John Griffiths: What further steps will the Welsh Government take to improve road safety in Newport East?
John Griffiths: Diolch, Llywydd. So, no shortage of ideas, First Minister, but, really, I just think we need a sense of urgency as to how we make this change.
John Griffiths: I thank you for that answer, First Minister, and particularly highlighting the very good work taking place in Newport schools, which obviously I'm very familiar with. I recently met with the British Lung Foundation, and the extent of breathing problems I think is now something like one in five people in the UK having breathing difficulties. Obviously, clean air is a key way of ameliorating...
John Griffiths: 5. What further steps will the Welsh Government take to improve public health in Newport East? OAQ54793
John Griffiths: Thank you for that support, David, on what is an issue that certainly unites the local community, and I know many Assembly Members have been involved with it. I'd also like to echo what Delyth said about the Ebbw Vale to Newport passenger rail link, because this is a matter that is so long-standing, and there's such an obvious gap in local services that, again, communities feel very...
John Griffiths: Minister, I'm very pleased that we have this opportunity today, because it enables me to highlight again the case for a new walkway station at Magor, which I know you're very familiar with, and, indeed, was mentioned by Delyth earlier. There is great community support for a new station there as part of the UK new stations fund. Work has been done, stages have been gone through and further...
John Griffiths: I'm very pleased to take part in this important debate today, recognising how important end-of-life and palliative care is to so many of our population and their families. It has been for quite some time and it will be, obviously, into the future. As with other Members, I'm very familiar with the work of local hospices and the quality and importance of that work, in my case, largely St...
John Griffiths: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. ColegauCymru recently celebrated 10 years in their current building, and, to mark the occasion, a seminar event was held, and discussions were had on the past, present and future of skills in Wales. The value of education and training must not be underestimated. In 2017, there were just over 350,000 16 to 25-year-olds in Wales, and 50 per cent of these were in...
John Griffiths: Thank you for that response, Minister. In Newport East, we're very fortunate in having diverse communities, including strong Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities, and, of course, they have many links with Pakistan and Bangladesh. I just wonder to what extent Welsh Government is drawing on that heritage and those links in fostering its relationships and the trade and the general activity that...
John Griffiths: 2. What steps is the Welsh Government taking to strengthen the relationship between Wales and countries that have strong links to our most diverse communities? OAQ54724
John Griffiths: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Minister, in Newport, we're in a particular position, of course, where we had the announcement in terms of Orb and the almost 400 jobs that are there and now this general Tata announcement across its European operations. So, we have Llanwern potentially affected, of course, as well as Orb. I very much welcome what you said about the Orb jobs and the assurances that...
John Griffiths: Thank you for the opportunity to speak as Chair of the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee, as we will of course be scrutinising this Bill during its passage through the Assembly. This is a very important and indeed substantial Bill and we will be undertaking thorough scrutiny of the various provisions in due course. But at this stage I would like to ask the Minister about...
John Griffiths: Counsel General, a lot of the economic activity in Wales consists of the work of small and medium-sized enterprises, and I believe they're crucial to our economy. They face a lot of cash-flow and confidence pressures in the light of Brexit and what Brexit may bring. I believe a crucial support for them is the Development Bank of Wales, so, could you offer some reassurance today that that...
John Griffiths: Minister, the Orb steelworks in Newport should continue in operation, and, with the right level of support from Tata Steel, UK Government and Welsh Government, it would be enabled to produce electrical steels for electric car production in the future. There's a very strong local campaign to keep the Orb works in production, and, indeed, it's been a feature of economic life in Newport since...
John Griffiths: 7. What measures is the Counsel General taking ahead of Brexit to safeguard the Welsh economy? OAQ54635
John Griffiths: First Minister, as we've heard, the criminal justice system in England and Wales is in need of much improvement. There's a body of evidence that establishes that, and I think this authoritative report significantly adds to it. We know that far too many people are sent to prison, as you mentioned in your opening statement, compared to our our western European neighbours, for example, and that...
John Griffiths: First Minister, Newport is very well placed to help Welsh Government realise its ambitions in terms of sustainable development. It could play a much bigger part, I believe, in economic growth, job creation, together with the sort of environmental protections that we want to see in our country—sustainable development in the round. It's geographic location between our capital city and Bristol...
John Griffiths: 3. What strategy will the Welsh Government follow to support the economy in Wales? OAQ54634
John Griffiths: Okay. I don't think any of us would deny that there are long-standing problems. Many of us would look to the experience of the Thatcher Governments over a period of time—you know, the sale of council houses without the ability to use the proceeds to build new council housing, the concentration on private purchase. We know now, for example, that the constant pressure of low wages and high...
John Griffiths: None of us would say that the problems haven't existed over—[Interruption.]
