Joyce Watson: I thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your statement and I am optimistic that these new enhanced measures will continue the significant progress that has been made towards eradicating bovine TB in Wales, which has already seen a 40 per cent drop in cases since 2009. I share your resolve to clear up the long-standing TB breakdowns, the cost to the public purse and the personal misery that they...
Joyce Watson: [Continues.]—the universal credit that is going to see people without money for six weeks to be dismissed by a Prime Minister, when she was interviewed on that principle, saying, ‘We’ll work something out’. Well, I’m glad that she can work something out, because I know one thing: when you have no money whatsoever for six weeks to feed yourself, to pay your rent, or to send your...
Joyce Watson: Thank you—diolch, Llywydd. Cabinet Secretary, there’s an awful lot to go through here, but there is one thing that is abundantly clear and that is that this budget has been designed to look after those people who need that support the most, to support the people in Wales against the austerity that is emanating from the Tory Government in Westminster. And it’s a Government that is...
Joyce Watson: First Minister, there was an awful lot to welcome in the transport Minister’s latest statement on the next franchise, and what was particularly welcome was the commitment to keep a guard on every single service, something that people have campaigned quite heavily to see, and they welcome it. The other commitment was that the new rolling stock should be maintained by workers, ideally, here...
Joyce Watson: I thank you, First Minister, for that answer. Last week, I was delighted to attend and speak at the launch of the tenth Welsh Black History Month. Events, which are held throughout October, help us to reflect on the rich heritage of Wales and the diverse make-up of its people and their contribution to shaping Wales. And it gives us an opportunity as a parliamentary body to reach out to black...
Joyce Watson: 1. Will the First Minister make a statement on how Wales has gained from being an ethnically diverse country? (OAQ51135)
Joyce Watson: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I will be speaking today about surface water flooding and why, in short, we need more gardens and fewer patios. I look forward to hearing from my colleague for Swansea East, Mike Hedges, and from the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs. It was one of the Cabinet Secretary’s predecessors, Jane Davidson, when she was the Minister for Environment,...
Joyce Watson: In 2009, the Assembly approved my proposal to introduce a backbench Bill, or what was known then as a legislative competence Order, to deal with flooding by curbing the use of hard surfaces around people’s homes. That was one of the main recommendations of the Pitt review, given that almost 80 per cent of flooding was caused by surface water flooding, not by rivers overrunning and not by...
Joyce Watson: The proposal is to note the committee’s report. Does anybody object? The motion is therefore agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
Joyce Watson: We move on now to item 9, the debate on the External Affairs and Additional Legislation Committee’s report, ‘Inquiry into the future of regional policy—what next for Wales?’ I therefore call on the Chair of the committee to move that motion, David Rees.
Joyce Watson: I now call on Russell George to reply to the debate.
Joyce Watson: I call on the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure, Ken Skates.
Joyce Watson: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the future use of EU funds in Wales?
Joyce Watson: I’m really pleased to see this statement today by you, Cabinet Secretary, and I’m really pleased to see the continued support with innovation in marine energy projects, as something that I’ve been involved in for a very long time. I’m not going to repeat—I’m sure you’ll all be pleased—all that’s gone before, but I will point to one area of particular interest for me, and...
Joyce Watson: First Minister, I took the opportunity during the summer recess to meet with staff and also the chief executive of Hywel Dda health board. I particularly focused on the issue of the paediatric ambulatory care unit in Withybush and all the headline stories that we have heard. What I was told quite clearly is that they recognise that they have recruitment problems and that those recruitment...
Joyce Watson: I thank you for your answer, Cabinet Secretary, and I’m pleased to see that a number of the families will be from the Gwynedd area, included within that pilot. I do think that piloting the childcare offer is the right approach. We’ve all seen that some local authorities and other providers in England are having huge problems with rolling out their project. So, do you agree with me that...
Joyce Watson: I agree that they are unacceptable and there have been between 70 and 118 incidents of slurry pollution entering Welsh rivers annually, which makes it more than one a week. And I do appreciate that most farmers will comply with the law, but the stats suggest that some are clearly falling outside of that. A recent investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism has suggested that some...
Joyce Watson: 10. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on pollution in Welsh rivers? (OAQ51035)
Joyce Watson: 4. Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on the Welsh Government’s childcare pilot scheme? (OAQ51034)
Joyce Watson: I thank you for that answer. The National Crime Agency recently said that modern day slavery or forced labour is now so widespread that ordinary people are likely to come unwittingly into contact with victims every single day, and those victims will be found within the key industries, particularly highlighting agriculture, domestic and social care, fishing, food processing, car washing, and...
