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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“The things that are holding the schools back from opening are safety concerns, but also the inability to pay for someone to open and close the school after school hours due to already stretched school budgets, as you can imagine. What action will you be taking to try and get over those hurdles? Thank you.”
“The Welsh Government made a shiny announcement about a year or so ago that twenty-first century schools would then be named ‘community schools’, but unfortunately they haven't lived up to their name, have they, Cabinet Secretary, as many schools do not open past school hours and provide the community with access to those brilliant sporting facilities that are on offer there? This is a particular problem in rural areas where we are sporting facilities poor across Wales, and the schools could provide that unique opportunity to encourage children, young people, the entire community to carry on using sporting facilities out of school hours.”
“8. Pa gamau y mae yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet yn eu cymryd i wella mynediad cyhoeddus i gyfleusterau chwaraeon ysgolion y tu allan i oriau ysgol? OQ61786”
“I do think it’s completely unfair that we’re disadvantaging our children like that. But it was promised that STEM industries—local, particularly—would engage with schools, so as Julie said, I really look forward to hearing more examples, and I want to hear what you’re going to do to ensure the whole of Wales can benefit from those STEM industries, not just Cardiff. Thank you.”
“Minister, I welcome the announcement today, actually, but my question was just asked by Julie, so I just want to say that I really welcome what you said today. Not enough has been done at all when it comes to STEM subjects to date. You’ve had a whole host of opportunities to do things, but I’m looking forward to this Government hopefully now stepping up and at least becoming parallel with what’s going on in England, because they are streets ahead, particularly as they’ve kept their triple separate sciences in their schools, whereas we’ve moved to the double science thing, which immediately puts our children and young people at a disadvantage when going into STEM subjects, and it sends the wrong message, when it's STEM subjects are where they should be focusing for the jobs of the future.”
“—together. Arguably and regrettably, they're being interpreted 22 different ways by 22 local authorities. Cabinet Secretary, the already real challenges in the classroom are compounded by the fact there's been no action to ensure that those learners falling below that radar for support for ALN—. What are you going to do to actually take action on that? Because, without that, we're going to be languishing at the bottom of PISA tables for many decades to come.”
“It's great that teachers are getting paid more, but what they're really crying out for is help in the classroom—some real help—with those pupils struggling with their ALN. More TAs are needed in the classroom to cope with that rise in ALN, with no financial support announced to that effect. This lack of help in the classroom for teachers is affecting all pupils' outcomes in all key areas. You've moved from separate sciences to double sciences, putting all of our Welsh learners at immediate disadvantage to those across the border when it comes to STEM subjects. There's no mention of ALN. These ALN reforms were desperately needed—we know that. We worked on that—”
“Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. I'm sorry to say this, but it's very lacklustre and disappointing. There's no real ambition. There are sticking-plaster solutions of multiple taskforces and groups mentioned; more talking about the solutions, ideas and answers to what we already know and everyone in here knows. You just have to walk into a school to find out what is needed and what needs doing now—not more talking about it; there needs to be real action on this, Cabinet Secretary. There's no mention of money being directed into schools, so heads can put it where they know are the right places to put it. There's no money or plan for teachers, especially those teaching in Welsh in Wales. And very importantly, no mention of teaching assistants, which we're crying out for.”
“First Minister, today, you and your Welsh Labour colleagues have a choice: will you continue to toe the line of your UK Labour Party and support this budget, a budget that will wreak havoc on Welsh agriculture, or will you stand up and speak out for Wales and its farmers and demonstrate that this Senedd will put the interests of Welsh farmers above the interests of the Westminster Labour Party?”
“First Minister, coming from a farming family, I know the strain that these changes to inheritance tax agricultural property relief will have on my region's farmers and Welsh farmers as a whole. We should be here safeguarding our family-run farms that operate on modest incomes. Labour are hitting the working people of the countryside. As my leader said, you promised not to touch it, and farmers feel betrayed. A tax hit on farms worth over £1 million will burden families with crippling costs, risking a generational loss in Welsh agriculture. It will mean food being imported or produced by industrial firms instead of local families.”
“3. Pa asesiad y mae'r Prif Weinidog wedi'i wneud o effaith cyllideb yr hydref Llywodraeth y DU ar wella canlyniadau economaidd i drigolion Dwyrain De Cymru? OQ61787”