Carwyn Jones: Well, there's no consistency in that case now. I believe that 16-year-olds are well able to vote. They're able, for example, to give their consent for medical procedures. Why then should they not be able to form their own minds, make up their own minds, in terms of who to vote for? They can't drive until they're 17, they can't consume alcohol until they're 18, they can't be a competent driver...
Carwyn Jones: Absolutely. In Northern Ireland, in many years gone by, the slogan was, 'Vote early, vote often'. The second bit of it, I suspect, we need to leave out. But the figures speak for themselves. The fact that 16 to 18-year-olds turned out at a far higher rate than those in the immediate age group beyond shows how enthusiastic they are, how engaged they are with the political process, and how...
Carwyn Jones: Well, there is scope to consider the methods that people use to vote. For example, there’s no reason why every election has to be on a Thursday. Why can’t we have elections on the weekend? That happens in a number of other countries. Historically, Sunday would be difficult in Wales, but voting happens on the weekend in a number of countries, where more people can go out to vote. In...
Carwyn Jones: Well, we are developing a new curriculum for Wales and one of the four purposes of the new curriculum is that young people leave education as ethical, informed citizens who are able to understand and exercise their human and democratic responsibilities and rights. Of course, making sure that happens in practice will be an important part of the curriculum, because we know that education is...
Carwyn Jones: I'm not aware of one, but I will write to the leader of Plaid Cymru with more information on that.
Carwyn Jones: I think there are issues with certain sections of the population not accessing services, not wanting to or not recognising where they may have symptoms that imply a negative state of mental health. Of course, through the schools, we have a support system now that helps young people, and we would encourage GPs, as they talk to people who come to see them perhaps with physical ailments, to...
Carwyn Jones: I think it's important to wait to see what those figures actually show, and then, on the basis of what we find, to see what action needs to be taken. In terms of mental health in Wales, we've seen the provision for children and young people improve substantially with the extra money—£8 million, if I remember—that went into those services, and, of course, what is being done in schools to...
Carwyn Jones: There have been discussions with local authorities. At this moment in time, we have asked local authorities to quantify what the extra pressures might be in order for us to better understand the situation.
Carwyn Jones: First of all, it has to be said that the NPS hasn't lost money. It's not yet at the point where it can pay for itself from levy subscriptions, but the service is on target to secure the public purchasing services envisaged, and that's about £40 million so far. The NPS actually belongs to its 73 members across the public service. It is governed by an independently chaired board, comprised of...
Carwyn Jones: We're confident that the NPS is on target. What the NPS needs to consider is whether to increase the subscription in order to provide more revenue for itself to cover those costs in the future. But we're confident that it's on course to meet its target and, as I say, the public purchasing savings that are envisaged as part of that target we believe we will meet. What we do know is that around...
Carwyn Jones: I'm not sure whether the leader of UKIP thinks I should have broken down the door of the White House in order to demand a meeting with the President of the US. It doesn't work that way, I can assure him. But, of course, the issue of steel tariffs puts a very big hole in his view of the world, a post-Brexit world, because we were told by him and by others that the way was now open for us to do...
Carwyn Jones: Let me try and educate him. First of all, US businesses want to see free trade. That much is true. The US Government does not. It does not. These steel tariffs are being imposed on all countries. He may be right in saying that China and other countries are the main target, but this is a blunt instrument that's being used against all. No-one has said in the US administration that the UK will...
Carwyn Jones: Well, he talks about megaphone bellicosity without any sense of irony and blames Brussels for it. I have to say, the reality is that the current US Government—I don't believe this is a view shared by US businesses at all, nor those who invest in Wales—wants to impose 24 per cent tariffs on steel from the UK. I agree with him; the UK is not the main target for these tariffs, but is caught...
Carwyn Jones: Yes. I refer the Member to my written statement, which was issued earlier today.
Carwyn Jones: Well, size and mass are important. The UK is just 60 million. The EU is far, far bigger. The US is far, far bigger. We are surely in a better position when we work with other countries in order to develop a common goal. That seems to me to be perfect common sense. But I have to say to him—. He mentions the customs union. Once again I say in this Chamber: offer a better alternative to the...
Carwyn Jones: Well, it wasn't raised during the discussions. Of course, the Quebec Government is one that believes in the unity of Canada, but they don't view it as any kind of a problem. But, of course, one of the things I did discuss with them was the system of shared sovereignty that exists in Canada. And that is a system that, in my view, should be considered in the United Kingdom.
Carwyn Jones: Absolutely. I know that a letter has gone from UK Steel to the UK Government emphasising this point, saying the obvious point that whatever is not able to be exported will seek to find a market within the EU, and that will inevitably mean a depression in the price of steel, and that will have an effect on all European steelmakers, including, of course, those in Wales. I very much regret the...
Carwyn Jones: We expect the Welsh ambulance service to work with partners to deliver sufficient emergency ambulance cover to ensure all patients who require an emergency response receive that in a time commensurate to their clinical need.
Carwyn Jones: It's very difficult to offer an answer to the scenario that the Member has posed because I'm not familiar with all the facts. However, I'd be more than happy to investigate this for him, if you were to write to me with further details, to see what happened in this—. I've got no reason to doubt what he's saying, of course, but in order for me to give him a full answer and his constituent a...
Carwyn Jones: I will give you some of the background and then go on to say what actually happened during the bad weather. First, there was an increase in the number of calls, as Members would expect. There were 103 red alert calls on the Sunday, which was 20 per cent higher than the previous week, so there was an increase in calls, as people would expect. What, then, did the ambulance service do? They...
