Paul Rock

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1. 4. Topical Questions en

   I was appalled at the weekend to learn about the kerosene leak from the GE Aerospace site in Nantgarw in my constituency. I'm really concerned about the environmental impact of this pollution as it seeps into the waterways and into the River Taff that runs right through the heart of our city, right down to this place. I understand Natural Resources Wales were made aware of the incident on Friday and have been taking action with fuel-absorbing barriers at the confluence between the tributary and the Taff, but there are some discrepancies between the two organisations' public statements that we've seen. GE Aerospace claimed that the source of the spill was fully identified and isolated on Friday, but NRW have said that they're still seeking to confirm the source. Cabinet Minister, I'm glad to hear that you're being briefed by NRW. Could you confirm whether or not GE Aerospace are fully co-operating with the investigation? Will GE Aerospace be held fully accountable for their failures, which allowed this to happen? And what will be done to assess and remediate impacts on the fish and animals that live in and around the River Taff, and how will that be paid for?

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2. 8. Welsh Labour Debate: The M4 around Newport en

   Diolch, Lywydd. In his resignation statement to the Senedd in 2024, the former First Minister, Mark Drakeford, reflected on his first major decision, which was to not proceed with the M4 relief road. He said, 'The easy decision would have been to say, "Go ahead". The powerful voices in Wales were lined up in support of it. My decision, having spent many, many days reading and thinking about it, was that that was not in the long-term interests of Wales.'  Welsh Labour were also responsible for passing our groundbreaking Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and many other world-leading initiatives. I guess that's why I find this motion quite sad. The black route is no longer an option; the land is no longer available. But even if it were an option, concreting over the Gwent levels is an option that no serious Government or Parliament could consider, given the environmental devastation it would cause. There is no magic green floating motorway. But I do agree that doing nothing is not an option. The most important part of the solution to the M4 congestion is further investment in public transport to encourage more drivers to leave their cars at home and take a train or a bus. So, I really welcome the announcement that the new railway stations recommended—[Interruption.]—no, it's all right—by the Burns commission will be brought forward and delivered sooner than originally planned. Increasing accessibility and the number of services on the main line between Cardiff and Severn Tunnel Junction will be incredibly valuable for people across the region, and I look forward to using them myself in the not-too-distant future. Now, looking at the Government's proposals, lorries travelling between the north of England and west Wales are currently inhibited from using the Heads of the Valleys road due to the lack of rest facilities, which they are, of course, legally required to use. The Government's proposal to invest in rest facilities is common sense, cost-effective, and can remove substantial freight traffic from the M4.  The people of Newport will be more likely to take the bus if they have confidence that a bus goes where they need it to, will arrive at their stop when the timetable says it will, and will get them to their destination on time. So, again, the Government's proposed bus network improvements are sensible and cost-effective and have the capacity to reduce the number of private cars using both the M4 and the surrounding roads. The railway stations recommended by Lord Burns are, as I said, welcome. Experience shows that new railway stations always outperform the passenger number modelling, so these stations could really make a difference to traffic on the M4 around Newport. It won't surprise Members that I feel the Burns stations don't go far enough. In my own constituency, the long-anticipated, but currently unfunded, stations at Gabalfa and Roath park, as well as others like Caerleon, would encourage more people to use public transport, helping to reduce congestion across the whole road network. Rather than spending the entire Welsh Government capital budget on a single new motorway that would devastate a fragile ecosystem, public money is far better spent on making cost-effective improvements more quickly to our existing road network and public transport that, together, can produce considerable benefits for all road users, including freight, private cars, buses, cyclists and pedestrians. Diolch.

