you could expand on that for us,...
