Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much for that. It’s a little odd that an issue that is fundamentally about equality is in another portfolio, but I will write to you on that. I will continue to ask questions on blue badges because it’s becoming more and more apparent that over the past decade the attitudes of governments towards disabled people have veered towards placing criteria that are much harsher and...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much. You will recall that an attempt to scrap the regulations on the distribution of temporary blue badges was one of the first debates in the fifth Assembly. At that point, we on this side of the Chamber supported you on the basis that having a deficient scheme for the blue badges was better than having no scheme at all. But the deficiencies of that new scheme are now...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much. That’s what I suspected: no assessments and no intention of doing that until the results of the consultation are collated. Now, it’s clear that a fair bit of officials' time and Government money has already been invested in developing the proposals contained within 'Brexit and our land'. So, isn’t this process, the Government process of developing policy, entirely...
Siân Gwenllian: 10. What impact assessments have been completed on the implications of the 'Brexit and our land' proposals for the Welsh language? OAQ52685
Siân Gwenllian: Is it possible to have a statement on the situation on medical education in Bangor—an update, that is? Constituents are contacting me asking whether it is possible to apply for an undergraduate course in medicine in Bangor University from 2019 onwards. Of course, this is in the light of the announcement earlier this year about the partnership between Bangor and Cardiff universities to...
Siân Gwenllian: Of those using public transport, 80 per cent use buses. In rural areas, such as parts of my constituency in Arfon, there are no trains available, and the bus is the only option for people without cars to travel to work and to access crucial services. But the truth is that we need to transform bus services in rural areas, and Plaid Cymru wants to give far more power to local councils so that...
Siân Gwenllian: 2. What is the Welsh Government's long-term vision for the development of bus services in the countryside? OAQ52656
Siân Gwenllian: One thing is very clear: being a mother leads to a financial penalty, creating inequality in relation to wages on the basis of gender, and that inequity refuses to budge. The wages of fathers, nevertheless, do not appear to be generally affected by raising children. There are practical steps that can be taken and the committee does note flexible working and childcare as two specific items to...
Siân Gwenllian: I am very pleased to be able to contribute to this debate on parenting and employment. My experience as a woman who brought up four children alone and the necessity to continue working during that period is a handy background, I believe. Taking part in the committee inquiry hasn’t been a pleasant experience, I must say, because we found that women are still facing prejudice, bias and...
Siân Gwenllian: The first plans for this business park were published in the year 2000. New roads were built and a new roundabout, and a new entrance to the park was also opened. It was pledged that at least 1,500 jobs would be created. Now, 18 years later, not a single job—not a single job—has been created despite the millions of pounds invested to develop Parc Bryn Cegin. Isn’t it time for the Welsh...
Siân Gwenllian: 5. Will the First Minister publish a specific timetable for the development of Parc Bryn Cegin business park? OAQ52636
Siân Gwenllian: So, it'll be another year and a half, it seems, until we get a definition of something that is entirely clear and simple, namely exactly what courtesy Welsh is. I've just given examples: things such as saying, 'bore da', 'prynhawn da', and being able to say Welsh words correctly. That's all it is. It's a very basic level of skills, the lowest level of Welsh language skills. So, I can't...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much. I have a copy of a report that demonstrates that you do have an internal working group of senior civil servants that has been established, as you said, and that was back in the summer of 2016. The report recommends that the Welsh Government civil service should commit to becoming a bilingual organisation, with Welsh and English as official administrative languages by...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you, Llywydd. One of the main action points under the theme 2, 'Increasing the use of Welsh', in your 'Cymraeg 2050' strategy, relates to the central role of the workplace in reaching the target of seeing 20 per cent of the population using the Welsh language on a daily basis. You recognise the crucial role that the Welsh Government has, as an important employer in Wales, in that regard...
Siân Gwenllian: Will the First Minister provide an update on the Welsh Government's efforts to develop the Parc Bryn Cegin business park in Bangor?
Siân Gwenllian: Here we are, once again, discussing another committee report that’s been given a very disappointing response from Government, with only six of the 23 recommendations being accepted. The unacceptable use of 'accept in principle' is put into place 15 times in the case of this report. Although it’s eight months since the Welsh Government Permanent Secretary stated in a letter to the Chair of...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you for this important report. I was pleased to see that the Assembly Commission was providing bilingual papers to committees on the whole, but, as Suzy and Bethan have mentioned, I was concerned to see that the Government has presented information in English only 174 times. The report also states that 25 per cent of documents laid—as we’ve just been discussing, the explanatory...
Siân Gwenllian: The report also talks about the lack of ability within your Government to turn intentions into outcomes. It goes on to say that: 'Actions and objectives within equality plans, well-being plans and national policy more widely are felt by many of those we spoke to, to lack ambition and, based on an analysis of current Welsh Government policies, there is an increasing tendency to make broad,...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much, and we look forward to seeing that being implemented. Now, the report draws attention to many areas where the Government has not achieved what was intended, and the report does warn that equality is often seen as a tick-box exercise that doesn't influence policy. There is one part that is particularly critical in the report, where it talks about how, 'the current budget...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I want to talk about some of the conclusions of the ‘Rapid Review of Gender Equality 2018: Phase One’, which was recently published. The report draws attention to many areas where the Welsh Government needs to drive improvement and show leadership. One specific action that the report recommends is to tackle the low number of people who take advantage...