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1. 8. Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: Update on the National Energy Strategy en

   I thank the Cabinet Minister for his statement. I'm delighted that the Welsh Government agrees with us Greens that Wales has a huge untapped potential to be completely self-sufficient in green, safe, resilient energy generation, owned by our communities and our nation. We believe that Wales must aim to meet all of our energy needs from renewables by 2035, to reduce our carbon emissions and tackle global heating, but also to ensure energy independence from global price shocks, and to protect the poorest in our society from continuing energy poverty.547 I do have a concern about the loss of the explicit mention of renewables from targets. Because if we reduce carbon emissions, but create other problems, future generations won't thank us. And I would remind the Reform spokesman that nuclear power is expensive, won't deliver in time, and creates terrible risks for future generations. Can the Cabinet Minister provide reassurance that the shift in focus from renewable energy targets to reducing emissions will not lead to other significant environmental consequences for our children and grandchildren?

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1. 5. Welsh Labour Debate: Palliative and end-of-life care en

   Last night—or last week, rather—I was delighted to visit City Hospice in my constituency. They do fantastic work supporting people with terminal illnesses and their families. They provide care to people within their own homes, helping to keep them connected with their local communities and their support networks for as long as possible, but they also have an amazing drop-in centre in Whitchurch, with beautiful gardens and space for people to take part in meaningful activities, allowing people to keep on living well right to the end of their lives. They told me about a man they supported who was understandably feeling very low and said that one of the things he was really missing was the opportunity to chat about football, so they created a sports bar where people could drink alcohol-free beer, watch football matches and talk about them, often with a sporting hero as a special guest. I confess that's not something that appeals to me at all personally, but the sports bar has now become one of their most popular activities. This is the real difference that hospices make in people's lives, but this vital work is at risk without sustainable funding and strong collaborative working with local health boards. The previous Government took steps towards developing a hospice commissioning framework to ensure consistent good practice across Wales. However, I understand there are still significant variations across different areas. The Welsh hospice sector needs an additional £5.5 million of funding this year and an additional £8.2 million of funding in each subsequent year of the Senedd term. This works out at around, as people have said, £30 million for the whole of this Senedd term, which is not a great deal amount of money considering the hugely beneficial impacts for our communities. On average, Welsh hospices get only around a third of their income from statutory sources and must fundraise for the rest from private donors, which is extremely difficult in the context of the cost-of-living crisis. Any additional financial help for hospices would of course be welcomed, but long-term certainty in both the contracts and grant funding, so that staff and service users can be confident their vital services will be there whenever they are needed. Predictable, multi-year recurring funding allows hospices to better plan ahead and supports their highly skilled staff with a huge number of different medical specialisms embedded within their own local communities. I'm glad that we all agree that the incredible work of our hospices and palliative care workers is not just worth celebrating in this debate this afternoon, but also worthy of fair and sustainable funding in recognition of their life-affirming work. Diolch.

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2. 8. Short Debate: Green across the aisle: Making environmental stewardship a common cause en

   My constituents see and smell the wildfires; the rising threat of flooding is constantly at their door. Our farmers are worried about the viability of their businesses and their communities; people are concerned about how they can afford to heat their homes, pay their bills and feed their families. We can ease pressure on household costs by helping people to move to sustainable energy and fossil-fuel-free heating. So, it's very disappointing to see the UK Government's support for heat pumps evaporating before our eyes. Heat pumps lower heating bills, but people need to be supported to make the change. Also, Wales is blessed with extraordinary natural resources. We have the potential to generate all the renewable energy our nation needs, so that we can reduce energy bills, make families less vulnerable to rising fuel costs and cut carbon emissions at the same time. This is about delivering greater energy security, warmer homes and a more sustainable future for our children. So, when we put social justice at the centre of climate action, and we put climate action at the centre of social justice, we don't have to choose between helping people and helping the planet, we must, and we can, do both.

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1. 1. Questions to the First Minister en

   At the start of September, my mother passed away. She had spent her entire career working as a health visitor. For her, this work wasn't just a job, it was her calling. My mum's identity, from when she first started training in 1951, was shaped around her time as a health visitor. Even in retirement, you could tell from the way that she spoke and interacted with people that being a health visitor was really part of who she was and what she was meant to be doing. This is the case for so many people for whom their career is a vocation. Does the First Minister agree with me that, very often, when a career is a vocation for a person, they are often not remunerated according to the value of the kind of work they do for society or in comparison with other equivalent professions? And furthermore, does the First Minister agree that this is an issue that disproportionately affects professions dominated by women, like health visiting, more than it does professions dominated by men?

