Laura Anne Jones
Sir Fynwy Torfaen Commissioner · Reform UK · Wales
“Yet, last week, thousands of farmers, including some from Monmouthshire who I met at the market, felt compelled to leave their farms and travel to London to raise their voices in a peaceful protest about the severe threat that these changes pose to their livelihoods.”
“I spoke to one farmer at the market whose story was typical, unfortunately. He was born during the war. He was inspired by post-war rationing to go into farming. He started a rented plot, worked tirelessly over decades and gradually extended his land, increased his herd, built his farm, created a home and a business for his family.”
“The loss of family farms will devastate our rural community, weaken our food security, and open the door for large corporations and energy companies to buy up land for wind turbines or solar farms.”
“Here on this side of the Chamber, the Welsh Conservatives, we all are dead against this unfair and cruel family farm tax. Last week, I had the privilege of visiting Raglan livestock market.”
“Cabinet Secretary, she brought you around to the livestock market before the election, and, facing election, you both promised that Labour would listen to and support Welsh farmers.”
“Most of our family farms are, as has been said, asset rich and cash poor. This punitive family farm tax will be destroying the lifeblood of Wales and our rural communities, and any dream of a sustainable nation producing Welsh food from Welsh land will be unattainable. I urge you all to support our motion today. No farmers, no food.”
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“Most of our family farms are, as has been said, asset rich and cash poor. This punitive family farm tax will be destroying the lifeblood of Wales and our rural communities, and any dream of a sustainable nation producing Welsh food from Welsh land will be unattainable. I urge you all to support our motion today. No farmers, no food. Diolch.”
“Cabinet Secretary, she brought you around to the livestock market before the election, and, facing election, you both promised that Labour would listen to and support Welsh farmers. So, today, I ask you, on behalf of those farmers that you spoke to before the election, I ask you on their behalf to honour those promises that you were happy to make when you wanted to appear in photographs with them during the election campaign. Most of our family farms—”
“The loss of family farms will devastate our rural community, weaken our food security, and open the door for large corporations and energy companies to buy up land for wind turbines or solar farms. Last week, in solidarity with the farming community and at the request of farming unions, I joined my Conservative Members in wearing boots to the Senedd, but gestures aren't enough. We need action. We need this Welsh Labour Government to stand with farmers and stand up to the UK Labour Government. We need rural MSs and MPs of all parties to stand with farmers and oppose these rushed-through, ill-thought-out tax changes. My MP in Monmouthshire stood at a hustings in Raglan market and promised to support farmers.”
“I spoke to one farmer at the market whose story was typical, unfortunately. He was born during the war. He was inspired by post-war rationing to go into farming. He started a rented plot, worked tirelessly over decades and gradually extended his land, increased his herd, built his farm, created a home and a business for his family. For more than 50 years, he poured his life into that farm alongside his wife, his sons and daughter. They have worked the land with him on the basis that, one day, it would be passed on and the family farm would continue. But now those plans have been destroyed, and the pain and the worry was evident on his face. But this isn't just one man's story; it's a similar story for thousands of farms and family farms across Wales.”
“Yet, last week, thousands of farmers, including some from Monmouthshire who I met at the market, felt compelled to leave their farms and travel to London to raise their voices in a peaceful protest about the severe threat that these changes pose to their livelihoods. At the heart of their concerns was the removal of inheritance tax exemptions for working farms. This exemption is not a loophole; it is a lifeline. It is vital to ensure that small farms keep producing food. It enables farms to be passed down through generations, and, if it's taken away, the sons and the daughters working the land alongside their parents will face tax bills running to thousands of pounds. For most family farms, this will mean selling up just to pay the taxman and handing over farms to large companies.”
“Here on this side of the Chamber, the Welsh Conservatives, we all are dead against this unfair and cruel family farm tax. Last week, I had the privilege of visiting Raglan livestock market. There, I met with local farmers who spoke to me about the devastating impact that the changes to inheritance tax announced in this Labour budget will have on family farms across Wales. Farmers are not a group that frequently take to the streets in protest. [ Interruption .] They're a peaceful, hard-working community that spend their days working hard to put food on your tables and preserve the rural landscapes that we cherish.”
