Buffy Williams: Thank you, Minister. We're incredibly lucky in Wales to have such a diverse range of services and support provided by the third sector. In Rhondda alone we have Rhondda veterans, Valleys Kids, Men's Sheds, the Arts Factory and RCT Women's Aid, amongst hundreds of others. Since becoming the Senedd Member, I've had the opportunity to visit Barnardo's Better Futures, Wales Air Ambulance and...
Buffy Williams: 5. Will the Minister make a statement on the role of third sector organisations in achieving social justice in Wales? OQ57968
Buffy Williams: Thank you, First Minister. Never has the contrast between the actions of a Tory Westminster Government and a Welsh Labour-led Welsh Government been so clear. The Prime Minister has broken the law, has flouted COVID rules and has wasted billions on contracts for his mates. His Government isn't willing to support coal tip remediation efforts in Wales, and has short-changed us by £1 billion,...
Buffy Williams: 2. How is the Welsh Government working with Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council to improve the lives of people in Rhondda? OQ57967
Buffy Williams: Today I'll be speaking about the Rhian Griffiths Forget Me Not fund, which is a tribute fund in loving memory of Rhian Griffiths, who sadly passed away at the age of 25 in June 2012 from cervical cancer. Rhian was a much-loved daughter and sister, who was committed to her work as a nursery teacher. Throughout her time receiving treatment at Velindre, she was a very well-thought-of patient at...
Buffy Williams: Minister, last week, I met with Ruby, who is a sixth form pupil at Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhondda and a young member of the Senedd for Rhondda. I know the Minister will be visiting the school soon, following the exciting plans to build a brand-new, twenty-first century school, and I'm sure Ruby would love to give you a tour. We discussed a range of issues relating to day-to-day school life, but the...
Buffy Williams: How will the Welsh Government support the most disadvantaged pupils in Rhondda?
Buffy Williams: Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd, and I'd like to thank the Minister for today's statement. The dramatic scenes we saw at Tylorstown and Wattstown back in 2020 have had a dramatic effect on some members of our communities in Rhondda. The Minister is right, our priority has to be that people living and working near coal tips feel safe, not just now but in the future. We need to know that everything...
Buffy Williams: Diolch, Mike, for bringing this debate forward. They say that nothing in life is certain but death and taxes. Well, I can tell the Chamber today that nothing is certain but death, taxes and churches and chapels in Rhondda. You can't drive from Cymmer up to Treherbert or from Trehafod up to Maerdy without passing a church or a chapel. I've had many a conversation with Rhys ab Owen about the...
Buffy Williams: Minister, generation after generation in Rhondda have been let down by consecutive Tory Westminster Governments. Time and time again, we have lost employment as a direct result of their decisions. Our forefathers lost their industry. More recently, we've lost the tax office, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency jobs, Department for Work and Pensions offices and the local courts. We've lost...
Buffy Williams: Thank you, First Minister. I've worked in Rhondda supporting our communities for the last 20 years. Never have I felt as concerned or angry as I feel right now. Residents in my constituency are facing a cost-of-living crisis through no fault of their own. Families on the breadline have been thrown into deeper poverty, and working families are experiencing poverty for the first time. I'm not...
Buffy Williams: 7. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the effects of the cost-of-living crisis on communities in South Wales Central? OQ57777
Buffy Williams: I know how busy the Minister is, so I'm not sure he had a chance to watch the clip on Channel 4 News last week, covering how the cost-of-living crisis is affecting residents in communities like Penrhys in my constituency. I know, just from the e-mails and messages I received yesterday, that the £330 million package of support the Welsh Government has announced has been welcomed with open...
Buffy Williams: Child sexual abuse has wide-reaching and long-lasting effects on physical and mental health. Children who have suffered multiple traumas may develop post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety. During the first six months of 2021-22, there was a 65 per cent increase in the number of National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children child sexual abuse and exploitation...
Buffy Williams: 1. What support is available to children who have suffered sexual abuse and exploitation? OQ57540
Buffy Williams: Minister, pupils in schools have not been impacted equally in this pandemic. The hundreds of millions of pounds you have allocated to make schools COVID-secure has made a real difference, but there are still specific groups of pupils who have been disadvantaged more than others. We've seen an unprecedented demand for child and adolescent mental health services and school-based services with...
Buffy Williams: 8. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the impact of the pandemic on the attainment gap? OQ57489
Buffy Williams: Diolch to Jack as Chair of the Petitions Committee for making sure this debate could take place at such short notice. Cervical screening isn't a pleasant experience to say the least, and I'm sure I'm not the only woman in Wales to have put off or dreaded attending a screening appointment, but we also understand that cervical screening is one of the most important appointments for us to attend...
Buffy Williams: Thank you, Deputy Minister. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we've seen GP surgeries completely change the way that they operate. In Rhondda, this has meant an astronomical increase to the number of residents that GPs support. Around 20 per cent of these residents won't require medical support and will instead benefit from social prescribing. I recently visited Men's Shed Treorchy, who...
Buffy Williams: 6. Will the Minister provide an update on the roll-out of social prescribing in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board area? OQ57442
