Caroline Jones: I thank the Member for the question. In 2014, a group of staff volunteers ran a pilot scheme to assess the feasibility of growing food on the Assembly estate. As you’ll appreciate, the Assembly has almost no suitable growing space, unlike some of the other UK legislatures, and, unfortunately, it has proved not to be possible to grow food on the estate, although our caterers do grow herbs...
Caroline Jones: I thank you for that, Jenny, for that information, and I will certainly meet with you to discuss further. However, I will answer this question in the way that I have prepared at the moment. But I will meet with you later. We are aware of the excellent initiative. As I mentioned, a group of staff volunteers did assess the feasibility of growing food on our estate. However, with almost no...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Llywydd. I’d like to congratulate Bethan on being selected to take forward a proposal for legislation and to offer my support to her proposals. In Wales, thousands of young people under the age of 16 are caring for relatives with little or no support from their school or from health authorities. Bethan’s legislation recognises the impact that caring responsibilities can have on a...
Caroline Jones: But I’m supporting it.
Caroline Jones: Will the First Minister outline how the Welsh Government is improving transport links to Wales's tourist destinations?
Caroline Jones: First Minister, the city region has the potential not only to transform the Swansea bay region but also to deliver wider benefits to Wales as a whole. The internet of life science and well-being could help reshape the way we deliver healthcare in future. Key to the success of the internet coast vision of the city region is the transatlantic cable. Can you provide an update, First Minister, on...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. I would also like to place on record my thanks to Dr Ruth Hussey and the panel for keeping me and my team regularly updated on the review’s progress. The interim report starkly lays out the challenges facing health and social care in Wales. We are at an evolutionary moment with our health and care systems: we adapt or we perish. This is not a...
Caroline Jones: Will the Cabinet Secretary outline the actions taken by the Welsh Government to increase the number of young people studying STEM subjects at GCSE and A-level?
Caroline Jones: Cabinet Secretary, it’s good news to see that the pupil development grant is having an impact on improving the education chances of our most deprived children and young people. However, the children and young people in Ogmore are about to have their education decimated as budget cuts take hold. Bridgend’s local education authority comprehensive schools could see up to five teaching posts...
Caroline Jones: I’d like to first of all thank Julie, the cross-party group, and everyone else who was involved in bringing about this inquiry. Cabinet Secretary, I think it’s wonderful news that we are finally getting a public inquiry into this terrible scandal. My close friend, Faye Denny, lost her brother, Owen Denny, who died as a result of contaminated blood. Now, Owen, and his family and the...
Caroline Jones: I’m pleased to be co-sponsoring this motion before us today and I thank David Melding for bringing about this debate, which is very important. It is unacceptable that Wales is the only home nation without a specialist paediatric rheumatology service or a dedicated multidisciplinary team. As a result, children in Wales who suffer from juvenile idiopathic arthritis, juvenile onset systemic...
Caroline Jones: First Minister, it is good news that Coleg Cymunedol y Dderwen is out of special measures, and the staff and pupils should be congratulated on making strong progress against the majority of Estyn’s recommendations. First Minister, what help is your Government giving to the school to ensure they make better progress in improving the numeracy and literacy of pupils, and how will your...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Llywydd. Cabinet Secretary, the second Wales cancer patient experience survey has, once again, highlighted the fact that many cancer patients still do not have a key worker. While we have made progress, 14 per cent of patients still don’t have a key worker, and more than a quarter of patients said it was often difficult to contact the key worker. The survey also highlighted the...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. Staying with the Wales cancer patient experience survey, nearly a quarter of patients said that the GP didn’t take their symptoms seriously before their diagnosis. In fact, 6 per cent of patients stated they had to see their GP at least five times before being referred to hospital. As stated in the cancer delivery plan, detecting cancer earlier...
Caroline Jones: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. Finally, less than half of cancer patients have the opportunity to discuss their needs, and only 18 per cent of patients were offered a written care plan. Care plans are not only focused on healthcare needs, but they also pick up on emotional, financial and practical support. Less than half of Welsh patients were given information on financial support and...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for your statement, Minister. I welcome the delivery plan. Since the implementation of the smoking ban, it is good news that smoking in the home has reduced from 80 per cent to 46 per cent. ASH Wales says that this suggests that there is a better understanding of the dangers of second-hand smoke, especially around children and families. Therefore, although we look at this as a 34...
Caroline Jones: We welcome the interim report and the frankness of it, and we will support the report today. As the NHS is a major employer in Wales and therefore plays a significant role in the Welsh economy, it is important that this budget is spent wisely, so that patients can, in their time of need, receive care and support that will be delivered in a confident, efficient and caring manner. With wise...
Caroline Jones: Cabinet Secretary, the findings of ABMU’s internal report on Kris Wade stated that they did not robustly pursue complaints and stated, in effect, that there was a culture in some areas of basing actions on, I quote, ‘the believability of patients’ is absolutely shocking. I note, and fully supported the calls of the BMA and other opposition parties that there should be an independent...
Caroline Jones: I’d like to thank our Chair of the health committee, and also thank all of the other members on the committee and the people who gave evidence for us to proceed. Problems with recruitment and retention of front-line staff, clinicians in particular, have been well documented in recent years, and we must ensure that we tackle this issue robustly. Staff shortages have led to increased...
Caroline Jones: My view regarding the potential building of a prison in Baglan, Port Talbot—and I live in Port Talbot—has always been that public consultation is extremely important, along with risk assessments, environmental factors—for example, traffic congestion—and, as previously mentioned, flooding in the area. We must also take into consideration alternative suitable sites. But should the above...
