Mandy Jones: My position on this Bill has not changed since the last time it was discussed in this Chamber, when I shared my own experience of abuse as a child and as a young adult. To start with, I think it would be worth you showing this Chamber and, more to the point, the public what you really mean by a 'smack'. There is a massive spectrum between a tap on the hand and a punch in the face, and I...
Mandy Jones: Since becoming an Assembly Member, I now travel between north Wales and south Wales regularly, and I use the M4 around Newport to do this. Like other drivers, I adhere to the speed limit. However, the reduction of speed on the M4 comes as a bit of a surprise, as signage doesn’t give any reason for the change, and there are no warnings. The natural reaction is to slow right down sometimes,...
Mandy Jones: I also commend what Llyr and Angela have just said. Often in this Chamber we refer to 'our health service', 'our hard-working health service staff' and I think this is a way of saying that we value beyond measure the services we receive and the people we receive them from. The health service provides vital services—many people rely on them very heavily at times and when they are vulnerable,...
Mandy Jones: 4. Will the Minister provide an update on the Welsh Government's rural schools policy? OAQ54375
Mandy Jones: Thank you for that answer. I've been contacted by concerned parents in Llandrillo, Corwen whose village school, Ysgol Gynradd Llandrillo, was amalgamated with Cynwyd school. My question today is about the situation that arises when the new schools created as a result of amalgamation and rationalisation are no longer able to cope with rising demand when they are victims of their own success....
Mandy Jones: Minister, thank you for your statement. First, I note from your statement that you claim the Prime Minister has broken the law. Could you please clarify that part of the statement, as it was my understanding that a new law was created? You mention in the statement about an Act on the statute books to prevent the UK leaving on 31 October without a deal. Could you explain what assessment you...
Mandy Jones: You have no proof of this. It's all assumption on your part and the media's part, as usual. The Minister mentions shortages of vital goods. Would the Welsh Government publish those assessments and the preparations that it has made? Lastly, in this statement, you mention the risks of 'no deal'. But, would the Minister agree about the risks of no democracy, and the message that we send to the...
Mandy Jones: 2. Will the First Minister make a statement on ticketing services on the Transport for Wales network? OAQ54477
Mandy Jones: Thank you for that answer. First Minister, it's been brought to my attention that a customer who went to buy a ticket from the Transport for Wales app was offered the price of £30.05 for a cross-border train journey. That customer then checked National Rail, to find the same journey for £22.10. That difference could feed his kids for a couple of days. What is the Welsh Government going to...
Mandy Jones: 7. Will the Minister make a statement on the performance of Natural Resources Wales? OAQ54476
Mandy Jones: Thank you, Minister. I don't share your confidence, I'm sorry. I'm in regular contact with anglers on the River Dee, whose catchment area supplies water to 3 million people in north Wales and north-west England. These anglers are our eyes and ears on the rivers, and NRW need them. I'm deeply concerned that they describe a night-and-day difference between their interaction with the former...
Mandy Jones: I rise today with great disappointment that, once again, this Chamber is wasting the time and the money of the Welsh public. This motion is—[Interruption.]—contradictory. If point 1 of the motion comes to pass and the UK Parliament doesn't enact the withdrawal agreement Bill, then point 2 will not apply, as there would be no need for an LCM under Standing Order 29. It’s totally...
Mandy Jones: No. Labour's argument is that it cannot vote for this deal because—
Mandy Jones: Yes, I love you too, Alun. Labour's argument is that it cannot vote for this deal because it doesn't protect—[Interruption.] I'll start again. Labour's argument is that it cannot vote for this deal because it doesn't protect workers' rights and environmental protections. What guff. What it will do, as we have endlessly discussed here, is transfer responsibility for doing that from the EU to...
Mandy Jones: No. Most workers' rights we enjoy today actually came through the UK Parliament, often following campaigns by your trade unions. Many such rights in the UK are far superior to the minimum provisions given by the EU. For example, paid holiday leave: EU legislation is four weeks, the UK is 5.6 weeks. Maternity leave: the EU is 14 weeks and the UK is 52 weeks. In the UK, it is 90 per cent pay...
Mandy Jones: Or the fact that Cardiff Airport—
Mandy Jones: No. Or the fact that Cardiff Airport has got yet another cash injection when north Wales, yet again, misses out under this Welsh Labour Government.
Mandy Jones: The Labour Party in Westminster—
Mandy Jones: The Labour Party in Westminster stopped a meaningful vote, yet the Labour Party in Wales wants another meaningless debate and another meaningless vote. Thank you.
Mandy Jones: Will the First Minister make a statement on the allocation of school places in North Wales?
