John Griffiths: I guess we're all familiar with the usual winter pressures that come with the flu season, and the general strain on health during the winter, and the impact that has on our GP surgeries and our hospitals. This time around, of course, with COVID and the backlog of treatments that have built up, those pressures are likely to be even greater than usual. For me, as a representative of Newport...
John Griffiths: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. In tackling mental health issues I think it’s very important that all organisations that can play a role do so, and all organisations think about what they can do to actively help, and I'm very pleased that in my local area in Newport we have a football club, Newport County, who've been very keen to do just that. They've been looking at how they can reach out beyond...
John Griffiths: Minister, it's really good that we have this internationally recognised legislation here in Wales to help guide us, and I would say a very strong commissioner to help drive progress. And I'm glad that you've been able to find some additional funding for the office. You mentioned the pandemic, Minister, and new processes being put in place. Certainly, I've heard, and I'm sure other Members...
John Griffiths: I'm very pleased to speak in this debate today. Looking at the Welsh Government amendment pointing out the significance of transport in the challenges of climate change and reducing emissions, and the UK Climate Change Committee's advice on reducing car journeys and making sure that more people make that modal shift to public transport and active travel, I'm very much reminded that we face...
John Griffiths: I very much welcome that constitutional convention, and look forward to its work and findings, Counsel General, but I think there is widespread recognition of a lack of useful UK arrangements and mechanisms to reflect this new UK that we have following devolution in 1999 and then the other developments, including elected mayors. There's a real gap at a UK level, which I think is very...
John Griffiths: Minister, we have lived through an extended period of austerity, with all the damage that has brought. We now live and continue to live through the pandemic, and, as you say, that has further damaged prospects for those who are most disadvantaged in Wales. We see prices for food and energy going up and set to go up further. It really is a very difficult time for people who are struggling in...
John Griffiths: 6. What is the Welsh Government’s latest assessment of economic and social inequality in Wales? OQ56888
John Griffiths: 8. What is the Welsh Government doing to ensure constitutional arrangements reflect the new political architecture of the UK? OQ56887
John Griffiths: What action is the Welsh Government taking to mitigate agricultural pollution in Wales?
John Griffiths: Will the First Minister provide an update on the implementation of the Burns Commission report?
John Griffiths: Thank you for that, Minister. I think, as we heard earlier, there's obviously widespread concern regarding the amount of school time lost because of the pandemic. Obviously, that's widely shared across Wales—parents, teachers and the whole school teams, as well as, I think, Senedd Members and Welsh Government. It is very alarming that all that time has been lost, and I think we did see a...
John Griffiths: 4. What steps will the Minister take to minimise lost school time during the COVID-19 pandemic? OQ56772
John Griffiths: First Minister, I very much agree with you in terms of the effect of those UK Government policies. Much entrenched poverty is rooted in social class, and working class communities in areas of industrial decline in the Valleys and on our social housing estates are suffering intergenerational disadvantage, which has been around, sadly, for many years. This affects all stages of education,...
John Griffiths: 5. Which policies will the Welsh Government follow to address entrenched poverty levels in Wales? OQ56775
John Griffiths: I'm very pleased to take part in this important debate today. Of course, in the part of Wales that I represent, we've been having a debate over the balance between roads, public transport and active travel for quite some time, in terms of the congestion on the M4 around Newport and many other roads besides. We now have the work of the Burns commission and the delivery unit in place to take...
John Griffiths: Minister, among the areas of Wales with strong steel traditions, of course, is Newport, and my constituency of Newport East, with the Llanwern site, for example, and, more recently, Liberty Steel. Liberty Steel, of course, is in considerable difficulty at the moment, and I'd just like your assurance, Minister, that you are involved in that situation at Liberty, in terms of keeping a watching...
John Griffiths: Minister, there is far too much inequality within the UK, and far too much inequality within Wales. When we travel around our constituencies as Senedd Members, we see great differences in quality of life, wealth and income between various areas of our constituencies. So, there is much work to be done. Some of the levers rest with UK Government in terms of tax and benefits, but Welsh...
John Griffiths: 2. What principles will the Welsh Government follow in developing tax policy in Wales? OQ56635
John Griffiths: First Minister, the impact of air pollution is very significant in terms of our health, as shown in asthma rates and other respiratory conditions, for example, and also with regard to environment and climate change. I know, First Minister, you are fully committed to radical and timely action for this Welsh Government, and that's certainly needed with regard to public health and our precious...
John Griffiths: 1. What early action will the Welsh Government take to tackle air pollution in Wales? OQ56616
