Rhianon Passmore: Diolch, First Minister. Downing Street last week sought to deny reports that Tory MPs in marginal seats have been told to stop using the phrase 'levelling up' ahead of the next election, because voters did not know what it meant, and instead use 'stepping up' or 'enhancing communities'. First Minister, no wonder no-one can understand's Boris Johnson's now unloved levelling up concept, as...
Rhianon Passmore: First Minister, it is important that all of us here in Senedd Cymru, the Welsh Parliament, are candid about the real challenges facing our beloved national health service right across the four nations of the United Kingdom. In England, in December, calls from people with life-threatening illness or injuries saw an ambulance response time of 10 minutes and 57 seconds. In Wales, in December,...
Rhianon Passmore: 8. Will the First Minister provide an update on the working relationship between the Welsh Government and the UK Government? OQ59022
Rhianon Passmore: Thank you, Minister. Tory austerity is now a teenager; it's almost 13 years of age, and it continues to decimate local government budgets—this is despite the heroic efforts of Welsh Government. Caerphilly County Borough Council has just unveiled its draft budget proposals for 2023-24, along with the detail of how it plans to plug the projected £48 million gap in finances over the following...
Rhianon Passmore: 5. How is the Welsh Government encouraging local authorities to enhance urban green infrastructure in Gwent? OQ58964
Rhianon Passmore: As a member, also, of the Finance Committee, I was very keen that the committee undertake this hugely important piece of work for Wales as a matter of priority, both for fairness and honesty and fair funding as principle, and for the fulfillment of political promise and trust and so that Wales is also not treated with disdain. This is because Wales was the largest recipient of EU funding...
Rhianon Passmore: —in future trivia pub questions, his policies of austerity are not trivial. My question—I will come straight to it, Deputy Llywydd: what more can the Welsh Government do to mitigate this misery being inflicted unrelentingly on the people of Islwyn and Wales by this UK Conservative Government's political choices?
Rhianon Passmore: Diolch, Deputy Llywydd. I agree with my colleagues Joyce Watson and Carolyn Thomas. This unfine economic mess that we're in is not just purely the fault to be laid at Putin's war. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the OECD, today—today—has reported that the UK is one of the worst performing economies in the world amongst the richest economies. So, I fail to...
Rhianon Passmore: Minister, I have also been contacted by Islwyn constituents who work for Nexperia, who are very deeply concerned about their job security following the decision of the UK Government. In a letter to the UK Government's business secretary, Grant Shapps, the Nexperia staff association stated that the UK Government had cast a dark cloud over south Wales. Minister, tomorrow, the staff association...
Rhianon Passmore: What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the consequences for the Welsh economy of the UK Government’s autumn statement?
Rhianon Passmore: Thank you, Trefnydd, leader of the house. 'We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator.' These are the dramatic words of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, addressing the start of COP27 in Egypt. The UN Secretary-General has given a stark, clear warning to the world that we are in the fight of our lives and we are losing. Trefnydd, I know that...
Rhianon Passmore: 5. What action is the Welsh Government taking to combat climate change in Wales? OQ58683
Rhianon Passmore: Thank you, Minister. As the cost-of-living crisis deepens and anxiety levels rise for residents across Islwyn due to the ever-increasing energy bills, it is vital now more than ever that the UK grips the issue of energy security. Minister, you issued a written statement earlier this year in April, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, that stated that the Welsh Government continued to...
Rhianon Passmore: 8. What action is the Welsh Government taking to enhance energy security in Islwyn? OQ58589
Rhianon Passmore: What action is the Welsh Government taking to protect the economy in Islwyn?
Rhianon Passmore: What is the Welsh Government doing to aid economic growth in Islwyn?
Rhianon Passmore: Thank you. Yes, I will. No children should go hungry. Minister, what assessment has the Welsh Labour Government made of the positive impact that the delivery of a nutritious school meal for all primary school pupils in Islwyn will have on educational outcomes and the well-being of Wales's youngest children? Thank you.
Rhianon Passmore: Diolch, Deputy Llywydd. I very much welcome the statement from the Welsh Labour Government's education Cabinet member, and the further new additional investment for the extended school holiday period, so thank you very much. It is good news that the Welsh Labour Government is delivering on its programme for government in maximising fairness for all and eliminating inequality, and it is a...
Rhianon Passmore: On behalf of the people of Islwyn and the many Gwent valleys, towns and communities that I represent, I also want to say 'thank you' to our faithful servant, Queen Elizabeth II for her long, dignified reign over all her peoples. I've been struck by many tributes, but, as Jenny Rathbone has said, it was the French President, Emmanuel Macron, who stated, 'To you, she was your Queen. To us,...
Rhianon Passmore: As a member of the Finance Committee, I am pleased with the proactive approach also that the committee has taken to seek out the views of the Welsh people in helping shape the Welsh Government spending priority, a figure of almost £21 billion for the financial year 2023-24. I also want to make comment on the stoic work of the Chair, Peredur Owen Griffiths, and also fellow committee members....
