Caroline Jones: I would also like thank the First Minister for his statement on Friday and for bringing forward this important debate today. On Thursday, the people of the United Kingdom spoke and spoke loudly. They said: ‘Britain is better off outside the European Union’. It’s highly regrettable that the Prime Minister who gave us this referendum did not have the courage to see it through to its...
Caroline Jones: I was elected. We have to ignore dodgy petitions, political self-interest—yes, there have been petitions which have proved to have inaccuracies on them, online—and political self-interest and those who claim that the United Kingdom cannot stand alone. We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get a great deal for Wales and Great Britain, and I urge all sides to work together to get the...
Caroline Jones: Yes, I will.
Caroline Jones: I can assure you, you haven’t heard it from me, and these people here you haven’t heard it from either. To whom are you referring?
Caroline Jones: I will.
Caroline Jones: It was a different question, I admit, but it was a question that was asked by the constituents—no, not by UKIP, by the gentleman’s constituents.
Caroline Jones: No problem.
Caroline Jones: To those who wish to derail our exit and hinder our progress on securing a great deal, I urge you to listen to the British people who delivered a clear mandate for Brexit. To our Scottish cousins, I say: you cannot derail our exit. Scottish voters may have voted in favour of remaining in the EU, but they also voted overwhelmingly to remain in the UK not so very long ago. Members, we have to...
Caroline Jones: I would like to thank the Welsh Government for tabling this important debate today. With one in eight people in Wales currently seeking medical help for mental illness and an estimated one in four of us experiencing mental health problems at some point during our lifetimes, it’s clear that we need to give mental health a far higher priority. We therefore welcome the fact that we are today...
Caroline Jones: Okay. Thank you—diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. I formally move the motion tabled in the names of Neil Hamilton and myself. The UKIP motion before you today reflects our belief that the European Union has shackled British business with masses of red tape and an industrial policy that has not been designed for our industrialists in the British manufacturing sector. The problems facing companies...
Caroline Jones: Yes, I will.
Caroline Jones: UKIP MEPs voted against a Labour group amendment that Labour claimed would result in higher anti-dumping measures. But there was little evidence of this and UKIP abstained—abstained—as part of principle. The EU tariffs of just 16 per cent—as a result, Chinese steel imports to the EU rose by over 50 per cent. This has had a devastating effect on UK and Welsh steel. Three years ago the UK...
Caroline Jones: Thank you. Members, following Brexit, Tata Steel in my region has a better chance of survival and I urge you to support the motion. Moving to the amendments, I urge Members to reject the Welsh Conservative amendment. We do not disagree with the points you are making and, if you had decided to add those points to our motion, we would have supported you. However, perhaps your group is still...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. I would also like to put on record my thanks for the way you’re approaching the review into the IPFR process. On issues such as these, it is important that we rise above party politics and work constructively together to delivery life-saving treatments for Welsh patients. While there has been much criticism of the...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Lywydd. Thank you for your statement, Minister, and your earlier written statement. All of us in this Chamber wish to see the Welsh language survive and thrive. Rwy’n dysgu Cymraeg. To say that it won’t be an easy task to reach a million Welsh speakers by 2050 is an understatement. Annual population survey estimates show that, over the fourth Assembly, the percentage of people...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Lywydd. Cabinet Secretary, the recruitment and retention of doctors in both primary and secondary care has been described by many, including many of the royal colleges, as a ticking time bomb. In primary care, we have the dual problem of failing to recruit enough GPs and, due to an ageing population, an increasing number of GPs retiring. The Royal College of General Practitioners told...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. Perhaps we can move on to the retention of doctors. Hugely increased workloads and the stress of managing in an overloaded primary care system have been blamed by many GPs as the reason behind their decision to move overseas or to retire from general practice altogether. What is your Government doing to reduce the workload of our GPs to ensure...
Caroline Jones: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. I would like to touch upon the training of our doctors. According to the BMA, it costs over £0.75 million to train a registrar, and over £500,000 to train a GP—a significant investment from the Welsh NHS. What consideration has the Welsh Government given to asking for a minimum term of service in the NHS before those doctors are able to enter private practice...
Caroline Jones: I would also like to thank Plaid Cymru for the chance to discuss the opportunities for Welsh finances following the decision to leave the European Union. We join the other parties in calling upon the UK Government to ensure that Wales benefits from the decision to stop haemorrhaging billions of pounds a year to the EU. However, unlike some Members in the Chamber, UKIP firmly believes that...
Caroline Jones: First Minister, Welsh steel and other energy-intensive industries are suffering as a result of EU-imposed carbon reduction policies, which have resulted in higher energy bills. In order to secure the future of Welsh steel, particularly the Tata plant in Port Talbot in my region, we have to drop EU legislation that pushes up our energy costs. First Minister, do you agree with me that the best...
