Caroline Jones: [Continues.]—on past Plenaries. On past Plenaries. The evidence is there.
Caroline Jones: What actions is the Welsh Government taking to improve tourism in South Wales West?
Caroline Jones: First Minister, just over two years ago, a Welsh Government review of the Veterans’ NHS Wales service found that veterans were waiting up to 80 days for an initial assessment, and up to 140 days from assessment. The review also highlighted the fact that the service would face additional pressures, resulting from the UK defence and security review. In total, 15 recommendations were made as a...
Caroline Jones: Cabinet Secretary, having attended the recent AGM of the Swansea Council for Voluntary Service, I was amazed by the sheer number of voluntary organisations offering health-related support operating in my region. I was already aware of the excellent work undertaken by the likes of Tŷ Elis in Porthcawl and the Sandville Self Help Centre in Ton Kenfig, but, at the SCVS meeting, I met people...
Caroline Jones: Cabinet Secretary, the HIW report focused primarily on wet age-related macular degeneration services, but the problems highlighted reflect wider problems with ophthalmology services in Wales. Waiting lists for ophthalmology are excessively high. RNIB Cymru have repeatedly highlighted that patients are going blind whilst waiting for treatment. Every time the RNIB raise this issue, they’re...
Caroline Jones: I’d like to thank the clerks, the health committee and the Research Service for their assistance during our inquiry. I would also like to thank all those who gave evidence to us during the course of our inquiry. Over the course of our inquiry, the majority of stakeholders told us that, while things were slightly better this year, they were still unprepared for the winter period and facing...
Caroline Jones: I’m pleased to take part in this debate today. With the number of people aged 65 and over set to increase by about a third over the next 15 to 20 years, and a third of the adult population of Wales having at least one chronic illness, we are becoming more and more dependent on our social care sector.Unfortunately, cuts to local authority budgets have placed additional strain on social care,...
Caroline Jones: What steps is the Welsh Government taking to protect the Welsh countryside from over-development?
Caroline Jones: First Minister, one of the biggest challenges facing healthcare in the twenty-first century is the dramatic rise in antimicrobial resistance. There have been a few cases in China where resistance to last-resort antibiotics has been seen. Unless drastic action is taken, we will be living in the world that existed before the discovery of penicillin, where people were dying from the simplest of...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. Despite recent advances in coronary care, heart disease remains one of the biggest killers in Wales. This month, around 750 people will lose their lives to cardiovascular disease; 720 will go to hospital with a heart attack; and, sadly, 340 of those will die. Also, this month, around 16 babies will be born with a heart defect. Therefore,...
Caroline Jones: Cabinet Secretary, the majority of Welsh-medium primary schools in Swansea have pupil-to-teacher ratios greater than 25, and all bar one are in the yellow and amber support categories. This, coupled with recent news highlighting the difficulty in recruiting Welsh-medium teachers, and news about the severe delays in rolling out the curriculum, is a concern. Cabinet Secretary, what will you be...
Caroline Jones: I’d like to thank Suzy for proposing that we legislate to ensure that everyone in Wales is provided with the basic skills to save a life. Yesterday, we discussed the heart conditions delivery plan in this Chamber, during which I highlighted the fact that, each month in Wales, 720 people will go to hospital with a heart attack and, sadly, 340 of those people will die. Without CPR and...
Caroline Jones: First Minister, the third sector and its army of volunteers save the public purse millions of pounds each year and provide valuable services that the public sector cannot. The third sector protects us when we go to the beach or the rugby, provides valuable research into numerous diseases and conditions, campaigns for better rights, housing and a whole host of other services. Without the third...
Caroline Jones: We, in UKIP, are in favour of tidal lagoons and recognise that the technology has the potential to supply a lot of the UK’s energy needs, reduce our carbon emissions and, most importantly, provide energy security and diversification. I did, however, have many questions about how the schemes would be funded and how local communities and the local economy would benefit from the construction...
Caroline Jones: 8. Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on how the Welsh Government ensures fair pay for local government staff? OAQ(5)0093(FLG)
Caroline Jones: Cabinet Secretary, I have been contacted by a number of constituents who have been affected by the pay review being conducted by local authorities. People who have been working in highly skilled roles for decades have suddenly found that their jobs have been reclassified as unskilled, and, as a result, my constituents have had their wages cut, sometimes by as much as 25 per cent. The fear...
Caroline Jones: Cabinet Secretary, the brave decision by the Tata workforce to accept the Tata deal will help secure the future of steel making in Wales. It is now up to both Governments, in Westminster and in Wales, to help ensure that demand for Welsh steel is increased. As discussed in the tidal lagoons debate here yesterday, Tidal Lagoon Power hope to source most of the steel from UK sources. However,...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. I have agreed to give a minute of my time to Joyce Watson, Janet Finch-Saunders and Mike Hedges. The following was written in 1966, and more eloquently highlights the topic of loneliness and isolation than any words that I could conjure. What do you see, nurses, what do you see? / What are you thinking, when looking at me? / A crabbit old woman, not very wise, /...
Caroline Jones: As a member of the health committee, I would like to thank our Chair and other members of the committee for the collegiate way we’ve worked together on this Bill. Also, a thank you to health officials and outside agencies for providing us with their evidence. UKIP will be supporting the general principles of the Public Health (Wales) Bill. There is much about this Bill that is to be...
Caroline Jones: Cabinet Secretary, without knowing the authenticity or even the validity of this so-called leaked document, we have to be extremely careful about whipping up hysteria about job losses at Ford’s engine plant at Bridgend. The only official indications we have had from Ford is that they’re scaling back investment, but they are still making a multimillion pound investment at Bridgend. It’s...
