Helen Mary Jones: 3. Diolch, Dirprwy Llywydd. Will the Commission provide an update on the Welsh Youth Parliament following the first regional meetings? OAQ53315
Helen Mary Jones: Thank you, Llywydd. I'm sure that all Members here will be really pleased to hear of what is incredibly positive progress. I was fortunate to meet the Youth Parliament Members from Mid and West Wales in Carmarthen and was very impressed by some very committed and engaging young people. I was also very struck by the support arrangements that were there in place to support those young people...
Helen Mary Jones: Having been absent from this place for some time, I sometimes find myself reflecting on my return about what has changed and what has not. I remember having to deal with a constituency situation where information could not be transferred effectively between two hospitals in Carmarthenshire. The upshot of that was, in fact, that the patient, who was a young adult—his parents were given his...
Helen Mary Jones: I'm very grateful to the Minister. I'm wondering if you can provide us today with—. What you've been saying is very positive, and we'd all welcome that, I'm sure, but can you provide us with the latest figures with regard to outages in the current NHS system? If you're not able to provide those figures today, would you be prepared to write to Members in that regard? Because that is,...
Helen Mary Jones: I want to highlight in my contribution this afternoon three particular aspects of the effects of the current system on those currently incarcerated and the consequences. I want to first of all look at the services that are provided—or not provided—for prisoners who speak Welsh. Members of the Chamber will have seen the Welsh Language Commissioner's report, 'Cymraeg yn y carchar', Welsh in...
Helen Mary Jones: I'm grateful to Alun Davies. Can I, just for a question of clarity, be clear that we're talking here about the whole of the criminal justice system?
Helen Mary Jones: 1. What discussions has the Minister had with the families of patients at the Tawel Fan ward in Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board? OAQ53343
Helen Mary Jones: I'm grateful to the Minister for his answer. The Minister will be aware that the management of Betsi Cadwaladr university health board has recently acknowledged to the families at Tawel Fan that the unit was, in fact, a dementia assessment unit, and, therefore, nobody should have been living there long term, though some patients were there for more than six months. Can the Minister explain:...
Helen Mary Jones: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. I'd like to turn to the subject of the performance of our emergency care system, and it's been highlighted that the performance of two out of the three of the accident and emergency units in hospitals in the Betsi Cadwaladr region has been so bad that it's dragged the average Welsh figures substantially down. The First Minister acknowledged last week that this level...
Helen Mary Jones: Well, I'm grateful to the Minister for his answer, though slightly puzzled by it. I thought that the whole point of special measures was that the Government was taking some responsibility for what was going on. But putting that to one side, and be that as it may, I'm also slightly surprised to hear the Minister say that factors are complex and, by implication, they don't know exactly what's...
Helen Mary Jones: You see, Llywydd, I am struggling a little bit with this, because, on the one hand, the Minister is telling us that there is no substantial difference between the effect of what's going on in Ysbyty Gwynedd and what's going on in the other two accident and emergency units, and, on the other hand, he's telling me that the factors are different, and we need to take them into account. Now, I am...
Helen Mary Jones: First Minister, I'm sure that you'll agree with me that it's very important, when we're designing services for anybody, but particularly for young people, that we hear their voices in that process. I'm sure that you will be aware that our Youth Parliament has already identified mental health and mental health services as one of their priorities. And I would like to invite you to commit today...
Helen Mary Jones: I'd like to thank the Minister very much for his statement and, in doing so, join him in valuing the excellent work that our staff are doing, sometimes under very difficult circumstances. I'm sure that we all appreciate the efforts they make, often under very difficult circumstances, as I've said. It is, as Darren Millar said, positive to see some trends. I'd like to ask the Minister for a...
Helen Mary Jones: 8. Will the Minister make a statement on the appraisal process for new railway stations? OAQ53413
Helen Mary Jones: I'm very grateful to the Minister for his answer. I'm sure he'll understand that, for example, the residents of Carno in the region that I represent have been a bit frustrated by the continuing delay. I'm very grateful to you for assuring us that the delay is coming to an end. Could you provide a bit of an explanation as to why the delay occurred and why it's taken as long as it has?
Helen Mary Jones: Constituents have raised concerns with me about the provision of medical supplies in south-west Wales, particularly some very practical things like incontinence pads, but also access to insulin, certain rare radioisotopes that are necessary for some cancer treatments. Can the Brexit Minister update us on the discussions that Welsh Government has had with Hywel Dda health board to ensure that...
Helen Mary Jones: Following on the comments made by my colleague Llyr Gruffydd, I think we would all recognise the picture that you're painting of the very excellent work that staff do in very, very challenging times. But how confident are you that they are adequately resourced to do that? Because there is the question that Llyr raised of, essentially, staff being asked to do more for less. I know that's the...
Helen Mary Jones: Well, talk about shocking hypocrisy. I have to say that I have got, as we all have, deep concerns about the way the Labour Government has handled this here, but I am not going to take—and nor would I expect the Welsh Labour Government—any lessons from any Conservative when it comes to the administration of benefits to disabled people. My colleague Leanne Wood has just rightly described it...
Helen Mary Jones: Let's be clear that that is a belated change of heart very late in the day, after many disabled people across the UK have suffered dreadfully from that system. And you're quite right to say that we haven't got time to debate it here, but I'll happily take you on on it any time, anywhere, because it's not okay. Now, I think it's regrettable that the Minister is going to have to people through...
Helen Mary Jones: I will, happily.
