Helen Mary Jones: I just want to begin by saying that nobody doubts for a moment the depth of the First Minister's concern and his absolute sincerity in what he is saying today, but I would put it to the First Minister that, of course, action needed to be taken, but did it have to be this action? And, for many people, this just feels too hard, especially for people whose support networks are their friends, not...
Helen Mary Jones: I thank the Deputy Minister for his statement and, obviously, for the advance copy. I'd like to begin my comments by just saying that I think the Welsh Government is to be commended to be looking forward at a time when so much energy is concentrated on dealing with the here and now. I think we can all be very glad that this work has been able to be progressed, faced with the big pressures...
Helen Mary Jones: I know the First Minister will be aware, from the research that he's mentioned, of the disproportional impact of COVID economically on women, and particularly single-parent families, which tend to be led by women. The £500 payment that's available to people on low incomes who are self-isolating is very welcome and we know it's making a big difference and enabling people to self-isolate. But,...
Helen Mary Jones: I rise to contribute to this debate as the Chair of the Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee. We felt it was incumbent upon us to take evidence with regard to the possible effects of the national development framework on the Welsh language and on the Government's own target to reach a million speakers of Welsh. We took evidence on 15 November and we have written to the...
Helen Mary Jones: I'm very grateful to the Llywydd for that response.
Helen Mary Jones: Thank you so much for that answer. I think we must all be very proud of the young people and what they've achieved in these very difficult circumstances, and I think we'd all want to thank the staff very much who've been able to enable them to continue their work in exactly the same way, of course, that the staff of the Senedd have enabled us to continue our work. I have had some concerns,...
Helen Mary Jones: I'm grateful to you, Minister, for your answer. I've been contacted by a young teacher from Llanelli, in my region, who's actually really enthusiastic about the new curriculum. The phrase she used is, 'I can't wait.' But she is very concerned about not being properly prepared, and, at the same time, concerned about being—'distracted' is the wrong word, but having to work so much harder with...
Helen Mary Jones: 7. What assessment has the Minister made of the impact of the pandemic on the implementation of the new curriculum in Mid and West Wales? OQ55923
Helen Mary Jones: 5. Will the Commission provide an update on its support for the work of the Welsh Youth Parliament? OQ55904
Helen Mary Jones: I'd like to thank the Minister for his statement, and, as always, for the advanced copy, and to give him Plaid Cymru's overall support for the direction of travel of the statement. To make my opening remarks, I just would like to associate myself with what the Minister has said about the importance of taxis and private vehicles. There are some communities where they're the only form of public...
Helen Mary Jones: I'm grateful to the Counsel General for his reply. Can I ask how confident he is that we will have a functioning, workable legal framework in important fields, like the environment and agriculture, that were previously derived from European law? He speaks, in his response to Delyth Jewell, about a constructive alternative to the internal market Bill, and, of course, that's the right approach...
Helen Mary Jones: I'm grateful to the Counsel General for his reply. Does he agree with me that in the COVID context there are particular reasons why the UK Government should address this injustice as a matter of urgency? Official advice to the over-60s suggests that people should minimise their contact with others, and yet, many of the 1950s women are working in public-facing roles such as social care, NHS...
Helen Mary Jones: I'm grateful to Joyce for tabling this very important question. First Minister, it's not only online that misinformation about COVID is being shared. It was drawn to my attention last week, a particularly pernicious leaflet being put through people's doors. It was in Pembrokeshire, but I was also made aware that it was happening in Caerphilly. It had an official look about it—you could have...
Helen Mary Jones: 1. Will the Counsel General provide an update on correspondence between the Welsh Government and the UK Government regarding the case of the Women Against State Pension Injustice campaign for 1950s-born women denied their pensions? OQ55902
Helen Mary Jones: 3. What discussions has the Counsel General had with other law officers regarding the legal implications of a 'no deal' Brexit? OQ55903
Helen Mary Jones: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd, and can I say a huge thank you to everybody who has contributed to the debate? Once again with debates arising out of our committee's work we see the breadth of support, the breadth of ideas and the cross-party recognition of how important, in this case, our heritage and cultural sector is to us all. I did think, in response to David Melding, I was being quite nice...
Helen Mary Jones: I'm grateful to you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I trust the Chamber won't be overtired by being slightly subjected to a bit too much Helen Mary Jones this afternoon, but the timetable is, of course, beyond my control. I'm very grateful to have the opportunity to present to the Senedd the culture committee's report on the impact of COVID-19 on heritage and museums. We produced this report,...
Helen Mary Jones: I can tell you this because I'm in very regular contact with the local councillor there, Jon Preston, who has done everything he can to build bridges in communities and to calm people's fears. So, I want to thank all of those local representatives who have done the same. I particularly want to thank the police service. The police and crime commissioner has been to the site himself twice, and...
Helen Mary Jones: I'm very grateful to you, Deputy Llywydd. Like others, I'm grateful to all except one of those who've contributed to this debate. I must explain why we chose to bring it forward, I think. The reason for that is that this is a political debate; these are political decisions that have been made for political reasons, and worse, there are those on the far right who are trying to make political...
Helen Mary Jones: I'd like to thank the Deputy Minister for his statement today and for the technical briefing that he provided to us as opposition Members yesterday. I'd also like to thank his officials. It was very helpful and very enlightening. Of course, this is a very wide-ranging set of proposals. I think we all need to take time to consider them properly and to respond to the consultation, but they are...
