Julie James: Delyth also made very good points about the ongoing pandemic and its wide-ranging and disproportionate effect on deprived residents across Wales. But I am pleased to be able to say, Delyth, that the hardship fund has completely covered off the areas that you mentioned, rightly, as areas of concern. So, we have been able to replace the lost income from car parks and other venues across Wales,...
Julie James: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm just wanting to thank Members for their interest and their contributions. Just responding to the specific points that Members raised, just for a moment, I'm almost speechless at the brass neck of Laura Jones, who tried to accuse the Welsh Government of the kind of pork barrel politics that she has obviously come to expect in a local government...
Julie James: Before I start, I hope you will join me in thanking local government for the critical work they do day in, day out for communities, people and businesses across Wales. Local authority staff work for their communities throughout the year, from refuse and recycling teams, teachers and social workers, to enforcement officers and housing teams. This is true each year but never more so than over...
Julie James: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Today, I'm pleased to present the 2021-22 local government settlement for the 22 unitary authorities in Wales to the Senedd for its approval.
Julie James: No response is necessary. The Chair of the committee has already set out the answer to his own questions, and I'm very happy with that, so I call on Members to approve the regulations today. Diolch.
Julie James: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I move the motion. Following the consideration and passing of Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 by the Senedd last year, I am now seeking to make the necessary provisions so as to implement some of the reforms provided by the Act. The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 has strengthening and empowering local government at its core. The new...
Julie James: We already have a very comprehensive adaptations programme in Wales. They do involve local government, local housing associations, and care and repair agencies across Wales. Together, our total annual spend is around £60 million. All providers are required to adhere to the housing adaptations service standards that we issued in 2019. These include target waiting times for different kinds of...
Julie James: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I also want to extend my thanks to Nick Ramsay, the Member for Monmouth, for introducing this very important debate this evening. As he has said, motor neurone disease is a devastating disease. For the most common form of motor neurone disease, life expectancy is usually two to five years from the onset of symptoms, so I entirely agree with him that we...
Julie James: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I welcome the opportunity to bring forward these amending regulations today. The Family Absence for Members of Local Authorities (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 will increase the time allowed for adopter's absence for members of county and county borough councils in Wales. The increase from two to 26 weeks will align with the arrangements already in...
Julie James: Diolch, Deputy Presiding Officer. The Welsh Government does not agree that a grounds-based approach to possession is currently the right one for Wales, and I reiterate once again that, under our Bill, tenants in Wales will have greater security of tenure in relation to a no-fault notice than anywhere else in the UK. Our six-month notice period represents a reasonable balance between the...
Julie James: Diolch, Dirprwy Presiding Officer. I have it in command from Her Majesty the Queen to acquaint the Senedd that Her Majesty, having been informed of the purport of the Renting Homes (Amendment) (Wales) Bill, has given her consent to this Bill.
Julie James: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I would like to begin by thanking the Chairs and members of the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee, the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee and the Finance Committee, as well as all other Members who've contributed to the scrutiny of the Renting Homes (Amendment) (Wales) Bill. A special word of thanks also to the committee...
Julie James: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Elections are essential to our democracy. Anything that impacts them should be taken seriously, so I am pleased to bring these regulations before you and hear the views of colleagues in the Chamber today on the Representation of the People (Amendment) (Wales) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2021. I want to ensure that local by-elections are conducted safely and...
Julie James: Diolch, Llywydd. I thank the Members I mentioned earlier for their contributions to the debate. If the Bill is passed today, we will make every effort to see it become law as soon as possible. We will continue to work closely with returning officers, electoral administrators, the Electoral Commission, the other Governments within the UK and everyone else involved in this year's elections, to...
Julie James: Diolch, Llywydd. I formally move the motion. This Bill has been produced to a challenging timetable in a period of history that is not without its own unique challenges on our usual ways of working. I would like to thank not just the officials who have put this together through an intense period of hard work, but also to the Members here whose contribution to the scrutiny of this Bill has...
Julie James: Diolch, Llywydd. The aim of this Bill is to deliver a safe and fair election for the people of Wales in the face of a public health crisis the like of which we have not previously seen in our lifetimes. The objective in these exceptional times must be to ensure the election can be run in a COVID-safe manner and protecting the fundamental right to vote. It is concerning, therefore, that the...
Julie James: Moved.
Julie James: Diolch, Llywydd. I move amendments 1 and 2 tabled in my name. The amendments provide that regulations making temporary amendments to the National Assembly for Wales (Representation of the People) Order 2007, commonly known as the conduct Order, for the 2021 Senedd election only are subject to the made affirmative procedure, instead of the affirmative procedure. This is to ensure that any...
Julie James: Diolch, Llywydd. As I explained yesterday, the Government's intention is that early voting should be available if, and only if, the Senedd election is postponed from 6 May and is not then combined on a new date with the police and crime commissioner elections. We cannot support the amendment in this group as it would remove the power we need to give effect to that intention. As the Member has...
Julie James: I commend the Member's tenacity in respect of reducing flexibility for the postponement of elections this year. In principle, as a Government, we agree that holding the election during the summer months is preferable to waiting for the autumn. But as I indicated at Stage 2, I believe that 5 November strikes the right balance between flexibility and certainty about when in 2021 postponed...
