Caroline Jones: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Minister, I was shocked to learn that, out of nearly 0.5 million calls to 999 last year, around a quarter of the calls were not serious. Welsh ambulance service staff were tied up with dealing with calls ranging from a stubbed toe to hiccups, instead of helping people in genuine need. The Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust has launched a campaign to encourage the...
Caroline Jones: What actions is the Welsh Government taking to improve the well-being of staff working in health and social care?
Caroline Jones: My party will be supporting the general principles of the Health and Social Care (Quality and Engagement) (Wales) Bill, as there are aspects of the proposed legislation that are badly needed. However, the Bill will need a lot of amending before it is wholly acceptable. The duties of candour and quality are both needed, and are long overdue. These duties will instil an honest culture of...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for your answer, First Minister. My constituents are having their human rights eroded by South Wales Police, mainly their article 8 rights. Liberty and the Electronic Frontier Foundation argue that the widespread use of facial recognition technology, employed by South Wales Police, clearly contravenes the right to privacy afforded by article 8 of the Human Rights Act 1998. The Court...
Caroline Jones: 2. What steps is the Welsh Government taking to protect the human rights of Welsh citizens? OAQ54770
Caroline Jones: I thank the Welsh Conservatives for tabling this important debate, and I'm pleased to take part. We can't put an end to death and dying, but one of the most important things the state can do is ensure our citizens can die with dignity, without pain and with respect. Unfortunately, end-of-life care in Wales is lacking. Around 33,000 people die in Wales each year, yet one in four of those who...
Caroline Jones: Minister, the greatest barrier to improving the economic prosperity of the Swansea and Neath Valleys is a lack of infrastructure. Despite the two decades of EU structural funds, people in my region still have no reliable transport. What will your Government do in the next 12 months to improve road and rail links in my region so my constituents can get to work on time? Will your budget be...
Caroline Jones: I welcome the introduction of the National Health Service (Indemnities) (Wales) Bill. The fact that indemnity cover for GPs has been skyrocketing, and that this has had an impact on the profession, is why I supported the introduction of the future liability scheme. It's sad that the UK is becoming more litigious, and the explosion of medical negligence claims firms in recent times has...
Caroline Jones: It is—yes, it is facts. So, Minister, what hope does Welsh steel have if you get your wish and you scrap Brexit? How will your Government mitigate the most damaging EU rules in order to save our steel? Finally, Minister, you are campaigning to see, obviously, your leader in No. 10 and John McDonnell in No. 11, and they have outlined a slew of policies that will devastate the UK economy and...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for your statement, Minister, and of course we will work across party for our constituents, because this has been a worrying time for them, as half of Tata's UK workforce work at the Port Talbot steelworks where I live and represent. The fact that there are many further job losses will have a chilling effect on the town of Port Talbot just weeks before Christmas. While politicians...
Caroline Jones: Thank you, Minister. Since you announced the climate emergency here in Wales, what specific steps have you taken to mitigate the effects of climate change on the Welsh agri-food sector? Because I'm particularly concerned with the potential for price rises, which will affect farmers and households alike.
Caroline Jones: 7. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of how the Welsh agri-food sector can help mitigate climate change? OAQ54674
Caroline Jones: Thank you for that answer, Minister. As you said, once again, our health professionals are gearing themselves up for the winter pressures. So, what steps have you taken to ensure that all areas of good practice identified over the years are embedded into the plans for this coming year?
Caroline Jones: 8. How does the Welsh Government plan to improve resilience in the health sector? OAQ54675
Caroline Jones: Formally. Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I thank Plaid Cymru for tabling this debate today. For those who didn't attend the BMA's briefing on the current state of general practice in Wales, let's just say that the message was dire. As alluded to in my amendment to this motion, nearly 120,000 GP patients are covered by practices at risk. The BMA produced a heat map covering all health boards,...
Caroline Jones: I'm pleased to speak in this debate today, and thank the Petitions Committee for bringing it forward, and I also thank the family and friends of Paul Ridd for bringing forward the petition also. Mr Ridd's tragic death was a travesty and clearly highlighted serious failings in our NHS when it comes to patients with a learning disability. A lack of training and awareness of learning...
Caroline Jones: I'm grateful to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee for their report into hepatitis C elimination in Wales. As the report highlights, around 14,000 people in Wales are chronically infected with this blood-borne virus that can lead to liver failure and cancer of the liver. It is also estimated that around 12,000 people in Wales have the disease but are unaware of it or are not actively...
Caroline Jones: Minister, while I accept that the investigation found no evidence of clinical harm and there was no indication that Cwm Taf had been deliberately trying to manipulate the figures, this does raise serious questions about the management of waiting lists, both in Cwm Taf and across all health boards. I'm sure all of us here can list examples of patients being removed from waiting lists because...
Caroline Jones: Thank you, Deputy Minister. While somewhat justifiably a lot of the attention has been given to congestion on the M4 around Newport and the impact that it is having on the economy of the entire M4 corridor, my region is also suffering from congestion on the motorway. Junction 48 has seen nearly a 50 per cent increase in traffic in recent years, and junction 47 sees nearly 80,000 vehicles per...
Caroline Jones: 6. What action is the Welsh Government taking to improve transport links in South Wales West? OAQ54625
