Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Can I give a very warm welcome to this budget statement today, set as it is against the backdrop of very, very challenging economic circumstances? I’m delighted to see so many of our programme for government commitments funded in the statement. I particularly welcome the additional money for the health service. As you know, Minister, we have not gone...
Lynne Neagle: Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's additional learning needs policy?
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Minister, and I’m aware that Wales is leading the way in this area and that your predecessor commissioned a report by Professor Stephen Harris to try and tackle some of these issues. Can you update us on what kind of considerations you are looking at with a view to improving the health and safety of such animals?
Lynne Neagle: 7. What action is the Welsh Government taking in relation to mobile animal exhibits, including wild animals in travelling circuses? OAQ(5)0052(ERA)
Lynne Neagle: Can I thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your statement? If I could just start with CAMHS, I very much welcome the extra investment that the Welsh Government has put into CAMHS, and I'm really pleased that we're starting to see some progress, but, as you know yourself, waiting lists still remain unacceptably high. It was something that the children's commissioner highlighted before the...
Lynne Neagle: Can I thank you for your statement, Minister? Can I say at the outset that I want to pay tribute to the staff who deliver Communities First in my constituency and also Torfaen council for their leadership of the project, and to say emphatically that, in Torfaen, it is delivering very real outcomes in the areas of employability, financial inclusion, digital inclusion and well-being? I note...
Lynne Neagle: Cabinet Secretary, I don’t know the details of what’s happened in this ward, but as you know, I’m a longstanding advocate of the need to extend the Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act 2016 to adult mental wards. I have made the point previously in the Chamber that the patients on those wards are probably the most voiceless that we will see in the NHS. When this investigation has been...
Lynne Neagle: I’m grateful to you, Cabinet Secretary, for meeting with me on numerous occasions since your appointment to discuss the specialist critical care centre planned for Cwmbran. However, the fact remains that the business case for the hospital has been in with Welsh Government now for a year, and you are now the fourth Minister charged with making a decision on what is a crucial development, not...
Lynne Neagle: 5. What is the Minister doing to deliver high quality health services in Torfaen? OAQ(5)0049(HWS)
Lynne Neagle: I wanted to ask for a statement on an issue that’s already been referred to this afternoon—the decision by ONS to reclassify social landlords as public sector bodies. The decision could have a very serious implication on house building in Wales, but I’m also very worried that any measures that the Welsh Government might take to mitigate that may lead to a deregulation of the housing...
Lynne Neagle: Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for her statement today and also add my thanks to Sir Ian and his team for his report? I’m really looking forward to them coming to the Children, Young People and Education Committee on the twelfth for us to discuss it in detail. I think that there is a great deal to welcome in this report. Particularly, I welcome the fact that it has so clearly taken on...
Lynne Neagle: Will the First Minister make a statement on Welsh Government support for children and young people with additional learning needs?
Lynne Neagle: The UK Independence Party are notoriously allergic to facts and expert opinion. So, let’s give UKIP a few facts on grammar schools. Firstly, grammar schools do not promote social mobility. They didn’t in the 1950s and they don’t now. The Institute of Education has shown that social division, as measured by wages, is greater in selective areas of England than in comprehensive areas....
Lynne Neagle: Minister, despite the best efforts of the Welsh Government to protect local government in Wales from the impact of UK Government budget cuts, Torfaen, like all local authorities in Wales, is having to work incredibly hard in very challenging financial circumstances to deliver public services locally. Will you therefore join me in congratulating Torfaen council on their recent Wales Audit...
Lynne Neagle: What discussions has the Minister had about budget allocations to the Communities and Children portfolio?
Lynne Neagle: I’m sure you’re aware, Minister, of how worried Welsh Women’s Aid are about the changes to the decision to cap local housing allowance. Will you comment on that action and will you take this opportunity to reiterate your support for the excellent work that Women’s Aid refuges do throughout Wales? Given that the changes are going to be deferred for a short period, will you commit to...
Lynne Neagle: 10. Will the Minister provide an update on the impact of the UK Government’s welfare reform on Wales? OAQ(5)0030(CC)
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, and I’m sure other Members in this Chamber were, like me, very pleased to welcome the resolution of the long-running dispute, and I’m very grateful to you, Cabinet Secretary, for your efforts to bring this dispute to an end. I would also like to pay tribute to all the museum workers who stood their ground on the issue of fairness to the lowest paid, especially the staff in my...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you for that answer. As you’ve highlighted, manufacturing remains a vital sector in the Welsh economy, particularly in the Valleys. However, despite the best efforts of the Welsh Government, the sector continues to shrink in terms of its relative importance to other sectors in the economy. Given the very serious new challenges that Brexit will pose to manufacturing, would you agree...
Lynne Neagle: 5. Will the Minister make a statement on Welsh Government policies to support manufacturing? OAQ(5)0029(EI)
