Julie James: Thank you for those points. The very simple answer to the last two points is 'yes, absolutely'. And one of the reasons that we have the innovative housing programme is to test some of the technical solutions, and we're very keen on looking to see what can be done. I'm also very keen in Wales on community energy solutions as well. So, I have had meetings with the grid. I've not yet had...
Julie James: Yes, I absolutely agree with you. You've only got to look at the front page of Chris Jofeh's report, and the blue changing to red. The significance of that is that there's a stripe for every year of the temperature being recorded and the stark difference between the blue on the left-hand side and the bright red on the right-hand side on the front cover of the report. I did mean to bring it...
Julie James: So, just on that last point, we have been discussing with industry and industry representatives having some kind of licensing scheme. We're very keen to work with the UK Government on that, though, because lots of people in this kind of industry across the board are very regulated and they're very anxious not to have to comply with two different regulatory regimes. But we are very keen on...
Julie James: Thank you, acting Presiding Officer. I also would like to add my thanks to the Chair and to the committee for their detailed examination of the many issues around the emotive and complex subject of voting rights for prisoners. Both the inquiry and the report were thorough and objective. The analysis and recommendations have certainly helped to inform our policy conclusions, which are set out...
Julie James: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. As a Welsh Government, it is our view that a 'no deal' Brexit should be unthinkable. As we have already heard, the impacts could be severe and wide ranging. We know that it will be extremely difficult to mitigate the effects of no deal, and that is why we continue to work tirelessly against that possibility, as well as to reduce, so far as we are able, the...
Julie James: Thank you for that series of questions—quite a long series of questions. I'll do my best to do a little bit of an overview about them. I'll just start off by saying that, of course, I very much welcome the multicultural celebrations that Mark Isherwood mentioned, and I'm very happy to support that. It is absolutely essential in this climate of uncertainty and division that we make sure that...
Julie James: Well, thank you very much for that, Dai Lloyd. We have been working very hard behind the scenes to plan, but just to be clear, there is no way to cover off all of the risks inherent in a 'no deal' Brexit, and I echo my colleague Vaughan Gething's remarks about the real shame of watching money that could otherwise be spent on improving services and assisting communities being spent on...
Julie James: Yes, well, actually, civil contingencies are in the portfolio of the First Minister and the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip, but I'm doing the statement on behalf of the Government today—just to be clear about that. The Deputy Minister has been working very hard with third sector partners to ensure a state of preparedness, as good as we can get it, in what we have. I mean, the short answer...
Julie James: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. The Welsh Government is committed to preventing and addressing all forms of homelessness. 'Prosperity for All' sets out our vision for a Wales where everyone has a safe home that meets their needs and supports a healthy, successful and prosperous life. We are committed to working together, across the public and third sectors, to prevent homelessness and,...
Julie James: Thank you very much for that contribution. I very much welcome the spirit in which you gave it. Just a couple of points, really. On the data, I agree with you completely. We've just taken on another data analyst to do justice, so we're having an analysis done of where the gaps are and what we need to do to get it. I must say that I've been quite startled by some of the things we don't know,...
Julie James: Thank you very much for those points. Again, we're largely in agreement—on that very last one, absolutely. We are working on two things around the Vagrancy Act, first is how far we can go in Wales to disapply it—we can't repeal it, but how far we can go to disapply formally. And then, secondly, how far we can work with partners to ensure that it's not used, even where we haven't been able...
Julie James: Yes, I completely agree with that last point. Mike Hedges is very well aware that we've been putting an increased amount of money into the proper kind of supply. I recently visited a very good innovative housing project in his own constituency, which he has, I know, been very supportive of, with a view to us getting the supply of good-quality social housing to where it needs to be. And it's...
Julie James: Well, I think that you've identified some of the issues that we're dealing with. I must say I disagree with some of the solutions that you've put forward. We are working very hard to get the pathways for ex-prisoners in place. The pathway is adequate. We've had it tested. What we need to do is make sure that everybody implements it in the right way. We've currently got a task and finish group...
Julie James: Yes, I completely agree with the points you've made there. We are aware that people will not go into temporary accommodation if it means leaving their beloved companion outside, and absolutely rightly so. So, we are working on making sure that we have provision for people who have a beloved pet that they're with. You quite rightly say that often they're their only companion, trusted...
Julie James: Yes, I completely agree with that analysis. When the action plan is published next week from the group, you'll see that they address both intentionality and local connection, and they make some proposals for us to be able to deal with that in the short term and then in the longer term. And, as I said, we have a positive response to it. I only saw it yesterday, but I'll be putting a detailed...
Julie James: Yes. I intend to announce the provisional local government settlement on 26 November, a week after the planned Welsh Government draft budget. This will provide details of the core funding for councils for 2020-21. Alongside the settlement, I will publish early indications of specific grants for the coming financial year.
Julie James: Yes, I've some sympathy with what the Member is saying about the situation that local authorities find themselves in across Wales. I just want to start off by saying that I'm very happy to join him in congratulating Ynys Môn. Llinos has done an amazing job there. She's a very inspirational young woman, the sort of person we should be attracting into politics in greater numbers. She's been...
Julie James: The distribution sub-group of the partnership council works very hard on the indicators across the piece. We have a constant review group working very hard on making sure that the indicators are as they are. The local government family is itself responsible for this, and Anglesey, as many other councils, have seats on both the financial and the distribution sub-group. The leader of Anglesey,...
Julie James: There is no evidence that large councils are more effective or efficient than small councils. Our local government Bill will empower councils, reform and strengthen local democracy, create conditions for improved delivery of local services, and provide a robust framework for authorities to work on a regional basis where there are advantages in them doing so.
Julie James: That's just not how it works. What we believe in is that democracy should be as close to the people as humanly possible, for the decisions to be made as close to the people as is possible. I'm very surprised, given your background, Mark Reckless, that you don't concur with me that that kind of subsidiarity is what we should be looking for in local democracy. So, what we say is that one size...
