Sioned Williams: Thank you, Minister. One in three children in Wales is living in poverty, and almost four in 10 homes do not have enough money to buy anything beyond the essentials. And anti-poverty groups say that these levels of poverty will deteriorate as the cost-of-living crisis worsens. As the budgets of too many families are under pressure, it's more important than ever before that every primary...
Sioned Williams: Thank you for that answer, Minister, and it's good to hear that progress is being made on our response to the UK sponsorship scheme, because that scheme for Ukrainian refugees is wholly inadequate. The system is too slow, it's inconsistent, and has kept Welsh local authorities in the dark. The leader of Gwynedd Council wrote yesterday to the Prime Minister, expressing deep concern as to what...
Sioned Williams: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Minister, 3 million refugees have now left Ukraine. The UK is requiring those refugees to apply for visas, and the UK Government has been resistant to the elimination of visa rules, although this contradicts our international obligations under the 1951 UN refugee convention, which stipulates that no-one fleeing war, no matter where they are from, should have to apply...
Sioned Williams: 3. What assessment has the Minister made of the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on children? OQ57787
Sioned Williams: And, finally, over recent weeks, the Minister will be aware that there have been many policy proposals from Westminster, which included a proposal to limit qualification for student funding in a way that would impact access to opportunities for tertiary education. I'd therefore like to know what's been planned by the Minister to ensure that any changes in England do not have an impact on...
Sioned Williams: Trade unions have made calls for a strategic duty on social partnership and fair work to be added to the Bill, given that it would line up with all the aims of the Bill. They made it clear to us in committee that it was important for specific reference to be made in this Bill, rather than relying solely on the expected social partnership and public procurement (Wales) Bill, as it would...
Sioned Williams: I'm pleased to contribute to the debate on behalf of Plaid Cymru and also as a member of the Children, Young People, and Education Committee, and I'm pleased to note that Plaid Cymru and stakeholders are generally supportive of this Bill, although everyone involved in the scrutiny process had their areas that they wanted to amend. But I'd like to thank the Minister for the open way in which...
Sioned Williams: What is the Government doing to reduce the unpaid care burden that falls mainly on women?
Sioned Williams: Diolch, Weinidog. As we all know, families across the whole of Wales are facing one of the most serious cost-of-living crises in decades. Rising costs, increasing energy prices and stagnating wages are all resulting in thousands of households in my region struggling to pay for everyday items. And come April, of course, energy costs will be rising even further, tax hikes will be hitting...
Sioned Williams: 3. What discussions has the Minister had with local authorities regarding the impact of council tax rates on the cost-of-living crisis? OQ57737
Sioned Williams: I thank the Minister for her statement and would like to associate myself and my party with her tribute to the women of Ukraine. My grandmother had to give up her job when she was married. My mother started out her career as a teacher on less pay than her male counterparts. I worked part-time for over a decade because I couldn't find suitable childcare. According to the World Economic...
Sioned Williams: Diolch. The health board with the highest percentage reduction in NHS dentists was Swansea Bay University Health Board, which serves residents in my region, with 22 per cent fewer dentists in 2021, compared to the previous year. The effect of the pandemic and boundary changes may partly be responsible for this situation, but the fall in NHS dentists is a long-standing trend, and the British...
Sioned Williams: 4. Will the First Minister make a statement on the reduction in the number of practising dentists in the NHS in South Wales West? OQ57739
Sioned Williams: There is a clear link between eating disorders and social media and the wider media. Often, apps that change the appearance of the shape and size of the body can lead to the exacerbation of eating disorders, by encouraging and normalising an unrealistic notion of what is acceptable in terms of physical appearance. There is pressure on social media influencers to edit their posts, and...
Sioned Williams: We do know more about it, but we still have a very long way to go, and there are more and more, as we have heard, nuances and types of eating disorder coming to light every day. We do know, given the stats that we've heard this afternoon, that anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, 60,000 people in Wales have an eating disorder, and we do know shockingly little, still,...
Sioned Williams: Diolch, Weinidog. Qualifications Wales was established in August 2015, and is an independent regulatory body set up to ensure that qualifications are effective for meeting the reasonable needs of learners in Wales and to promote public confidence in qualifications and the Welsh qualifications system. Qualifications Wales must produce an annual report detailing how it has exercised its...
Sioned Williams: Today, students from Wales are taking part in a strike organised by the National Union of Students, and the aim of the strike is to imagine a new vision for education, and is also a show of support for the industrial action taken by members of University and College Union, which has seen staff at Swansea University and the Open University in Wales strike over insecure contracts, unfair...
Sioned Williams: Thank you, Llywydd, and I'd like to declare an interest that my husband works for Swansea University.
Sioned Williams: How will the Welsh Government use the student finance system to support students and graduates during the cost-of-living crisis?
Sioned Williams: How many times have we spoken here also about the need to tackle violence against women and girls, yet the amendment to make misogyny a hate crime, introduced by the Lords, was voted down by the Tory Members of Parliament? This at a time when trust in the police, particularly the trust of women, has been so damaged, and crimes motivated by gender hatred are rising and prosecutions falling....
