Vikki Howells: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. Firstly, I must say how pleased I am to hear that Rhondda Cynon Taf will be one of the pilot authorities in this scheme. I’m sure it will bring enormous benefits to my area. I have three questions for you today. Firstly, Cabinet Secretary, I wonder what consideration you have given to flexible and alternative models of childcare delivery that fully take account...
Vikki Howells: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. I recently visited Pontypridd High School in my constituency and had a useful discussion with the headteacher on how Schools Challenge Cymru was helping them to drive up standards. For example, 2016 marked their best ever performance in terms of GCSE results. Having taught myself in a Schools Challenge Cymru school, which last year was the second best improved...
Vikki Howells: 7. Will the Minister make a statement on the ending of the Schools Challenge Cymru programme? OAQ(5)0037(EDU)
Vikki Howells: First Minister, just over a third of business premises in England and Northern Ireland, and just under half in Scotland, currently benefit from business rate relief compared to over 70 per cent of Welsh businesses. I look forward to the publication of the Welsh Government’s permanent rate relief scheme for small businesses, but will the Welsh Government make sure that this is still the most...
Vikki Howells: Building works will start in my constituency soon on a new community primary school at Cwmaman, where the local authority is using twenty-first century schools funding to deliver school facilities that are fit for purpose. Will you join with me, Cabinet Secretary, in congratulating Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council for the way in which it is engaging with the twenty-first century...
Vikki Howells: From my meetings with stakeholders, including groups of farmers in my constituency, kindly organised by the FUW and the NFU, but also meetings that I’ve held with animal welfare organisations, I know that the adoption of a balanced and bespoke approach to tackling bovine TB, outlined in the Cabinet Secretary’s statement, will be of reassurance to them. We know that 95 per cent of...
Vikki Howells: I would like to thank you, Cabinet Secretary. I very much welcome your announcement today. I understand that the Welsh Government is clearly at a very early stage with regard to the commission, but one thing I would like to focus on is the fact that these infrastructure developments that we are looking at must be linked back to good jobs and work and training opportunities. I was struck by a...
Vikki Howells: It is important that we provide primary care facilities that are fit for purpose and that meet demand. Cwm Taf university health board and RCT council are collaborating to develop a new health centre in Mountain Ash that will do exactly this. How is the Welsh Government working with partners to improve primary care facilities across Wales?
Vikki Howells: I’d like to start by thanking the Members in whose name this motion is tabled today. I’ll focus my remarks on the first two points of the motion, and in doing so, I’ll return to a theme I covered a few weeks ago in my short debate on outdoor education in Wales. As the motion notes, just under two thirds of Welsh children do not get the recommended hour of physical activity, which they...
Vikki Howells: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. The town centre partnership fund has brought lots of benefits, including to Aberdare in my constituency. When I speak to people in many other town and village centres, they feel that they too could also benefit from support. Would Welsh Government have any plans for looking at what lessons can be drawn from the partnership fund, to develop targeted support so...
Vikki Howells: Thank you. I was pleased last week to be able to attend the opening of two accessible play areas in my constituency, at Cilfynydd and Glyncoch. In both cases, improvements have been the result of well-supported community campaigns and welcome investment from Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council. Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child sets out a right to play. How is...
Vikki Howells: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. I recently met with a group of farmers in Ynysybwl, which is a marginal farmland area in my constituency, at a meeting organised by the National Farmers Union. We discussed the acidic quality of local soil, and it was suggested that liming of the soil in the area may benefit farmers, but would also bring environmental improvements. Would the Welsh Government...
Vikki Howells: 1. Will the Minister provide an update on how the Welsh Government is supporting farmers in the Cynon Valley? OAQ(5)0042(ERA)
Vikki Howells: 3. What action is the Welsh Government taking to improve access to play for children in Cynon Valley? OAQ(5)0043(CC)
Vikki Howells: 11. What are the Minister’s priorities for promoting regeneration within the Cynon Valley? OAQ(5)0044(CC)
Vikki Howells: First Minister, I recently met with Careers Wales staff in Aberdare, and they told me how they’re using the ReAct programme to ensure that people in my constituency who have been affected by redundancy have the skills they need to seek alternative employment. Do you agree with me, First Minister, that Careers Wales and the ReAct programme have a crucial role to play in helping people...
Vikki Howells: Cabinet Secretary, I’ve been contacted by constituents who are concerned about delays in neuroendocrine tumour referrals. What assurances can you give that such referrals take place within the timeframes and guidelines recommended by the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee?
Vikki Howells: 6. What action is the Welsh Government taking to improve services for people affected by neuroendocrine tumours? OAQ(5)0043(HWS)
Vikki Howells: What are the Welsh Government's priorities for the delivery of primary care services in the Cynon Valley?
Vikki Howells: To date, Cynon Valley has been firmly aligned with the Cardiff city region, and, while I welcome this association and the many benefits it may bring, in geographic and economic terms, my constituency also has many links with the Swansea bay area. What assurances could you provide, First Minister, that the city region model will be flexible enough to incorporate the best interests of...