“—to get the very most out of it, particularly, I'd just like to say, for mature students and those with disabilities. It would be good to concentrate on them so that they can benefit the most from apprenticeships going forward. Thank you.”
“—ensure that the educational facilities in my region, as you've touched on already, are as prepared as they can be, but including schools, because we want to spark that interest early, particularly before GCSE choices, I would say, for the jobs of the future that will follow investment into schemes—”
“Here in south Wales and in my region, we have a thriving cluster of semiconductor firms and I, like the Cabinet Secretary, am pleased that, under the last UK Government, companies like KLA and Vishay were willing to invest millions of pounds into this. I also want to welcome, just quickly, the fact that the investment zone programme and Cardiff capital region is continuing under your Labour watch. Cabinet Secretary, you have touched on this already, but I would urge you to continue the work of the last UK Government in fighting to ensure that Welsh universities get a greater share of UK Research and Innovation funding to support semiconductor research in Wales. And Cabinet Secretary, I urge you to—”
“Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. Some good news indeed, a good direction of travel, and reassuring that the Government is heading that way, particularly as it's so beneficial for my region. Like many, I only realised the significance of semiconductors when the global shortage, caused by the pandemic, had a devasting knock-on effect on industries worldwide. These tiny devices are critical to almost everything, every aspect of modern technologies, from smartphones to advanced medical equipment. It's deeply concerning, therefore, that 80 per cent of the world's semiconductor production comes from Taiwan and South Korea—two nations that are increasingly vulnerable amid the global tensions. The US Government has recognised this, encouraging companies like TSMC to build semiconductor fabs domestically, despite the enormous cost.”
“Flooding in Skenfrith is nothing new, and your visit today—although very welcome, Cabinet Secretary, and I hope you saw how vulnerable they are there—will be nothing more, and I hate to say it, than a publicity stunt, unless, regardless of the number of people living there, you ensure, Cabinet Secretary, that NRW is sufficiently funded enough to carry out the necessary works as a matter of urgency and that the criteria for need change. Wouldn’t you agree? Thank you.”
“But the funding, unfortunately, is not reflecting that—what’s given to flooding. The criteria to prioritise or implement flood defence schemes don't reflect or help the smaller communities suffering across Wales. Skenfrith, a village in Monmouthshire, was hit hard by storm Dennis. I raised it in the Chamber recently and met with them, ironically, a week before this happened—NRW in Usk recently—to demand and press upon them the need that the Skenfrith flood defence scheme be prioritised and implemented. It’s been frustrating, as I’m sure you found out this morning, with a series of delays and initial refusals on cost grounds, re-evaluations, funding shortfalls, and the absence of a project manager. Even now, despite some progress, there is no clear commitment to push the scheme forward.”
“Cabinet Secretary, thank you for your statement, and for the financial help that you’ve outlined today. Over the weekend, severe flooding caused significant damage across my region of South Wales East, as has already been mentioned, and my thoughts too are with everyone affected by flooding across my region and beyond. Living in Monmouthshire, I saw first-hand the devastating impact of both the Usk and Wye rivers. I spent time talking to and helping residents affected, and thank Monmouthshire County Council and our emergency services and individuals for all they did to help businesses and residents affected, and also for getting things moving again. NRW has said, with the effect of climate change, flooding issues will only increase, and that’s been recognised today by you, and the Trefnydd earlier, actually.”
“And things need to improve far more than where they currently stand. The system needs to get moving, so what timescales have you set that you feel will show a significant difference in response times from the decisions you're taking now? Thank you.”
“Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. In 2021, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, 55 per cent of ambulances in Wales reached life-threatening emergencies within the eight-minute target. Even during that crisis, response times were better than what we see today. By 2023, that figure fell to 50.4 per cent, and this year dropped to a shocking 48 per cent. But this isn't just about statistics, it's about lives at stake, families left waiting in fear while precious seconds tick by. Instead of improvement, we're witnessing decline. You say it's relative, so, Cabinet Secretary, can you tell us in concrete terms in which year, if any, you expect Wales to finally reach the modest target of 65 per cent of ambulances reaching emergencies within eight minutes? With today's numbers and challenges, you say it's relative.”
