Dawn Bowden: Thank you, Minister. Clearly, all the expert advice received points to the decline of much of our biodiversity, so I believe it is vital to continue strengthening the connections between people, the local communities and their wider environment, and there's much to applaud in those local communities. In Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, for example, we've seen the local angling association managing...
Dawn Bowden: 2. Will the Minister provide an update on the Welsh Government's priorities for biodiversity in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney? OAQ54053
Dawn Bowden: 8. What action is the Welsh Government taking to speed up the planning and delivery of home adaptations? OAQ54061
Dawn Bowden: First Minister, would you agree that maintaining universal benefits like free prescriptions, free bus passes, and offering relief to those council tax payers in financial need are a far better way to tackle poverty than Tory tax breaks for the highest paid and scrapping of tv licences for the over-75s?
Dawn Bowden: —establishing and expanding the Flying Start programme, investing in the life prospects of young people. So, our task is to keep that strong focus on the tackling poverty agenda. It is our challenge and it is the reason why this debate was brought here today.
Dawn Bowden: I will come on to what I think about the Government's position in a moment. Rhianon Passmore obviously referred to the equitable distribution of wealth, and I think, for those of us who are socialists, that's a fundamental point for all of us: fairer distribution of wealth. Jenny Rathbone and Huw Irranca-Davies both talked about the impact of food poverty. Huw Irranca particularly talked...
Dawn Bowden: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and can I thank everyone who's taken a keen interest in this debate and contributed? With the time available to me, I don't think I'm going to be able to go through everybody's contributions, but I do want to thank John for tabling the debate and Mike Hedges for co-sponsoring it. Within the debate, we heard John Griffiths open by talking about the highest...
Dawn Bowden: David, will you take an intervention?
Dawn Bowden: Thank you, David. You were recently in Merthyr Tydfil with Nigel Farage and Mark Reckless, and you were at a rally at Trago Mills, where Mark Reckless stood on a platform with Nigel Farage and roll-called Labour AMs and MPs who he alleged were remainers and, as a result of that, those Labour AMs and MPs were abused verbally on social media and two of them—one of them me—had their offices...
Dawn Bowden: Thank you, Minister. As we know, the life opportunities of people living in areas like Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney are determined by many factors, but especially their educational and training opportunities. The Learning and Work Institute Cymru has recently published a youth opportunity index, showing that young people in my constituency, and across the south Wales Valleys, have the least...
Dawn Bowden: 2. What action is the Welsh Government taking to improve educational outcomes in the south Wales valleys? OAQ53947
Dawn Bowden: Thank you, Minister, and I'm very aware of the good work that is done by organisations like the citizens advice bureau in my constituency. Yet, there are Valleys communities that are facing a steady withdrawal of many vital services, and many of us will have seen that. Working with my colleague Gerald Jones MP, we've campaigned to save some of the commercial banking services in towns like...
Dawn Bowden: 8. Will the Minister provide an update on Welsh Government plans to improve financial inclusion in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney? OAQ53850
Dawn Bowden: Thank you for that answer, Minister. I remain deeply shocked and saddened at the weekly visits to my constituency office from people who find that their lives are becoming harder and are facing an ever-more unequal society, largely due to the impacts of austerity. And in spite of what Theresa May has said, the Tories continue to impose austerity on our communities. Minister, do you agree...
Dawn Bowden: 3. What recent analysis has the Welsh Government made of the impact of austerity on equality in Wales? OAQ53851
Dawn Bowden: What recent discussions has the First Minister held with the UK Government over the operation of the probation service in Wales?
Dawn Bowden: Today, I want to thank you, Minister, for taking the correct step in commissioning an independent review of the maternity services in Cwm Taf, a review which must act as a fresh foundation in rebuilding greater faith in these important services. The fact that the Minister himself commissioned the independent review tells me what I need to know at this point. I believe that, last October, the...
Dawn Bowden: Thank you for that response, Minister. I'd just refer you to the Welsh Government’s website, which states that: 'The width of the road restricts traffic flow and opportunities for safe overtaking. In many areas there is poor visibility. Accidents on this stretch are concentrated around junctions and areas with poor visibility.’ So, I’m sure that you will agree with me that we do need to...
Dawn Bowden: 9. Will the Minister provide an update regarding recent progress made on the A465 section 5 and 6 improvements? OAQ53818
Dawn Bowden: Can I thank the Welsh Government for bringing forward this debate? It is vital that these changes are seen as part of the main stream of delivering our healthcare services, not just something that's happening on the periphery. Last year, Llywydd, I spent some time taking a more detailed look at the health and social care provisions in my own constituency, and some of the innovation in...
