Leanne Wood: Will you take an intervention?
Leanne Wood: Do you have anything to say about numbers? I know that there—of course there was homelessness 40 years ago, and it would have been more prevalent in London—of course. But the actual numbers of people that you can see sleeping on the streets now is much greater than anything I've ever experienced before, and I think it's down to the reasons that you've described there. Do you have any...
Leanne Wood: Will you take an intervention?
Leanne Wood: I really laud you for trying to come up with good policy ideas on this, but do you accept that we have to tackle the causes of homelessness? And one of the key causes of homelessness is the benefits system. What are you doing to have conversations with your counterparts in Government in Westminster to change some of those punitive, really cruel policies that are resulting in people living on...
Leanne Wood: Diolch, Llywydd. I'm pleased to be taking part in this debate, which, I have to say, is an unusual one for the party that's tabled it, and I'm left wondering if they'll be publishing a policy pamphlet setting out how to fix the problems of universal credit next month. We've tabled a number of amendments to this motion, some of which seek to place the crisis of homelessness in the proper...
Leanne Wood: Whilst social attitudes and the law has progressed a lot over recent decades, many young people still do not feel accepted for who they are in their own communities. Many people still face daily prejudice, abuse, harassment and hostility. How can we assure young people that they will be accepted when they come out when we cannot protect them from hate crimes? In the last year alone, there...
Leanne Wood: Like austerity, homelessness is a political choice; it's a political choice made by politicians and by Government, and some people are of the view that homeless people themselves choose to be in that predicament, which is obviously complete rubbish. But that view is reinforced by authorities who clear homeless people out of the way, remove their belongings when they want to, and treat people...
Leanne Wood: As you may be aware, I've been looking recently at the issue of neurodevelopmental conditions, and I'm discovering that many children with neurodevelopmental conditions who are on the autism spectrum as well get referred to mental health services—to child and adolescent mental health services. Sometimes there is a co-occurring mental health problem, but often other specialist services are...
Leanne Wood: Will you take an intervention?
Leanne Wood: Where were you when we've discussed these things? You weren't here.
Leanne Wood: You were out of the Chamber when we've discussed these things. Turn up.
Leanne Wood: I thank the Minister for the update provided in the statement. If the Grenfell fire has revealed anything the most, it's been just how neglected the housing conditions of many people have been for far, far too long. It also should highlight the dangers of lax regulation and planning, of which we're seeing the aftermath of here. I've got a few questions to focus on this particular aspect of...
Leanne Wood: Earlier this month, a statement was issued by the transport Minister, and in that statement we were told that the dreaded Pacer trains will be with us for much longer than was originally promised. Built from the body of a bus mounted on train wheels to create a uniquely bumpy and rattling travelling experience, the Pacers were only meant to be a temporary stopgap when they were first...
Leanne Wood: This inquiry followed the work that my colleague Siân Gwenllian undertook when she was previously a member of this committee in highlighting some of the difficulties that were created by the poor drafting of the original regulations. Problems had arisen when it transpired that the Welsh Government was unable to clarify details when local authorities faced difficulties in implementing the...
Leanne Wood: If we are to lead the way in tackling the climate emergency, we must set an example for other public bodies and businesses to follow. Now, while this Senedd building has been named the greenest Government in the UK, the Tŷ Hywel building doesn't fare so well. It has an energy rating of E. While improvements to energy efficiency have been made on the estate in recent years, what more can be...
Leanne Wood: It's about the Kurds.
Leanne Wood: This Government has a duty to represent everyone living in this country, no matter what their background. We have a significant and influential Kurdish community living in Wales, who are, naturally, worried about the Turkish forces in northern Syria following the withdrawal of US troops. Turkey's actions risk throwing a lifeline to the far-right ISIS. ISIS prisoners have already escaped as a...
Leanne Wood: 9. How will the views of the Kurdish community living in Wales inform the development of the Welsh Government's international relations strategy? OAQ54528
Leanne Wood: 4. What is the Commission doing to fulfil its obligations to tackling the climate emergency? OAQ54523
Leanne Wood: The first matter I want to raise today concerns Barclays Bank's decision to take away the ability of its customers to use the Post Office to access their accounts. For people in some of the communities that I represent, this has caused great concern after the recent closure of Barclays Bank branches in the Rhondda. Indeed, the ability of customers to use the Post Office following the closure...