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2. 6. Statement by the Deputy Minister for Transport: Climate Adaptation and Resilience in Wales's Transport Network en

   Footpaths are an essential, but often overlooked part of the transport network across Wales. Well-maintained pavements and footpaths are particularly important for older people, people with mobility difficulties, wheelchair users, people with prams or pushchairs, as well as the 20 per cent of Welsh households without a car.  As we've heard this afternoon, poor winter weather will soon be with us. Flooding and icy nights will inevitably speed up the degradation of our footpaths. Accidents caused by uneven paving slabs and hidden hazards within deceptively deep puddles lead to pressure on NHS services, or to people feeling just too scared to go out. Maintenance of footpaths is the responsibility, of course, of local authorities, but what will the Minister be doing to support them to keep paths in good condition this winter, as well as make proactive adaptions to prevent future damage in extreme weather events and keep them open and accessible for everyone who needs them?

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1. 2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability cy

   5. A wnaiff y Gweinidog Cabinet roi diweddariad ar y cynnydd tuag at gyrraedd targedau natur a bioamrywiaeth Llywodraeth Cymru? OQ64581

   Official English translation

   5. Will the Cabinet Minister provide an update on progress towards reaching the Welsh Government's nature and biodiversity targets? OQ64581

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2. 2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability en

   Diolch. On 2 June, when I raised this in the Siambr, the First Minister said that the Government is committed to clear public reporting on Wales's progress towards net zero through an accessible online dashboard. I went to have a look for it when some of the other dashboards came out, and all I could find was an old PowerPoint presentation about public sector emissions. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place. Progress and opportunity for climate resilience is inextricably linked with the need to halt and reverse the loss of nature. I'm glad to see this recognised with the announcement of the forthcoming climate and nature plan, but we need to be clear about how progress on both will be monitored and reported. You'll be aware of the importance of the forthcoming targets due to be introduced in accordance with the Environment (Principles, Governance and Biodiversity Targets) (Wales) Act 2026, yet presently we don't have targets or any clear means of Member oversight on progress. Could you confirm the timeline for the introduction of those biodiversity and nature targets and whether you intend to monitor and report on progress openly using one of those dashboards?

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3. 6. Reform UK Debate: Default 20 mph speed limit en

   Diolch, Lywydd. The core of this debate appears to be a very simple question: do we accept the evidence that lower speeds save lives or do we not? Yes, this is about road safety, but it's also about value for money and it's about public health. Despite what some in this Siambr insist, the science tells us that the consequences of even small increases of speed are stark. At 30 mph, a pedestrian struck by a vehicle faces roughly a 50 per cent chance of suffering a severe injury; at 20 mph, that risk falls to 10 per cent. And let's be honest, even most of the loudest critics of the policy don't deny this. After all, they too usually want 20 mph limits outside schools, they are happy to have them outside hospitals and they think they're important around playgrounds and care homes. In other words, they acknowledge the principle. They accept that where vulnerable people are present, slower speeds save lives. What strikes me about some of this debate is that it feels like the proposers of this motion are employing something I'm going to call 'imbyism'. They're quite happy to have that 20 mph speed limit outside their child's school, quite keen to have one outside the care home where their parents live, enthusiastic to have it on the road they cross every day. But what they're forgetting is that vulnerable people do not only exist within a few metres of a school gate or near a hospital entrance. Children need to walk to school from their homes, elderly people have to cross the road to get to the shops, disabled people need the freedom and confidence to travel around their communities. They need to navigate busy roads and residential streets every day. This is why the 20 mph policy was introduced—to reduce death and serious injury, to make people feel safer to walk and cycle around their communities, to reduce congestion and parking issues and to improve people's health, something I'm pleased had cross-party support in the previous Senedd. When some people say that a 20 mph blanket ban—. Sorry. I do apologise. It's in my notes. I didn't mean to say it. It's really hard when I didn't realise. When some people say it infringes their freedom, they are ignoring the freedom of those people. The freedom—

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4. 6. Reform UK Debate: Default 20 mph speed limit en

   Yes, why not?

