Dawn Bowden: I need to explain—
Dawn Bowden: Okay. They couldn’t find a guarantor, because they had no access to anybody who could guarantee the rental with the private landlord. So, could you, First Minister, give some indication of what the Welsh Government can do, possibly working in conjunction with local authorities and housing providers, to break down the barriers that make it difficult for the homeless to secure rented...
Dawn Bowden: Thank you, First Minister. My concerns are similar to the ones that were raised by Jeremy Miles earlier on, but I want to focus on one specific point. I had the opportunity during January through to just this week of volunteering at the winter night shelter in Merthyr Tydfil that was provided by the council, and I’d probably like to place on record now my thanks to Merthyr Tydfil council...
Dawn Bowden: 5. Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government’s strategy for tackling homelessness in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney? OAQ(5)0515(FM)
Dawn Bowden: They have had to discount that by £1.5 million. So, what I want to know, Cabinet Secretary is: given all the points that you’ve made in your statement today, have you made an assessment of how many homes you expect this policy to safeguard, now and into the future in the social housing sector, and more importantly, have you made an assessment of how this might relieve the pressures on...
Dawn Bowden: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. After you chastising other Members, I’ve cut this down quite considerably from what I was originally going to say. Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his very welcome statement, setting out another example of the Labour Welsh Government delivering on one of its manifesto pledges in its first year in office? I would have to say that this is absolutely...
Dawn Bowden: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. Before this news broke on Friday, I had met previously with some of the local residents, protesters and Merthyr council, and I'd undertaken a site visit to Ffos-y-fran, including a lengthy meeting with the operators. So, I was already very aware of the concerns surrounding the operation there, and for some time I've been seeking assurances about a range of...
Dawn Bowden: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the potential health impacts of the Ffos-y-fran opencast coalmine, following the announcement last week by the UN special rapporteur on hazardous substances and waste? EAQ(5)0118(ERA)
Dawn Bowden: Cabinet Secretary, I’ve raised, previously, concerns with you over the impact of the Westminster Government’s changes to the local housing allowance from 2019 and the impact that that will have on Wales, compounded, I think you’ll agree with me, by the disgraceful decision that was taken last week to remove housing benefits for young people between the ages of 18 and 21. A study that...
Dawn Bowden: Can I say that I’m absolutely delighted to be able to speak in this debate as part of the celebration of International Women’s Day? It’s celebrate that I actually want to do. Today, we have heard, and we will hear, about a number of inspirational women—the famous and the not so famous—all of whom have made their mark, not just in Wales but across the world. For my contribution I...
Dawn Bowden: Leader of the house, there appears to be a growing trend by some to call into question the independence of our courts, tribunals and similar bodies. I’m sure you’ll agree with me, leader of the house, that the effectiveness of these bodies and the protections that they provide for citizens in this country rely on us all respecting the independent role that they play, even if we don’t...
Dawn Bowden: What discussions has the Welsh Government held regarding the impact of welfare reform on supporting housing in Wales?
Dawn Bowden: Will you take an intervention?
Dawn Bowden: Thank you. Can I just quote you from UKIP’s small business manifesto, published in 2013? ‘UKIP would put an end to most legislation regarding matters such as weekly hours, holidays and holiday, overtime, redundancy and sick pay, and provide statutory standard very short employment contracts templates’. Does the Member recognise that?
Dawn Bowden: Thank you, Minister, for that response. I’d just like to specifically refer to cervical screening, if I may. I think we all agree on the benefits of early diagnosis of cancer wherever possible, but this also raises the question of the appropriate age at which certain screening should start. I don’t know whether I’m alone in being approached by constituents calling for cervical screening...
Dawn Bowden: 3. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on cancer screening services in Wales? OAQ(5)0134(HWS)
Dawn Bowden: [Continues.]—and had the courage to take the decision to move towards a clinically led response model. My question to you, Cabinet Secretary—[Laughter.]—is do you agree with me that what this report highlights is the importance of ensuring that we listen to the voice of front-line staff when formulating policy, and it’s a great example of the benefits of the partnership approach...
Dawn Bowden: Diolch, Lywydd. They sought to shamelessly use the ambulance service as a political football and, as you indicated, Cabinet Secretary, continued to criticise when the clinical model pilot was actually proposed by Welsh Government. Working closely with those ambulance professionals, who were daily having to bat away largely unfounded criticisms, I could see that this was denting their...
Dawn Bowden: Can I thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your statement? Can I also say that I very much welcome this report, which identifies, I think, the real benefits that have accrued from the new emergency services model? I have only one question to ask, which I will come to when I’ve made a few comments that I do actually feel need to be recorded, because it wasn’t so long ago that I was a Unison...
Dawn Bowden: Thank you for your response, Cabinet Secretary. Last week, I met with representatives from Merthyr county borough council and Tydfil Training to talk about the support that they give to new businesses starting up in the Merthyr area, in particular their town centre enterprise development initiative, operating at the Merthyr Tydfil enterprise centre. One of their successes is the meanwhile use...
