Mandy Jones: Minister, thank you for your statement. First, I note from your statement that you claim the Prime Minister has broken the law. Could you please clarify that part of the statement, as it was my understanding that a new law was created? You mention in the statement about an Act on the statute books to prevent the UK leaving on 31 October without a deal. Could you explain what assessment you...
Mandy Jones: Thank you for that answer. I've been contacted by concerned parents in Llandrillo, Corwen whose village school, Ysgol Gynradd Llandrillo, was amalgamated with Cynwyd school. My question today is about the situation that arises when the new schools created as a result of amalgamation and rationalisation are no longer able to cope with rising demand when they are victims of their own success....
Mandy Jones: 4. Will the Minister provide an update on the Welsh Government's rural schools policy? OAQ54375
Mandy Jones: I also commend what Llyr and Angela have just said. Often in this Chamber we refer to 'our health service', 'our hard-working health service staff' and I think this is a way of saying that we value beyond measure the services we receive and the people we receive them from. The health service provides vital services—many people rely on them very heavily at times and when they are vulnerable,...
Mandy Jones: Since becoming an Assembly Member, I now travel between north Wales and south Wales regularly, and I use the M4 around Newport to do this. Like other drivers, I adhere to the speed limit. However, the reduction of speed on the M4 comes as a bit of a surprise, as signage doesn’t give any reason for the change, and there are no warnings. The natural reaction is to slow right down sometimes,...
Mandy Jones: My position on this Bill has not changed since the last time it was discussed in this Chamber, when I shared my own experience of abuse as a child and as a young adult. To start with, I think it would be worth you showing this Chamber and, more to the point, the public what you really mean by a 'smack'. There is a massive spectrum between a tap on the hand and a punch in the face, and I...
Mandy Jones: Thank you. There appear to be claims, counter-claims and claims again about security of supplies. Can you please allay the fears, the real fears that many constituents have because of all these things that people keep saying, and confirm that your Government has secured the medicine it needs to keep the Welsh NHS working, mitigating all the stress that people are listening to?
Mandy Jones: First Minister, I'm particularly concerned with the supply of drugs and medicine to those who need them post Brexit. [Interruption.] How did I know you'd all—?
Mandy Jones: Will the Minister make a statement on access to education in North Wales?
Mandy Jones: We welcome this statement made here today. Things clearly need to change. As said in previous other statements, the number of children under the supervision of local authorities seems to rise every year, and I am interested to know what you think the reasons are for this worrying increase. You've already cited austerity and poverty, but there are many, many other questions that need to be...
Mandy Jones: Thank you for that answer. I note that the invest-to-save scheme has invested around about £174 million since 2009. I also note that Betsi Cadwaladr is currently in receipt of over £3 million. Given that invest-to-save is an interest-free loan and repayable, and given that our public services are all struggling financially, how do you ensure repayment of the sums owed, and has the scheme...
Mandy Jones: 1. Will the Minister provide an update on the effectiveness of the invest-to-save scheme? OAQ54110
Mandy Jones: The majority of smallholdings are family-run businesses, which need to supplement their income with other sources such as tourism. They make a great contribution to our rural economies. They also tend to sell locally, reducing food miles and benefiting our environment. To my mind, the supply and consumption of home-grown food closer to home makes perfect sense. First Minister, what can your...
Mandy Jones: Before I start my contribution, I would like to ask to be accorded the respect due to me as one of your peers also. I find heckling and criticism—that comes largely from the Labour benches—childish and unsettling. It is in that spirit of mutual respect that I make these comments. I don't think there is anyone in the UK or watching the Brexit debacle from outside that would disagree that...
Mandy Jones: Minister, the strength of feeling on this matter is evident from the amount of correspondence I'm sure that we've all received, and the fact that our young people are motivated to go on strike and that Extinction Rebellion have recently taken over parts of London and are threatening to close down major airports by fair means or foul. It seems to me that the Welsh Government caught the mood of...
Mandy Jones: Not only for humans but for animals as well, please. Apart from acting as boundaries and keeping animals inside fields, the hedgerow is an important habitat for a wide variety of animals and plants. As woodlands have been destroyed over the years, a lot of wildlife in them has adapted to living underneath hedgerows and in hedgerows. Will the Minister ensure that, for planning rules, they give...
Mandy Jones: Carrying on with that scheme, Minister, I can see from the headlines yesterday about the Vice-Premier visiting Wales, and there is scope to open up our beef market to China, as Andrew R.T. has just stated. Can you give an indication as to the nature of any conversations previously that you've had with him, and also how will you assist the Welsh beef sector in preparing to take advantage of...
Mandy Jones: No reasonable person would disagree with this motion or any of the amendments tabled today. I am proud of the steps already taken to reduce the use of plastic in our consumables. The carrier bag charge in Wales broke new ground and has had a real impact on the use of these bags. It has changed behaviour, and we see evidence of this when we go to the supermarket and see people getting out...
Mandy Jones: Counsel General, news yesterday highlighted that the EU Commission is in fact working on a plan to use IT solutions to help goods cross the Irish border after Brexit. Similar plans have been put into place by the French Government in Calais. Indeed, as far as back as 2016, the EU Parliament itself compiled a report that showed how a smart border can be used between the EU and the UK. What...
Mandy Jones: Minister, small businesses in rural communities in north Wales play an important role in the economic development in the region. A regular issue brought to me from small and medium-sized businesses is the movement of online payments and transactions—that the internet connection isn't sufficient. Can you reassure my constituents that Welsh Government will prioritise the internet and...
