Joel James: 2. Will the First Minister make a statement on the accessibility of public transport for those who are visually impaired? OQ59018
Joel James: Thank you, First Minister. As I am sure you'll agree with me, the experience that some disabled people have in Wales when they're accessing public transport still falls woefully short of the standards that we expect and they deserve. I regularly receive communication from residents in my region complaining about the lack of thought and care for them and their needs, and a recent e-mail from a...
Joel James: Deputy Minister, as you know, the Royal Mail strikes over the Christmas period not only had a financial impact on Royal Mail, but caused profound reputational damage as well. I think we all here agree that it is an individual's right to take industrial action, but we need to be aware that these strikes have had far-reaching consequences that are just not limited to Royal Mail. Small and...
Joel James: Thank you, Rhun, for raising this important debate today. I fully support the proposals of this Bill, and I believe that we need to be much more forward thinking in our approach to policy that helps reduce our carbon footprint in technological areas, especially as we will be relying more heavily on digital data going forward into the future. It is only right that we put legislation into place...
Joel James: What discussions has the Minister had with the UK Government on mental health checks for firearms licensees?
Joel James: I'd like to thank the representative for Cynon Valley for raising this important issue. Over the last 40 years in Wales, the number of female suicides per 100,000 of the population has dropped almost 50 per cent, from nine to five. For males, unfortunately, the number has increased, from 19 per 100,000 to 21 per 100,000, and thus men are therefore over four times more likely to commit suicide...
Joel James: What conversations has the Minister had with the UK Government about its Environmental Improvement Plan 2023?
Joel James: I'd like to thank my colleague Rhys for raising this issue. Minister, I understand that PRP, the company instructed by the Welsh Government to complete site surveys of the 163 buildings in Wales registered as affected by cladding issues, will not release any reports until all of the surveys are completed. The timescale for completion was indicated as sometime in October, and we are now four...
Joel James: I would like to take this opportunity to raise awareness of National Apprenticeship Week, which aims to celebrate and promote apprenticeships in Wales as a valuable pathway into work and the benefits that they bring to both individuals and employers. I would particularly like to highlight the work of ColegauCymru, which co-ordinates the network of 13 further education colleges to deliver...
Joel James: Minister, as you are aware, flooding can seriously impact our communities, resulting in long-term environmental damage, destruction to property, disruption to our transport network and, sadly, even resulting, as my colleague Heledd said, in the loss of life. Another consequence of flooding is the risk of pollution from sewage and industrial chemicals, for example, contaminating our streams,...
Joel James: Minister, research has shown that, during the pandemic, those with disabilities spent even less time out in green spaces and accessing nature than before. Whilst the vulnerability to COVID was a key factor, it has also been found that cognitive load had a detrimental impact, not to mention confusion of social arrangements, such as how many people could meet at one time, and whether or not...
Joel James: Thank you, Minister, for your response to my colleague Jack Sargeant's question. As you know, in a few weeks' time, we will shortly be discussing the Petitions Committee's report on greyhound racing and specifically its main recommendation that the sport be banned in Wales. As highlighted in that report, I was the only voice in the committee who believes more could be done to enforce and...
Joel James: Deputy Minister, one of the major issues of the initial announcement of the cut of emergency funding was the relatively short notice of it, which meant that some bus companies, especially smaller ones, did not have the necessary financial reserves to keep unprofitable but vital services open, and also the allotted time to change their services to accommodate, resulting in much uncertainty and...
Joel James: I wanted to start by saying that, although I recognise providing for the complexity of disabilities that exist in Wales is challenging, I'm nonetheless still surprised, given all the information that we know about the positive impact of helping those with disabilities to gain independence and to live prosperous and fulfilling lives, and how it can bring positive contributions to a wider...
Joel James: Thank you, Deputy Minister, for your statement and for your advanced copy. As always, I'm disappointed by the ideological narrative that comes from this Welsh Government, particularly in your remarks regarding the minimum service levels Bill. Because as you know, Deputy Minister, the International Labour Organization, which the TUC subscribes to, supports in principle minimum service...
Joel James: I'd like to thank my colleague Rhys for raising such an important question. Minister, I recently listened to a Safer Communities podcast with the Prevent community engagement officer for Cardiff Council where incel ideology was brought up. Worryingly, common incel themes of self-loathing and grievance are more often than not transformed into misogynistic violence and the degradation of women,...
Joel James: Thank you, Llywydd, and I move this amendment in the name of Darren Millar. It is clear that the motion presented by Plaid Cymru seems to have completely misrepresented the UK Government's policy on minimum service levels by claiming that it is an attempt by the UK Government to gain sufficient coercive power to curtail both trade union and worker ability to engage in lawful industrial...
Joel James: —concluding it would boost public confidence around access to vital services during walkouts. Go on.
Joel James: Well, I'm sure that's a question you can point to the Deputy Minister for Social Partnership. —a broadly favourable picture of this legislation, concluding it will boost public confidence around access to vital services during walkouts, and stated that there would be economic benefits that would result from less disruption to day-to-day business activity. I will, however, concede that there...
Joel James: First Minister, according to Stats Wales, in December 2022, Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board, which covers the Cynon valley, along with Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and the rest of Rhondda Cynon Taf, had a staggering 13,732 patients waiting more than 14 weeks for diagnostic and therapy services, out of a population of 450,000. This represents 36 per cent of the total amount of people waiting more...