“Trefnydd, earlier this month, I tabled a written question to ask how many people were working in the Welsh Government building in Merthyr Tydfil on the random date of Friday 13 September. The answer was 16. The Welsh Government building in Merthyr Tydfil can apparently accommodate up to 450 people. I think it’s fair to assume that some of those 16 workers would have been part of the building security and maintenance crew. Could the Welsh Government therefore provide a statement on whether or not the cost of heating and cleaning Welsh Government buildings that seem to be largely empty is offering value for money for the taxpayer? Thank you.”
“So, First Minister, will you guarantee that the millions of pounds in extra costs faced by councils like Monmouthshire will be covered by this Welsh Government? And, if the extra costs are to be covered, will you confirm that this funding will not be misrepresented as new or increased investment but as simply the replacement for cash that has already been taken away in the budget?”
“First Minister, Monmouthshire County Council has written to me, setting out the financial impact of increased national insurance contributions that have been imposed by the Labour Government. They estimate these changes will result in a direct loss of at least £3.5 million from an already overstretched budget. However, the true cost will be far higher as many of their service providers will face increased expenses, which will inevitably be passed on to the council. This is a problem entirely created by the Labour Government in Westminster, whose budget will result in huge financial costs on councils across Wales. Unless this money is replaced in full, it will either result in higher council taxes or fewer services.”
“2. Pa asesiad y mae'r Prif Weinidog wedi'i wneud o effaith cynyddu premiymau yswiriant gwladol cyflogwyr ar gyllidebau awdurdodau lleol? OQ61930”
“Looking through the accounts of the Aneurin Bevan health board, I have calculated that they face an increase of approximately £0.75 million purely to cover the additional taxes resulting from the Labour budget. Hospitals like the Grange are already under significant strain and are struggling to provide the level of service that local residents need and deserve. In addition, if this additional cost will not be reimbursed, services will deteriorate further. If extra funding is allocated to cover these charges, can we have reassurance that it will be made explicitly clear that this is not new or additional funding for these services, but merely a refund to cover costs imposed by these new measures?”
“Diolch, Presiding Officer—acting Presiding Officer, Deputy Presiding Officer. Sorry about that. [ Laughter .] I got confused then. There are so many of you. May I first reiterate calls for a statement purely on the impact of the UK Government's budget decisions on farming in Wales? It's not just farmers affected, as we know; it's potentially all of us that will be affected if we lose our family farms across Wales. Also, I'd like to reiterate calls for a statement on national insurance contributions, and I would like to request that the First Minister provides a detailed statement outlining how much extra each public sector body will be paying in employer national insurance contributions next year, and how much additional funding each body will receive to compensate for these increases.”
“The moneys that have recently been announced by this Government are very welcome, but what action are you going to take to specifically improve the waiting times for these women and get a more general understanding of this debilitating issue?”
“Can I start by thanking you for your announcement just then on endometriosis? I think that's a really welcome step forward, but there is still so much more that could be done. As my former colleague Welsh Conservative Suzy Davies often championed and often talked about, endometriosis is a debilitating condition that can cause severe pain all over the body and it affects up to 10 per cent of women in the whole of the UK. Yet we have seen waiting lists for gynaecology increase by 92 per cent over the last four years. It isn't good enough, by your own recognition just now. I know from my own horrifying experience of menopause how a lack of awareness around women's health conditions can cause misdiagnosed women to live with excruciating pain. In the worst misdiagnosed endometriosis cases, women have had organs wrongly removed.”
“I urge the Cabinet Secretary—sorry—to do everything she can, perhaps revisiting the recommendations, to make sure every child in Wales has the education they deserve, in whatever language they choose and wherever they choose. Thank you.”
