Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much. This week is part of the United Nation’s annual 16 Days of Activism campaign to fight against gender-based violence. The purpose of the campaign is to draw global attention to the huge problem of violence against women by urging action at a local, national and global level to tackle it. The courage and determination of the women who are part of organisations such as...
Siân Gwenllian: Well, I think it is very pertinent that I ask that question, but I didn't get a response, of course. You did acknowledge at the culture committee that the promotional arrangements were deficient—to return to promotion—and that the Welsh language division, in its current form, doesn't have the capacity to be doing that meaningful and strategic promotional work. We truly need action on...
Siân Gwenllian: So, you’re still talking about the creation of a commission, which is included in the proposals on the Welsh language Bill, but in the culture committee last week, you said that everything is up in the air in light of Brexit, and you gave no pledge that there would be a Bill before the end of this Assembly term or a commission either. In your manifesto for your hopes of becoming First...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you, Llywydd. In light of the agreement between Plaid Cymru and the Labour Party negotiated two years ago, it was agreed that £2 million would be used specifically for promoting the Welsh language. You will be aware that what was at the heart of that agreement between Plaid and yourselves was a commitment to establish a language agency that would be at arm's length in order to do the...
Siân Gwenllian: 'children’s rights appear to be an "add-on" within this budget',
Siân Gwenllian: rather than those rights being part of the analysis from the very outset, with that then leading to the budgetary decisions. So, yes, the children's commissioner is very critical, and has every right to be so, but, to be fair, she also said that there are few examples of good practice. There are very few examples of governments working systematically to ensure that priority is given to...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much to Lynne for the statement and for providing this opportunity for us to put a clear focus on children's rights here in Wales tonight. I'm particularly pleased, as I'm sure we all are, that Wales adopted the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 2011—the first nation in the UK to do so. It is entirely appropriate that the Welsh Government should publish a review of...
Siân Gwenllian: I’d like to ask for an update on ongoing parking problems along the A5 in the Lake Ogwen area in my constituency. Over a year has passed since local representatives asked for action and a particular plan to find a swift resolution to the problem in this area. Six months have passed since the Minister received a feasibility study of the problems, but, again, there has been no progress...
Siân Gwenllian: And Plaid Cymru was very pleased to ensure that business rates relief for community energy projects as part of the budget agreement for this financial year with the Government, but there is no assurance to date that the business rate relief will be available for the next financial year or for ensuing years. These projects clearly need long-term assurances so that they can plan for their...
Siân Gwenllian: There is huge demand for the additional capital funding allocated for twenty-first century schools projects from the Welsh-medium sector, which is excellent news, of course, and demonstrates a desire to support the Government's ambition of a million Welsh speakers, but there isn’t sufficient funding to meet that demand by any stretch. Over £100 million-worth of applications for funding...
Siân Gwenllian: 3. Will the First Minister make a statement on the support available to assist community hydro energy projects with their business rates? OAQ52935
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you. The quality of connectivity to broadband in Arfon is inconsistent, be that in urban or rural areas. For example, in the Menai business park in Bangor, businesses are placed at a significant disadvantage because of the lack of quality of the connectivity. Many constituents have given me examples where a handful of homes are exempted; although fibre to the premises is provided for...
Siân Gwenllian: 2. Will the Leader of the House provide an update on broadband connectivity in Arfon? OAQ52897
Siân Gwenllian: 'children’s rights appear to be an "add-on" within this budget... 'There does not appear to have been progress around the prominence of children and children’s rights within the budget considerations; 'There is a lack of analytical evidence in the form of Children’s Rights Impact Assessments to show whether children are better or worse off as a result of the budget decisions'.
Siân Gwenllian: There was no children's rights impact assessment prepared for the budget proposals, not even for the three important areas that have been subject to budgetary cuts, which are the school uniform grant, the minority ethnic attainment grant and the all-Wales schools contact programme. The commissioner’s report, which will be discussed on Thursday, raises major questions, and I do look forward...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much. Despite the claims made by the Minister, it’s a cause of concern that many recent decisions taken by the Welsh Government have been taken without giving full consideration to the rights of children. In her written evidence to the scrutiny of the draft Welsh Government budget, the children’s commissioner, in a report that is quite damning of the Welsh Government, says this:
Siân Gwenllian: Okay. I hope you can hear me now, and I hope the interpretation is clear too.
Siân Gwenllian: Excellent. I will start again, therefore. Raising standards and raising the status of the profession is something that Plaid Cymru has been calling for for many years. If the workforce isn’t given quality training throughout their career, from the initial teacher training up to retirement from the sector, then standards won’t improve in our classrooms. Before turning to one issue that's...
Siân Gwenllian: Raising standards and raising the status of the profession is something that Plaid Cymru has been calling for for many years, of course. If the workforce isn't given—
Siân Gwenllian: Okay. Do you want me to try again? Is it working now?