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5. 6. Reform UK Debate: Default 20 mph speed limit en

   I couldn't possibly comment on that, except to point out that Plaid Cymru also support this, as do the Greens. When some people say that the 20 mph default limit infringes their freedom, they're ignoring the freedom of those people—the freedom to walk safely in their communities, the freedom to cross the road without fear, the freedom to participate fully in community life. We need to be serious about encouraging a shift towards walking, wheeling and cycling, so we must create environments in which people feel safe to do so. We cannot talk about reducing congestion and parking issues whilst simultaneously arguing against measures that make streets safer for those who do not or are unable to drive. That brings me to the practical alternative that is so often proposed: selective 20 mph zones for those schools, hospitals, care homes and playgrounds. Let's consider what that would mean in practice. The Welsh Government's nationwide implementation cost around £33 million. But if we were to scrap the 20 mph policy, which in itself would probably cost about £33 million again, and then redesignate every school, every care home, every hospital and every playground individually, at the average of £33,000 per location, the cost of that would be £163 million. I wonder whether Reform agree with me that £163 million is more money than £33 million. I understand that I can't use the B word in this debate, which is a shame, because communities need a simple, consistent layer of protection. The alternative, of course, is an expensive patchwork quilt of varying speed limits requiring more signs, more admin and more enforcement, leaving drivers confused as they try and work out which rule applies where. I'm nearly finished. In this debate about cost, we're losing sight of the fact that lower speeds reduce the risk of death and serious injury. That's why the policy was introduced. That's why many opponents support 20 mph in the places they care about. That's why this debate ultimately comes down to this: whose freedom do we value in society? Is a car journey that is, on average, less than a minute quicker really more important than the ability of a child to walk safely to school, an older person to cross the road with confidence, or a disabled person to travel independently through their community? Almost one in five households in Wales do not have access to a car. Many of these people are old, disabled, young or poor. Why should they bear the consequences and the risk—

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6. 6. Reform UK Debate: Default 20 mph speed limit en

   —one sentence—simply so that the rest of us can reach our destinations 50 seconds sooner? Diolch.

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1. 1. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care en

   Low staffing numbers increase the length of waiting lists across many NHS services, but expectant mothers cannot join waiting lists, because babies don't wait. The Royal College of Midwives tell me that we now have unsafe staffing levels in maternity services across Wales. The impact of this situation is very serious. Not having a good birth experience is bad enough, but in some cases, it leads to medical complications. These complications can, of course, have a devastating effect on babies, their parents and, indeed, NHS staff. As well as the human impact, the costs to the NHS in treating conditions arising from birth complications and maternity cases are vast. I understand that a single maternity case typically costs £5 million. I understand also that to employ the 70 midwifery graduates who have not yet been offered jobs would cost less than £3.5 million. Not employing those midwives—

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2. 1. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care en

   —feels like a false economy with an unjustifiable human impact. Will the Minister commit to placing all this year's midwifery graduates in jobs and making a plan to return midwifery services to a safe staffing level?

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3. 2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning en

   This question reminds me, in a slightly odd way, of the days when many of us were fighting to convince our pension schemes—in my case the Universities Superannuation Scheme—to divest from fossil fuels, landmines, cluster bombs and tobacco. It's quite the converse of that fight. From time to time, a public sector pension executive would sidle up to me and quietly remind me that the best return on investment could be achieved from the lucrative international tobacco market, selling cigarettes to children in countries with less regulation than we have here in Wales. We pushed our pension schemes to invest positively in things like renewable energy and social housing, and the returns were good. Does the Minister agree with me that making positive, sustainable choices for our pensions is not only the moral thing to do, but it yields great, long-term returns for our pensions, returns that do not depend on global instability or risk stranded fossil fuel assets?