“Special schools, as we know, are bursting at the seams and no longer can accommodate all those that we normally would see in that setting. They are coming into mainstream education, so we need to accommodate that. I urge—”
“Not only that, but parents are left with no option but to sacrifice their own careers and personal well-being to ensure their children receive a decent education. The Welsh Government has failed to accept crucial recommendations here. We need a system that prioritises children, guarantees necessary support and ensures that no family is left behind. Inclusive education is not a luxury, it is a right, and therefore the Government needs to act on this. It is absolutely essential that there is faster identification of children and young people to prevent people missing out on the education that they deserve. Schools and nurseries need to be fully prepared to educate all those with all levels of ALN and other disabilities.”
“As well as the practical adaptations that need to be made in schools for physical disabilities, it is essential that adaptations for the deaf and blind become an absolute norm for schools across Wales, as most deaf children, for example, are educated in mainstream education. There is no deaf school in Wales. I'm glad you've accepted recommendation 12, but your response is quite weak. Teaching assistants are absolutely essential. Without them in the classroom, the teacher is having to deal with multiple children with multiple different needs, which is affecting the education of every child in that classroom. The struggles faced by families do not end at the school gates, of course, with travel problems often being a massive financial burden on families.”
“How can we expect inclusion when we don't equip our teachers with the skills to understand and support the children in their care? Recommendation 15 calls for universal provision for common conditions like dyslexia, which would have ensured that every school, regardless of location or resources, could provide support, yet the Welsh Government has rejected it. This is a missed opportunity to create fairness and consistency across the education system. Recommendation 11 calls for practical guidance on the social model of disability in school. Without this crucial guidance, schools will be left to fend for themselves, resulting in inconsistent and inadequate approaches to inclusion.”
“It is something that needs to be addressed urgently by this Welsh Government, as does the Act being interpreted 22 different ways by 22 local authorities, resulting in a postcode lottery of how ALN is being addressed across Wales. The Welsh Government response to recommendation 7 is just not good enough. The findings of the review need to be presented before summer 2025. This is urgent. Otherwise, swathes more children will be affected by us not acting urgently on this. The variety of ways the ALN Act is being interpreted will continue to deepen those inequalities that ALN learners are presented with every day. The Welsh Government rejected recommendation 19, which called for mandatory disability awareness training for school staff.”
“This presents multiple problems, one being that, without being fully prepared to look after and be aware of the specific needs and behaviours that ALN learners could present, and without having an understanding of how to deal with them, these behaviours can often be wrongly diagnosed as bad behaviour. A constituent only yesterday presented me with a case in a comprehensive school where the child was excluded because they shout out the answers in the classroom. His behaviour was seen as bad behaviour, but the child himself goes home crying every night because he's unable to stop himself doing so. And this is exactly the lower level ALN that's regrettably falling under the radar with this new—and don't get me wrong, very welcome—ALN Act.”
“Support for children with additional learning needs is one of the most pressing issues affecting families in Wales today, and being part of this review, as has already been said, has been heartbreaking and enlightening. Despite years of calls for reform, the Welsh Government continues to fail these children and their families, leaving them to struggle without the necessary support or resources. School staff are doing the best that they can with what they have, as has already been said by our Chair. It is disgraceful that so many teachers and teaching assistants still lack the basic standardised training on neurodiversity, let alone for specialised cases, like Angelman syndrome, which can often present themselves.”
“As a previous committee member myself, may I also start by thanking the clerk, all committee staff and all Members who have served on the committee, and have gone through all of this review, and, of course, our fantastic Chair, Buffy Williams, and former Chair, Jayne Bryant, who have been totally committed and invested in doing a thorough review of this? It was an honour to be a part and be instrumental in bringing this to the committee’s attention initially, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing a proper job on this. I just really hope that the Government will now listen to these, and perhaps revisit some of these recommendations that we’ve made as a committee—the current committee.”
“And do you agree with me that one thing that we could do now is really work hard together, collectively, to ensure that people visit Abergavenny in the run-up to Christmas and support our local businesses?”
