Carwyn Jones: Absolutely. I think active and activist community and town councils are a hugely important part of our democracy. Local knowledge can't be underestimated. For example, when I was a community councillor, we had people on there with an encyclopedic knowledge of the local footpaths. We were responsible for them and they were maintained as a result of that. That was very well felt in the...
Carwyn Jones: Since its launch in 2015, the maternity network has brought together health professionals to work on three priority areas: reducing stillbirth, improving the quality and safety of services, and working in partnership with women and their families. There are plans this year to align this network with the neonatal network.
Carwyn Jones: We know the causes of stillbirth are multifaceted, with some factors still not clearly understood. So, the work done by Emma Mills and others is vital if we're going to achieve a significant reduction in stillbirths. There is collaborative work, involving the maternity network, Sands, and maternity services across Wales, and that has resulted in a range of interventions being taken forward....
Carwyn Jones: Well, the women around me on the front bench have all said 'yes' to that. They're more than happy to be in the hands of a midwife, and midwives, of course, are fully qualified to deal with the vast majority of births. Where there are occasions when births are more difficult, then, of course, mothers are usually—it's planned, actually; this is usually planned—taken to maternity units that...
Carwyn Jones: Prevention will continue to be central to our approach for improving and protecting population health. What does that mean? Well, looking at programmes such as smoking cessation, immunisation programmes and healthy schools and workplace programmes.
Carwyn Jones: I don't think we can use all new money that way because, of course, there are pressures elsewhere in the NHS. Sensibly, of course, I don't disagree with what he's saying. Prevention, as they say, is better than cure, but we do also have to deal with the pressures that are put on the NHS, particularly pressures in acute services, and look to fund them. That said, £88 million has been...
Carwyn Jones: The Member will know, of course, that the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 does give clear legislative focus to action to address the priority public health issue of obesity, which, of course, is such a cause of type 1 diabetes. The obesity strategy will—. Type 2 diabetes, I think I'm right in saying. I'll be corrected by the medics in the Chamber, or, indeed, fellow lawyers. Our obesity...
Carwyn Jones: Diaspora communities play an important role in promoting Wales overseas. When travelling abroad, I do regularly meet people with Welsh heritage who contribute greatly, of course, to their adopted countries. I can say to the Member, when I was in the US, I met with technology leaders in a meeting arranged by somebody who I was actually in school with—it was that close a relationship—and...
Carwyn Jones: It's right to say that the digital world moves very, very quickly—we can see that— but, of course, the review has to look at all the issues that we will face in the future. It will be led by Professor Phil Brown, who is the distinguished research professor at Cardiff University School of Social Sciences. We want to develop, of course, the availability of good-quality jobs for everyone and...
Carwyn Jones: Well, we have, in conjunction with the private sector, part-funded a diaspora feasibility study that includes three key focus areas: firstly, researching how other countries engage with their diasporas; secondly, identifying and engaging with Wales's 50 most influential diaspora to determine their capacity and propensity to contribute to the shaping of a Welsh diaspora initiative; and then,...
Carwyn Jones: The Member has always been a fount of original ideas, and that's one of them. It's an idea, I think, that's worthy of further examination. What I wouldn't want to do, of course, is to suggest to people that if they want to claim Welsh heritage, they've got to pay for it. But what is important is that we work with the diaspora that we have. Just to give you an example of how far we've come,...
Carwyn Jones: The Welsh Government is working with the Welsh food poverty alliance to address food insecurity, and that includes increasing the uptake of free school meals and working with food producers, manufacturers, retailers and supermarkets to help them deliver on corporate and social responsibility.
Carwyn Jones: Well, we are working with the Welsh Food Poverty Alliance Wales to address food insecurity. There are a number, we understand, of food insecurity survey tools. They all collate important information that needs careful consideration. I note, for example, the recent End Hunger UK survey highlighted that a third of the UK's poorest households are skipping meals because they can't afford to put...
Carwyn Jones: Well, the end hunger survey was published—or rather, it reflected findings published last year by the Food Standards Agency. In fact, the End Hunger UK survey was more recent than that, even. I can say to the Member that recent Trussell Trust analysis shows that, in areas of full universal credit roll-out of six months or more, food banks have seen a 30 per cent average increase six months...
Carwyn Jones: Well, two things. First of all, it’s vital that we consider the situation in every part of Wales, and also that we should work with the food poverty alliance in order to deal with the issue. But what is different at present is that the level of poverty among those who are of working age is worse than among pensioners. Historically, people used to think that if they lived on a pension they...
Carwyn Jones: That is something that the Cabinet Secretary for health will be able to announce in due course. We all know, of course, that it's hugely important that we provide as many training places as we can and places in areas where people can gain the greatest experience that they can, whilst, of course, building on the recruitment campaign that's been so successful in bringing doctors into Wales.
Carwyn Jones: It's hugely important that medical education, when it's expanded, can provide students with the breadth of experience that they need in order to qualify, and that is a factor that always has to be taken into account. The issue around Bangor, of course, has been well explored. We are keen to make sure that as many places as possible are made available around Wales, whilst of course ensuring...
Carwyn Jones: On 8 December, the Cabinet Secretary announced a £107 million investment package to support education and training programmes for healthcare professionals in Wales. That represents an increase of £12 million compared with 2017-18. That means that more than 3,500 new students will join those already studying healthcare education programmes across Wales, and the total number of people in...
Carwyn Jones: No.
Carwyn Jones: They come from two different pots. First of all, with regard to the M4 relief road, that was money that we intend to borrow. When it comes to the metro, that comes from other sources in terms of our own budgets, in terms of looking at the city deal for funding. They are not in competition for the same resources, and, just to re-emphasise, we are not looking to impose a toll on the M4.