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4. 6. Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Young people and employment en

   I'm pleased to support this motion today, and I thank Shav Taj for giving me the opportunity to speak about it. At its heart, this motion is about a simple principle: every young person in our nation deserves the opportunity to build a secure, sustainable and rewarding future here in Wales. The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 calls on us to think about the long term. That means ensuring young people are not simply finding jobs, but building careers that are sustainable, resilient and futureproof. Much can be said about the barriers facing young people, from low pay and insecure work to a lack of progression opportunities, but I want to focus on the opportunities being created by our climate commitments, and the good-quality jobs that can come with them. As Greens, we see meeting our climate commitments not as a burden, but as a huge opportunity. It can create thousands of long-term skilled jobs. Crucially, we need careers that equip young people with skills for life. We should not be directing people into industries with an expiry date attached to them. Instead, we should be investing in sectors that we know will continue to grow and provide stable employment for decades to come. Some of those careers will be in the trades. We need to deliver renewable energy projects, retrofit our existing housing stock and build the sustainable homes and infrastructure of the future. We need more engineers, more skilled construction workers and more investment in research and development if Wales is to become that global leader. I'd like to highlight the potential of marine and tidal energy. Wales is blessed with extraordinary coastlines and the second largest tidal range in the world. By harnessing that natural advantage, we can create skilled careers by strengthening our energy security. If Wales isn't ready for this transition, it's our young people who will, once again, miss the boat. We need to be able to equip them to move into these good long-term careers, otherwise the opportunities will simply go elsewhere. The Warm Homes plan is another good example of where environmental and economic goals come together. Retrofitting homes and building fossil-fuel-free homes from the outset will cut emissions, lower energy bills and create skilled employment in construction and engineering. These are jobs rooted in communities, and jobs that we will need if we are serious about meeting our climate commitments. That's why I'm so pleased to support this motion, and I urge the Welsh Government to consider and ensure that the pathways into green industries are ambitious, accessible and available to young people across Wales. Diolch.

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5. 7. Reform UK Debate: Bovine TB en

   Diolch, Lywydd. Bovine TB is the cause of so much pain, trauma and uncertainty for farmers and the rural communities of Wales. I am, however, very concerned about the unhelpful and untimely political posturing of the motion, as well as the misleading inferences contained in the wording. The motion calls on the Welsh Government to draw on the scientific evidence, and rightly so, but the motion also appears to imply that a major component of the solution should be a badger cull. Since the previous Welsh Government announced its decision to stop culling badgers back in March 2012, the number of new herd incidents has more than halved, and bovine TB is now at its lowest level in nearly 20 years. All of this has been achieved without any lethal wildlife control.  As we've heard, the evidence shows that 94 per cent of bovine TB transmission occurs from cattle to cattle. This is where the solutions lie and where improved testing and biosecurity measures have already made a real difference. The technical advisory group is currently considering the evidence relevant to vaccination and bovine TB. The Cabinet Minister recently acknowledged this research and reminded us of the importance of allowing this work to be completed before any decisions are made. The timing of this debate, ahead of the publication of these findings, is therefore premature. So, I urge Members to vote against the motion and in favour of the amendment in order that the evidence presented by the technical advisory group can be given proper consideration at the appropriate time. The group's work is politically independent and must remain so for a robust science-led approach to be maintained. Diolch.

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1. 2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability en

   Wales has already taken crucial steps to ensure that coal no longer has a place in our clean energy future. The closure of Aberthaw power station was a stepping stone on the pathway towards a green energy independent Wales. The UK Government agrees that coal should no longer be part of the UK energy strategy, as is evidenced by its commitment to ban new coal mining licences in the forthcoming energy independence Bill. However, that draft legislation, as it stands, risks leaving coal tip extraction outside the scope of the ban. Whilst this isn't a devolved matter, there are some simple amendments to the Act that will fix this, by explicitly stating that coal tip extraction is included in the ban. These amendments need to be discussed with the UK Government. The implications matter for Wales. Projects such as the current proposal to remove Bedwas tips in return for the commercial rights to hundreds of thousands of tonnes of coal would undermine Wales's climate commitments and reopen the door to an extractive and dirty industry. Will the Cabinet Minister discuss the need for a coal tip extraction ban in the UK Government's energy independence Bill with his Westminster counterpart?