“Thank you for the opportunity to speak. Cabinet Secretary, the recent fire in Abergavenny, as has already been said by my colleagues—and I concur with all the comments that have been made—had a devastating impact on the local community and local businesses there, including Cable News, a cherished establishment run by Paul Cable for over 30 years now, and the Magic Cottage charity shop, whose owners have worked tirelessly to support young people in need. So, I concur with the comments that have just been made and thank you for outlining what support you think can be available to them and others in rebuilding, and particularly in supporting those vulnerable groups in our community. As I'm sure you'll agree, this is of the utmost importance.”
“Will you stand up to the UK Labour Government, who are sacrificing the backbone of our agricultural communities while senior Labour figures imply our small farms are disposable?”
“Cabinet Secretary, this week, I heard from a local farmer in Monmouthshire who fears that small family farms like hers will be driven into the ground by Labour’s changes to inheritance tax, turning once thriving farms into prey for developers and ripping apart the heart of our rural communities. Let’s call it what it is: it’s a Labour-driven rural land grab. But it gets worse, earlier this week, former senior Labour aid John McTernan said, and I quote, 'we don’t need small farmers', and this is 'an industry we can do without'. It’s disgraceful, and I ask you, Cabinet Secretary, do Mr McTernan’s views reflect the disdain that Labour harbours for the working people of the countryside who tirelessly work to feed our nation?”
“3. Pa drafodaethau y mae'r Ysgrifennydd Cabinet wedi'u cael â Llywodraeth y DU am effaith cyllideb Llywodraeth y DU ar ffermydd teuluol yng Nghymru? OQ61849”
“So, will you commit today, as part of these so-called reforms, that the Welsh Labour Government will consider reinstating the 75 per cent relief for small businesses in Wales, for those that are still being affected?”
“I've listened eagerly to what's already been said, but these proposed changes to business rates in Wales have been driven by a Welsh Labour Government that has already slashed small business relief from the 75 per cent to 40 per cent, and as a result, small family-run businesses like our local pubs and restaurants are now paying significantly higher rates than their counterparts in England, as you've said. I've spoken to many business owners who feel the strain and believe that this Government simply doesn't understand or care about business. These enterprises are the backbone of our communities. As you said, some don't have to pay business rates, but still, there are many that do.”
“Unfortunately, this isn’t an isolated case in this school. Today, we should remember that bullying extends beyond the playground. It can happen in any setting, even the workplace, and its consequences are long lasting. What steps is the Minister taking to ensure that schools are adequately equipped, that training is available, and that people are supported to address bullying effectively and prevent situations like this from happening, and ensuring that schools work closely with parents as well? As we know, some schools and local authorities tackle this better than others. So, how will the Cabinet Secretary ensure that best practice is shared across Wales in this regard? Thank you.”
“Diolch for your statement today, Cabinet Secretary. I’m pleased that this Anti-bullying Week is bringing much-needed awareness to the severe impact that bullying has on the mental health of its victims. The Welsh Government has pledged support, but I’m concerned that the problem is far from resolved. This week, I spoke to a very concerned constituent whose child suffered bullying at a school in Monmouthshire over a very long period of time. The family raised concerns with the school, but the bullying continued. This led to the child suffering from panic attacks. She was eventually kept out of school activities, which meant her not attending multiple lessons for months in the run-up to her GCSEs. She felt unable to stay on at the school to do A-levels, and her parents are convinced this has severely affected her mental health.”
“We also need clarity from this Government. I'd love someone to stand up and tell me now what the budget will mean for the public sector. I urge the Welsh Government and my local MP to support family farms so they can keep doing what they do best: producing food, supporting rural communities and keeping Welsh traditions alive. Today, Cabinet Secretary, you have a choice. You can once again nod along to the budget that you know will damage Welsh agriculture, that you know will harm Welsh businesses, or you can stand up, speak out for Wales, speak out for farmers and show that this Senedd is not just an echo chamber for Westminster Labour politicians, but a true defender of Welsh interests. I urge Members to support this motion today.”
