Rebecca Evans: I thank Joyce Watson for those comments, and what she says really echoes the words of Christina Rees, of course, who has said that 'Alun Cairns stepping down as secretary of state is far from the end of the matter, and is a shoddy halfway house that will fool nobody.' And she goes on to say that 'He has still not explained his behaviour and still not addressed the grave issues raised by the...
Rebecca Evans: I thank Paul Davies for his comments, and I'm familiar with the statement that he issued earlier today, although I do feel it was perhaps a week late in coming. But I will say that the Welsh Government is constantly reviewing the ministerial code, and when additions need to be made to it, then they are done. So, Ministers are regularly issued with copies of the ministerial code, which we have...
Rebecca Evans: Well, Dirprwy Lywydd, I completely share Leanne Wood's disgust at what happened with the case and the way in which it had been handled by the Conservative Party, and Leanne, of course, reminds us very, very importantly that behind all this is a woman's life who has been impacted by what's happened and, obviously, having to go through the current situation would be extremely distressing, so I...
Rebecca Evans: We have had no such discussions.
Rebecca Evans: But I think it's important to recognise that the council tax system and the system that we have of enforcement of debt, particularly, is intended to ensure that there is payment secured from those people with the means to pay. And we do have evidence from committal proceedings that indicated that, in many places, the process previously was being applied inappropriately to people who just...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you to Mark Reckless for raising a number of very interesting issues there. Of course, he began by welcoming, really, I think, the fact that Welsh Government had removed the sanction of imprisonment for the non-payment of council tax.
Rebecca Evans: I thank Mike Hedges for his contribution there, and he began by talking about the variation in council tax levels. That's certainly something that we're very mindful of. The average for a band D property ranges from £1,092 in Pembrokeshire to £1,648 in Blaenau Gwent, and I think that that is partly as a result of the 1996 reorganisation that created a very mixed landscape in terms of the...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you to Rhun for raising those issues. I think the point that he started off with is really important, in the sense that we can't just look at local government in isolation from the other parts of the public sector and beyond, because of course the issue of prevention was very much recognised. I think that we're doing really hard work across Government to ensure that we're focusing our...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you very much to Nick Ramsay for the series of questions. The first related to the issue of the funding formula for local government, and the Minister for local government and I have been very clear with local authorities throughout that, should they want to come forward with ideas as to how the funding formula should be amended, then, obviously, we are open to those discussions. I...
Rebecca Evans: I'm pleased to publish the third in a series of annual updates on our programme of work to reform local government finance in Wales. It sets out the reforms the Welsh Government is undertaking to improve local taxes and the wider local government finance framework to ensure it responds to the future needs of local services in challenging times. Local services are vital in giving children the...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you very much. I completely share your admiration for Tŷ Hafan and the incredible work that they undertake. I had the pleasure of visiting, some time back now, and I was incredibly impressed by the warmth, and the atmosphere that is created there I thought was really, really welcoming. I will certainly speak again to the health Minister with regard to your request for an update on...
Rebecca Evans: The decision to end the contract wasn't arrived at lightly, with several factors contributing, including the impact that the delays were having on practices in planning for their migration to the new system. So, GPs will continue with their current clinical information technology systems, pending a review of GP clinical systems in Wales, which is anticipated to be completed early next year....
Rebecca Evans: I'll certainly make the health Minister aware of both of those requests for a statement, and I know that he'd be keen to update Members particularly on the issue of bowel screening, as and when information becomes available, in terms of the analysis that is being done of the impact that the FIT rate has and what the options are in terms of increasing the sensitivity of that, but also in terms...
Rebecca Evans: I absolutely join you in passing on congratulations to Bad Wolf for the production of His Dark Materials. I know it's been extremely well received and has caused a great stir, and again it's something that serves to put Wales on the map not only in terms of the fabulous country that we have to offer, but actually the incredible skills that we have here in our creative industries. And it's...
Rebecca Evans: Well, the deregulation of the bus industry under the Conservative Government back in the 1980s was clearly devastating for many communities, and I think that the example that you've given there very much highlights the kinds of issues that have come about as a result of that. That is why I'm so pleased that the Welsh Government is looking to bring in legislation that will help deal with some...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you to Huw Irranca-Davies. The local authorities do have a number of powers available to them to help bring those redundant commercial properties back into use, as they do for residential properties. Those powers include the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, the Building Act 1984, and also those compulsory purchasing powers. However, I think what Government is really keen to ensure is...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you. I'm very pleased that the chair of the health board was able to meet with you to discuss your concerns in this regard. And, of course, I'll make sure that the Minister for health is aware of the request that you've just made for a statement, and I'll know that he'll give due consideration to the best way to keep Members informed about this issue.
Rebecca Evans: Thank you very much to Jenny Rathbone for raising this particularly important issue this afternoon. I think that we do have a good story to tell here in Wales in terms of the work that we've been doing thus far, because, of course, Wales is the only UK nation to have implemented HPV testing for participants in the cervical screening programme, and the programme now tests for 14 high-risk HPV...
Rebecca Evans: I thank Leanne Wood for bringing both of these extremely important issues to the floor of the Assembly this afternoon. In regard to the ITV interview, it was absolutely heartbreaking to see a doctor describe the racism that he had experienced, but then also to describe the fact that he didn't know how to respond to that individual, and that he didn't know that he would have the full support...
Rebecca Evans: Well, on the issue relating to council tax discounts and non-domestic rates for army cadet halls, I'll certainly look into both of those issues and provide you with a letter, but Deputy Minister Hannah Blythyn will be making a statement marking Remembrance Day and supporting our armed forces community in Plenary next week. On the second issue that you raised, regarding Betsi Cadwaladr, I...
