Dawn Bowden: 5. Will the First Minister provide an update on the Welsh Government's actions to tackle modern day slavery? OAQ54686
Dawn Bowden: Thank you for that answer, Deputy Minister. I know, of course, this is a largely non-devolved area of work, but I do recognise that, over the last few years, because of the failure of the UK Government to provide sufficient investment where the commercial market won't provide this vital service for our communities and business, the Welsh Government has stepped into this space and invested in...
Dawn Bowden: 3. Will the Minister make a statement on digital connectivity infrastructure for the south Wales valleys? OAQ54618
Dawn Bowden: Trefnydd, I know many Members in the Chamber are supporting the valuable work of Tŷ Hafan and the hospice movement in general across Wales, and I think we all recognise on a cross-party basis the value of the support they provide to individuals and families, both in the hospice premises themselves but also out in the community. I'm also sure that many Members will have seen the publicity...
Dawn Bowden: But, in this debate, and sitting amongst the many solutions, I want to highlight the opportunities for co-operative solutions to help meet the housing needs in our communities. And I'll focus on that now in this second section of my debate. Because I'm fortunate to have, in my constituency, an organisation called Merthyr Valleys Homes. And this association emerged from the stock transfer...
Dawn Bowden: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. It seems to be that today is the day for debates on housing. I'm sorry that I wasn't around actually to participate in much of the Conservatives' debate earlier on, because there's much in what was tabled in that debate that I do support, and I think that we are in a process of reaching some kind of consensus around some of the issues that we need to...
Dawn Bowden: Well, I assume Llywydd will give me some extra time now in my contribution because I'm sick to death of standing in this Chamber week after week hearing the Tories call for more spending on all our public services when you have presided over 10 years of austerity. We will take no lessons from the Conservatives on spending. Secondly, Welsh Government budget decisions, which I'm now going to...
Dawn Bowden: —and the spending cuts that you have imposed on Wales. I'll take your intervention.
Dawn Bowden: Can I start by thanking those who participated in the inquiry, and thank the Welsh Government for its very positive response to the committee's recommendations? Inevitably, I think we will probably all be covering a number of the same areas, so please bear with me. But, for me, this inquiry clearly showed that the issue of school funding is not as straightforward as some would like to...
Dawn Bowden: Although I'm now a member of the committee, I wasn't at the time the inquiry was taking place, but I'd like to thank everyone involved with gathering the evidence and delivering the report on an issue that is important to so many people who use the blue badge scheme. Like other Members, I see lots of these coming through my office on a regular basis, and, actually, the staff in my office have...
Dawn Bowden: Thank you for that reply, Deputy Minister. Of course, you've been no stranger to my constituency. You've visited many times, and you've already talked about the excellent attractions of BikePark Wales and Rock UK, and of course we've got the Brecon Mountain Railway, Cyfarthfa castle, and I could go on. It doesn't just put Merthyr Tydfil on the tourist map, it puts the Valleys on the tourist...
Dawn Bowden: 7. Will the Minister make a statement on how the Welsh Government promotes tourism in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney? OAQ54540
Dawn Bowden: Thank you for that answer, First Minister. I know that a number of those core priorities are important to the well-being of my constituents, particularly in the areas of health, housing and social care, but can I focus my supplementary question on the needs of the local economy? We know that there has recently been some bad economic news about job losses in the town, but I also know of...
Dawn Bowden: 4. Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's spending priorities for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney? OAQ54537
Dawn Bowden: Thank you for that response, Minister. The closure of this company with the loss of 250 jobs is clearly bad news for my constituency, but it's certainly very bad news for those individuals and their families and the local economy of Merthyr Tydfil. Unfortunately, this comes on the back of other job losses, including those at Hoover, and on the proposed move of 250 Department for Work and...
Dawn Bowden: Thank you for that answer, Minister. I'm clearly not a scientist or a traffic engineer, so I'm guided by experts and their knowledge in this and what they've told us about harmful levels and the effect of pollution in those communities along the A470. But understandably, since the speed cameras have gone live, there has been more general discussion around the issue, particularly from people...
Dawn Bowden: 8. Will the Minister provide an update on the Welsh Government's policy on tackling air pollution along the A470? OAQ54495
Dawn Bowden: 1. Will the Minister make a statement regarding the collapse of Triumph Furniture Ltd in Merthyr Tydfil? 349
Dawn Bowden: Can I thank you, Minister, for your statement? And, at this point, can I once again put on record my condolences and thoughts with the families who were affected by the failings in this health board and have had to live with those tragedies since then? Can I also repeat the thanks to the members of the independent maternity oversight panel for their work, and, in particular, Mick Giannasi,...
Dawn Bowden: I thank the Finance Committee for bringing forward this report. I'm not a member of the committee, but, obviously, I have an interest and remain concerned that there are a number of uncertainties that continue to surround the recent UK spending round—for example, the fact that a long-term solution to the funding of social care was, once again, not addressed by the UK Government. While we...
