Rhianon Passmore: I also want to place my thanks to our healthcare workers again at this time, and also those involved with the booster vaccination programme. I do welcome the Welsh Government announcement that the booster programme will be extended to all adults, all children to be offered a second dose, and reducing the gap between the second dose and the booster from six down to three months. Minister, the...
Rhianon Passmore: First Minister, the pandemic and COP too have shown the need for closer working between Governments across the globe. The British-Irish Council summit, hosted by the Welsh Government at our iconic St Fagans National Museum of History, was a unique opportunity for Wales to show the value of how we are all stronger working co-operatively together. First Minister, did you have an opportunity...
Rhianon Passmore: I'm coming to that very swiftly—
Rhianon Passmore: —how welcome the Ebbw Vale line to Cardiff is. Deputy Minister, what actions, then, can you and the Welsh Government take in order to meet with the UK Conservative Government to ensure that Wales receives that badly needed funding required to transform Wales's public sector infrastructure?
Rhianon Passmore: I do welcome the refreshing comments from the Deputy Minister on the inadequate public transport options to the Grange Hospital. There is a growing consensus on the need for urgent action to address the climate challenge emergency that our planet faces, although the Conservatives opposite remain confused despite Boris's change from orange to green. The ambitious Wales transport strategy is...
Rhianon Passmore: Thank you very much, Deputy Minister. I was concerned to see that recent figures show homophobic hate crimes have tripled across the UK in the last six years. Indeed, up until 31 August this year, there were over 150 LGBTQ+ hate crimes reported to Gwent Police. How is the Welsh Government working to ensure that those who are victims of hate crime have the confidence to both come forward and...
Rhianon Passmore: 8. What action is the Welsh Government taking to tackle hate crime in south-east Wales? OQ57070
Rhianon Passmore: It is more than welcome that there is cross-party support from this Senedd Chamber to send a very clear signal of our collective determination to eradicate racism and to build an anti-racist Wales alongside a nation of sanctuary. I was struck recently, as were many, by the unveiling in the centre of Cardiff of that statue of Betty Campbell, and the following day, Wales's national newspaper...
Rhianon Passmore: —is rising. Key to that will be a vibrant music education with tuition hub infrastructure across Wales. Minister, when will the national music service concept be realised, as per our manifesto? When will a national music strategy of Wales—part of that cultural strategy—be articulated within Creative Wales, and how will you use the creative skills body to develop that pathway from the...
Rhianon Passmore: Diolch, Llywydd. Thank you, Deputy Minister, for your statement, which I welcome. I note that you rightly stated that the pandemic affected our creative industries in differing ways, with the differing music sectors very hard hit with extended venue closures, music practices closing, choirs, bands and orchestras in hibernation, and some no longer with us from this dreadful pandemic. As...
Rhianon Passmore: Minister, the vision for the Welsh economy you have set out clearly under the 'team Wales' umbrella. So, Minister, as we approach and digest the zero-carbon UK strategy approaching COP26, what are the challenges, and what are the obstacles that the Welsh Government face in order to continue to create a fairer, stronger and greener future for all the people who call Islwyn home?
Rhianon Passmore: Diolch. Thank you for the statement. Minister, the good people of Islwyn and Wales returned a Welsh Labour Government in May because of their democratic desire to entrust the Welsh Labour Government with growing back the Welsh economy fairer, stronger and greener. I also welcome the Welsh Government's young person's guarantee, providing everyone under 25 in Wales with the offer of work,...
Rhianon Passmore: What action is the Welsh Government taking to enhance the employment prospects of young people aged 16 to 18 in Islwyn, who are not currently in training or work?
Rhianon Passmore: This debate today is an incredibly important one and apt in its timing. Even before the pandemic, one in four people in Wales were experiencing mental health issues, and data indicates levels of anxiety within the population are higher than pre-pandemic. COVID-19 has of course had an impact on the mental well-being of us all, but for those with pre-existing mental health conditions, life in...
Rhianon Passmore: Well, 'Not a penny worse off' is echoing rather emptily around this devolved Chamber. Two months after the UK Government stated that projects that had been approved would be announced, there has been silence. And, as you rightly point out, Minister, the local authority area of Caerphilly is excluded from the priority funding list, in favour—in favour—of richer English areas, even though...
Rhianon Passmore: Diolch, First Minister. The people of Islwyn are rightly proud of the proactive nature of their Welsh Labour Government in moving decisively to support Hawker Siddeley Switchgear, with £0.5 million of investment to relocate within the constituency of Islwyn, from their current site in Pontllanfraith to the former British Airways interior seat assembly factory in nearby Blackwood. First...
Rhianon Passmore: 1. What is the Welsh Government doing to safeguard high-skilled jobs in Islwyn? OQ56941
Rhianon Passmore: Diolch, First Minister. Last week, it was announced that over £1.9 million of funding is awarded to organisations across Wales, as you say, to help tackle food poverty and address food insecurity within local communities. In Islwyn, in Pantside, where I was born, local volunteers set up in February 2020 the Pantside foodbank, and volunteers, such as Jayne Jeremiah, Wendy Hussey, Adrian...
Rhianon Passmore: 2. What action is the Welsh Government taking to alleviate food poverty in Islwyn? OQ56842
Rhianon Passmore: Will the Minister provide an update on progress in relation to rolling out the new curriculum for Wales in Islwyn?