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1. 1. Questions to the First Minister cy

   7. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog gadarnhau pryd y bydd graddedigion nyrsio a bydwreigiaeth yng Nghaerdydd Ffynnon Taf yn cael cynnig gwaith yn y GIG? OQ64360

   Official English translation

   7. Will the First Minister confirm when nursing and midwifery graduates in Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf will receive offers of work in the NHS? OQ64360

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2. 1. Questions to the First Minister en

   Last week, I met with a very distressed constituent, who had been encouraged to embark on a nursing course on the understanding that our Welsh NHS needs more nurses, and the promise that there would be jobs on graduation. My constituent, a mother of three, had made her plans around that promise being honoured. Twelve days ago, she was informed that there was no job for her. She and her husband have had to take out a loan to cover the gap in their finances until she finds work. My constituent attained a first-class honours degree and should be feeling excitement for her graduation ceremony, but now feels that she may not be mentally strong enough to attend it while she's in limbo, with so much uncertainty hanging over her head. Both the Royal College of Nursing and I were glad to hear you say last week that you recognise that this is a terrible situation that should never have happened, and we heard your promise that there will be NHS jobs for the 400 healthcare graduates who don’t yet have offers. By what date shall I tell my constituent that she will receive an offer of work?

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1. 2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Finance cy

   4. Pa drafodaethau y mae'r Gweinidog Cabinet wedi'u cael gyda'r Gweinidog Cabinet dros Wydnwch Gwledig a Chynaliadwyedd ynghylch sicrhau bod buddsoddiad strategol Llywodraeth Cymru yn cyd-fynd â'u cynllun ar gyfer Cymru sero net erbyn 2040? OQ64206

   Official English translation

   4. What discussions has the Cabinet Minister had with the Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability about ensuring that the Welsh Government's strategic investment aligns with their plan for a net-zero Wales by 2040? OQ64206

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2. 2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Finance en

   Diolch, Weinidog. Every spending decision will have an impact on climate change, the resilience of our rural communities and the sustainability of our nation. The Plaid Cymru manifesto stated that you would embed decarbonisation across all portfolio areas. So, it's critical that budget decisions made now are sustainable and consider the broadest range of possible benefits. For instance, replacing fossil-fuelled heating with low-carbon alternatives will have an impact on air quality, which will, in turn, reduce the pressure on our NHS. The heat pump industry alone will provide an estimated 5,500 people in Wales with secure, well-paid jobs. How will you assess the true value of potential spending decisions against a broader range of criteria than simplistic financial measures?

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3. 7. Reform UK Debate: A Welsh Rivers Act en

   I'd like to thank Laura Anne for giving us the opportunity to discuss this important matter. There are merits in the original motion and in elements of the amendments. The motion itself critically mentions nutrient management—a really serious issue—as well as sewage discharges. The 'delete all' approach to amendments is, I suppose, sometimes appropriate, but I think, in this case, it's a bit unnecessary. As Greens in the Senedd, we believe in the careful consideration of the merits of amendments on a case-by-case basis. So, amendment 1's main weakness, we see, is the loss of the nutrient management features of the original motion. Amendment 2 has got a number of points, so I'll take them one by one. On point (a), I agree—all forms of pollution must be addressed. We're given to understand that the two main sources of pollution in Wales are industrialised agriculture and waste water. So, stronger regulation and enforcement is, of course, required across both. An expansion of the existing environmental permitting regulations could already be used to monitor and address cumulative impacts more effectively. On point (b) in the amendment, we would take this further. Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water is not fit for purpose for tackling the problems that it has created, especially the scourge of sewage pollution. So, nationalisation is an essential first step, which the amendment sadly misses.  On point (c), addressing agricultural pollution is paramount to delivering benefits for health, nature and climate, and producing a more sustainable food and farming system. The Government could address this by bringing forward water pollution targets under the Environment (Principles, Governance and Biodiversity Targets) (Wales) Act 2026 to deliver robust biodiversity targets, including a 50 per cent reduction of excess nutrient loss by 2030, putting all water bodies under active annual monitoring by 2027, and putting in place catchment-specific action plans for all river catchments by 2027.  On point (d), an integrated systems approach needs to be taken to tackle all sources of nitrogen overuse and waste. Due to insufficient monitoring, we don't know enough about hazardous chemicals, pharmaceuticals and microplastics entering our water environment across Wales. For example, soil data collected already by farmers under the sustainable farming scheme could be made available to Natural Resources Wales to focus actions on those catchments where nutrient run-off is a major factor in poor river quality. Funded citizen science can be a powerful tool and it's one we support, but it shouldn't be at the expense of statutory responsibilities to collect data and ensure that it's shared. We expect action plans resulting from new data and insights to follow the principle we heard about earlier—that the polluter pays. So, perhaps those multinationals whose products end up in our water across Wales should be held to account too.

