Jenny Rathbone: What can the Welsh Government do to safeguard the supply of generic medicines for the Welsh NHS in light of recent UK Government trade talks?
Jenny Rathbone: Deputy Presiding Officer, it is quite intense. It's very difficult to listen to the debate while it's there.
Jenny Rathbone: I agree with those who have already said that primary care needs to get more resources, because we have to remember that 97 per cent of people never go anywhere near a hospital. So, I wouldn't disagree with what Angela Burns said, that we probably need to have it as more than 10 per cent, but it's good to see the Brexit Party supporting a 10 per cent target. It will be interesting to hear...
Jenny Rathbone: I think that the biggest thing, I'd like to say, the biggest existential threat, is over potential US trade talks, which could lead to a massive increase in drug prices, if Donald Trump has anything to do with it, and particularly a lack of access to generic drugs, which are really, really important in keeping the budget for drugs down. And there are some pretty terrifying things going on in...
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you very much. I heard earlier that you said that 16 and 17-year-olds weren't clamouring to vote. Well, my experience, I have to say, is different to yours. Because I find that those who are visiting the Senedd who are under 18 are very engaged and ask very pertinent questions and are often better informed than much older peers. I can share your concern about a reduction in the...
Jenny Rathbone: 2. What progress has the Welsh Government made in reshaping public procurement to enable more fresh food for schools, hospitals and nursing homes to be procured locally? OAQ54723
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you, Minister, for that useful information. The real food and farming conference I attended last week was very enthusiastic about the announcement that Carmarthenshire public services board had been awarded £100,000 from the foundational economy initiative, and that is precisely in order to improve their food supply chains so that they can procure local food. I'm fully aware that...
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Nicely following on from the plastic promises, if we're serious about climate change, then we need to use all the tools at our disposal to get the behaviour change we need. In line with the 5p carrier-bag levy, a modest workplace parking levy would get employers and employees thinking about the environmental cost of using the car to get to work, and...
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I thank all the Members for their contributions, because it's really important that, in taking forward this measure, if you will allow me to do so, we properly scrutinise some of the disadvantages that could arise. I absolutely acknowledge the dilemma of people, particularly in rural areas, who struggle to maintain a car on low wages, simply because there...
Jenny Rathbone: Three things. One is: can I just follow up on the points raised by Mike Hedges and Nick Ramsay on free swimming? Because, like them, I've had correspondence from older people who've been affected by the changes in the timetable in our local swimming pools, but I've had absolutely no correspondence whatsoever from any families of children, or indeed from children, who are affected by the...
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you. I'm very pleased that you want to tackle this issue of good practice not travelling. When I was chairing the European programme monitoring committee, there were excellent bottom-up programmes that could have been applied to other, very similar, communities, and I know that Huw Irranca-Davies is working on this in the current programme, but we really cannot afford to discard good...
Jenny Rathbone: I've listened with interest to the reservations of Angela Burns and Helen Mary Jones, and I hope that we can iron out any inconsistencies and issues across the Assembly, because it seems to me that health and social care are something that we really do have to try and seek consensus on, because they're very large-ticket items, and it's a question of getting it right. It's very easy to put a...
Jenny Rathbone: Minister, I'm sure I'm not the only Member who's had problems of patients seeking help with getting their ears syringed from their GP, and being inaccurately referred to the private sector, where they charge up to £75. So, could you tell us how you're going to ensure that GP surgeries are communicating accurately with patients as to how they can access these services within secondary care,...
Jenny Rathbone: Just following up on the previous two contributions, which covered some of what I was going to raise, I don't entirely share Andrew R.T. Davies's confidence that people are prepared to put money where their mouth is. Because, unfortunately, many people are forced to buy based on price and many people, even if they're not forced to, they do basically buy based on price. And often what appears...
Jenny Rathbone: 5. What discussions has the Welsh Government had with the UK Government regarding the status of EU foreign nationals residing in Cardiff Central, in the event of the UK leaving the EU in the next couple of months? OAQ54795
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you. This week, I spoke to a family—one of them is Welsh, the other is Polish—both of them are working in the national health service as well as looking after two small children. They're worried that they could be split up if Brexit happens, obviously bearing in mind what had happened with the Windrush residents. I understand why they are so anxious about this, and they're not the...
Jenny Rathbone: 4. Will the Deputy Minister make a statement on advice services in Cardiff? OAQ54846
Jenny Rathbone: Debt is obviously a rising concern in the current situation. We know from the 'Wales in the red: Assessing the impact of problem debt in Wales' report earlier this year that Cardiff, as our biggest city, has also got the highest concentration of debt. Nearly 200,000 people across Wales are grappling with severe debts and another 200,000 already showing signs of financial distress. And...
Jenny Rathbone: I just want to emphasise my disappointment that we aren't going for a clean air Act in this Assembly, because it is in the manifestos of all three main parties for this general election, so there is huge consensus around this and, therefore, I wonder why it isn't possible to move forward on something that we can all agree on. It's also in the Liberal Democrats' manifesto as well. Not...
Jenny Rathbone: 6. What plans does Welsh Government have to build on the successes of the innovative housing fund? OAQ54838
