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Category: Wales

  • Eluned Morgan – 2021 Comments on Keeping Wales Safe

    Eluned Morgan – 2021 Comments on Keeping Wales Safe

    The comments made by Eluned Morgan, the Welsh Minister for Health and Social Services, on 21 June 2021.

    As we move into the summer months, now is not the time to be complacent. Coronavirus has not disappeared, and the transmission of the Delta variant reminds us just how quickly it can spread.

    Our fight against this virus depends on the actions we all take together and we need to keep doing all those things which have helped keep us, our families and Wales safe. We all must ensure that we continue to follow the guidelines on social distancing, washing our hands, wearing face coverings, and limiting our contact with people indoors to keep Wales safe and keep transmission as low as possible. We must also try to meet people outdoors if we can, and to keep indoor spaces well-ventilated.

    Testing is especially important as new variants emerge to help identify positive cases and manage outbreaks more effectively. I would like to remind anyone who has symptoms – even if they are mild – to follow the self-isolation guidelines and to arrange a PCR test.

    If we all take responsibility and keep the guidelines at the front of our minds, we will have the best chance of getting back to doing the things we miss most.

  • Delyth Jewell – 2021 Comments on Climate Anxiety

    Delyth Jewell – 2021 Comments on Climate Anxiety

    The comments made by Delyth Jewell, the Plaid Cymru Spokesperson on Climate Change, on 9 June 2021.

    I’m eager in my new role to help to reframe the way we talk about climate change with children and young people, to focus more on the agency we have, the actions we can take to make a difference, not just about catastrophes that can’t be overcome.

    Climate anxiety is real, and scary, and can hit us all; so many of us will have had an overwhelming realisation that something truly awful is happening to our planet, and it can make us all feel powerless, like there’s nothing we can do.

    We can’t allow this narrative to continue, not least because our very hope of tackling the climate emergency rests on our not allowing it to overwhelm us.

    We need to get better at talking about climate change in a way that also gives us agency. The way we frame the conversation about human impact on our planet needs to show us tangible ways of reversing that impact, especially when talking to children and young people. Less ‘countdown to the end of the world’, more counting all the ways we can make a positive change.

    The media narrative has a role in this, but so does government messaging. There’s a huge role for the curriculum in Wales in this – guidance and support should be given to all teachers in how to address climate anxiety, and to make sure we can all give our children a sense that change is possible. That every action we take now can help to turn things around.

  • Simon Hart – 2021 Comments on the Bishop of St Davids

    Simon Hart – 2021 Comments on the Bishop of St Davids

    The comments made by Simon Hart, the Secretary of State for Wales, on 18 June 2021.

    I am incredibly grateful to the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Bangor for taking the trouble to respond to concerns raised about the Bishop of St Davids’ unacceptable Twitter activity.

    Their comments should reassure the public – whether they are churchgoers or not – that the Church takes these concerns seriously and that there are no circumstances in which they can be justified.

    We hope, and expect, that the Church will continue to engage with politicians, to challenge us and to hold us to account, but to do so in a way that avoids legitimate views being demeaned.

  • Jane Hutt – 2021 Comments on Volunteers

    Jane Hutt – 2021 Comments on Volunteers

    The comments made by Jane Hutt, the Minister for Social Justice in Wales, on 4 June 2021.

    Volunteers and the projects they support have always been an integral part of our local communities across Wales. As the last year has shown, volunteers are the glue which hold our communities together.

    This amazing volunteering attitude has never been more evident than it has over the past 12 months, where we have seen people of all ages and backgrounds rise up to the enormous challenges Covid-19 has presented.

    This year’s Volunteers’ Week and our latest commitment to funding 12 fantastic community projects across Wales are especially poignant and it has never felt more fitting to take the opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to each and every person and organisation who has given their time to help.

  • Mark Drakeford – 2021 Statement on Covid-19

    Mark Drakeford – 2021 Statement on Covid-19

    The statement made by Mark Drakeford, the Welsh First Minister, on 4 June 2021.

