Caroline Jones: Cabinet Secretary, while it’s disappointing that the planned investment at Bridgend is being scaled back, it is reassuring to hear Ford reaffirm their commitment to the Bridgend plant and its flexible manufacturing capability. Both Ford and the unions refute the assertion that this decision is anything to do with Brexit. There have been other scare stories in recent days, saying that the...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Lywydd. Cabinet Secretary, we now have over half of all local health boards requiring some form of Government intervention. My own health board is receiving targeted intervention due to poor performance in unscheduled care and cancer care. This poor performance is putting people’s lives at risk and is a damning indictment of our health policies. It is abundantly clear that there are...
Caroline Jones: I welcome the opportunity to take part in this important debate. Substance abuse affects every section of our society and communities. Thirty four per cent of men and 28 per cent of women drank more than the recommended limits on at least one day during the last week. Adults living in households in the highest income bracket are twice as likely to drink heavily as adults in the lowest income...
Caroline Jones: Cabinet Secretary, Aberavon has some of the highest levels of child poverty in Wales. In one ward, nearly 46 per cent of children are living in poverty. The ‘State of the Nation’ annual report by the UK’s Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission was critical of the Welsh Government’s policies, stating that they were not having the right level of impact. Given the Welsh...
Caroline Jones: I would like to thank the Welsh Conservatives for bringing forward this debate. It’s very welcome. Also, I’d like to commend the NHS staff for the work that they do, often under very difficult circumstances. Problems with the recruitment and retention of front-line staff, clinicians in particular, have been well documented in recent years. Staff shortages have led to increased workloads,...
Caroline Jones: In the days and weeks that preceded the Brexit vote and the days and weeks after, we have had dire warnings of an economic meltdown as a result of our decision to leave the EU. But, in recent weeks, economic data have proven the warnings as little more than scaremongering. But, this week, the British Chambers of Commerce have slightly revised their growth figures for the UK downwards, but...
Caroline Jones: Yes.
Caroline Jones: I hope that article 50 is triggered quite soon, so that everyone can just—[Interruption.] There will be a little bit of speculation in it. We are all speculating at the moment, and there are fluctuations that are going to happen. [Interruption.] Of course it matters to me, I live in Wales. What do you think matters to me? [Laughter.] Good grief. Where do you think I come from? [Interruption.]
Caroline Jones: Thank you very much. Last week, I was invited to the opening of two new businesses in my region. So, if people on the smaller scale are willing to invest their hard-earned money, then I can see other businesses capitalising as well, large businesses.
Caroline Jones: Yes.
Caroline Jones: Well, all I can say, Rhun, is that, from personal experience, the businesses in my region—a lot of businesses—are opening new businesses, empty premises are becoming filled, and that I haven’t heard of any person saying to me that—. As a former businesswoman myself, I haven’t had anyone come to me or speak to me saying that they’re not going to take any opportunity because of...
Caroline Jones: Yes, we have Aston Martin coming to St Athan, creating 750 jobs. So that’s no small feat, is it? Therefore, I do say that Brexit offers the UK and Wales a great opportunity to boost trade, grow our industry, and increase employment. Once we are released, as well, I think it will increase even further, when we trigger article 50. We firmly believe that we need free trade with the EU, not...
Caroline Jones: Not again. We have to embrace free trade with the whole world, rather than solely focusing on an increasingly insular trading bloc. It’s time for the UK Government to deliver on their promise that Brexit means Brexit, and we need Brexit as soon as possible.
Caroline Jones: What is the Welsh Government doing to improve air quality in South Wales West?
Caroline Jones: First Minister, while we welcome your reaffirmation of the Welsh Government’s commitment to library services, your support is of little comfort to those communities who have had their libraries closed as a result of local government cuts. We have seen many libraries close their doors for good, while others owe their existence to a small team of dedicated volunteers. So, what is the Welsh...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. I am pleased that the Welsh Government accept that there is a crisis in the primary care field. We wish you every success with this campaign, because Wales badly needs more GPs, otherwise we have a massive problem. Unfortunately, your proposals will do little to help us in the here-and-now situation. With the NHS preparing for the annual winter...
Caroline Jones: What action is the Welsh Government taking to mitigate the health impacts of air pollution in Wales?
Caroline Jones: When I first entered teacher training college, the education landscape was very different to that we see today. The academically inclined did go to grammar schools, but those who were more suited to a vocation went to a secondary modern school. State grammar schools were educating hundreds of thousands of pupils, offering a free education comparable to that of fee-paying schools....
Caroline Jones: No, sorry, Llyr, I won’t. The demand for grammar schools in those few pockets where they still exist has skyrocketed. So, we are not looking at what people want again, we’re looking at imposing something that they may not want. Unfortunately, those grammar schools only exist in the wealthier parts of southern England and, together with rising house prices, this has seen fewer and fewer...
Caroline Jones: Yes, certainly.
