Bethan Sayed: Why is, therefore, better in the hands of the British Government if they also voted in that way?
Bethan Sayed: Yes, of course, I would definitely agree with that. There have been a lot of myths peddled about the policy cost of energy. What we do know is that it constitutes a fraction of the price of utility bills, and we also know that there is a snowball’s chance in hell of seeing that market reformed. So, a renewable energy power station remains the best option—the only option. Similarly, the...
Bethan Sayed: I stand to move Plaid Cymru’s amendments. There is premature and then there is this debate. Look at the chaos engulfing British politics. The Prime Minister gone. What was his most likely successor gone. A leadership battle in the Labour Party. And yet, even as their own party leader resigns, for now, and leaves his mess for the rest of us to sort, we have the UK Independence Party somehow...
Bethan Sayed: Thank you. I recently raised an issue with the leader of the house on a local issue brought to me by a constituent, who is trying to keep an autistic grandchild in a special school, Maes y Coed, in the Neath area for an extra year, in addition to the school year, until they can reach agreement with Abertawe Bro Morgannwg health board on the long-term future. There is provision to allow this...
Bethan Sayed: 7. Will the Minister make a statement on the provision of education for autistic pupils? OAQ(5)0006(EDU)
Bethan Sayed: Will the Minister make a statement on the provision of financial education?
Bethan Sayed: Yes, it’s fine.
Bethan Sayed: I use ‘Senedd’ all the time in my social life.
Bethan Sayed: Will you give way?
Bethan Sayed: Do you think that if you just put it in Welsh though, you wouldn’t even have the problem of people potentially misunderstanding whether it was the UK Parliament or the Welsh parliament? In Welsh, then, it would be unique in and of itself, or would you disagree with that?
Bethan Sayed: Thank you, Llywydd. I’d like to speak to these amendments. I think that I will start the debate here today, but I won’t perhaps push it to a vote, so that we can have a debate on this change of name in the Assembly and then allow the Presiding Officer to consult widely on the situation. First of all, I’d like to welcome the opportunity to discuss this issue and the open wording of the...
Bethan Sayed: Diolch. The background to this statement here today, I believe, is a manifesto commitment that the First Minister made in April. But, when he announced this taskforce, he said it was being done, and I quote: ‘to challenge the relentless pessimism that we hear from Plaid Cymru…in the Valleys. To listen to them, you’d think that nothing ever happened here. Well, it’s our job to put them...
Bethan Sayed: I just wanted to ask a business question based on the fact that I wanted to have a statement on Government involvement in the setting up of fanzones across Wales, especially in light of the semi-finals. I’m getting quite a lot of messages as we speak here today of people who haven’t been able to get tickets for the Principality Stadium—fans who’ve followed the matches throughout the...
Bethan Sayed: First Minister, a cap on housing benefit at local housing allowance rates will apply from April 2018, but only to tenancies signed after April 2016. This reform is better intended to align the rules in the private and the social rented sectors, but it will lead to prospective tenants experiencing further issues of affordability if they are in receipt of benefits or require welfare support in...
Bethan Sayed: I nominate Dr Dai Lloyd.
Bethan Sayed: All eyes on me.
Bethan Sayed: I was wondering whether we could have a statement on safety levels at Tata Steel. I say this because I have had a trickle of concerns, initially from constituents, with regard to safety aspects with the job cuts there, but it’s actually turned into quite a torrent from constituents who work at Tata Steel. I wonder if we could have a statement to understand if the Government has been talking...
Bethan Sayed: First Minister, I echo the concerns raised by Julie Morgan in relation to the racist comments that have happened since the European vote last week, and I would condemn that approach to the reaction to the European referendum. But I wonder whether you have considered how, moving forward—with the communities Minister, potentially—we can try and bring communities together. Because, a lot of...
Bethan Sayed: Thank you for that answer. The third question, and I’m sure you are very much aware of this—. I had a Bill on financial inclusion and education in the last Assembly term, and I worked closely with the former Minister and a group working on new ideas and a new strategy for financial inclusion and education. Can I ask you what is happening with that crucial work? I had a representative on...
Bethan Sayed: Thank you for that answer. Obviously, I’m not against other Ministers having poverty within their portfolios, but we must make sure that there is, ultimately, one Minister who will be responsible. We have had experiences in committee where we have asked various Ministers questions on poverty, and they have always potentially not answered those questions because it has not been within their...
