Carolyn Thomas: What steps is the Welsh Government taking to protect residents in North Wales from the cost-of-living crisis?
Carolyn Thomas: Around 75 per cent of households are expected to be supported in some way by the Welsh Government's cost-of-living interventions, with increased support targeted at households in the bottom half of the income distribution. We know the winter fuel support payment is valued by people who received it and one recipient in my region of North Wales said, 'the £100 alleviated my poverty for this...
Carolyn Thomas: Thank you to Luke for bringing this proposal forward. It's one I've long supported, indeed the Senedd petition for 'no pet' clauses to be banned, which was signed by more than 850 people, originated in my constituency of North Wales by Sam Swash. On a principle level, it's completely unfair that being able to own a pet is currently reliant on whether you own a house or not. The lack of...
Carolyn Thomas: What discussions has the Counsel General had with other UK law officers regarding the implications for Wales of potential changes to the application of the Northern Ireland protocol?
Carolyn Thomas: One crucial way to ensure that budgeting delivers for women is through making strategic investments in the care sector. We know that these investments would not just deliver for women, they would also boost our economy and increase overall employment. Research has shown that investing 2 per cent of GDP in care would create almost as many jobs for men as investing in construction industries,...
Carolyn Thomas: Thank you. Can I begin by welcoming this trial and thanking my colleague Jack Sargeant for the groundwork that he's put in to make it a reality? Anxiety and money troubles can be all-consuming and prevent people from thriving or living healthy, happy lives. Financial stability could mean the difference between care leavers learning new skills, being able to afford to network and socialise...
Carolyn Thomas: 5. What outcomes is the Welsh Government hoping to achieve from the universal basic income pilot for care leavers in North Wales? OQ58318
Carolyn Thomas: Could you ask that contractors in Holyhead engage with local partners to maximise opportunities for local workers, and also with the supply chains? And also, if you do have conversations with UK Government and HMRC, could you say that there is an existing Welsh Government-owned European-funded high-fibre network connection that could be utilised now by any telecoms carrier or internet...
Carolyn Thomas: No, I won't, thank you.
Carolyn Thomas: And any fit-for-purpose transport network must put their needs at the forefront of planned improvements. It's for this reason that I was pleased to hear in the Chamber last week that the £2.9 million annual funding subsidies for flights from Anglesey will be diverted to invest in public transport in north Wales, and the region will be made a priority for the 197 trains, which are much...
Carolyn Thomas: I would like to begin by expressing my solidarity with Rail, Maritime and Transport workers currently on strike across the UK. Rail staff work all hours, seven days a week, to keep the country moving. Far from modernising our railway, the UK Government now want to make compulsory redundancies, with cuts to thousands of rail jobs. The rail workers involved in the dispute include on-train and...
Carolyn Thomas: Thank you. Sorry, I was too late to speak on this item. I just want to clarify something—that we are talking about community facilities, which are really important. Because I do have a bit of an issue about the Conservatives believing that public services could be run by volunteers, and that passing on community facilities to voluntary groups, rather than being run by public funding, to cut...
Carolyn Thomas: What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the impact of pre-payment meters on rental tenants?
Carolyn Thomas: I'm pleased to be able to speak in this important debate today. Over the next 10 years, we need to see serious action taken to address the climate emergency and, of course, a move to renewable energy. But, we must be sure to highlight that green hydrogen is very different to blue or grey hydrogen and that they should not be treated the same. To quote the former chair of the UK Hydrogen and...
Carolyn Thomas: Thank you for that explanation, Minister. I understand the flights have been costly and agree with your reasoning for not restarting the service. I welcome that the millions of pounds saved by cancelling these flights will be invested into connectivity in north Wales, both digital, through the excellent digital signal processing centre in Bangor, and the roll-out of the pilots in Anglesey of...
Carolyn Thomas: 1. Will the Minister make a statement on the announcement of the future of the Cardiff to Anglesey public service obligation flights? TQ637
Carolyn Thomas: I will.
Carolyn Thomas: I do indeed, I do indeed. I know there is a consensus amongst broadcasters in Wales that a new public service media settlement is needed to maintain prominence and sustainability. Prominence is of course of huge importance, given the dominance of social media and smart tvs. Already, the most promoted sources of information online are from the Daily Mail and The Sun—highly biased...
Carolyn Thomas: Publicly-owned, independent media is critical to our democracy and to the accessibility of unbiased information. The broadcasting sector plays a crucial role informing, entertaining and creating a common cultural citizenship in Wales. Broadcasters are vital contributors to the growth of our economy, to devolution and to the delivery of our ambitions for sustaining and growing the Welsh...
Carolyn Thomas: Okay, thank you. I'd just like to end by thanking all staff that have worked really hard during the pandemic and continue to do so now. Thank you very much.