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1. 6. Reform UK Debate: Government international spending en

   The people of Wales have always been outward looking. We understand our place in the world and the difference it makes when we do the little things, both at home and abroad. So often, we have led the world in global responsibility. Many of us in this Chamber will remember 18 years ago last week being so proud when Wales became the world's first Fairtrade Nation, which proved that Cymru can be and is a global leader. Our leadership on fair trade is proof that decisions made here in Wales can have an impact both at home and abroad. Fair-trade goods are now widely available and recognised by the Welsh public, and the impact of this on producer communities is enormous. This could not have been achieved without support from the Welsh Government. Anyone who says we can't make a difference is underselling Wales and isn't giving our nation its due. Even if some in this Siambr don't think we should take our global responsibilities seriously, it is incredibly naive to think that Wales doesn't benefit from international Government spending. For example, Ireland, our nearest international neighbour, is one of the countries that the Welsh Government spends money in. Ireland is our third biggest trading partner, and visitors from the Republic of Ireland spent £47 million in 2023. Members, if this Senedd supports this motion, Welsh Government funding will no longer be able to be used to attract tourism from Ireland into Wales, and our economy will suffer accordingly. If this Senedd supports this motion, Welsh Government funding will no longer be able to help Welsh businesses to export to Ireland. If this Senedd supports this motion, it will decimate the port towns in Wales that depend on trade and tourism with Ireland. If this motion is carried, what will those Members who voted for it say to our port towns, our Welsh farmers and our small business owners who stand to lose so much? Is this really what Reform are intending by bringing this motion? The money that the motion references is, as we've heard, about 0.031 per cent of the Welsh Government's budget. Perhaps Dewi Sant will have felt this amount was one of those little things that can indeed have a huge difference. For these reasons, and to maintain our place as a nation that can continue to lead the world in taking our global responsibilities seriously, I urge Members to reject the motion.

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1. 2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability cy

   8. Sut mae'r Gweinidog Cabinet yn bwriadu mynd i'r afael â cholli mannau gwyrdd trefol a maestrefol, hygyrch i'r cyhoedd sy'n hanfodol i les cymunedau a bywyd gwyllt? OQ64120

   Official English translation

   8. How does the Cabinet Minister plan to address the loss of publicly accessible urban and suburban green spaces that are vital for the welfare of communities and wildlife? OQ64120

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2. 2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability en

   Diolch. Publicly accessible urban and suburban natural green spaces are absolutely vital for the welfare and well-being of our communities. They provide essential corridors and sanctuaries for nature and biodiversity. During the pandemic, we saw how heavily people relied on these green spaces and how missed they are when they're taken away, as has now happened in my own constituency at the northern meadows in Whitchurch, and is at risk of happening at Llanrumney Hall. We are sleepwalking into a situation where these green spaces will be lost to the public and to wildlife forever. The well-being of communities across Wales will suffer as a result. How will the Minister work with the Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning to ensure that planning decisions protect publicly accessible natural green space?

