Rhianon Passmore: 4. What further contingency planning has the Welsh Government undertaken for the people of Islwyn following the publication of the Operation Yellowhammer document? OAQ54347
Rhianon Passmore: Will you take an intervention?
Rhianon Passmore: Thank you. You mentioned at the start of what you've just stated to this place that everybody wants a political party that’s a broad church and you supported that in its essence, so what is your view in regard to Boris Johnson’s suspension of a large wedge of your Conservative peers in Westminster?
Rhianon Passmore: Harold Macmillan was a Conservative Prime Minister who, Neil Kinnock once said, represented a generation of Tories who recognised duty and pursued the objective of one nation. The current Tory Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, is on course to have the shortest stay in 10 Downing Street of any of its incumbents, and he has no intention of governing in the interests of one nation. So, I welcome...
Rhianon Passmore: What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the benefits of Clean Air Day to younger generations in Islwyn?
Rhianon Passmore: Thank you, Minister, for your statement, and I remain in no doubt that austerity is a politically motivated camouflage for an ideological attack on the state and public sector by the UK Conservative Government, and I make no apologies for saying that. It is critical to the context and outlook for Wales and the people of Wales, which is the statement that we have just heard. And I'm afraid the...
Rhianon Passmore: What action is the Welsh Government taking to aid the teaching profession in the delivery of the new curriculum?
Rhianon Passmore: Minister, the Welsh Government released in December last year a statistical bulletin on active travel, 'Walking and cycling in Wales', compiled by the Office for National Statistics. And the figures show that 44 per cent of children actively travel to primary school; 34 per cent of children actively travel to secondary school. So, with new state-of-the-art education facilities being built and...
Rhianon Passmore: Thank you. As the Assembly Member for Islwyn, can I welcome the determined, hard work of both the Welsh Labour Government and the Welsh Labour-run county borough in working together to combat the negative effects of nitrogen dioxide pollution on the A472 at Hafodyrynys? Only recently, a resident of the affected street, Mr Martin Brown, visited one of my advice surgeries with the local Labour...
Rhianon Passmore: 4. What action is the Welsh Government taking to ensure that air quality in Islwyn continues to improve? OAQ54191
Rhianon Passmore: I will, briefly.
Rhianon Passmore: I absolutely concur that there are real pressures and real challenges, but not just for the higher education sector, bearing in mind the topic of this debate. The radical reforms this Welsh Labour-led Government has implemented in response to the Diamond review are radical and they will create a strong and sustainable funding settlement. This radical and progressive approach will also mean...
Rhianon Passmore: The higher education sector, as we know, plays a critical and vital role in the social, cultural and economic life of Wales, and maintaining and developing a vibrant and successful higher education sector is therefore at the very heart of the Welsh Government's vision in developing a world-class education system. It is unfortunately the case that higher education in Wales, much like the rest...
Rhianon Passmore: Will you take an intervention?
Rhianon Passmore: In that regard, do you believe that the media also has a very important elemental and pivotal role in this in terms of how politics, politicians and civil society are portrayed?
Rhianon Passmore: Counsel General, yesterday I met with representatives of Women Against State Pension Inequality, who stoically and resiliently continue to campaign on this critical issue. What assurances further to what you've already given us can you give that the Welsh Labour Government, in its capacity, will continue to make every legal representation possible and continue to press the case to the UK Tory...
Rhianon Passmore: I'd like also to thank my fellow Gwent Welsh Labour colleague John Griffiths AM for bringing this very important debate to this Chamber. I agree with much of what has been said by most Members. So, let us be frank: we live in a capitalist economy in a world dominated by capitalism and the divergent economic pyramid it produces. Whilst this indeed offers many opportunities for some—and the...
Rhianon Passmore: Will you take an intervention?
Rhianon Passmore: In regard to the comments earlier about having a social fabric and being involved in your community, do you think that that is actually possible for somebody that's working two, three, and sometimes four zero-hour contracts?
Rhianon Passmore: Minister, the First Minister, when he held the finance Secretary portfolio, announced that the Welsh Government was committing £2.9 million to fund specialist employment and training services for people with sensory loss, and Rebecca Woolley, the director of Action on Hearing Loss Cymru, said at the time that 'We are delighted to receive this funding. Not only will it ensure that people with...
