Mandy Jones: Thank you for that answer, Minister. Once again, I would like to place on record my congratulations for your approach to keeping people off the streets during the pandemic, with the support of all agencies and the third sector, et cetera. I listened earlier to what you said to other speakers, but I'm really concerned to hear that hostels may be forced to reduce the number of rough sleepers...
Mandy Jones: As Hefin and Janet have just said, Bonfire Night seems to get worse every year—it goes on for longer, it's louder, it's later with noise now reaching into the early hours of the morning and for days after. I'm deeply concerned about the welfare of our animals, as both the previous people have spoken about as well, both in the home and also in the field, and also the impact of...
Mandy Jones: 6. Will the Minister provide an update on the number of rough sleepers in North Wales? OQ55857
Mandy Jones: I thank the Minister for that statement today. I'm thrilled that the UK is on the threshold of becoming an independent sovereign nation, and I welcome the update on the strategy that will continue the journey to get Wales firmly on the world map and keep it there. I would like to raise the issue of branding. I know that the old Welsh Development Agency brand was also seen as the brand of...
Mandy Jones: Thank you, Minister. As you know, our region's economy relies heavily on tourism and the hospitality sector, as other people have said as well. Thanks to the hard work of the hospitality sector, test and trace data suggest that just 1 per cent of people who've caught COVID-19 have caught it in pubs, restaurants or cafes. So, it appears to me that pubs and restaurants are exceptionally low...
Mandy Jones: 6. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the impact of lockdown on the north Wales economy? OQ55819
Mandy Jones: First Minister, the effect of the focus on COVID-19 by all health services in the UK has been well rehearsed in this Chamber, as we've just heard, but, once again, for the record, cancer charities estimate that referrals for cancer screening are down by 70 per cent. Now, even a lay person could see that the health service's focus on COVID—this is a disaster waiting in the wings. Now, recent...
Mandy Jones: Can you hear me, Llywydd?
Mandy Jones: Diolch. Welcome to your new role, Minister. Our mental health is not just a matter for the health service, it's a matter for each individual, families and communities. I'm deeply concerned at the closure of gyms, which as well as providing the mental health benefits of exercise are mini communities within themselves, and also places of worship for communal prayer. Both establishments provide...
Mandy Jones: I'd like to start this contribution by sending my condolences to the staff at Wrexham Maelor, who recently lost their colleague Wilbert Llobrera in a hit-and-run outside the hospital. My thoughts are with his wife and daughter. I've mentioned before how special measures have clearly become business as usual for the north Wales health board. You denied them then, you will probably deny them...
Mandy Jones: Minister, I know many assurances have been made about the Welsh NHS being open for business. However, I am hearing from constituents that even those working on the NHS front line cannot access routine procedures, like steroid injections for arthritis. If the NHS can't look after its own, Minister, how can it look after the wider public? Thank you.
Mandy Jones: Diolch, Deputy Llywydd. I'd like to start by paying tribute to all of our young people. Their lives, perhaps more than any of ours, have been turned upside down by lockdown. They've not seen their friends, they've had their usual routines taken away, they've had to get used to different ways of learning, of living and of being, and those doing exams this year have had a particular set of...
Mandy Jones: I'm grateful to the Minister for her statement today and for consideration of the general principles of this Bill. I'd like to place on record my thanks to the committees that reported on this Bill. The reports are balanced and interesting. Once again, I'll declare an interest. I am what I call an accidental landlord—I inherited my father's house and I now rent the property out to a local...
Mandy Jones: Some in the Chamber may be aware that Wales is on the verge of gaining a world championship crown in rally driving. Can you hear me, Llywydd?
Mandy Jones: Thank you. I thought that something had gone wrong by the thing on the computer. Some in the Chamber may be aware that Wales is on the verge of gaining a world championship crown in rally driving. Whatever the outcome in November, our own Elfyn Evans of Dolgellau has demonstrated world-class driving skills and, once again, will put our clever and resolute country on the map. I'm sure that we...
Mandy Jones: Well, this is the week that Cineworld has announced that it is closing all of its cinemas across the UK, affecting 5,500 jobs. Staff will be made temporarily redundant. There are two sites in north Wales, in Llandudno and Broughton. My heart goes out to anyone affected by the decision. This announcement was immediately followed by Odeon announcing the same thing. I am particularly upset by...
Mandy Jones: Thank you, Minister. I follow the fortunes of the UK manufacturing industry, and there are some fabulous announcements coming out about new factories and technological advancements. In recent months, I've only seen one announcement relating to north Wales, about the excellent Wrexham-based Village Bakery. What is your department doing to ensure Wales, and especially north Wales, gets its...
Mandy Jones: 2. Will the Minister make a statement on inward investment in the North Wales region over this Senedd term? OQ55649
Mandy Jones: On the face of it, I have no difficulty in endorsing and embracing point 1a) of this motion—why would I, why would anyone? However, I do think that the rest of point 1, and point 2, are worth questioning. Why does this motion refer to an international convention made in 1969 when the UK Government passed its own race relations Act in 1968, which has been reviewed over time? And the...
Mandy Jones: We have here yet another very impressive Welsh Government document. It has much to commend it, but, once again, I must say, it does read like every other Government document. That might be the result of integrated thinking and working. It may not. I'm deeply concerned about where we are. I thought total lockdown was reasonable, considering all of the circumstances, but I, and many of the...
