, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
6. What is the Welsh Government's strategy for increasing breastfeeding? OQ60472
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Economy
Thank you, Minister, for that response. I'm sure we're all older and wiser as a result of the—. It's nearly a year ago that we heard about the existential threat to one of our most prominent sporting bodies and I congratulate the leadership of the Welsh Rugby…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Economy
7. What conversations has the Minister had with sporting bodies about combating gender-based violence? OQ60474
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Motion under Standing Orders 17.42(vi) and (ix) to exclude the public from the remainder of the meeting
And I'd now like to request, under Standing Order 17.42, to exclude the public from the remainder of today's meeting. We'll be meeting again in two weeks' time, when we're going to be discussing the draft budget relating to the social justice portfolio…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Papers to note
So, just moving on to the item of papers to note, we have seven papers in the pack. Are Members content to agree that those papers should be made public? Thank you.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Introductions, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest
Welcome to the first meeting of the Equality and Social Justice Committee for 2024. I've had no apologies at the moment, and I'm expecting all Members to be present, although I can't at the moment see Ken Skates, but I believe he'll be joining us shortly. Are…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Introductions, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest
Good afternoon and a happy new year.
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives' Debate: Agriculture
I just want to point out that we cannot be doing one thing at COP and doing another here. We absolutely have to put our own house in order, in order to then go on to support the rest of the world who are so impacted by climate change.
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives' Debate: Agriculture
We clearly don't want people moving off the land, and then us having to rebuild that. We have interim arrangements in place, but, in the meantime, we've got a very, very short window of opportunity to get the sustainable land management right. We simply…
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives' Debate: Agriculture
Yes.
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives' Debate: Agriculture
A disappointing debate from the Conservatives, because I really don't think that you're keeping up with what's going on in the world. The UK, last week—I think it was last week; it could have been the week before—signed a COP declaration on sustainable…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Transport scrutiny with the Minister for Climate Change
Okay, well, perhaps you could write to us, because I think this is a significant issue that people are not simply using the energy that's available to them locally to then make a little bit of income.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Transport scrutiny with the Minister for Climate Change
Do you have any examples of community energy schemes using this as a business opportunity to—?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Transport scrutiny with the Minister for Climate Change
Thank you.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Transport scrutiny with the Minister for Climate Change
Parents have to pay £400 a year to put their child on a school bus, regardless of their income. Are there any plans afoot to ensure that people can use that £400 to buy a bike, in installments, as an alternative to using that money on a bus?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Transport scrutiny with the Minister for Climate Change
Thank you. I look forward to future conversations.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Transport scrutiny with the Minister for Climate Change
Excellent. I just wanted to press you on what you were saying earlier, which is that the Welsh Government bears the revenue costs, as stated in the White Paper. What are the risks that the taxpayer is running in terms of suddenly taking on responsibility for…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Transport scrutiny with the Minister for Climate Change
So, this is something that we can look at in the bus regulation Bill.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Transport scrutiny with the Minister for Climate Change
Okay. But, equally, there are many communities where the only bus is the school bus on a daily basis.
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Transport scrutiny with the Minister for Climate Change
Yes. Nuances—do they include integrating school transport with fee-paying passengers?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Transport scrutiny with the Minister for Climate Change
So, it's all talk, is it?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Transport scrutiny with the Minister for Climate Change
Okay. Clearly, we need to look into that further. I just wondered, finally, if there's any optimism to be had from the UK Government's draft rail reform Bill, which was included in the King's Speech—any hope of light at the end of this particular tunnel?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Transport scrutiny with the Minister for Climate Change
Okay. So, that means that the new timetable that James Price talked about, the chances of that being introduced at the end of next year is in question, is that right, as a result of the lack of infrastructure?
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Transport scrutiny with the Minister for Climate Change
Okay. All right. Moving on, James Price told us that the increased reliability of the new fleet would just about compensate for the inadequacy of the Network Rail funding for the next five years, and so hoping that passengers shouldn't see a reduction in…
, Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee
Transport scrutiny with the Minister for Climate Change
Okay.
