Rhianon Passmore: Let’s be clear on context: we recently had a general election that has eviscerated this Tory Government. Its majority has been destroyed and Theresa May’s authority has been smashed. It is difficult to ever remember a campaign where a Prime Minister has sought to actively fight a campaign without meeting the public or answering any questions. It was bizarre to see the Tories run a...
Rhianon Passmore: I also welcome this debate by my fellow Labour Members, Huw Irranca-Davies and Jeremy Miles. It highlights the pre-existing good work of the Welsh Labour Government in practice, and challenges us to continue and further this work as a national priority for Wales. Since 2011, the Welsh Labour Government has invested more than £270 million in the Welsh Government’s Warm Homes scheme and...
Rhianon Passmore: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. As a former visiting lecturer myself and a former director in FE, but most importantly as a mum, I also welcome this debate. The people of Wales can rest assured that the Welsh Labour Party—the party of the many and not the few—will safeguard, promote and increase educational opportunities for our nation. It may then be worth casting a collective eye...
Rhianon Passmore: Yes.
Rhianon Passmore: It is right that we invest in correct careers advice across Wales, and I’m glad that we are moving in that correct direction. So, I am grateful for the Welsh Government amendment that recognises fully the vital importance of adult learning and supporting skills development at all ages. Equally, as an adult learner myself, to conclude, I would not be standing here today in the National...
Rhianon Passmore: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the Welsh Government's plans to increase access to the countryside in south-east Wales?
Rhianon Passmore: First Minister, in 2015 small shops and retailers fell into line with large businesses with it being illegal for them to display cigarettes and tobacco in public. At the time the Minister for Health and Social Services, Mark Drakeford, stated smoking still causes around 5,450 deaths in Wales each year. Around half of all regular smokers will die prematurely from smoking-related illnesses, and...
Rhianon Passmore: Diolch, Llywydd. I also would like to welcome very much the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure. May I take this opportunity to praise the passionate and committed approach to this important area of responsibility that the Cabinet Secretary has always taken? The Historic Environment (Wales) Act 2016 is an important piece of legislation, and I note in the...
Rhianon Passmore: As a former councillor, I know that the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government will intimately empathise with the plethora of demands that low-level environmental crime places on the caseload of local councillors. And outside of the portfolio of local authority responses that the Cabinet Secretary has already mentioned, including court action, the use of fixed-penalty notices can...
Rhianon Passmore: Would you take an intervention?
Rhianon Passmore: Thank you. Would you countenance the fact that, without a whole plethora of anti-poverty strategies across Wales, including this one, poverty would remain at a far worse level, due to austerity, due to Welsh block grant cuts, and due to the cruel disinvestment in the welfare system?
Rhianon Passmore: Will you take an intervention?
Rhianon Passmore: Would you countenance the fact that the very light regulatory approach of the UK Government in terms of employment has driven up a vast wedge in terms of zero-hours contracts, those working two or three jobs, and the inability of the welfare net to protect those has inadvertently and inappropriately affected the people of Wales due to their propensity for welfare claiming?
Rhianon Passmore: I very much welcome the Welsh Government’s amendment to this debate that welcomes the ministerial taskforce for the south Wales Valleys that includes my constituency of Islwyn. Just last week, I stood in Newbridge train station with the Member for Newport West and representatives from Network Rail and Arriva Trains to discuss the progress of the £38 million investment in the Ebbw...
Rhianon Passmore: [Continues.]—£503 million, and I will say it again, as I’ve been allowed to say it again, £503 million to the £1.2 billion Cardiff capital city deal. This transformational deal will improve Valleys public transport and create 25,000 new jobs, leaving an extra £4 billion in private sector investment. And I would like to place on record my appreciation to the Caerphilly council new...
Rhianon Passmore: The Welsh Government programme for government, ‘Taking Wales Forward’, includes a commitment to reshape employability support for job-ready individuals and for those furthest away from the labour market. It is important to recognise that employability is not just about jobs and skills, it is about getting every aspect of Government policy—education, health, housing,...
Rhianon Passmore: Will you take an intervention?
Rhianon Passmore: 4. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on measures the Welsh Government is taking to ensure music education is accessible to all? OAQ(5)0152(EDU)
Rhianon Passmore: Thank you. Wales has world-class and globally esteemed institutions such as the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Welsh National Opera and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama conservatoire. This is supported ably by National Youth Arts Wales and Tŷ Cerdd, who also administer the elite National Youth Orchestra of Wales, national youth dance, theatre, choir, wind and brass bands. These...
Rhianon Passmore: I will. Would the Cabinet Secretary agree that the time is right to futureproof and safeguard our structures in Wales? Would she agree with me that Wales would greatly benefit from a national overarching music performance strategy, a delivery model incorporating instrumental tuition across Wales regardless of income, wealth or privilege?
