St David’s Day and Welsh Affairs
Catherine Fookes Excerpts(3 weeks, 5 days ago)
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Catherine Fookes (Monmouthshire) (Lab)
Llongyfarchiadau to my hon. Friend the Member for Newport West and Islwyn (Ruth Jones) on securing this debate, and dydd gŵyl Dewi hapus pawb—happy St David’s Day to everyone.
Twenty-five years ago, I was lucky enough to make Wales my home, and I am so proud to represent Monmouthshire; from Llantony to Llanishen, it is the most beautiful constituency in Wales. We have the most incredible sights, with the commanding Bannau Brycheiniog in the north and the picturesque Wye valley national landscape in the east, as well as the brilliant market towns of Abergavenny, Chepstow, Monmouth and Usk and the Magor marsh in the south. Last week, I visited Usk and Prescoed prisons and our fantastic probation services. I would like to take a moment to pay tribute to all our public servants working across Wales and Monmouthshire as teachers, doctors, nurses, prison and probation officers and so much more. They are at the heart of our communities.
Each community across Monmouthshire is vibrant and adds to the welcoming culture that we in Wales are so proud of. After all, Monmouthshire community organisations, such as the Abergavenny community centre, are some of the best in the UK. The community always rallies round and people support each other in a crisis, such as the floods in Skenfrith.
Wales also has a strong and long history with the Labour party; it elected great leaders and political thinkers like Kier Hardie in Merthyr Tydfil, Aneurin Bevan in Ebbw Vale and James Callaghan in Cardiff. It is a history that we value and should never take for granted. The bond between Wales and Labour is built on our understanding of the priorities of our communities, and our Welsh Labour Government colleagues have been delivering for Wales for 25 years. They have shaped a country where we are proud to work differently, in partnership with the public sector, charities and unions.
We are a country that leads the world on the environment, with a world-first future generations Act, an active travel Act, and a plastic bags tax, and we are leading on recycling. We have prioritised families, delivering universal free school meals in all primary schools and the biggest building investment in Welsh schools since the 1960s. We have three new secondary schools in Monmouthshire, built under the Welsh Government’s 21st-century schools programme—unlike the Conservatives, we never stopped investing in our schools and our young people in Wales—and the very latest to open its doors will be in Abergavenny in April. Wales is a country where we stand up for and fight for what we believe in. It is an honour to be a Monmouthshire MP. Having two Labour Governments working together has made a great difference to all our services.
I am proud that ever more Monmouthshire residents are starting to learn Welsh, me included, although I am at the very start of my journey and must apologise to all fluent Welsh speakers for my pronunciation. We now have three Welsh-medium primary schools in the county: Ysgol y Ffin, Ysgol Gymraeg y Fenni, and our very recently added Ysgol Gymraeg Trefynwy. I am very grateful to all the campaigners over the years who have got these schools open, particularly Councillor Tudor Thomas. I recognise that, much like our rugby team, the Welsh language in Monmouthshire is on the rise, but there is still some way to go.
Wales has a lot to offer and, for a small nation, has given the world so much. I am so proud to consider myself Welsh, having moved there 25 years ago, and to represent the great constituency of Monmouthshire. I am incredibly humbled and proud that the people of Monmouthshire chose me in July 2024. Felly eto dydd gŵyl Dewi hapus i’m hetholwyr yn Sir Fynwy ac i bawb sydd yma heddiw.
Oral Answers to Questions
Catherine Fookes Excerpts(1 month, 3 weeks ago)
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Jo Stevens
This Government have made economic growth their No. 1 mission. The Prime Minister is leading from the front in resetting the UK’s relationship with the EU. However, the right hon. Lady’s question highlights the stark risks associated with separatism. Those risks are why I will always be a strong and passionate advocate for a Wales that thrives as part of the United Kingdom.
Catherine Fookes (Monmouthshire) (Lab)
The Secretary of State for Wales (Jo Stevens)
Our plan for change will put an extra 13,000 police officers, police community support officers and special constables on our streets across the UK, including in Wales. In December, I opened a brand-new base for Gwent police in Abergavenny, so that officers can better serve the town and restore the visible, accessible policing that our communities deserve.
Catherine Fookes
In Monmouthshire, domestic abuse victims and survivors tell me that their voices still are not heard by the police. They stress the need for those on the ground to be better trained in early intervention, which can prevent escalation and reduce violent behaviour and domestic abuse overall. What steps can be taken with colleagues across Government, and Welsh Government colleagues, to better embed domestic abuse prevention?
Jo Stevens
My hon. Friend will know that the Prime Minister’s plan for change reinforced our manifesto ambition to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. We will do everything in our power to achieve that. We will put specialist rape and sexual offences teams in every police force in Wales, and early this year we will start the process of introducing domestic abuse experts into 999 control rooms, so that victims can talk directly to a specialist for the advice and support that they need and deserve.
Oral Answers to Questions
Catherine Fookes Excerpts(3 months, 2 weeks ago)
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Dame Nia Griffith
I remind the right hon. Member that Holyhead was recently given freeport tax status, and I assure him that the Welsh Government have not ruled out a third Northern Ireland crossing.
Catherine Fookes (Monmouthshire) (Lab)
On our transport policy in Wales, casualties fell by a quarter on 20-mph and 30-mph roads last year. Does the Minister agree that that will be of great comfort to schools like Osbaston in my constituency, and to parents like Rhiannon in Flintshire, who praised the scheme for helping to save her son’s life after he was hit by a car?
Dame Nia Griffith
Indeed. The Welsh Government have been clear that the priority objective of the 20-mph policy was to save lives and reduce casualties. Recent collisions data provide an encouraging sign that the policy is moving in the right direction.
Oral Answers to Questions
Catherine Fookes Excerpts(4 months, 2 weeks ago)
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Jo Stevens
Thank you, Mr Speaker. Obviously, farming is devolved in Wales, and the decision on how to spend that budget will be up to the Welsh Government.
Catherine Fookes (Monmouthshire) (Lab)
I welcomed last week’s Budget announcements about improving rail transport, and I want to bang the drum for a most excellent project in Monmouthshire, the Magor walkway station, which is ready for investment—indeed, we might even call it oven-ready. Will my right hon. Friend commit to working with the Rail Minister and me, and Welsh Ministers, to deliver the five Burns stations, and will she meet me to discuss progress?
Jo Stevens
My hon. Friend is a wonderful advocate for her constituency and for the Burns commission’s recommendations for her constituency, and I would be very happy to meet her to discuss them.
Catherine Fookes (Monmouthshire) (Lab)
The Prime Minister
The River Wye is one of our most important and iconic rivers, and we are working closely with the Welsh Government on that pressing issue. The destruction of our waterways should never have been allowed. That is why we have launched a water commission to attract investment and speed up infrastructure delivery, and why we have introduced legislation to enable tougher penalties and severe fines to crack down on polluters. I will ensure that my hon. Friend gets a meeting with the relevant Minister.