Joyce Watson: The point is—and you’ve done it again—you’ve closed down the debate; you don’t seem to understand the need to have a debate about this. I know full well how many tourist operators there are in my area, and I will make representations on behalf of those whom I have already replied to, who get in contact with me, without question. Because, if you had one inch of restraint, I was going...
Joyce Watson: Not now. I’ve only just started. You had your say earlier on. And all four—a levy to fund social care, a packaging tax, a tax on vacant land and the tourism levy—do have huge potential for good, and they have pitfalls as well. That’s why this process is so compelling. Welsh Government has said it will test all four proposals before submitting one of them to the UK Government early...
Joyce Watson: I did think that the premise of today’s debate—. It seems to me, the Tories don’t actually want a debate at all; they’ve called for a debate, but what they don’t want is a debate. And, I would’ve thought—perhaps naively—that politicians, regardless of colour, would be eager to have a national conversation about the fundamental issues of how we raise and how we spend taxes. The...
Joyce Watson: When Britain does leave the EU, the Charter of Fundamental Rights will no longer have any effect in UK law. That means that those rights not covered by the human rights Act—for example, the rights of the child, workers’ rights and discrimination—could be scrapped. The great repeal Bill White Paper does promise, however, to protect existing rights. I don’t know about you, First...
Joyce Watson: 9. What guarantees has the First Minister obtained from the UK Government during Brexit discussions in relation to securing human rights? (OAQ51249)
Joyce Watson: I’ve been reading with interest this morning about some of the allegations that have been surrounding the delivery—or the non-delivery, to be exact—of children’s services within Powys. I find it somewhat disconcerting to hear that you, equally, Minister, have found out for the first time by reading things online or listening to the news, in whichever form that arrives. And it seems...
Joyce Watson: Yesterday, we had a round-table meeting, and the room was full of experts in the field of ending human trafficking or slavery in Wales. One of the issues that came up time and time again was the 45 days in which victims have to prove their case and get through the national referral mechanism—NRM—and the wish to make that a much longer period, a minimum of 60 days. I know that those powers...
Joyce Watson: Thank you very much for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. I was very pleased over the summer to hear of the £4.2 million investment, £3 million of which was from the European regional development fund for a cutting-edge veterinary hub at Aberystwyth University. It’s a much welcome investment for mid Wales, and it will, I’m sure, help to put that on the map. The important research carried...
Joyce Watson: 1. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the Welsh Government’s priorities for the farming industry in Wales? (OAQ51203)
Joyce Watson: I call on the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs to reply to the debate.
Joyce Watson: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary.
Joyce Watson: We move on now to the legislative consent motion on the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Relief from Non-Domestic Rates) Bill, and I call on the leader of the house.
Joyce Watson: We move on now to a statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Education on the update on GCSE early entry, and I call on the Cabinet Secretary for Education to make the statement. Kirsty Williams.
Joyce Watson: Before I call the Cabinet Secretary to respond, can I ask people to check their phones?
Joyce Watson: I’m also going to ask for two statements. And the first one, leader of the house, that I would like is a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs on whether or not she will consider looking at increasing the maximum jail term for animal abuse from six months to five years. The UK Government have recently announced their intention to increase the maximum prison...
Joyce Watson: I too am appalled to read this report today, and it all really does come down to lack of leadership in management, and it’s clear that it’s political leadership that’s been lacking. We all know that children are very often the most vulnerable within our society, and they do deserve at least a minimum commitment to them in the delivery of the services, as do the staff. There are staff...
Joyce Watson: [Continues.]—in Pembrokeshire very carefully the voting patterns of the two MPs who do owe their constituents explanations about their actions, which secure the jobs and the futures of the people that depend on them in Pembrokeshire.
Joyce Watson: I’ll do my best, Chair. Anyway, I was a member of the previous Assembly’s Enterprise and Business Committee, and I did take part in the 2012 inquiry into international connectivity through Welsh ports. Again, in February 2016, that committee reported on the potential of the maritime economy. Of course, we all know that much has changed since then. Brexit looms and it does have a massive...
Joyce Watson: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, and I really do welcome that much needed investment from Welsh Government. As I’m sure most of us agree, whilst non-teaching activities are critical to the running of a school, teachers’ time would be far better directed at teaching activities, and reducing unnecessary burdens is essential to achieving that. So, Cabinet Secretary, as I understand it, there...
Joyce Watson: 8. What is the Welsh Government doing to help reduce unnecessary burdens on teachers? (OAQ51109)
