Peter Fox: I do recognise that there are a number of things as a result of the pandemic that are putting pressure on people's incomes, and that is something that all Governments need to work together to tackle. First Minister, I do want to ask about what more the Welsh Government can do to help people in financial hardship. The Welsh Government, in fairness, does provide a number of support schemes to...
Peter Fox: Thank you for taking questions, First Minister. As we know, the UK Government has made available nearly £9 billion to tackle COVID-19 in Wales to date, and we know that there's an additional £270 million coming to Wales to spend on the booster campaign and financial support for business. I also note the Wales Governance Centre reported that the Government still has about £500 million of...
Peter Fox: To confirm, the Welsh Conservative group will be supporting the motion before us today, and I speak in this debate today as someone who sits on the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee. In that regard, can I thank the Chair for his opening statement, but also for his leadership of the committee? It's great working with you, Huw. Inter-governmental and inter-institutional relations...
Peter Fox: On behalf of the communities of Portskewett and Sudbrook in southern Monmouthshire, I want to pay tribute to an outstanding public servant. Anthony Griffiths has dedicated a huge part of his life to his communities. He has served as a community councillor for over 51 years prior to retiring from community work last month. Tony has been so much more than just a community councillor—he is a...
Peter Fox: Thanks for that, again, Minister. I think the overspend that local authorities are facing with children and adult care is around £50 million at the moment. Moving on to my last point, Minister, the uncertain times that we again face will only exacerbate the issues that families across Wales are already facing. Now, I know this is an issue that spans across Government, but I would like to...
Peter Fox: I thank you for those responses, and it sounds like there might be some positive news. I'm sure I'm not going to get too much out of you in regard to the budget, but I will try. So, thank you for that response. Of course, it's not just the economy that is facing an uncertain time, but our health and social care sectors too. There are already huge amounts of pressure as we all know. We only...
Peter Fox: Diolch, Llywydd, and good afternoon, Minister. Minister, the recent emergence of the omicron variant has unfortunately created more uncertainty for all of us. And whilst I sincerely hope that this isn't the case, potentially there are a difficult few months ahead. Understandably, governments and scientists are trying to understand the implications of the variant on public health, but talk of...
Peter Fox: What consideration does the Minister give to supporting local authorities to increase biodiversity when allocating funding to the climate change portfolio?
Peter Fox: Thank you, Minister. That's a really positive statement, and I thank you for your commitment to getting this right. This isn't a political matter; this is something we just all want to address and make better for the residents who've been suffering so much. I recognise the good work that the Welsh Government and the UK Government have been doing to address this. It is, as you said, an...
Peter Fox: Diolch, Deputy Llywydd, and thank you, Minister. Thank you for the statement and thank you to your officials for their technical briefing yesterday at our joint committee. It was really helpful and really interesting. I do have some sympathy with you; budgetary processes and taxation are very complex things, and this complexity has only increased during recent years. It's right, then, to...
Peter Fox: Thank you, First Minister. Members of the Senedd sent a very clear message last month during my debate, where they overwhelmingly voted to end the current unfair adaptation process where MND sufferers have become entrapped in inescapable homes because they're unable to access the necessary support in time. MND sufferers are clear that the current system needs replacing with a...
Peter Fox: 6. What action is the Welsh Government taking to improve the lives of those living with motor neurone disease? OQ57374
Peter Fox: Thank you to Plaid Cymru and Luke Fletcher for introducing the debate today. If I may, I'd like to use my contribution to expand the scope of the original motion away from just the impact of the cost of living on food poverty. It's important that we consider the wide range of socioeconomic factors that can influence whether a person can access food and what food they can access, and it's the...
Peter Fox: Thank you, Minister, for that response. Minister, as I'm sure you are aware, I am very passionate about the need to strengthen the food system in Wales and to unlock socioeconomic benefits that being able to access good diet can bring. An important part of this campaign is to ensure that people are equipped with the skills and knowledge that they need to reduce the reliance on things like...
Peter Fox: 9. Will the Minister make a statement on the development of the new curriculum in Wales? OQ57316
Peter Fox: Diolch, Deputy Llywydd. It was remiss of me in the last session not to declare an interest as a county councillor for Monmouthshire County Council, so I'd like to do that at this point. Thank you.
Peter Fox: —in a thought-out way. Sorry, Deputy Llywydd. So, Minister, I look forward to the statement in February, and just look forward to understanding how better you will work with councils to change that council tax system. Thank you.
Peter Fox: Thank you, Minister, for the statement. I think, as we've all heard today, everybody welcomed the opportunity to revisit council tax. I think we're all agreed that it's not a particularly good tax, and we've seen that from the huge amount of arrears we've seen over the years, which have increased by 42 per cent to over £156 million-worth of arrears. So, I think there is scope for a fairer...
Peter Fox: Thank you, First Minister, for that response. Recently, I had the pleasure of discussing my proposed food Bill with members of Câr-y-Môr, a community benefit society, which my colleagues in west Wales will be very well aware of. They are owned by over 100 local members, but focused on serving the broader interests of their local community. It was great to hear about their plans and how...
Peter Fox: 2. How does the Welsh Government support the development of community benefit societies? OQ57315
