Delyth Jewell: What discussions has the First Minister had with the UK Government regarding the future of the union?
Delyth Jewell: The second-home situation in some parts of Wales is critical and this is a debate that we’ve brought to the Senedd on so many occasions over the past few months and years, and the situation is getting worse. Too often, the Welsh Government’s response is to say that more research is required. Well, there has been plenty of research undertaken, so much so that it’s almost become tiresome....
Delyth Jewell: Thank you, Minister. This is a deeply personal issue for me, not least because I am the same age as Sarah Everard, who was so devastatingly killed near London recently, and whose vigil was so horrendously mishandled by the police. At least seven women in Wales this year alone have died at the hands of male violence. We are still counting dead women, including Wenjing Lin, who died in...
Delyth Jewell: This is so very important, in encouraging young people to vote, but it's also important for the future generations. The children's commissioner is running an alternative election for young people between 11 and 15 years of age, and this gives everyone who'll be able to vote in the 2026 election a real experience of the voting experience. Eighty-five schools across the whole of Wales have...
Delyth Jewell: I agree wholeheartedly with what Lynne Neagle has been saying about the importance of focusing on empowering young people and giving them hope. Young people have—. I'm trying to recalibrate the way I'm going to word this, actually, because I was going to say, 'They've missed out on so many experiences.' But, actually, young people have so many experiences that they need to regain, then,...
Delyth Jewell: It's astonishing, isn't it? The levelling-up fund is a direct affront to Wales's devolution settlement, Minister, I'm sure you'll agree, and it circumvents our democratic institutions. Not only is the Senedd excluded from decisions that will be taken in Whitehall, but the fund ties the success of community projects to representation made by MPs in Westminster, even as the UK Government cuts...
Delyth Jewell: 7. What discussions has the Minister held with the UK Government about the levelling-up fund? OQ56458
Delyth Jewell: 1. What assessment has the First Minister made of the impact that the UK Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill will have on women's safety in Wales? TQ548
Delyth Jewell: Plaid Cymru will vote against the main regulations to establish the corporate joint committees today. I would call on all Members to do likewise. Plaid Cymru does believe that Welsh governance for the future should continue to include local, regional and the national and agrees that we need the right structures in place to support effective decision making at the right level, with democratic...
Delyth Jewell: I'd like a statement from the Government, please, about the vital importance of helping young people recover from the crisis, particularly their mental health and well-being. I've spoken in the Senedd before about the fantastic work that the Senghenydd Youth Drop In Centre—or SYDIC—does to provide activities and opportunities for young people. I've spoken to Dave Brunton, who does...
Delyth Jewell: First Minister, I cannot over-emphasise how deeply I disagree with everything Mark Reckless now stands for. It seems to me that one of the main barriers to good inter-governmental relations between Wales and England is the largely defunct role of Secretary of State for Wales. The incumbent, Simon Hart, has said recently that the Welsh Government should 'stop fretting about their own little...
Delyth Jewell: What steps is the Welsh Government taking to ensure women's safety in public spaces?
Delyth Jewell: Okay, thank you for that, Minister. My final question: I'd like to ask you about some of the more far-reaching changes to the planning system that our society surely needs. I do realise that planning does span different portfolios, but evidently there's a link with the welfare of residents, and the quality of housing and the communities that those houses support. Because, at present, large...
Delyth Jewell: Okay. Thank you for that, Minister. I'll await eagerly what the announcement will be on Friday. Turning to another area, the pandemic I think has brought home to all of us—not meaning for it to be a pun—how vital it is to feel safe in our homes. Too many people in Wales feel unsafe in the buildings where they live, often because cladding that the developer has refused to remove is...
Delyth Jewell: Diolch, Llywydd. In opening, Minister, I'd actually like to echo what Laura has said. It's been a pleasure to shadow you in this post and to find many areas, I think, of accord. Obviously, we won't have agreed on everything, but I do extend my thanks as well. Turning to the questions I have, the additional protections for tenants during COVID—the ban on evictions and bailiffs going into...
Delyth Jewell: I will also start by thanking local authority staff for the hard work that they've been doing the length and breadth of Wales in dealing with the impacts of the pandemic over the last 12 months. Throughout this troubled period, councils have often succeeded in ensuring that key services continue to be provided in exceptionally difficult circumstances, be that in the care sector, the refuse...
Delyth Jewell: As we approach the end of this Senedd term, Trefnydd, and as we mark National Intergenerational Week, I'd like a statement, please, from the Government on the importance of intergenerational solidarity. I'd like the statement to acknowledge the real loneliness that's been suffered by both younger and older members of our society, as well as the ageism that's been too present in our national...
Delyth Jewell: I'm sure the whole Senedd will join me in congratulating the Welsh rugby team for their phenomenal victory against England on Saturday, in a scintillating game in Cardiff, and winning the Triple Crown. They, once again, embodied the spirit of the nation in showing character, determination and winning against the odds, and they showed that, when you're disciplined and when you can rely on some...
Delyth Jewell: Democracy only works properly if the demos, or the people, participate. Over the past year, because of the pandemic, more and more people are aware of devolution, but that progress is fragile. We need action now, surely, to make sure people aren't just aware of decisions being made here, but that they feel engaged. First Minister, if we look at young people, 16 and 17-year-olds have an...
Delyth Jewell: I thank the Minister for that response.
