Joel James: This brings me to my second point, the BSL Act. I, like many others, were very pleased to see that, at the end of April this year, the UK Government's BSL Bill received Royal Assent, passing into law as the British Sign Language Act 2022. For those unfamiliar with the Act, there will now be recognition of British Sign Language as an official language of England, Wales and Scotland. Whilst...
Joel James: First Minister, on 8 January 2019, Huw Irranca-Davies asked you about what this Government was doing to ensure that the transport infrastructure is definitely in place to enable the grand plans for new housing in Cardiff and south Wales, to help create, in his words, hundreds and hundreds of happy home owners, not grumpy, gridlocked constituents. As you may recall, you responded that the...
Joel James: Say that again, sorry. This isn't—[Inaudible.]
Joel James: No worries. First Minister, why is it this Government cannot create legislation that ensures sufficient amenities, public transport and infrastructure are put into place before house building is allowed? Thank you.
Joel James: Thank you, Minister, for your statement today and I believe that everyone here is going to agree wholeheartedly with most of your sentiments. I would like to start by saying that recognising the plight of refugees is a fundamental part of our humanity and it is right for us to take action to help those fleeing conflict and persecution, and Refugee Week is a time for us to reflect on our own...
Joel James: 4. Will the Minister make a statement on the role of the consortia model in schools? OQ58228
Joel James: Minister, the 'Net Zero Wales Carbon Budget 2' states that: 'Meeting net zero will require using more timber in sectors such as construction to replace currently high energy manufacture materials such as steel and concrete.' and also that this Government intends to develop a new timber industrial strategy 'to develop a wood economy and encourage greater use of timber in construction.' But my...
Joel James: Thank you, Minister. I was recently following the events of the National Association of Headteachers Conference in Telford, and my interest was peaked by a motion put forward by NAHT Cymru, which remarked that the quality of service provided by the consortium model has been, to date, inequitable, and for many schools it has been entirely inadequate. The motion by NAHT Cymru went further,...
Joel James: First Minister, whilst it is correct for us to understand this important issue with regard to primary and secondary school pupils, we also have to be aware that post-16 learners also rely heavily on public transport to attend colleges and universities, and apprentices have to pay travel costs not only to college, but also to their place of work. I am sure you are aware that there are...
Joel James: Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. Thank you, Minister, for your statement, and can I also thank you for your briefing this morning? I found it very useful in terms of understanding your viewpoint. Indeed, I acknowledge completely your view of investing in care leavers and trying to provide opportunities for them that others might take for granted, and I accept that this comes from a position of...
Joel James: Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'd like to start by thanking everyone who has taken part in today's debate, and also to thank Jayne, really, our colleague, for the invaluable work that she does on the cross-party group for diabetes. We've heard today a great deal about some of the technical aspects of caring for those with diabetes, the secondary health complications that can be caused by...
Joel James: Oh, I'm sorry, Altaf, yes, of course.
Joel James: Thank you, Altaf, and thank you for that intervention and, as has already been discussed, one of the issues is the lack of diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and the unfamiliarity of the symptoms, so it's crucial to get them covered as well. So, I have two final points I wish to make. The first is that diabetes, both type 1 and type 2, doesn't just affect the individual; it affects those families...
Joel James: 7. Will the First Minister provide an update on the Welsh Government's waste infrastructure procurement programme? OQ58330
Joel James: Thank you, First Minister. As you have mentioned, this programme has been quite successful in helping deliver carbon reductions through the use of anaerobic digestion facilities as an alternative for food waste treatment. I'm also aware that, although modest, the anaerobic digestion facilities create jobs, both in building and running facilities, and have the ability to supply farmers with...
Joel James: Thank you, Llywydd. As the Minister will be well aware, the Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni, has strongly backed Russia in the present Russian-Ukraine conflict, stating that, in the context of the ongoing war, Russia should be viewed as the centre of gravity in eastern Europe. For those who are unfamiliar with this military phrasing, what the President is saying is that Russia is the...
Joel James: Thank you, Minister. Oh, I nearly swore then—two secs, Llywydd—[Inaudible.]—came apart then. [Laughter.] Thank you, Minister, for your condemnation of those remarks, and I support that condemnation. I would urge, going forward, that we look carefully at where that aid's going and how it's being used. As you know, the Welsh Government's flagship Wales and Africa grant scheme was created...
Joel James: Thank you, Minister, for that response, and I'd like to reiterate, unless we have that actual assessment of the impact of this money going to Africa, we wonder what sort of benefit it's bringing to the Welsh taxpayer. If I move on to the next question, one of the touted benefits of the Wales and Africa programme is that diaspora communities can bring to Wales knowledge and experience that is...
Joel James: First Minister, as you know, people who struggle to access employment can sometimes suffer from issues associated with low self-confidence, and repeatedly being turned down for jobs, without even knowing the reasons why in some cases, can be so detrimental to some people that they simply just give up trying, even though they're often more than qualified to do a wide range of jobs. One of the...
Joel James: 4. What steps is the Welsh Government taking to increase awareness of the signs and symptoms of brain tumours? OQ58340
