Siân Gwenllian: Mae Bil diddymu arfaethedig Llywodraeth y Deyrnas Unedig yn bygwth datgymalu setliad cyfansoddiadol Cymru yn llwyr, gan gynnwys pwerau Llywodraeth Cymru dros faterion sydd wedi eu datganoli, fel amaethyddiaeth. Yn dilyn y bleidlais ddoe, yma, ar y ddadl ar danio erthygl 50, mae’r ffordd yn glir ar gyfer Bil parhad yr Undeb Ewropeaidd i Gymru. A ydych yn cytuno bod Bil parhad yn...
Siân Gwenllian: Anyone who regularly travels between north and south knows that it’s not a pleasant experience to say the least. Unfortunately, the most practical way of travelling across Wales for very many people is by car, and there have been no significant improvements to the main road linking the north and south of our country since the days of Ieuan Wyn as Deputy First Minister. What work is being...
Siân Gwenllian: It’s crucial that we develop and enhance the work of the Mudiad Meithrin as part of the Government’s 1 million Welsh speakers strategy. Now, of course, we need to work on a number of other fronts, too, in order to achieve that goal. Last week, this was launched—’Reaching the Million’—by Plaid Cymru, setting out the strategic priorities that we must work around. This includes...
Siân Gwenllian: Better jobs, closer to home—for my constituents, what this means is creating quality jobs in north-west Wales, and the Welsh Government is duty-bound to show the way in this regard and to have deliberate policies to ensure that Government jobs are distributed across Wales. When, then, does your Government intend to reform its job location strategy? We need to include specific new criteria...
Siân Gwenllian: Will the First Minister make a statement on direct payments to farmers?
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you, and warm congratulations to Dai Lloyd on his attempt to introduce a Member’s Bill as regards the protection of historic place names in Wales. I’m very pleased to support him today, and I’m confident that he will receive cross-party support. The historic names of Wales are part of our proud heritage, and they deserve the same protection as rare plants and animals. Very often,...
Siân Gwenllian: Plaid Cymru is disappointed that the funding for the free parking programme is being distributed through the revenue support grant, rather than there being a specific pot available for councils to bid for, because there is a risk that this funding won’t be used to its intended purpose. But I do understand, following the meeting I had this morning, and at my request, that you will be...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you. The initial response that I’ve received from councillors mainly, from all parts of Wales, does note a number of grave concerns. While supporting the efforts to make public services in Wales more effective, many are concerned that the proposals outlined in the White Paper put at risk the core principles of local government—principles related to being responsive and being...
Siân Gwenllian: 2. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the initial response from local authorities to the white paper on Welsh local government reform? OAQ(5)0111(FLG)[W]
Siân Gwenllian: As we know, the Family Fund offers about £500 a year to low-income families who most need help. The fact that this money can be used so flexibly is key. One charity manager told me that this is the only source she can turn to now for a number of issues, including, for example, money to support families to have short holidays, which they deserve—weekend breaks that are so beneficial, but...
Siân Gwenllian: Next week, it will be 11 months since Canolfan y Fron submitted an application for a grant from this programme. Delays within the Government are putting the whole project at risk. It’s also almost nine months since GISDA—a vulnerable young people’s charity—sent in their application, and they are still waiting to hear whether they have been successful in their bid. The Government had...
Siân Gwenllian: Yesterday afternoon, you declined to support a Plaid Cymru amendment that would make it mandatory to introduce healthy relationships education in schools. I would like to understand why you rejected that amendment. How are we going to reduce violence against women in a permanent way unless our children and young people have an opportunity to discuss key issues around ensuring healthy...
Siân Gwenllian: Ceredigion was the best performing local authority in terms of recycling in the 12 months up to the end of September 2016, with 70 per cent of waste recycled. All of the local authorities led by Plaid Cymru are reaching the national target of recycling 60 per cent of waste. Some authorities, such as Blaenau Gwent, Cardiff and Bridgend, continue to fail to achieve that national target. Does...
Siân Gwenllian: 8. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on funding plans under the Community Facilities Programme for 2017/18? OAQ(5)0109(CC)[W]
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much, and thank you for bringing this important debate forward today. It is true to say that the situation of women has been transformed since the days of the suffragettes, but equality is a long way from being a reality. I do hope that Plaid Cymru’s amendments note in a practical way a few areas where this Government can bring influence to bear. One of our amendments...
Siân Gwenllian: Yesterday morning at 9 o’clock, a bright, young student from Bangor, and her mother, were supposed to be on a plane to Sri Lanka against their will. Following a brief campaign, Shiromini Satkunarajah was allowed to stay, for the time being at least. Shiromini’s story has grabbed the imagination of thousands of people in all parts of Britain. It’s underlined just how unpleasant the...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you to the committee Chair for setting out the committee’s concerns in a very clear manner. You will have noted that there are many concerns raised by the committee. I’m going to focus on two aspects of the equality committee’s report and the Welsh Government’s response to that report: I want to look at the delivery plan and the role of education. In recommendation 8, our...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you. Plaid Cymru is arguing for a simple regionalisation and that’s what the combined authorities are. We’re also making the case for elected mayors as a way of ensuring accountability. Plaid Cymru does welcome the content of the White Paper in terms of committing to introduce proportional voting as a means of conducting local government elections. We would provide this through STV...
Siân Gwenllian: May I just remind you of what the First Minister said? He said: Most of the people will come from London’. I’ll move on to the White Paper published by you a few weeks ago on local government reform. There are a number of questions arising from that, mainly whether the kind of regional arrangements proposed create complexity and confusion for the people of Wales. One of the main problems...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you, Llywydd. Last week, in response to questions from Plaid Cymru on the location of the new Welsh Revenue Authority, the First Minister said this: we’re talking about jobs requiring specialist skills that aren’t available in Wales, in the main.’ He went on to say: Most of the people will come from London’. Again, when the director of delivery for the authority was asked the...
