Caroline Jones: Thank you for that, First Minister. I'm sure we can all agree that, in the interests of safety of staff and prisoners regarding self-harm, something does need to be done on the capacity of staff as well—for the staff to be increased in order to provide a safe environment and in order to help with rehabilitation and to prevent reoffending. So, regardless of where the responsibilities over...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. I want to state at the outset that my party supports the direction you are taking with the long-term plan. I might not always agree with some of the decisions you may take or always support the way you've opted to implement those decisions, but I agree that things have to change, and they have to change if we are to see the NHS celebrate its...
Caroline Jones: UKIP will be abstaining on all the amendments in this group. In fact, we will be abstaining on all the amendments before us today, as we did in Stage 2. I thought long and hard about whether to table amendments to the Bill. I had considered tabling amendments very similar to those proposed by both Angela and Rhun, but in the end decided against because there is simply no way to improve this...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I would like to thank the Welsh Conservatives for bringing forward this debate today. I agree wholeheartedly with the motion before us, and my amendment purely seeks to highlight the invaluable contribution made by Wales's army of unpaid carers. We would have to more than double our entire health and social care budget, if not for the thousands of people caring for a...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, the Prime Minister announced over the weekend that there would be a £20 billion a year birthday present for the NHS in England. As a result of Barnett, Wales is expected to receive £1.2 billion. On Sunday, a Welsh Government spokesman said that a decision on the allocation of funding would be made by your Cabinet in the usual way. So, First Minister, have...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for that answer. My concern here is that mental health issues account for around a quarter of all health problems, yet we're spending as little as over 11 per cent of the entire NHS Wales budget. We have seen a 100 per cent increase in demand for child and adolescent mental health care services. We know that depression affects 22 per cent of men and 28 per cent of women over the age...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for that answer, First Minister. As I've highlighted before, many times, one in four of us will suffer from mental ill health. A friend or a work colleague could be battling depression for years—we wouldn't know about it, because, unfortunately, there is still a stigma attached to mental health issues. We all have to be more open about mental health: we wouldn't try to hide a...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary, and for providing an advance copy of the 'Autism Spectrum Disorder Strategic Action Plan: Annual report 2017/18'. I'm pleased that the Welsh Government are investing in services and that progress is being made. However, the evaluation of the integrated autism service and the autistic spectrum disorder strategic action plan interim reports, by...
Caroline Jones: What action is the Welsh Government taking to improve cancer survival rates in South Wales West?
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I would like to formally move the two amendments tabled in my name, and I thank the Welsh Conservatives for bringing forward this important debate today. As you can see from my amendments, I agree with 99 per cent of the Welsh Conservatives' motion. I cannot support granting priority treatment to NHS staff, and, while I have sympathy with the need to get staff back on...
Caroline Jones: Yes.
Caroline Jones: Angela, I take your point, but for the reasons I highlighted in the beginning I can't accept your—I had to put my amendment in. So, I do apologise. Thank you. These shortages don't just contribute to longer and longer waits for patients; they are placing existing staff under unbelievable strain, and one out of every three Welsh GPs feel they are so stressed they cannot cope at least once...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, the past few months have been brutal for the Welsh high street, with many large retailers announcing closures of their stores. Mothercare is closing 50 stores across the UK, including its Newport branch. New Look is closing 60 stores, including its stores in Cardiff, Monmouth, Rhyl and Pontypool. Carphone Warehouse announced nearly 100 store closures across...
Caroline Jones: I appreciate what you're saying, First Minister, but, over the weekend, retail experts outlined the scale of the problem facing Wales's department stores, following the announcement by the House of Fraser and the news that Chepstow's Herbert Lewis was to close. Howells has been on Cardiff's high street since 1879 and will soon go the same way as David Morgan, which was the mainstay of...
Caroline Jones: Yes, but we have to redress and look at the balance and have a level playing field. Unfortunately, according to Cardiff Metropolitan University's business school, it is too late to save our traditional retailers. According to Chris Parry, senior lecturer in accounting and finance at Cardiff Met, the time to cut rents and rates was 2008, not 2018. He said that the challenge for us is what we...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. I, like all of us in this Chamber, am deeply, deeply disappointed by the UK Government's announcement yesterday. Yet again, the UK Government has shown utter contempt for my region by reneging as well on the promise to deliver electrification to Swansea and now have scuppered Swansea's chance to lead the world in innovative renewable energy....
Caroline Jones: Like the majority of the UK voting public, I voted to leave the EU, and my opinion hasn't changed. Our NHS was created long before the EU and will be here long after we leave. Are there risks? Yes, but no-one really expects that these risks won’t be addressed in a future deal. We are leaving the EU, not Europe. Our continuing co-operation with European nations will continue, and I expect...
Caroline Jones: 3. What actions is the Welsh Government taking to improve attainment levels amongst the most deprived pupils in South Wales West? OAQ52407
Caroline Jones: Thank you for that answer. Cabinet Secretary, in Neath Port Talbot, the percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals who attain level 2 or above fell last year, and fell quite significantly. The numbers are at their lowest since 2011. Cabinet Secretary, in light of this, and given recent comments about the effectiveness of the pupil deprivation grant, do you believe your policies are...
Caroline Jones: 2. Will the Cabinet Secretary outline the progress being made in reducing the budget deficits of local health boards? OAQ52409
