Julie Morgan: Wouldn’t it be great if we were all cheering for this legislative motion today taking us forward to getting the Wales Bill on the statute? Sadly, we are not in that position today, and I think that is largely because the Secretary of State for Wales has failed to convince his Cabinet colleagues and the Whitehall departments of the need for Wales to be treated in a similar way to Scotland...
Julie Morgan: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I thank the finance Secretary for his statement. I think this does signify a huge step forward, and I’d like to congratulate him and his predecessor Jane Hutt on all the work that they’ve done to achieve this statement today. I think we’ve all talked about reform of the Barnett formula for years. Simon Thomas referred to the history of it...
Julie Morgan: What recent discussions has the First Minister had with the Prime Minister about Brexit?
Julie Morgan: Yes, in a second. In 2016, when it stopped at Asda in Coryton in my constituency, the whole of Cardiff was gridlocked because of the excess of people going to get the free Coca-Cola. I just can’t see that this goes along with good health.
Julie Morgan: I welcome any reduction in sugar in drinks, but I think this particular activity is not welcome. I am also disappointed that the UK Government’s sugar tax seems to have been watered down and that things like sugary milkshakes will be exempt, as these can contain just as much sugar as fizzy drinks. I don’t really think that the proposed levy is as high as it could be. Lastly, I would just...
Julie Morgan: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer, for calling me to speak in this debate. I think it’s very important that we do keep this issue of obesity on the agenda, and, as well as it being National Obesity Awareness Week, I think lots of people’s thoughts, after the excesses of Christmas, as Angela Burns referred to in her speech introducing the debate, are turning to healthy eating....
Julie Morgan: I’m very pleased about the plans to replace the Velindre Cancer Centre with a new building on the Whitchurch Hospital land. Could the Cabinet Secretary provide an update about the funding that will be available for the new Velindre Cancer Centre?
Julie Morgan: I am very pleased to speak in this very important debate, and I would like to congratulate the finance Secretary for his handling of these issues in the challenging circumstances that he referred to at the beginning of his introduction. I welcome the final budget and the additional revenue and capital funding that has been allocated, and I just wanted to speak briefly about a few of those...
Julie Morgan: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer; thank you for calling me to speak on this draft dementia strategy. I welcome it and I welcome the public consultation that’s taking place. I’m very pleased that people who are actually experiencing dementia will be consulted, and their families. I was very pleased to see that the importance of the wider community is recognised in the draft strategy and...
Julie Morgan: One of the family units most vulnerable to poverty is that headed by a woman, and women are more likely to live in poverty for a longer period of time and to have more recurrent spells of poverty, which obviously affects children in families where the mother is a single parent. So, I think you do have particular patterns of families where some additional help or support is needed. I commend...
Julie Morgan: I welcome the statement today. Could the Cabinet Secretary tell us how he plans to expand the skill set—the pool of people who are available to work in the development bank and build it up? Because, obviously, it is difficult to attract people who have knowledge and skills of the financial sector, where London is so dominant. I am very pleased that Finance Wales is underpinning the...
Julie Morgan: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I welcome the Bill, and lots of Members have already referred to the battles that families feel they have to undertake in order to get the right opportunities for their children with additional learning needs, so I think this is definitely a step in the right direction, and I welcome it very much. Lots of the points have been covered. The one particular...
Julie Morgan: What plans does the First Minister have to improve living standards in Wales?
Julie Morgan: I’d like to thank the Members who have brought this debate forward because, obviously, this is a critical issue. Previous speakers have described the situation in Wales, which is obviously a matter of huge concern. It’s clear that eating habits and exercise habits need to be improved—we’ve heard the statistics about that today. I’m very proud that we do have the Active Travel...
Julie Morgan: What assessment has the First Minister made of proposals to reorganise HMRC in Wales?
Julie Morgan: I thank the Counsel General for that response. Statistics from the Bar Standards Board show that, amongst barristers, the gender balance is almost equal in terms of barristers being called to the bar. But, by the time it comes to practising as a barrister, there is a huge difference, with almost twice as many men as women actually practising as barristers. What is the Counsel General’s view...
Julie Morgan: 7. What discussions has the Counsel General had regarding promoting gender equality within the legal profession in Wales? OAQ(5)0009(CG)
Julie Morgan: What plans does the Minister have to review the support available to school governors?
Julie Morgan: I think this is an excellent report. I think the way it’s presented is very clear and it clearly shows the way that we should go. I particularly welcome the emphasis on health inequalities and the social gradient because the evidence is absolutely clear that there’s a higher prevalence of illness and early death in more economically disadvantaged areas. We know in Cardiff itself the...
Julie Morgan: I welcome this debate today, and thank you for the opportunity to speak. I’d like to reiterate the fact of how proud I am that Wales was home to the world’s first older person’s commissioner. I think that was a great achievement and I think it was very forward-looking of the Welsh Government to establish this role. I think what it’s done has shown that it was the right decision. ...
