, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I'm grateful for the question. Right across the UK, we should be—. There is an interest in making sure that when the Treasury makes decisions on spending they are made fairly. It relates to Scotland, it relates to Northern Ireland, it also relates to regions…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
This Government is committed to pressing the case for a fairer funding settlement for Wales. That means a number of different things. When I met the Prime Minister in Glasgow in July, I emphasised the need for the historic underfunding of Wales to be…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
That word 'resilience' is important. We use 'sustainability'. They mean very much the same when it comes to something like this: having services that are stable. In this particular case, the pause was necessary in order to comply with the Human Fertilisation…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I know that this will have been a particularly upsetting time for those affected. The immediate workforce issue affecting the service has now been resolved—that's the positive news—enabling planning to start for the resumption of the service, on a phased…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
The Member is right to voice frustrations about what did or didn't come out of that investment. The purpose of it was changed at one point, but one thing we made clear from our position—we still make it clear from Government—is that we must get our fair share…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Supporting the steel industry and the communities across Wales that depend on it is a priority for this Government. Ahead of the Prime Minister's recent visit to Port Talbot, the Deputy First Minister spoke publicly about the need for Wales to receive its…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Given the importance of education, I'm surprised that he wasted some of his question discussing constitutional issues, frankly. We have a determination as a Government to look to our track record historically as a proud educating nation—one of the first…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
These PISA results are, to say the least, deeply disappointing. They underline to me the scale of the challenge that we face. They reinforce this Government’s determination to take a new and rigorous approach to raising standards. We'll be unapologetically…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
The Member makes a very good point, and it's an international problem. We have seen some big cities take action on Airbnb. We tend in Wales to look at the more popular seaside areas, because that's where the problems are perceived to be more acute. But the…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
You don't have to think very hard to work out the poverty that somebody is driven into in real terms when they have so little of their income left after paying their rent. In terms of the issues that cause that, there's a multitude of them. Supply of homes is…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
As I've pointed out many times in this Chamber, we have many pressures on housing. Those pressures, when we look at the big picture, do not come from recent arrivals from overseas. I think it's important to home in on those facts. But there are pressures, and…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I'll refer Members, first of all, to my declaration of interest as a shareholder in a company renting out a domestic property. Strengthening the private rented sector is a priority for this Government. I think we've made that pretty clear; we set it out in my…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
It's one of those areas where you need rapid treatment in order to avoid more permanent damage. We have two ophthalmologists sitting here in the Senedd Chamber who know far more than I do. The Member referenced the bringing in of private providers. That has a…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
We recognise that people waiting for cataract surgery want treatment as quickly as possible, obviously. That is why we've committed an additional £145 million this year to reduce waiting times, improve access and support clinically led service transformation…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
It's not a matter that I have discussed specifically with the Deputy Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education, but it's certainly something that I'm willing to look at and see where our position would be. At the end of the day, I'm really concerned about…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
It is an issue that potential students are having to reckon with more and more. I was stopped by a young gentleman yesterday who was excited at seeing a politician and wanted a picture. He was studying for a politics, philosophy and economics degree at the…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I genuinely appreciate the way that the question has been framed, because I align myself with that description of the fragility of the higher education sector in Wales. It's something that should worry us all for the future of education and learning itself…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Tuition fees are set by higher education institutions, and eligible students receive loans to meet the full cost of their tuition. The Welsh Government will consider fees alongside the long-term sustainability of higher education itself in our independent…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
When will we see a change in the Conservatives from the whingeing that we always hear from their benches on these matters, rather than working constructively? We have an offer here to work constructively, to seek ideas, and that includes from you, as the…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I reflect today on this cabal of stagnation that Reform, the Conservatives and Labour have when it comes to moving Wales forward. Moving Wales forward and seeking practical answers to our problems means learning from others when it comes to the future of the…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
There is quite a lot to unpick in that question. There is a reference there to the need to work in a consensual way. I start this term in the way that I started the first term post election in making it very, very clear that this is a Government that wants to…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
The Member is right to draw attention to a dispute that causes real frustration. It's certainly something that I feel. It's a dispute that we inherited, of course, from the previous administration. What is clear, as the former Labour First Minister said, is…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I'll tell you what, all the Reform stereotypes are coming out today. There is a UK Government responsibility for the emergency alert. And do you know what, did they get it right? Clearly they didn't get it right. There was a technical issue about the way that…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I tell you what, Llywydd, if the Member thinks you can only do one thing at a time in Government, she should give up her aspirations right now, because it is all about dealing with a host of issues that are in the interests of building our nation. It is about…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Do you know what I had a mandate to pursue? What I had a mandate to pursue was the best for Wales, always. So, when I get together with like-minded leaders throughout these islands, looking at how we can work together on childcare, on energy, on the way that…
