Caroline Jones: Thank you. Would you agree with me that it’s about Governments working together so that, when we do come out of the EU, and the VAT threshold and the rate can be lowered to encourage people to invest in our country, that Governments need to work together on this issue of business rates and VAT? Because, when Gordon Brown did give 5 per cent off, and lowered it from 20 per cent to 15 per...
Caroline Jones: The announcement last Thursday by the Secretary of State for Health concerning indemnity arrangements for GPs in England presents a potential challenge for Wales. The Secretary of State for Health plans to introduce a state-backed indemnity scheme for general practice in England, and he has also stated that the indemnity arrangements are a devolved matter. Therefore, the Secretary of State...
Caroline Jones: Could I please ask someone to clarify Mark Reckless’s position within the Conservative Party? Thank you.
Caroline Jones: I am surprised that we are having this debate today because there was no mention of a tourism tax in Welsh Labour’s 2016 manifesto—a manifesto on which they were elected as the largest party to this Assembly. When there was a Labour Government also elected at UK level, there was a promise not to raise certain taxes, but this promise was broken and a raft of other stealth taxes was...
Caroline Jones: Okay. According to a 2014 report by Geoff Ranson of the Cut Tourism VAT campaign group—specifically, he reports: The UK is the highest in comparison with the other countries being nearly 3% higher than Germany and over 5.5% compared with Ireland which is the lowest of the comparator countries, who removed the airport tourist tax on 1 April 2014.’ Consider this report together with the...
Caroline Jones: Yes I am, thanks, Deputy Presiding Officer. Our tourist industry must not be encumbered by a tourism tax, let alone an ever-increasing tax within a high-tax UK and Welsh environment. So, I hope that the considerations that I have put forward today, independently of the modelling of any Welsh Government economist, show that the Welsh tourism industry does not need the tax, does not want the...
Caroline Jones: First Minister, enterprise zones should be a fantastic way of regenerating some of Wales's most deprived regions, but the reality is somewhat different. Some of the zones are working well, attracting private investment and rejuvenating their local economy. Others are simply operating because of Government funding, and support a handful of jobs. First Minister, if the enterprise zones were...
Caroline Jones: I'd first of all like to congratulate the Minister on his new position whilst acknowledging the outstanding commitment made by Carl Sargeant to the role. I would like to thank the children’s commissioner and her team for their continuing hard work standing up for the rights of Welsh children and young people. As the commissioner has highlighted, the Welsh Government have accepted all the...
Caroline Jones: 7. Will the Cabinet Secretary outline the actions that the Welsh Government is taking to improve the numbers of Welsh students attending Oxbridge universities? OAQ51270
Caroline Jones: 1. What is the Welsh Government doing to reduce the numbers of drug-related hospital admissions? OAQ51272
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Llywydd. Cabinet Secretary, in March of this year you were featured in the media talking about equality and bullying in schools. The announcements largely focused on homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying in the schools. Can the Minister confirm to me that no form of bullying is acceptable and that whilst the article concentrated quite rightly on tackling bullying of this...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. Also in the media coverage at that time, you quite rightly spoke about the damage that bullying can do to the learning and progress of children in school. Would you agree with me that bullying among teachers, aside from the distress it would cause to the teacher's personal and professional life, could also impact negatively on our schoolchildren,...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. So, will you undertake to investigate the prevalence of school staff bullying to make schools a bully-free zone not just for the children, but for all kinds of staff involved in the running of the school, and consider a specific disciplinary route for the investigation of claims of bullying, giving it the special status that it has rightly been...
Caroline Jones: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your answer. According to the access fellow at Jesus College, Oxford, Welsh students lack the confidence to apply to Oxbridge and, whilst the Seren programme is helping some students, we're still not doing enough to challenge our best and brightest pupils. Cabinet Secretary, what steps are you taking to ensure that Welsh students not only achieve excellent...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. There has been a massive increase in the number of synthetic cannabinoids, such as spice, despite a change in the law. Hospitals across Wales are now treating more than three people every day for these substances. Spice intoxication has become a far too common sight in our towns and cities, and the effects have led it to be nicknamed 'the zombie...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, whilst in Bridgend last week, I was contacted—spoken to—by a constituent whose neighbour was released from hospital just days after suffering from a stroke, yet they didn't have, again, any care plan in place. The individual concerned had no family nearby and was left to fend for themselves. Unfortunately, this constituent's situation is far from unique, as five...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for your answer, Minister. Of course, the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 is supposed to transform the way social care is delivered, and ensure everyone who needs care gets care. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. Not only are we seeing patients sent home without anyone to help meet their care needs, but we also have large numbers of patients in hospital far...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for your answer, Minister. We are well aware that social care is facing increasing demand. Unfortunately, we are not meeting that demand. This is highlighted all too clearly by Age Cymru's recent 'Care in Crisis' report. Age Cymru found that older people in some parts of Wales were not getting the required carers assessments, and that there was huge variation between local...
Caroline Jones: First Minister, according to Health in Wales, dementia affects over 42,000 people in Wales alone, and it's estimated that, in just a few short years, this could increase by at least a third. It is therefore vital that Wales becomes a dementia-friendly nation as soon as possible, to ensure that those living with this terrible condition, and their families, are supported at every stage. First...
Caroline Jones: I'd like to thank the Welsh Government for bringing forward this important debate today. Substance misuse ruins lives—not only the life of the person using the substance but the family unit as a whole all suffer. There is no winner in these circumstances, unless the person receives the help that is needed. During my time working in a prison, I can assure you I saw so many different...
