Delyth Jewell: 'Education is...the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another.' Those are the words of G.K. Chesterton, and it's true: the lessons we teach our children and young people should reflect our society's values, and they should be rooted in the stories of our past—the good and the bad. Whilst there is a lot that Plaid Cymru welcomes in the new curriculum, we feel fervently...
Delyth Jewell: Thank you. Diolch. Finally, Minister, local authorities are working with health boards to co-ordinate antibody test programmes for NHS staff and teachers. No care home residents or staff have so far got those antibody tests. Now, I understand, in Gwent, cases of COVID-19 in hospitals have decreased significantly, but in the last week there were new cases in 29 care homes. Now, there may well...
Delyth Jewell: Right, thank you, Minister. I welcome what you've just said. As you alluded to in your answer there, local authorities are playing a key role in the test, track and protect system, but it's been observed that another element should be added to that system, and that is 'support'. It's clear that low wages, insecure work and poor—well, the failures in the welfare system, have significantly...
Delyth Jewell: Can you hear me if I speak here, Minister?
Delyth Jewell: No. Can you hear me now?
Delyth Jewell: Okay, I'll get closer to the—. So, Minister, as we move out of lockdown, there's a risk of seeing local outbreaks emerge, as has happened in Ynys Môn; there could be no option but to impose local lockdowns. I'd ask what specific support you're giving Ynys Môn to help them with the current situation that they're facing and, more generally, if there will be a policy of providing extra...
Delyth Jewell: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Minister, as we move out of lockdown, there is a risk of seeing local outbreaks—
Delyth Jewell: I'd like to request a statement explaining three distinct but related matters about care homes. The first is the rationale behind the initial decision by the Welsh Government to refuse COVID-19 tests for asymptomatic residents leaving hospital before going back to care homes. Given the number of deaths and grieving families that resulted from the policy, there's clear public interest in...
Delyth Jewell: Oscar was always very warm. On my first day in the Senedd, I was walking with the Llywydd and we bumped into the Conservative group. Everyone shook my hand, but Oscar came right across to me and gave me a hug. He worked closely, of course, with two of my predecessors, with Steffan Lewis, who worked in his office, and with Jocelyn Davies, who was a fellow regional AM with Oscar. Last night,...
Delyth Jewell: 'I am so tired of waiting, Aren't you, For the world to become good And beautiful and kind?' I saw those words by Langston Hughes on Twitter a few days ago. Someone was quoting them in despair at how bleak our world seems, because we are facing many crises. Aside from the scourge of racism, COVID-19 threatens the future of our most vulnerable. So far, the impacts of the virus have been...
Delyth Jewell: Minister, in Plenary a month ago in response to Siân Gwenllian, you confirmed that you were aware of concerns that a proposed clause within the curriculum and assessment Bill could have a detrimental impact on the gains that have been made in terms of Welsh-medium education, and that you would look carefully at the situation. However, it doesn't appear that there's been any change in the...
Delyth Jewell: Thank you for that, Minister. A further issue I wanted to raise was the support that's offered to people with no recourse to public funds. Now, that status is a legacy of Tony Blair's attempt to appease the Daily Mail all those years ago, and it has left a long and bloody legacy. We know that Shelter Cymru and others have been writing about the problems it's caused migrant women since at...
Delyth Jewell: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. We also welcome the announcement—
Delyth Jewell: Can you hear me now?
Delyth Jewell: We welcome the announcement about eradicating homelessness. I think one of the positives that could come from this crisis is the realisation that housing is a right for life and not just an emergency stop during a pandemic. I would also really welcome the constructive way that you've worked, Minister, across parties in approaching this crisis. The crisis has also shown that homelessness has...
Delyth Jewell: Minister, last month, you announced that care workers in Wales would receive a £500 bonus payment for their contribution during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has now become apparent that the sum will be liable for income tax and national insurance deductions, meaning the actual sum people earning over the personal allowance will receive will be £360, not £500. Plaid Cymru believes that this...
Delyth Jewell: First Minister, your Government announced on Sunday that the guidelines for people who've been told to shield were changing the following day. I'm aware that there's a lot of concern from people who were told to shield to protect their lives that these changes were brought forward with little warning and when the R rate is still high. This morning you will have received a letter from 32...
Delyth Jewell: There's a philosophical quandary thrown up by this debate—how can we unlock a door without the key? Surely, the key to unlocking our society and moving out of lockdown is to have a contact tracing system in place, to have adequate stocks of PPE and to have the best reliable measures to support and give confidence to the public. Regrettably, in too many ways, the key is still missing here,...
Delyth Jewell: Thank you for that response, Minister. It's widely accepted that the most important part of any strategy to tackle COVID-19 is the test, track and trace aspect. Put simply, we have to have that kind of test and track regime in place before we can consider any substantial lifting of the current restrictions. I'm sure you'll agree with me on that. Now, on Monday, I was really pleased to see...
Delyth Jewell: First Minister, this crisis has proved the value of devolution, but has also highlighted a number of structural problems in the political landscape in Wales, and one of those is the weakness of the press. Last week, papers sold in Wales had a front-page advertisement, paid for by the UK Government, with the message, 'Stay alert', which wasn't applicable to Wales. The London newspapers are...
