Caroline Jones: Sorry?
Caroline Jones: Anyway, I was going to say, as a former business owner, I can assure you that the car parking—that customers came and told me it was essential to them, because they could go somewhere else where there was parking out of town, and that it did make a significant impact, especially when you’ve got traffic wardens chasing you for being two minutes over your time. So, it does have a...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. I’d like to thank Huw for bringing forward this short debate and for agreeing to give me a minute of his time. Thankfully, for my constituents in South Cornelly and the surrounding areas, South Wales Wood Recycling have withdrawn plans for a plant in the village. The company have been beset with problems with fires at their Bridgend and Newport facilities, which...
Caroline Jones: First Minister, cuts in local authority budgets have put pressure on school budgets throughout my region. In addition to school budgets, Swansea council have also increased the amount they charge for service level agreements, which is impacting upon schools’ ability to deliver things like music lessons, swimming lessons and the supply of library books. Swansea now has one of the lowest per...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for providing us with this update today, Cabinet Secretary, and for providing us with the final delivery plan yesterday. When we discussed the draft plan in July, I raised the issue of access to psychological therapies. Early access to talking therapies, such as CBT, are proven to improve recovery and reduce the need for more acute services. I therefore welcome the commitment to...
Caroline Jones: Cabinet Secretary, given the number of incidents that have occurred at similar sites across Wales and concerns over the health implications of the large amounts of particulate matter generated in this type of facility, will the Welsh Government now consider introducing a moratorium on this type of plant? Will you also consider introducing tougher monitoring on existing licence holders and...
Caroline Jones: 13. Will the Minister outline how the Welsh government’s energy policies will lead to the diversification of the energy mix? OAQ(5)0045(ERA)
Caroline Jones: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. My region has been blighted by the industrialisation of wind energy as a result of TAN 8 and is being targeted for unconventional gas extraction. We will also play host to the world’s first tidal lagoon. We need a truly diverse energy mix, but renewable technology should not be treated like twentieth century power plants. Cabinet Secretary, do you agree with me...
Caroline Jones: I would like to thank Plaid Cymru for tabling this important debate, allowing us to mark Mental Health Awareness Week. 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 high priority. It was great to see...
Caroline Jones: First Minister, Wales has a growing and ageing population that is putting increased pressures on primary care services in Wales. As those of us who signed the urgent prescription for general practice can attest, workload pressures upon GPs are undermining the safety of patient care. Will the Welsh Government support the BMA request for local health boards to stop the practice of requiring GPs...
Caroline Jones: I thank the Member for his question. As part of the Assembly Commission’s environmental plan, we encourage the use of sustainable transport. We recognise the development of electric cars and their falling costs and we are considering the viability of charging points within the Cardiff Bay estate. Demand will, in part, be assessed through our travel survey, which we intend to conduct shortly.
Caroline Jones: I thank the Member for making that point. Obviously, there was a travel survey conducted a couple of years ago, and in the travel survey, 250 staff members were given the surveys and they were completed. However, the demand was only 12 per cent at that time. So, on the positive side, I’d like to say to the Member that, yes, they are a low-carbon means of travel, and our Green Dragon...
Caroline Jones: 2. Will the First Minister outline the actions the Welsh Government is taking to tackle homelessness in South Wales? OAQ(5)0225(FM)
Caroline Jones: Thank you, First Minister. Councils across Wales are targeting the homeless and seeking to ban rough sleeping, yet these same councils are doing very little to secure accommodation for those individuals who find themselves with no choice other than to sleep rough. Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council and South Wales Police have started a clampdown on anti-social behaviour and under this...
Caroline Jones: I’m not a clairvoyant. And solutions as the main objective—
Caroline Jones: Sorry, yes. Instead of people opposing homelessness and putting people in prison for vagrancy, can we please look at a plan to help the homeless?
Caroline Jones: Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary, and for the honest, open and transparent way you have approached this review with the opposition Members. The health and social care sectors will face immense challenges in future as our population grows and ages, and it is right that we review how we can best deliver those services in the coming decades. I welcome the opportunity you gave to...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Lywydd. I would like to use these 90 seconds to highlight the wonderful work being undertaken by the Sandville Self Help Centre in Ton Kenfig within my region. The Sandville Self Help Centre was established in 1983 and is a charity that’s open to all people suffering health issues, offering help in a very relaxed and happy atmosphere. They are a person-centred service, giving social...
Caroline Jones: I propose that the Assembly for Wales notes that November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and I’d like the motion to be proposed formally.
Caroline Jones: Sorry, yes, I do wish to speak.