“I've now written to our Monmouthshire MP asking if she still supports what the UK Government is doing and whether what you're saying in here, in this Chamber, is right, if she understands the impact of this budget on local farms, unlike the Labour Members in this place, and if she will speak up on behalf of farmers in our community who stand to lose so much. These changes do not target the wealthy as the Government claim; they target the very people the Government said they would protect: the working people. Because farmers are the working people of the countryside. These changes affect a huge percentage of Welsh farms, alongside other budget pressures like the rise in national insurance contributions, which will hit small businesses very hard. Even the Chancellor has admitted that this could mean low pay rises for workers.”
“Farmers want to hand their farms to their children, as my colleagues have just said, and ensure that food in Wales is produced by local families, not industrial companies and not through imports. But any family members hoping to take over a farm will be faced with hundreds of thousands of pounds in a big bill. We could lose an entire generation of farmers this way. In the run-up to the last general election, at a hustings in Raglan market, my own local MP, Catherine Fookes, dismissed concerns about changes to IHT for farmers, assuring everybody present that Labour would stand up for Welsh farmers. It is therefore incredibly disappointing that just a few months later those same farmers face losing hundreds and thousands of pounds and their livelihoods as a result of these ill-thought-out changes by the Labour Government.”
“For farmers, as I said yesterday, these are not just numbers on a page, they are threats to their livelihoods, to the future of family farms in Wales. Yesterday, the First Minister stated that by defending family farms against the budget of tax rises, I was defending the richest in society. Clearly, she does not understand that many farming families are making just above the minimum wage and that high-value assets do not mean a high income. Labour are getting their maths wrong once again, and it is Labour that are misleading the people of Wales by mixing up assets with income. Under the new rules, any farm worth over £1 million will face a massive hit when it's passed down.”
“I agree with my Conservative colleagues. [ Interruption .] That's obviously not much of a surprise. Of course I do. This UK Labour autumn budget has been utterly barmy. It's been hugely damaging, breaking election promise after election promise, and it's been hugely damaging to rural communities. It's their first UK budget back in power, and once again, we see their utter contempt for the countryside. So, once again, I feel compelled to speak again on rural issues. Coming from a farming background myself, I know first-hand how hard it is to run a family farm. I've spoken to many farmers now in Monmouthshire and across my region, and they're deeply worried about these changes to the inheritance tax and agricultural property relief.”
“Our constituents need access to GPs, not more of the same excuses, and I urge the Minister to address this growing crisis in this vital primary care.”
“Community pharmacies can play a key role in helping here, but where is the information campaign to let people know about the increased services that they can offer to try to alleviate this and help our GPs? In Wales, we've already lost 100 GP sites in the last 12 years, yet patient numbers continue to rise. Why can't we be innovative here, bringing in different offers, capabilities, to relieve GPs and, of course, A&E, for onsite referrals there and then? We need to know exactly how much more GPs will be paying in national insurance contributions. The Minister should have this information already, but if he doesn't, I call on him to find out and let us know as soon as possible. Cabinet Secretary, our GP practices need proper support. Their workload is unsustainable.”
“A GP in Torfaen recently e-mailed to point out that Wales lost 51 full-time equivalent GPs between September 2023 and March 2024. In a recent survey, 37 per cent of GPs in Wales reported that they may not be in the profession in five years' time. This GP went on to say that 74 per cent of their members believe that they could alleviate hospital pressures if only they had more staff and resources. GPs across my region are crying out for help and some sense from this Government. It is clear that general practice could be a big part of the solution to the NHS crisis, but this just isn't happening. We see new homes being built, but where are the schools and GP services to match? Houses are being built, but no thought to the already stretched infrastructure to meet the demand, particularly in rural areas where there are fewer practices.”
“I'm glad to be talking in this debate to try to highlight the importance of this petition. Our GP services in Wales are in chaos and it's simply not good enough. As my colleague Sam Rowlands has already said, 21,000 people have signed this petition, calling on the Government to offer a rescue package to GPs. It's high time that this Labour Government took responsibility and acted. Across Wales, we hear stories of people unable to get appointments. I know from my own surgery that it's the same old story, day after day—a booking system that seems to be designed to make it impossible to get help, and that means that patients are waiting around for hours for a callback just to see if you have an appointment, the alternative being an online system, which of course immediately wipes out many of the elderly and those with disabilities.”