Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much, Llywydd. It gives me great pleasure to introduce this annual report on the Assembly Commission's official languages scheme. It's wonderful to have an opportunity to share an update on our work over the past year. Now, the report celebrates successes, but also notes those occasions when we have not always succeeded in meeting the high standards set by the scheme. I would...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much. As your Government declared the climate emergency and a desire to take action in this area, the people of Wales are looking for proof that those aren't just empty words. And, as you know, I've raised the issue of rate relief for hydro energy projects in this Chamber previously, and Plaid Cymru has so far managed to convince you to continue with this relief until March of...
Siân Gwenllian: 1. Will the Minister provide an update on the assistance available for water energy projects? OAQ54241
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much. Recently, Rhun ap Iorwerth requested a debate on dentistry, and, in response, you said that the Minister for health may consider that. May I also echo that demand for a debate on dentistry, please, and that we have that early in the new term, and may I just explain why I’m making that call? The situation of dentistry in my constituency is very grave indeed. There...
Siân Gwenllian: Will you take an interevention?
Siân Gwenllian: Having more of us would mean that there are more of us to look for the regulations or anything that is hidden. My problem is that there is a lot that we don't know about, and because there are so few of us, we haven't got time to actually delve into the lack of transparency that Government seems to like.
Siân Gwenllian: Plaid Cymru will abstain on this issue, not because we are sitting on the fence in terms of these regulations, but as a signal of our dissatisfaction with the process. The regulations do scrap the statutory need for schools to set particular targets, because the circumstances have changed. That is sensible, and we do agree with that change, and the move away from that narrow focus on...
Siân Gwenllian: I too welcome this statement from the Minister, and welcome the Bill, too. It is a shame that it has taken so long for the Government to act. It’s a full 12 months since the former First Minister stated that the Government would support a ban on the use of wild animals in travelling circuses, but better late than never. I am pleased that Wales, at last, is catching up with Scotland and...
Siân Gwenllian: The Government in London is about to announce that schools in England will receive £3 billion in addition. Therefore, can we have a statement explaining what discussions your Government and the education Minister have been having with the Treasury in London on this issue—namely, from the point of view of the Barnett consequential? If schools in England are to receive more funding, then...
Siân Gwenllian: Before starting, I’d like to thank, at the beginning of this debate, a few people. Thank you to Suzy Davies for promoting and co-sponsoring this debate, and I look forward to hearing your closing comments. And thank you to those who came to and contributed to a recent seminar that I held here in the Senedd on the history of Wales in the new curriculum. We had an interesting and productive...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you, and I'd like to move the motion formally.
Siân Gwenllian: Constituents have been in touch with me and they’re concerned about the destructive impact of possible cuts at the school of education at Bangor University and particularly the implications of losing experienced Welsh speaking staff and replacing them with an ad hoc strategy that intends to bring in teachers from schools in order to train and mentor students. I would be grateful for a...
Siân Gwenllian: On this side, of course, we welcome this new position from your Government, but as well as words, what we need now is action. Will your Government, therefore, work with my party in order to put pressure on the Welsh Government to hold a people's vote and to work with us to plan on how to do so? When I did ask this before the European elections, I had quite a lukewarm response, if I'm right. I...
Siân Gwenllian: 7. Will the Counsel General provide an update on the Welsh Government's policy regarding a people's vote? OAQ54020
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you for the statement. There is no doubt that reducing teachers’ workload and reducing bureaucracy is an important part of the improvements that need to be made in order to improve standards in Wales. The relationship between a teacher and a pupil is crucial to the success of teaching in the classroom, and anything that has an impact on that relationship needs to be questioned and...
Siân Gwenllian: What investment has the Welsh Government allocated for rail infrastructure in Arfon?
Siân Gwenllian: Will you take an intervention? I was very disappointed to hear that the Government has no intention of bringing forward this much-needed strategy, which all of us who have contributed to the debate today have called for.
Siân Gwenllian: So, therefore, you're confirming today that you have no intention of producing an anti-poverty strategy, and that the Government will not be having an implementation plan around that strategy.
Siân Gwenllian: That's a yes. That's a yes. There will be no—. So, there won't be a strategy.
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much to John Griffiths for bringing this debate forward today. I'm pleased to sign up to it. I also want to say that I respect and admire John's commitment in this area over a number of years, and I'm sure that everyone would echo that here. The emphasis this afternoon—and I'm pleased about that—has been on what we in Wales can do and what the Welsh Government can do. Yes,...
