John Griffiths
Welsh Labour · Wales
“In the week running up to that, footfall increased by 20 per cent on the previous week and was 12 per cent up on the same time last year. This is the result of good partnership between Labour, Newport City Council and the commercial operators, including the Friars Walk shopping centre.”
“And all of these activities will bolster the city centre and make that offer to shoppers, which they will find, I'm sure, attractive. We now have 60 per cent of the retail units in the city centre occupied by independent retailers. So, real progress is being made and the small businesses in the city centre are benefiting as a result.”
“I would like to welcome the opportunity to take part in this debate today and the bringing of this debate to the Senedd floor. I would like to talk about public-private partnerships, Dirprwy Lywydd, and use Newport as a very good example of how this can deliver for small businesses.”
“It's in all of our interests to have busy high-street, city-centre or town-centre shopping areas. It's very attractive. It's a focal point for local populations, who take real pride in those town and city centres, and they want to see them thriving again, and I think the Newport example shows that this is possible.”
“Cabinet Secretary, thank you for your statement today. Vishay is certainly an important local employer in Newport and the region, providing highly skilled jobs, and with ambitious plans for expansion.”
“More broadly, in terms of the cluster, Cabinet Secretary, with its private sector, public sector and higher education partnership, many believe Newport would be a potential location for a UK open-access compound foundry, something researchers have been calling for for a long time.”
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“It's in all of our interests to have busy high-street, city-centre or town-centre shopping areas. It's very attractive. It's a focal point for local populations, who take real pride in those town and city centres, and they want to see them thriving again, and I think the Newport example shows that this is possible. It's public-private partnership in action, delivering for our small businesses and communities.”
“And all of these activities will bolster the city centre and make that offer to shoppers, which they will find, I'm sure, attractive. We now have 60 per cent of the retail units in the city centre occupied by independent retailers. So, real progress is being made and the small businesses in the city centre are benefiting as a result. I do believe, Dirprwy Lywydd, that it is important that these initiatives, these one-off events, are not just that, but are in fact part of a series of events, which is the case in Newport, and also that the Welsh Government looks at a longer term plan in working with local authorities like Newport, which I believe is showing a very good example, to see how this development can be encouraged and can develop and prosper.”
“In the week running up to that, footfall increased by 20 per cent on the previous week and was 12 per cent up on the same time last year. This is the result of good partnership between Labour, Newport City Council and the commercial operators, including the Friars Walk shopping centre. In that shopping centre, they doubled their footfall compared to a normal Saturday. There is in fact a real buzz in Newport at the moment, Dirprwy Lywydd, thanks to many developments, and I would say the Labour city council and its leadership. A further example of this, which again is increasing footfall in the city centre, is the city's first ever winter wonderland, which again will make a great offer to local people. There's a real ice skating rink there, there's a fair, there's food and drink, there's entertainment.”
“I would like to welcome the opportunity to take part in this debate today and the bringing of this debate to the Senedd floor. I would like to talk about public-private partnerships, Dirprwy Lywydd, and use Newport as a very good example of how this can deliver for small businesses. We all know about the challenges the high street faces and retail faces from online shopping and many other aspects of modern-day life, but it is possible to increase footfall with that public-private partnership and community support. In Newport, this year's countdown to Christmas event in the city centre saw 2,000 more people coming along compared to the previous year, because of the offer that was there—the food, the fairground rides, the fireworks, the entertainment.”
“More broadly, in terms of the cluster, Cabinet Secretary, with its private sector, public sector and higher education partnership, many believe Newport would be a potential location for a UK open-access compound foundry, something researchers have been calling for for a long time. So, we have some really exciting prospects to build on the success to date, Cabinet Secretary, and I'm sure the Welsh Government will do all it can to bring these projects to fruition.”
“Cabinet Secretary, thank you for your statement today. Vishay is certainly an important local employer in Newport and the region, providing highly skilled jobs, and with ambitious plans for expansion. With Welsh Government support, it's good to see the £51 million investment in new silicon production lines, and, currently, the company is applying for £52 million from the UK Government's automotive transformation fund, which would enable the UK's first compound semiconductor automotive centre for excellence, and that would enable total investment of some £1 billion and up to 900 direct high-value jobs.”
“Cabinet Secretary, I was very encouraged by the UK Government appointment of James Timpson as Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Offending. In his own businesses, he’s shown an example of taking on ex-prisoners, which is so important to them. It gives them the opportunity to rebuild their lives for themselves and their families, it reduces reoffending, and it’s a very effective and worthwhile policy. I just wonder, Cabinet Secretary, if you could work with businesses in Wales to give them confidence to go down this route. Statistics show that 90 per cent of employers who have taken on ex-prisoners are very satisfied indeed with the performance of those staff, and it’s worth while for society in general, as we know.”
