Leanne Wood: First Minister, last week when I asked you, you revealed that your plan to address the homelessness crisis that we face in Wales was to wait for a Labour Government to come to power in Westminster. Now, I’m sure that will be of great comfort to the many rough sleepers in Wales ahead of the fast-approaching winter. If we had powers over Jobcentre Plus and administrative control over...
Leanne Wood: We all know that it is your preferred option, and that sounds very much to us on this side of the Chamber like business as usual and a missed opportunity, First Minister. Now, in the national strategy, mention is also made of rural communities, the need to sustain the agricultural industry, and the world-class food and drink sector that you aspire to. You say that you’ll do this through...
Leanne Wood: That’s not a very convincing answer, First Minister. The strategy that you’ve produced contains four cross-cutting themes, and the Act says that there are seven well-being goals. One of those goals—a globally responsible Wales—is not mentioned in your strategy at all. You imply that, because of the Act, you will use investment decisions, infrastructure decisions and planning decisions...
Leanne Wood: Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, since the passage of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, what has your Government done differently?
Leanne Wood: 3. How will the First Minister ensure the success of the Welsh Government's long-term strategy to combat homelessness? (OAQ51168)
Leanne Wood: First Minister, you can’t condemn Westminster for callousness while still accepting that the powers to prevent homelessness remain in Westminster. You’re right—you have recently reformed the homelessness system to adopt a more preventative approach, but clearly there remain a great number of people who have fallen through the very wide holes in your safety net. Now, if you accept that...
Leanne Wood: Homelessness is on the increase, First Minister, and that’s from rough sleeping counts, applications for homelessness support, people in temporary accommodation, evictions—the lot. Here in Cardiff, The Wallich estimates that there’s been an 18 per cent increase in rough sleeping compared to the same quarter in 2016. It comes as no surprise, to us at least, that this is happening....
Leanne Wood: Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, homelessness is a blight on any civilised society. Have you noticed that the number of rough sleepers is currently increasing?
Leanne Wood: What assessment has the First Minister made of the increase in the number of people sleeping rough?
Leanne Wood: You could argue there should be multiple sites, First Minister. All of the problems that you have just outlined will not be solved by building this megaprison so close to another new prison. Your economic policy is leading us to a situation where our national interests are not being upheld. Devolution and self-government are supposed to allow us to look after our own needs, to be an equal...
Leanne Wood: I’m glad you raised the question of the land, First Minister, because there’s a vision for a Swansea metro that has the potential to transform the city and its hinterland, and it’s the most attractive vision for our second city that we’ve seen in years. But the land earmarked for the Baglan prison appears to sit on the blueprint. Plaid Cymru’s view of that prison is well known, and...
Leanne Wood: Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, can you imagine a country where megaprisons are placed in the middle of so-called enterprise zones? Or can you imagine a country that ends up being described as a Botany Bay of the twenty-first century and as a penal colony? Well, those were the words of Frances Crook, the respected chief executive of the Howard League. First Minister, Wales must be the only...
Leanne Wood: Is it a ‘no’?
Leanne Wood: Will you take an intervention?
Leanne Wood: What steps is the Welsh Government taking to address homelessness?
Leanne Wood: Today’s statement represents another important update on the EU withdrawal Bill and the Welsh response. We, in Plaid Cymru, have had a consistent position since the EU referendum was announced that the Welsh national interest must be defended. That means an ‘all hands on deck’ approach from those committed to protecting the powers of this Assembly and this country, and I say that...
Leanne Wood: You sound complacent, First Minister, and your answers here this afternoon seem to suggest that things are already going so well, that this is as good as it gets. Not so much a decade of delivery, but it’s a decade of complacency. We need, First Minister, a country where there is a premium on self-Government. Making our own decisions is an essential first step, and Plaid Cymru is proud that...
Leanne Wood: Well, people are still leaving, First Minister, as you well know. And, last year, you said that Labour is halfway through a decade of delivery. But, for many people, the current performance of devolved Government is mediocre to say the least, and has been seen as making no difference to their lives or the quality of public services. And those aren’t my words, but the findings of research on...
Leanne Wood: Diolch, Llywydd. It’s almost 20 years to the day since the vote in 1997 to establish this institution, and with a new term must come a new chapter in the Welsh story. First Minister, I personally won’t forget the triumph, where so many of us in this Chamber, and outside, helped to deliver a victory for our nation on that night. Governing ourselves is a victory in itself. No other country...
Leanne Wood: There’s a link between waiting times and the number of staff that you’ve got working in the service. Recent figures have shown that the number of nurses and midwives in the UK leaving the profession has risen by 51 per cent in four years. Within these figures, released by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, home-grown nurses have been found to be leaving in the largest numbers. Now, the...
