Julie James: Thank you very much for those very important remarks. I do think that fly-tipping is a very important matter. It’s something that local government associations and, indeed, environment Ministers have discussed over some time. There is very good practice across Wales, and I think the way forward is to encourage local government colleagues to share that good practice and spread out that good...
Julie James: Thank you for that very important question, Jane Hutt. You always take concerns in your constituency of the Vale of Glamorgan very seriously, and I see that you haven't changed in any regard with regard to this very important decision. We’re not, obviously, going to comment on the application in detail, as it could be something that the Welsh Ministers end up having to make some appeal...
Julie James: We all are aware of the really sad circumstances, which are still affecting Government business, and I know the Member has, as have all Members, been very understanding as we've tried to cope with those. Obviously, there are opportunities to question the new Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Public Services, who remains in charge of the Valleys brief. I understand the Member's...
Julie James: Thank you for that question. I actually saw the programme, which was very interesting indeed, and I've had the chance to speak to a number of groups myself about it. The Cabinet Secretary for Education is in the Chamber, listening to your remarks as well. I will take the opportunity, of course, to say that our very ambitious additional learning needs Bill will, if passed this afternoon,...
Julie James: Diolch, Llywydd. There's one change to this week's business. The Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport will make an oral statement on the future of Cadw immediately after this business statement. Business for the next three weeks is shown in the business statement and announcement found amongst the meeting papers, which are available to Members electronically.
Julie James: I won't go into that debate, but we need to have that discussion elsewhere. Of course, immigrants will be involved in this vicious trade, but there are very large numbers of other people involved in it. We absolutely do not need to stigmatise any immigrant community as seeing as synonymous the word 'immigrant' with the word 'gangmaster', for example. It's an extremely racist narrative and,...
Julie James: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. The criminal exploitation of people, whether they come from outside of the UK or were brought up here, is slavery. The Welsh Government has a long-standing and consistent commitment to combating slavery and addressing the suffering it causes for victims. I was extremely distressed at the tenor of the tone, and at some of the—I'm sorry to say—made-up...
Julie James: Right; okay.
Julie James: Go on.
Julie James: Despite significant work in Wales with the Welsh Government and its partners over the last few years, we know that many people are still at risk of or experiencing violence and abuse. As part of our long-term approach to raising awareness and changing attitudes, we are developing our national communications framework. This aims to ensure clear, joined-up and consistent messaging across Wales....
Julie James: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'd like to start my contribution to today's debate with a very brief tribute to my colleague and friend the late Carl Sargeant. We all know that Carl was as committed to tackling female genital mutilation as he was to the issue of violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence as a whole. As Julie Morgan has already said, he saw FGM as a very...
Julie James: Thank you. In terms of Tawel Fan, the Health and Social Care Advisory Service and Donna Ockenden are now at the report-writing stage and they've confirmed the work can't be completed before early next year. The timetable published reflects that, so I'm sure the Cabinet Secretary will come back to us once that work is complete. I think that work should be allowed to be completed before that...
Julie James: Thank you for that, and thank you for your kind remarks as well. The section between Gilwern and Brynmawr currently under construction represents a major investment in Welsh infrastructure. Draft Orders and an environmental statement for the section between Dowlais Top and Hirwaun have recently been published, and these could result in a public inquiry next spring and the start of works at...
Julie James: Thank you for those kind remarks, and I would just like to reiterate the remarks about my predecessor, Jane Hutt, who I’m extremely grateful to, myself, for her advice over the years. I know the Member has worked tirelessly in this campaign to get this inquiry under way, and I pay tribute to her efforts in that regard. We of course also welcome the inquiry being placed on a statutory...
Julie James: The First Minister has an absolute right to organise this Government as he sees fit and he has done so.
Julie James: Well, thank you very much for your kind remarks at the beginning and for that series of questions. The first one, which is very much the easiest of them to answer on your first day in a job, is that we will be making a question time available in the normal way for me to be questioned on portfolio responsibilities, and Assembly Members will have the opportunity to table questions in the...
Julie James: Well, thank you for that very important question and your kind remarks at the beginning. The Cabinet Secretary has released a written statement on progress quite recently, but I will ask him to look again at the issue in the light of your remarks.
Julie James: Well, can I say how delighted I am to have received my first question from my predecessor in post, who has an enormous set of shoes for me to step into? And can I also say how incredibly grateful I am for all of the advice and support she's given me over the years, and, indeed, over the last two weeks, which has been a real help, in what's been a very difficult time for absolutely everybody,...
Julie James: Diolch, Llywydd. Not surprisingly, multiple changes have been made to this week's business. The debates on the regulated services regulations and the Children's Commissioner for Wales 2016-17 annual report, which were due to have been held last Tuesday, will take place this afternoon. The debates on the Official Statistics (Wales) Order 2017 and tackling substance misuse have been postponed...
Julie James: [Continues.]—that I won’t indulge myself in reading through. But I do think it’s worth—and you’ll forgive me for doing so—mentioning the need for advancing policy thinking at all levels of government in the UK. The issue about the generation of electricity in order to support these new technologies is a big one. So, I’m going to take this opportunity, unashamedly, to ask the UK...