    I want to thank everyone in Wales for everything they have done to control the spread of coronavirus and keep rates low. The emergence of the delta variant shows the pandemic is not over yet and we all need to continue to take steps to protect ourselves and our loved ones.

    The risk of infection is significantly less outdoors than it is indoors. This is why we are phasing in the changes in this three-week cycle. This will allow more people to enjoy events outdoors and take advantage of the Welsh summer, while we continue to roll out the vaccination programme to all adults.

    We will review the public health situation again in a couple of weeks to see whether we can continue to relax the restrictions and restart indoor events.

  • Simon Hart – 2021 Comments on the 2025 City of Culture Bidding Process

    Simon Hart – 2021 Comments on the 2025 City of Culture Bidding Process

    The comments made by Simon Hart, the Secretary of State for Wales, on 29 May 2021.

    A thriving arts and culture scene has long been at the heart of a successful Wales and will remain so as we recover from the pandemic.

    The UK City of Culture competition represents an opportunity to not only bring significant financial investment and regeneration benefits, but also to boost Wales’ established reputation as globally-recognised creative hub.

    I encourage towns and cities across Wales to get involved in the competition, to champion hidden talent and promote local art scenes so that we can continue to highlight the unique cultural and artistic talents of Wales.

  • Simon Hart – 2021 Comments on the Welsh Plan

    Simon Hart – 2021 Comments on the Welsh Plan

    The comments made by Simon Hart, the Secretary of State for Wales, on 20 May 2021.

    The UK Government is stepping up a gear in Wales. We are accelerating our support for local communities to help them recover from the pandemic, we are bringing the UK Government closer to Wales and we will lead Wales’ recovery into a green industrial revolution of jobs and growth.

    Every single investment we make will be looked at through the prism of jobs, livelihoods and sustainability. Like never before people will see the UK Government work directly with the 22 Welsh local authorities as well as other local partners.

    Neither Westminster nor Cardiff has a monopoly of knowledge and expertise and I firmly believe it is local communities that are often best placed to determine both how to meet the specific needs of their areas and what will have the greatest impact.

  • Boris Johnson – 2021 Comments on the Welsh Plan

    Boris Johnson – 2021 Comments on the Welsh Plan

    The comments made by Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, on 20 May 2021.

    Just as the economic heft of the UK provided the resources to get all four of its constituent parts through the worst of the pandemic – and acquire the vaccines that will ultimately bring it to an end – so that strength in numbers will help Wales become fairer, greener and more prosperous as we build back better from Coronavirus.

    By working together we can bring faster internet connections, more reliable mobile signals and better transport connections. We can create good, skilled, well-paid jobs from Menai Bridge to Machynlleth to Merthyr Tydfil and we can help Wales play its part in building a net-zero economy with everything from the Holyhead Hydrogen Hub to vast floating windfarms in the Celtic Sea.

  • Nia Griffith – 2021 Comments on UK Government’s Plan for Wales

    Nia Griffith – 2021 Comments on UK Government’s Plan for Wales

    The comments made by Nia Griffith, the Shadow Secretary of State for Wales, on 20 May 2021.

    Instead of investing in the tools that Wales needs as a strong and vital part of a successful United Kingdom, years of cuts and underfunding by this UK Government have hit Welsh families and left Wales worse off.

    Despite their promises, successive Conservative governments have completely failed to provide Wales with the kind of funding that is needed.

    That this plan has been drawn up without any engagement with the newly-elected Welsh Labour Government is testament to the Conservatives’ approach of overlooking Wales at any opportunity.

  • Boris Johnson – 2021 Letter to Mark Drakeford

    Boris Johnson – 2021 Letter to Mark Drakeford

    The letter from Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, to Mark Drakeford, the Welsh First Minister, on 8 May 2021.

    Text of letter (in .pdf format)