, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I think there are perhaps two points worth mentioning before I then come to the point about the future of the workforce. Last year, we saw over 94 per cent of people with brain and central nervous system cancers within our target from suspicion to first…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Thank you for the question. I want to start by recognising what the Member says about Molly Fenton. She's a highly impressive young woman. I was very impressed with her work on period dignity, and that's work that we've been able to support through the…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Thank you for the question. The Welsh Government has published policy for both cancer and neurological conditions that focuses on ensuring people have access to high-quality diagnostic and treatment services for conditions such as brain tumours. Our approach…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
If you want to look at giant incompetence, take a look at the £1.4 billion of unused PPE procured across the border in England—unused, wasted. That could have paid for 37,000 nurses. If you're looking for scandal, there's plenty on the Conservative record…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
So, if you look at what's actually happened with low-income families here in Wales, as I said, approximately £5 billion of support in the last two years. That makes a real difference in how we can support people to claim what's theirs and it's also important…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Thank you. It's a conversation I look forward to taking forward if we have a change in Government across the UK, if we have a UK Labour Government. There's a clear manifesto pledge to devolve employment support funding to Wales, and I think we'd be able to…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Since 2022-23, we have provided support worth approximately £5 billion through programmes providing targeted assistance to alleviate the financial pressure, to maximise incomes and to leave money in the pockets of families. Our child poverty strategy outlines…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Thank you for the question.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government international relations: Scrutiny session with the First Minister of Wales
I'll look forward to your letter.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government international relations: Scrutiny session with the First Minister of Wales
No problem.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government international relations: Scrutiny session with the First Minister of Wales
No problem.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government international relations: Scrutiny session with the First Minister of Wales
I met him at the D-day events in Normandy briefly, but there isn't direct engagement with Lord Cameron about UK foreign policy on a range of areas. I think what we would be more helpful is around where we have distinct or particular interests, and where…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government international relations: Scrutiny session with the First Minister of Wales
It's normally the politics of elected Members that get in the way of people doing the right thing. Whenever I've been away, I've found really constructive relationships between Welsh Government offices and UK embassies. That doesn't mean there isn't room for…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government international relations: Scrutiny session with the First Minister of Wales
No. So, look, the meeting with Tata in India, the deputy high commissioner was actually helpful—really helpful—in helping us to get meetings, to get access to the right people, and what we then did afterwards, both the conversations beforehand as well as…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government international relations: Scrutiny session with the First Minister of Wales
So, the work we're doing on climate change here in Wales takes account of international evidence and it looks at what other parts of the world are doing. That is added to by the international relationships that we have to make it easier to have that…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government international relations: Scrutiny session with the First Minister of Wales
But my point is, it's not just about the international strategy. The international strategy doesn't govern what every department does.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government international relations: Scrutiny session with the First Minister of Wales
Right, so in the education field that you started with, then, yes, we do have regular engagement with partners around Europe around what 'better' looks like, and the sharing of that information. That's a key part of our not just international work, but our…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government international relations: Scrutiny session with the First Minister of Wales
I think, if you give us your list, that would be helpful, so we don't end up trying to write to you something and you saying, 'This isn't our list.' That would be really helpful, to have the same thing to talk about.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government international relations: Scrutiny session with the First Minister of Wales
So, our India office, our head of India and the team, were really important in not just arranging the visit, but in everything around it. So, where you have a Welsh Government office in a country, it does make a really big difference in what we are able to do…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government international relations: Scrutiny session with the First Minister of Wales
Yes, with your bucket hat.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government international relations: Scrutiny session with the First Minister of Wales
Do you want to talk about how we do this internally? I'll just say, the committee asked us to do an annual report, and it should have been made available to you. The annual report is only a part of that, though. I don't want people to get lost in having a…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government international relations: Scrutiny session with the First Minister of Wales
Let me look at what our strategy is, it isn't a box to tick around, 'We have done this or done that.' I think lots of the stuff that we have done, our three priorities, to raise our profile, I think that's definitely happened. Now, what I wouldn't say is that…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government international relations: Scrutiny session with the First Minister of Wales
Yes. Look, I think, in the work that we're doing in looking at where we are, it'd be helpful to have an engagement around that, I think. And the reality is that our budget position is as it is and we made a clear-sighted choice in the budget about…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government international relations: Scrutiny session with the First Minister of Wales
Happy to.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government international relations: Scrutiny session with the First Minister of Wales
On your point about refreshing the international strategy, through the summer, I've already had a conversation with Andrew and the team on examining options for a refresh. And that will look at the departments that are most likely to be directly engaged in…
