Carl Sargeant: Carwyn Jones.
Carl Sargeant: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I thought it important to take a moment at the beginning of this fifth term to say ‘thank you’ to all the people who volunteer here in Wales. There certainly are a lot of them. Almost one in three Welsh people volunteer in Wales in some way. Volunteers’ Week provides a chance to think about the difference volunteers have made to our lives and our...
Carl Sargeant: I’m keen to renew our bond with the third sector and maximise the potential for volunteering. I’d like to see an even bigger number of volunteers. People giving of their own time for the benefit of others, making a big difference to communities and the people who live in them. Presiding Officer, it’s a day for celebration and recognising the great work that volunteers do throughout the...
Carl Sargeant: First of all, I thank the Member for her questions and her contribution today. I absolutely agree with the Member in terms of supporting volunteers across the length and breadth of the UK and Wales. In particular, I pay tribute to two of my good friends, Leanne and Bernie Attridge, who put the nets up at the local football club in rain or shine, and without them the game wouldn’t go on. So,...
Carl Sargeant: I thank the Member for his contribution. I think the First Minister was very clear, when he became the First Minister in the fifth term, about having a very different conversation with both political parties and members of the public. I think the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 actually puts into legislation what terms and conditions we have to comply with as a Government,...
Carl Sargeant: I thank the Member for her contribution. I know that she represents Cynon Valley really well, and representing the many people who volunteer in her community; I also say ‘thank you’ to those. It was a rather sad indictment, really, that one of the fastest-growing businesses last year was food banks, and the fact of the matter is that I believe it is caused by austerity that we have to do...
Carl Sargeant: Diolch yn fawr i chi. Thank you very much for your contribution, Huw. Your Welsh is outstanding compared to mine, may I say? First of all, there’s nothing you’ve said I can disagree with. I think you related to many of the community activities in the area you represent. I am familiar with some of those organisations and it’s right to say also that there are some companies that actively...
Carl Sargeant: May I thank the Member for his question? To take one issue, I was non-specific about volunteers—it was a general position of volunteering and, of course, I recognise the many, many hours, the uncounted hours, actually, that faith groups and other organisations take part in. Indeed, I was a member many years ago of the Salvation Army Boys Adventure Corps—many, many years ago—but that...
Carl Sargeant: Thank you, Presiding Officer. I feel privileged to again take on this important agenda to end violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence. I am proud to have been the Minister responsible for the early development of the Bill, which was successfully taken forward by my colleagues Lesley Griffiths and Leighton Andrews. In June of 2014, Welsh Government was awarded White Ribbon...
Carl Sargeant: I thank the Member for her contribution. She should be aware that this is the second time that I’ve been in this portfolio and I have worked with many groups to increase the opportunities we have, working with Government to make sure we tackle these issues. I welcome the opportunity to work with the Member in a more constructive way in the future too. I think it would help though if the...
Carl Sargeant: I thank the Member for her contribution. Again, Joyce Watson, thank you for your contribution to this programme as well—internationally recognised in terms of the work that you’ve done. So, working together we can make a big difference in this, as many other people in the field do too. The Member raises some really interesting points. I am aware of the school in Llanelli and the play that...
Carl Sargeant: I thank Mark Isherwood for his question. I can’t comment on the former Minister’s decisions and his evidence in committee stage. What I can do is certainly update Members, which I’m hoping to do today, in terms of where we’re taking forward the Bill and the concepts behind that and the implementation, which I think is a very important part of that. The Member is right to raise the...
Carl Sargeant: I thank the Member for his comments. People who know me will really understand that there are certain things that excite me about the opportunity to make a difference; this is the field where I’m really passionate about making a difference, because this is the difference between life and death. For many people who have tragically found the latter, it sort of escapes them from domestic...
Carl Sargeant: I thank the Member for his question. People and communities across Wales are clearly benefiting from UK membership of the European Union, through jobs that rely on free access to the single market and through guaranteed EU funding. Those jobs and the £500 million communities in Wales receive every year from the EU will be at risk if the UK were to leave the European Union.
Carl Sargeant: I think the people of the UK and the people of Wales should be very clear tomorrow—the Welsh Government has been very clear in our view in terms of that being part of the EU is vital for Wales’s prosperity. Our assessment is that, if the UK votes to leave, Welsh communities will be worse off. Communities need business investment and a skilled workforce to thrive. So, let us not...
Carl Sargeant: Indeed. Communities across Wales are benefiting from millions of EU funds—over £500 million annually. The regeneration of many towns and communities across Wales is being supported—Pontypridd, Llanelli, Rhyl, just to name a few. The EU-backed Swansea innovation campus is expected to create £10 billion of economic impact in the south-west region in the next 10 years. All will have been...
Carl Sargeant: I can see clearly why you’re sitting so close to your colleagues in UKIP. Let me tell the Member—let me remind the Member of the constituency he represents in Ynys Môn. Let me just remind him that £10 million of EU funding for the skills and employment and employees project will help 500 businesses and 7,000 people across north Wales. Did he know that EU funds helped employees from...
Carl Sargeant: I thank the Member for his question. The First Minister has announced our intention to bring forward legislation to remove the defence of ‘reasonable punishment’, which will confirm our long-standing commitment to children’s rights. Discussions will take place with the opposition and the proposed legislation will be subject to the legislative process, including consultation with parents...
Carl Sargeant: Of course, I think it’s really important that the Member raises the issue of engaging with stakeholders. I will be starting discussions with opposition parties in order for a pathway to be created in order for a successful Bill to be taken forward. It’s equally as important for the political groups to come together on this as best they can, but also parenting, and stakeholders using their...
Carl Sargeant: I thank Julie Morgan, a long-standing campaigner on this very issue, and I’m looking forward to working with her too. If competence is assessed on the basis of the amendments that will be made to the Government of Wales Act 2006 by the Wales Bill as currently drafted, the argument that provision about smacking children is outside competence because it amends the criminal law is likely to no...
