Dawn Bowden: I’m going to do that. What I wanted to say, however, is that I think that we do need to recognise that anti-poverty strategies have been at the forefront of Welsh Government policy for many years. In my own constituency, in common with many other constituencies whose representatives have spoken today, we’ve seen incredible work done on a daily basis—on a daily basis—around social...
Dawn Bowden: I thank the First Minister for his answer on that. I just wanted to widen this slightly to road safety issues that certainly have been raised with me, and I’m sure many other Members, particularly relating to safety around schools. It’s often the case that, even with the provision of zebra and pelican crossings, the safety of children travelling to and from schools is a concern. Ideally,...
Dawn Bowden: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. Can I say, I was greatly encouraged by a report last week that highlighted the positive signs of growth in my own constituency of Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney? We have a new factory—General Dynamics—at Pentrebach, bringing in 250 new jobs, high-quality jobs, into the area, and 150 new jobs to EE in Merthyr. And the report also quoted a local restaurant owner,...
Dawn Bowden: 2. Will the Minister make a statement on support for small businesses in Wales? OAQ(5)0052(EI)
Dawn Bowden: Thank you, Bethan Jenkins, for letting me have my minute. Can I also thank Bethan for reminding us about the Merthyr Rising and the part that that played in the development of the trade union movement? I was very honoured to speak at the opening of the Merthyr Rising festival this year, which is the event—a now annual event—that commemorates that particular event. I’m very glad that...
Dawn Bowden: The Cabinet Secretary will be aware of the developments of the Choose Well campaign, which has been promoted jointly by a number of health boards, the ambulance trust, Welsh Government, trade unions and other organisations, as you know. The campaign encourages the public to stop and think before calling an ambulance for non-emergency or life-threatening conditions, or before turning up to A&E...
Dawn Bowden: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, and we’re all acutely aware, clearly, of the benefits that the city deal and the south-east Wales metro would bring to the Valleys areas of Wales. The risks to that development following Brexit we’ve rehearsed ad infinitum in the Chamber, so I’m not going to dwell on those. However, we have welcomed in this Chamber the announcement of the formation of the...
Dawn Bowden: I actually think the Cabinet Secretary has just answered my question as well, but let me just go through it anyway. You’ll recall that I’ve previously raised the issue in this Chamber about the tourism industry in Wales, and our social and historical heritage—the industrial heritage particularly in constituencies like mine. And, so, I was pleased to learn about the Welsh Government’s...
Dawn Bowden: 7. Will the Minister make a statement on the opportunities that the Wales Bill could open up for integrating public transport systems in the south east Wales valleys? OAQ(5)0033(EI)
Dawn Bowden: Will the Minister provide an update on local education authorities that have recently been lifted from special measures?
Dawn Bowden: Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for presenting the Welsh Government’s ‘Together for Mental Health’ delivery plan today? It’s most welcome. The last Labour administration introduced measures that saw a significant increase in funding for mental health services and stated that people who receive these services should have both care and treatment plans in place. Although we know that...
Dawn Bowden: Thank you, acting Presiding Officer. It’s a very brief question. Minister, in addition to the support for apprenticeship programmes, European structural funds did provide for discrete training towards vocational skills and qualifications, and such qualification-focused training is currently provided both in our further education colleges in Wales and through private learning providers. This...
Dawn Bowden: [Continues.]—have not even bothered to stay in this Chamber for the discussion on the very future of those Valleys that they seek to represent. But, can I welcome the statement from the Minister? There’s no doubt that the post-Brexit initiative will now be even more important to the Valleys’ communities of south Wales, as we’ve said. And I’m not going to stand here and repeat...
Dawn Bowden: Before I just ask my question of the Minister, I just wanted to note, and note that this Chamber notes that the UKIP AMs that have been lauding their representation of the Valleys throughout the Assembly elections and have been telling Labour how out of touch they are with the Valleys—
Dawn Bowden: First Minister, during questions to the Cabinet Secretary last month, I was able to highlight a report from Sheffield Hallam University, which identified the disproportionate adverse impact of Tory Government welfare benefits cuts on poorer communities, with particular reference to limiting the local housing benefit to the local housing rate. Another proposal under the new arrangements is to...
Dawn Bowden: Will the First Minister make a statement on progress towards attaining growth targets in the tourism sector in Wales?
Dawn Bowden: Diolch, Lywydd. I actually think that the Cabinet Secretary has probably just answered my question, but I’ll ask it anyway. I think, Cabinet Secretary, we can all be rightly proud here in Wales that we have not seen wide-scale privatisation of local authority services as we’ve witnessed in England. That’s built on the premise that our key public services are at their best and most...
Dawn Bowden: Cabinet Secretary, many of the employment protections offered to workers in Wales are based on protections emanating from the European Union. We’ve already seen indications, as I mentioned yesterday, from some of the leading Brexiteers, that they see part of the negotiations around the UK’s exit from Europe as a chance to undo much of this employment rights legislation, including...
Dawn Bowden: Second.
Dawn Bowden: Huw Irranca-Davies.
