Mandy Jones: 2. What assessment has the Minister made of the effect of COVID-19 on non-COVID-19 related health services in north Wales? OQ55406
Mandy Jones: Thank you for that answer. I'd like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to all staff, both Commission and AMSS. They continue to provide the excellent levels of service we have come to expect, even in these trying times. It's clear that staff and Members of the Senedd can work effectively and remotely from home or elsewhere with all of the benefits of not fighting through traffic jams,...
Mandy Jones: Thank you, Minister. As you know, eye-watering sums of money have come from the UK Government to help the Welsh economy during lockdown, as well as your own Government's repurposing and reimagining of existing budgets and funds. Anyone who manages a household budget can see that there will be a knock-on effect for future Welsh budgets and the services that they support. How deep will...
Mandy Jones: Thank you. First Minister, a major study of home schooling during lockdown by University College London's Institute of Education has highlighted some worrying findings about how children's education in Wales may be suffering. They suggest that, on your watch, children in Wales are doing less schoolwork and receiving less online education than their peers across the rest of the UK while...
Mandy Jones: 6. What assessment has the First Minister made of the effect of lockdown on educational attainment in North Wales? OQ55364
Mandy Jones: 7. What assessment has the Minister made of the impact of Covid-19 on future Welsh budgets? OQ55355
Mandy Jones: 2. What assessment has the Commission made of the impact of lockdown on future working practices for both Members of the Senedd and Commission staff? OQ55356
Mandy Jones: Rhun, me and you both smoke, so we're both guilty of something on that one. We've been in lockdown now for more than 13 weeks. We were told this was to protect the NHS and to flatten the curve. I think we all understood that the timing of the lockdown was very finely balanced, but I doubt anyone consented to having their liberty curtailed for this length of time. And now here we are 13 weeks...
Mandy Jones: Diolch, Llywydd. I know there was a lot of noise around the UK Government's specific provision for zoos and aquariums, allowing each concern to access grant funding of up to £100,000. I wrote to Ken Skates some weeks ago, on the Welsh Mountain Zoo in particular, and he gave assurances that Welsh zoos had not missed out. As lockdown hopefully continues to relax, will you join me in asking the...
Mandy Jones: Is that okay?
Mandy Jones: Thank you, Deputy Llywydd. Thanks for your update, Minister. As we all know, Wales relies on tourism, and nowhere more so than the region I represent and the one for which you have ministerial responsibility. Tourism's big business. We do it well in Wales. People love coming here for holidays. They spend their money improving our economy. But I'm being told by the caravan park sector in...
Mandy Jones: I've just asked two questions—
Mandy Jones: I welcome the opportunity to contribute today, and I welcome very much what the Minister has said in her two statements. The COVID crisis has been hard, but there are also many wins, and the temporary eradication of homelessness is one of them. Local authorities and the third sector have responded brilliantly in very, very challenging circumstances. I note the initial investment of £10...
Mandy Jones: I'm grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this debate today, and I can confirm that my group will support the motion as it stands. There is no issue to take with public health being at the forefront of any plan to return to some semblance of normality, no issue to take with acknowledging the efforts of the general public in observing the rules, and every support for the gratitude...
Mandy Jones: Thank you, Minister, for your statement today. This is my first appearance via Zoom, and I'd like to place on record my thanks to the Senedd staff who have made this possible—that was due to my own circumstances at home. And I'll use this opportunity, also, to give a heartfelt thank you to all of the key workers who have kept this country going, and to those following the rules and doing...
Mandy Jones: Commissioner, the expert panel advising on electoral reform, specifically extending the franchise to 16 and 17-year-olds, recommended a programme of proper political education as part of the curriculum. Has this education really been going on for long enough, as the new law has only just recently passed, and what representation has the Assembly Commission made to the Welsh Government to make...
Mandy Jones: Thank you for that answer. Minister, your Government has made a commitment to not increase income tax rates during this Assembly term. What assessment have you made of the impact of increased rates of income tax on the Welsh economy and Welsh families, should a rise be instigated in the next Assembly?
Mandy Jones: 1. Will the Minister make a statement on the Welsh rates of income tax? OAQ55207
Mandy Jones: First Minister, your 2016 manifesto pledge, and I quote, 'We will seek to create stronger, larger local authorities', as Welsh Labour apparently recognised the then vital role that local authorities play in everyone's lives—. Can you provide an update, please, on your reform of local government, or is this promise going to go in the same bin as the M4 relief road?
Mandy Jones: Minister, my question's basically the same as Angela's. Under the freedom of information request, more than 1.5 million trees have been felled on NRW land to make way for windfarms across Wales. My second part would be: what measures does your Government take to mitigate the loss of such vast swathes of the ecosystem, and how can you justify one against the other?
