Luke Fletcher: Of course.
Luke Fletcher: Da iawn, Mike. Just one more to add to the list of demands that Plaid Cymru are asking for. I'll finish on this. Jokingly, in a seminar I had in uni with Richard Wyn Jones, he said that perhaps there should be a statue of Thatcher outside the Senedd—I will ask Members to stick with me on this one for the time being. [Laughter.] Thatcher was no doubt a contributing factor to devolution being...
Luke Fletcher: Okay, well, clearly you weren't listening well enough, Gareth, because Sioned had mentioned that in her contribution. I would just say, stop deflecting all the time. We've seen a Prime Minister advocate for trickle-down economics, tax cuts, removing the cap on bankers' bonuses, and, by the way, no windfall tax at all on energy companies, who are making billions while people see their bills go...
Luke Fletcher: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'd like to thank the Members and the Minister who contributed to this debate. Today, we've heard lots of stats, figures and accounts that set out the terrifying scale of the cost-of-living crisis, but none of this can truly capture or describe the impact of this deprivation and destitution on those who are experiencing it. More than four in 10 Welsh adults—that's 43...
Luke Fletcher: I'm not denying that at all.
Luke Fletcher: For me, knowing now, especially now given the cost-of-living crisis, that free school meals will be universal in primary schools is a moment of reflection, a moment to remember my own experiences in school, and a moment to remember as well the long battle to get to this point in the first place. I am proud that Plaid Cymru has never given up on this policy. Looking at the current situation,...
Luke Fletcher: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd dros dro. I'll keep it short. I understand that the Government is being pulled in all different directions by Members on what they should be spending on, and there are a number of priorities to consider. I would like to make the case for increasing the payments of the education maintenance allowance. It was a massive relief to families when it was introduced back in...
Luke Fletcher: To start, when tackling the climate crisis, we can't focus solely on decarbonisation of the economy. It is an important part, yes, but we also need wider change in how our economy works and how we go about our day-to-day lives. We need a substantial transformation and reorganisation of the current economic system to effectively tackle climate change and respond to the consequences of the...
Luke Fletcher: Thank you for that response, Minister.
Luke Fletcher: The reality is that child poverty has remained alarmingly high over the past decade. Whilst my colleague Liz Saville Roberts raised with the Prime Minister in Prime Minister's questions today that he should scrap the two-child limit and reinstate the £20 uplift for all families entitled to welfare—by the way, I have to say, it was another poor response from him on this issue—I am keen to...
Luke Fletcher: Thank you for that answer, Minister, and I'd very much appreciate an update on that front. Of course, as I mentioned, there are several reasons for the shortage of staff in hospitality. From experience, wages in hospitality need to improve, their work-life balance element needs to improve, security of work, and, as well, workplace conditions need to improve, as we've seen in the recent...
Luke Fletcher: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Given that this is the last economy spokesperson's questions before the summer recess and that many of us will be engaging with the hospitality sector in one way or another, I thought we'd take a look at that sector. The picture for hospitality continues to be fairly uncertain. As I'm sure the Minister is aware, not only have we had the shortages in staff, but the...
Luke Fletcher: 1. Will the Minister make a statement on reports that child poverty rose in Wales during the pandemic despite falling across the rest of the UK nations? TQ657
Luke Fletcher: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm sure the Minister can guess what I'm about to draw his attention to. I raised with you last week my concerns with the speed at which Bridgend are going in relation to Welsh-medium education. Looking at the Welsh in education strategic plan published by Bridgend County Borough Council, they state that the Welsh Government has set the target of increasing...
Luke Fletcher: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank you, Minister, for the statement. Certainly, it's good to see progress being made in this area.
Luke Fletcher: From the outset, I'd like to reiterate Plaid Cymru's support for the young person's guarantee, and our desire, similar to that of the Welsh Conservatives, to work constructively with the Government on this. Especially during this cost-of-living crisis, I think it's important that young people feel that there is an opportunity in Wales, and this, of course, plays a part in ensuring that. Of...
Luke Fletcher: My thanks to John Griffiths for yielding a portion of his time. This is an important debate to have, and I agree wholeheartedly that knowledge provides that route out of poverty. Members know this already about me, but I was on free school meals and the education maintenance allowance growing up and, before I came into politics, I was a bartender. I'm not sure if John remembers—I hope he...
Luke Fletcher: Diolch, Llywydd. One hundred billion pounds a year—that's how much the Financial Times estimates that not being a part of the single market and customs union has cost the UK. On top of that, £40 billion less revenue to the Treasury a year and the UK lagging behind the rest of the G7 in pandemic recovery. That's where we're at. Not being part of the single market is undeniably making us...
Luke Fletcher: The Welsh Government's winter fuel support scheme sets out to support those most vulnerable, and it's valued by those who receive it, as Carolyn pointed out. But my concern lies with those that don't receive it. My constituent Michelle is a disabled full-time unpaid carer for her disabled husband. They depend on their personal independence payments and her carers allowance to survive. As she...
Luke Fletcher: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd, and I’d like to thank the Minister for her response and Members from across the Chamber for their contributions. I think there’s, hopefully, cross-party agreement that there is a need to act here. I always hear a lot about Arthur. I haven’t actually met Arthur yet, but I think the point Jane made, and Jack as well, around homelessness and homeless people with...