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3. 6. Welsh Labour Debate: School support staff negotiating body en

   I'm really happy to support this motion. I'll start by declaring an interest. I am a governor of a local primary school in my constituency, and my wife works as a teaching assistant. Most people here will either know someone who works in education or whose family directly benefits from the tireless dedication that support staff like teaching assistants provide. I don't need to remind Members of the important work that school support staff do: one-to-one interventions to support children with additional learning needs or children who are simply falling behind. They work with small groups, they cover for teachers and look after whole classes at a time, they run breakfast clubs and after-school clubs, they supervise children at lunch times and play times, they work unpaid overtime daily, and the pressures of the job mean they cannot always take the breaks they are entitled to. They have to do personal care for children who are not yet potty-trained. They are frequently kicked, bitten, spat at and verbally assaulted. An increasing number of children don't cope well with school, impacting their behaviour and the classroom environment. It's school support staff that intervene to stop the escalation of violence or to resolve unsafe situations. They safeguard the safety and well-being of everyone in the room. The ongoing weight that they carry in their work is enormous, and they carry the ongoing stress with them home and all year round. This is an issue of fairness, safety and well-being, and this is an equalities issue. Support staff are, as Shav told us, most commonly women—more than 90 per cent. With caring and community responsibilities of their own, they're individuals embedded in their communities who rely on them for the work that they do. Unlike support staff in Scotland, they are not paid for the summer holidays—or any school holidays, in fact—and whilst the cost-of-living crisis escalates, they are forced to make difficult compromises around childcare and their household finances, as we've heard. The lack of year-round pay is directly contributing to the gender pay gap in Wales, and placing an unfair burden on those we rely on to ensure our children can learn safely. As you can appreciate from my description earlier, the work that support staff undertake is unlike any other local authority staff role. They must have their own pay negotiating body. Wales Green Party believes that support staff deserve to be fully represented in discussions about their pay and their terms of employment, so that they can be treated fairly in the crucial work that they do. This is not the first example we've heard this week of where Wales is falling behind another part of the UK, but fortunately, it's a specific issue that the new Welsh Government can take immediate steps to fix. This is the right thing to do.

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1. 5. Statement by the Deputy Minister for Transport: Key Infrastructure Resilience en

   Diolch, Lywydd. I'd like to congratulate the Minister on this important role. I'm pleased and relieved to hear the Minister confirm that the black route for the M4 relief road won't be revisited. I think it's worth remembering that the black route was abandoned because of both its appalling environmental impact and enormous cost. Of course, road building generally increases traffic, and the worry is that money spent on increasing the capacity of the M4 will be lost to public transport investment, driving modal shift in the wrong direction. Can the Minister explain how any new M4 relief road would be funded without impeding the Government's ambitions for rail and bus infrastructure?

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1. 1. Questions to the First Minister cy

   3. Sut fydd y Prif Weinidog yn sicrhau bod cynnydd wrth ymateb i'r argyfwng natur a hinsawdd ar draws portffolios y Llywodraeth yn cael ei fesur a'i adrodd yn dryloyw ac yn ystyrlon, heb Weinidog penodol dros yr amgylchedd? OQ64072

   Official English translation

   3. How will the First Minister ensure that progress in responding to the nature and climate crisis across Government portfolios is transparently and meaningfully measured and reported, without a specific Minister for the environment? OQ64072

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2. 1. Questions to the First Minister en

   Diolch, First Minister. The homes of my constituents in Nantgarw were devastated by flooding in 2020, and they live in constant fear that this will happen again. The devastating impact on communities of extreme weather is only going to become more common as the climate crisis develops. As Greens, we believe Government effectiveness must include effectiveness in tackling the climate and nature crisis, and a joint-working approach between the Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability and the Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution, with termly reporting, would be the best way to approach this. How will you measure and report on the effectiveness of action taken by the Welsh Government in tackling the climate and nature crisis, to ensure accountability to this Senedd and to the people whose lives are affected?

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