Jane Dodds: Thank you very much, Queen Elizabeth.
Jane Dodds: Diolch, Llywydd. Firstly, I'd like to thank Darren Millar for tabling this motion, and I make a very brief contribution because, with others, I, too, would like to extend my congratulations to Her Majesty the Queen on the seventieth anniversary of her accession to the throne. Her Majesty has remained a constant reminder of public service throughout my life and has served with dedication,...
Jane Dodds: As Members of the Senedd, it may be that some of us are living with one or more of the seven ACEs. Sometimes we can cope with them, and sometimes we can't. Having had over 25 years of working in child protection, with many of those years at the front line, I could recount many, many children and young people that I've met where the cycle of abuse and poverty, as Jack has told us about,...
Jane Dodds: Diolch yn fawr iawn, Llywydd. Thank you to Peredur Owen Griffiths for raising this issue, which is important to many of us in the Senedd. As you've heard, the track in Caerphilly boasts as having one of the sharpest bends of any racetrack, and I want to read to you something from their literature. They say about this bend in their racetrack: 'greyhounds frequently find themselves flying...
Jane Dodds: Diolch, Gweinidog, and I hope that you do recover soon. On 29 January, Minette Batters, the National Farmers Union president said, and I quote: 'I feared farmers would be used as a pawn in trade deals—and that's what happened.' My clear question to those Conservatives who've spoken is this: do they think she is not representing farmers' views if they continue to say that these trade deals...
Jane Dodds: Good afternoon, Trefnydd. I wonder if I could ask for two statements, please, the first from the Minister for education on the decision of the UK Government to bring forward regulations to freeze the student loan repayment threshold. This will result in a real-terms increase in repayments for graduates on plan 2 student loans. I think it's important that we have clarity about the impact of...
Jane Dodds: Diolch, Prif Weinidog. On Valentine's Day this month, we are being asked to have a heart for refugees in a show of love, friendship and solidarity with people who have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety. It stands in stark contrast to the UK Government's approach in the Nationality and Borders Bill, and I know that our approach here in Wales stands again in stark contrast to...
Jane Dodds: 8. What support is available for refugees arriving in Wales? OQ57563
Jane Dodds: Thank you to Russell, once again, for tabling this debate and for allowing me to say a very few words. Thank you, also, for his work in supporting the Montgomery canal—a beautiful waterway that runs through Montgomeryshire and instils that mwynder Maldwyn, the spirit of Montgomeryshire. I just want to say a few words about the Heulwen Trust, which I also have encountered, like Russell. It...
Jane Dodds: Thank you, Rhys, for bringing this important debate forward.
Jane Dodds: Let's take a step back and think about what this Bill could have been about. It could have been about strengthening our democracy by getting behind efforts to build a better politics with a fairer electoral system. It could have sought to expand the franchise, empower voters and communities, increase voter turnout, and rebuild trust in our electoral system. Instead, Conservative Ministers...
Jane Dodds: I agree with James that public transport continues to come under pressure. Unless there is properly funded and co-ordinated investment in public transport, communities, particularly rural communities, will be left behind. Since 2009, around a third of subsidised services in Wales have been lost, and we've seen a 22 per cent decline in the number of journeys by bus between 2008 and 2019....
Jane Dodds: Thank you to James Evans for putting forward this debate. I'm pleased to see this discussion about public transport continuing, after my debate last week. It's a vitally important issue, for a number of reasons, and it's important to those communities that I represent here in the Senedd. I'd also like to thank the Deputy Minister for his response to my debate last week, and for confirming...
Jane Dodds: Good afternoon, Minister. I just wanted to talk about heating in domestic homes. We know that homes are responsible for 27 per cent of all energy consumed and 9 per cent of all emissions in Wales. And with just 10 per cent of homes being built in the last 20 years, our housing stock is amongst the oldest and least efficient in Europe. Just focusing on homes in rural areas, and in mid and west...
Jane Dodds: That's why the Welsh Liberal Democrats are proposing that we make public transport—bus and rail travel—free to all under 25-year-olds in Wales, as a key element of that recovery programme for young people. There are three areas that I want to briefly highlight. First, in bringing forward this debate, I want to reflect on my party’s record in this area. In the fourth Senedd, Welsh...
Jane Dodds: Thank you very much, Llywydd, and I'm delighted to hold this debate this afternoon and to draw attention to public transport in Wales. I'm pleased that Carolyn Thomas, Mabon ap Gwynfor and Jayne Bryant have expressed an interest in this debate, and I've agreed to give them some time so that Carolyn, Mabon and Jayne can contribute to the debate. It's a lonely place to be a Liberal Democrat in...
Jane Dodds: Thank you to the Minister, and to Jayne Bryant for posing this important question.
Jane Dodds: I'm sure we're all increasingly concerned about the situation in Wales, and particularly about the pressures faced by small businesses. The pile-up of the effects of COVID, Brexit and now of rising energy costs, national insurance increases and inflation is putting huge pressures on small businesses. Labour market statistics out today show that wage increases have been far outstripped by...
Jane Dodds: Thank you, Minister, and thank you too to Huw Irranca-Davies for his work and for his committee's work too.
Jane Dodds: This is a very short contribution, because I agree totally with the last two contributions. I particularly want to agree with the contribution from Alun Davies. This Bill is pernicious and undermines our right to protest. Vast swathes of the 300-page Bill are destructive and draconian and undermine laws designed to protect people who need safeguards, for example under the Mental Capacity Act...
