Luke Fletcher: Of course. Go for it, Janet.
Luke Fletcher: Well, I'll throw it back to you, Janet—and thanks for the intervention as well—have you ever looked at how many workers have suffered poor working conditions to make those billionaires their billions? That's the reality here. There's a lot of paying back that needs to happen, I think, right. And at what point, when we face a disaster that threatens to wipe out humanity, when we see so...
Luke Fletcher: Thank you, acting Presiding Officer, and thank you to the Conservatives for tabling this motion today.
Luke Fletcher: I suppose I want to start my contribution through airing my own frustrations with how we talk about the climate emergency and the green economy. I have to say, we've had countless debates on the environment and green economy in this Senedd term alone, and I don't even think—God knows how many debates there have been globally on the environment, and I really do hope COP delivers. But I have...
Luke Fletcher: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank you, Minister, for your statement this afternoon. If I may say, as a Pencoed boy, I look forward to seeing what the partnership between Thermify and Swansea University will produce. It crucial that we discuss what the Welsh Government can do, particularly during COP26, and as part of what the Government can do, the economy is central, of course.
Luke Fletcher: There is a huge concern that COP26 will just be another talking shop, and I have to say I am one of those who are concerned, which I'm sure isn't a shock to Members who I've worked with since being elected. My colleague Siân Gwenllian regularly tells me I'm far too cynical for my age, but there appears to be a reluctance to come down hard on multinational companies, for example, that place...
Luke Fletcher: Of course, yes.
Luke Fletcher: Of course; I agree entirely. There's an important point there about the money staying in the local community.
Luke Fletcher: And if I could take a second as well to say that the Italians are ahead of the game here, as Huw has pointed out, with the Marcora law. Evviva Italia. Between 2007 and 2013, the law helped to evolve businesses into worker co-operatives and saved over 13,000 jobs. Imagine how many jobs we could have saved over the years had we had a similar provision available for worker buy-outs here in...
Luke Fletcher: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'd like to thank Huw Irranca-Davies for tabling this motion for debate; it was one that I was more than happy to support. Like Huw and Vikki, who also supported this motion, I'm a proud Member of the cross-party group on co-operatives and mutuals. It's fair to say that co-operatives and social partnerships are widely accepted as the best way of ensuring that workers...
Luke Fletcher: Thank you for that answer. According to the UK Government's recent household support fund announcements, as the Minister alluded to, the Barnett formula will apply in the usual way, meaning that devolved administrations will receive up to £79 million of that £500 million. And, for Wales, that means we will receive just £25 million, as you've said. This, of course, when the Joseph Rowntree...
Luke Fletcher: 7. What discussions has the Welsh Government had with the UK Government regarding the support fund announced for vulnerable households over the winter? OQ57060
Luke Fletcher: I thank the Minister for his statement.
Luke Fletcher: Firstly, I would like to welcome the statement. I've said a number of times in the Chamber that we need to have a long-term vision and strategy for the Welsh economy, and I'm particularly pleased to see that there is a focus on the brain drain. I would say, however, that I don't feel like this is starting the conversation. The conversation on the brain drain has been going on for what feels...
Luke Fletcher: It was back in 2019 that this Senedd became the first Parliament to declare a climate emergency and, a few months ago, the first Parliament to declare a nature emergency. We know that the task ahead is monumental, and that it requires serious thinking and the will to change the system that we live in. I have always been clear: the current economic system that we live under is incompatible...
Luke Fletcher: I'd like to thank Peredur for bringing forward this short debate, and I can confirm that I will be very much looking forward to joining his CPG. Peredur is right; the war on drugs is not working and it has never worked. We've remained at this crossroads for more than four decades. The reality is that our inability to have a grown-up conversation around drugs has led to suffering...
Luke Fletcher: How is the Welsh Government working to eradicate food poverty?
Luke Fletcher: As I've already mentioned, care needs vary significantly from one condition to the next. They can be physical or mental. Therefore, a correct diagnosis means that those living with dementia, their families and their carers can provide the care that they need. An important part of this care relates to language. Those living with dementia can forget their second language, so Welsh speakers for...
Luke Fletcher: As we all get older and live longer, cases of dementia will only increase, so this is an issue that we need to get to grips with sooner rather than later. We have a long way to go before dementia services are where they need to be, but I hope that my motion can go some way in helping the Government get there. I encourage all Members to support this motion.
Luke Fletcher: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'd like to start by thanking the Business Committee, as well as colleagues across the Senedd, for their support in facilitating this debate. Today I look forward to Members' contributions to this debate, which is very clearly a cross-party issue. In tabling this motion in this Senedd, I've done so whilst remembering two women in my family who lived with dementia...