“Cabinet Secretary, in the Severnside part of my constituency, campaigners, local councillors and Monmouthshire County Council have long campaigned for a short link road, linking the M48 with the B4245, which would also link with Severn tunnel junction. This is an area that's seen an awful lot of housing growth over a sustained period of years, and the infrastructure just hasn't kept pace with that rate of development. I know you're familiar with the issue, Cabinet Secretary. I wonder if you might perhaps, when you come to meet with Peter, also meet with local campaigners and Monmouthshire County Council to consider the issues on that potential link road at this current time.”
“They are ambitious to develop this further and make this a real destination in Newport by developing a new 50-seater arts studio and turning foyer space into a cafe bar and developing the outdoor area. I'd be grateful if you could consider how these plans might be supported, perhaps working with colleagues, Minister, and whether you might recognise their success and contribution at Ballet Cymru by making them a national company.”
“Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Minister, in Newport, in fact, in our colleague Jayne Bryant's constituency of Newport West, we have the base for Ballet Cymru, who have gone from strength to strength in recent years, with the support of the Arts Council of Wales, recognising the company's potential and growth. As well as the great performances they put on in collaboration with other dance and arts companies, they have a schools programme that has been a big success in targeting and helping young people in deprived areas to develop, find purpose and flourish, with free annual tuition and support, working with other community arts organisations, schools and theatres. All of this is supported by two state-of-the-art studios in their Rogerstone base, Minister, which are used every day and every evening by over 1,000 people.”
“So, I think that this is an important part of the overall picture when it comes to disability and education in our schools, Dirprwy Lywydd, and I would like to ask the Cabinet Secretary, and indeed the Chair of the committee, to look at those particular aspects within the overall picture, because it is very, very important, obviously, for the children, young people and families affected.”
“So, in looking at all of that, Dirprwy Lywydd, N-ABLES have come forward with recommendations around improving training uptake in Wales to increase awareness and understanding in educational settings, ways of identifying support, training and resources that educators need to give them the confidence to meet the needs of children and young people with these acquired brain injuries, and also ways of sharing best practice to improve acquired brain injury policy implementation in schools.”
“They may demonstrate irritability, emotional reactivity, anxiety, depression, and difficulty with memory and attention and concentration spans. And, again, if these conditions aren't seen in the context of the injuries, then that is going to affect the way that teachers and other school staff deal with those issues. So, that lack of understanding from teachers in schools too often results in misinterpretation of the behaviours and those inappropriate responses.”
“They discovered training gaps among educators, not much content in initial teacher training courses, and a lack of understanding and confidence in terms of how you support these children, together with uncertainty around policy implementation within schools. Thousands of children are affected by these conditions, and a significant proportion are moderate to severe, and very often these are hidden disabilities, and as a consequence, behaviour that comes from these injuries isn't seen in that light because the effects are often hidden, and then the reaction, the way that these problems are dealt with in schools, is not everything that it needs to be. There is cognitive, emotional and behavioural consequence from these injuries that impacts children's education and learning, and this often makes it difficult and frustrating for these pupils.”
“May I first of all add my thanks to the committee for its work, the committee membership and the clerking team, together with all those who gave evidence and were part of the exercise? I would like to focus my remarks particularly on children and young people with childhood-acquired brain injuries and a special interest group, N-ABLES, which seeks to raise awareness of these issues in education. They, in fact, conducted a survey exploring educators' understanding of childhood-acquired brain injury, and found a general lack of understanding and confidence surrounding the care and education of these children.”
“Last month we asked how many buildings are behind schedule for remediation when you were before us, Cabinet Secretary, and you said that works are expected to continue over the next five years. Could you confirm whether any of the developers are behind schedule with remediation works and, if any are, has Welsh Government considered or will Welsh Government consider legal action? Diolch yn fawr.”
“We heard that remediation work can have a disproportionate impact on disabled leaseholders, both in terms of the cost of remediation and the disruption that it causes. So, I wonder, Cabinet Secretary, if you could outline what support Welsh Government is providing, particularly for those disabled leaseholders. We've also received a letter from the Welsh Cladiators just this week setting out their struggles and concerns about developers’ actions, or lack of actions, in terms of that necessary remediation work. The remediation work to the Celestia complex that we visited is now expected to take three years, despite leaseholders being told that the project was on track to be completed in two years.”
“Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I welcome your statement today, Cabinet Secretary. As you know, the Local Government and Housing Committee is committed to scrutinising Welsh Government's progress in ensuring the highest possible standards for building safety for residents in Wales. I'm pleased to reinforce some of the messages we've heard today and from yourself as well, Cabinet Secretary, in terms of how important it is to keep those impacted well informed. We know as a committee what a worrying time it is for people living in high-rise buildings in Wales. We've met with the Welsh Cladiators on more than one occasion, visited Celestia here in Cardiff Bay to see for ourselves what needs to be done, and we've also heard from witnesses representing disabled leaseholders affected by the crisis.”
“What sort of groups would you expect to be working with, or for the political parties to work with? There are the trade unions, the voluntary groups, the community groups, those organisations that would have within their membership and their activists people in those socioeconomic circumstances that we need to make sure are fully represented here in the next Parliament.”
“Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. It's a very important principle, Cabinet Secretary, that a Parliament reflects and represents all sections of the communities that it serves. I'm very pleased that you've stressed socioeconomic circumstances, because I do think they underlie all the protected characteristics, and if we get it right, as it were, with regard to social class, then we'll be going a long way to achieving that representation and reflection of our communities. I'm pleased, also, that you've emphasised the cost of standing for election, because obviously that's highly relevant to those in more strained socioeconomic circumstances. I just wonder if you could say a little bit more about how you think it would work in social class terms, Cabinet Secretary.”
“Would you agree that, with the next Senedd elections not far away, it is vital that our Welsh Labour Government, and other progressive political parties, listen to and find new ways of addressing these issues and concerns? We must do this to improve public services and the standard of living of the most disadvantaged, because it is the right thing to do, and to ensure further progressive politics in Wales post 2026.”
“Diolch, Prif Weinidog. The Welsh Labour Party exists for equality of opportunity and greater equality of outcome, to tackle the inequality in our society, which is still far too wide. But after 14 years of the previous UK Tory Government's austerity, public services are struggling and under great strain, and families in our most disadvantaged communities face a daily challenge to make ends meet, with far too many feeling unheard and, often, neglected and ignored. The Bevan Foundation's snapshot of poverty this autumn found one in seven people across Wales are often or always struggling to afford the essentials. These circumstances, First Minister, feed alienation and allow politicians and political parties with a regressive bent to peddle populist and simplistic views in search of political advantage.”
“7. Pa gamau pellach y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i fynd i'r afael â'r argyfwng costau byw ar gyfer y cymunedau mwyaf difreintiedig yng Nghymru? OQ61864”
“With regard to the latter, Cabinet Secretary, the sort of misunderstandings that do lead to discrimination and prejudice often arise from unauthorised encampments, because of the lack of transit sites, which could be properly resourced and controlled and managed, as it were, and it would give the police a site to direct those in transit to, which would I think deal with a lot of the community tensions that currently exist around those unauthorised encampments. So, what could you say today, Cabinet Secretary, about that particular aspect of policy, and what sort of progress we may see and how quickly we're likely to see it?”
“Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd dros dro. Cabinet Secretary, it was good to hear you mention the Gypsy, Roma, Traveller community, and the need for equity for those communities in your remarks. The 'Anti-racist Wales Action Plan', I think, is potentially a big step forward for those communities, and you'll be very familiar with the need for new local authority residential sites, to improve existing sites, and the need to facilitate private smaller sites, and indeed in relation to transit sites.”
“Active school uniforms, Cabinet Secretary, which I think some English schools are taking forward—I wonder whether that's within your consideration as well.”
“We have the daily mile, which I think is very successful in those terms as well, and some schools are very keen to make physical activity absolutely central to the school experience. Community-focused schools, I think, offer some really interesting possibilities, and I know that you are committed to making progress on that front, and it would be good to see that taking place as quickly and as extensively as possible. Just one final thing—”
“Cabinet Secretary, I think having a more physically active school population is a great benefit to standards within our schools, including those greater degrees of concentration that come from being physically active before and during the school day, as well as generally. I think it directly feeds into learning and achievement, as well as being a general good. So, I just wonder, Cabinet Secretary, what you would say about progress on encouraging active travel to school. Just the other week, I visited Durand Primary in Caldicot in my constituency, where they were working with Living Streets, and they'd ramped up quite substantially the number of children walking to school or walking part of the way to school, cycling and scooting, and they found real benefits in terms of those greater levels of concentration and readiness to learn.”