Carwyn Jones: Well, trade missions are all-encompassing. It’s right to say that we do trade with companies whose values we would not share. There are issues with a number of countries around the world, where we would prefer it if their systems were more open, and their systems were closer to ours. But I believe that, through trading with these countries, it’s possible to show that there is a way of...
Carwyn Jones: Increasing the value of exports and the number of exporters in Wales have both been central pillars of our economic strategy for some time. We know that trade is a key driver of economic growth, which, in turn, boosts incomes.
Carwyn Jones: Well, there are issues for us. The issue of the border in Ireland has been raised, not least by me. The UK Government has conceded that the UK will not control its borders, because it has said that it does not want to see a closed border between Northern Ireland and the republic. I’ve no quibble or disagreement with that decision, but it does mean, of course, that the UK will have an open...
Carwyn Jones: Well, I called an extraordinary summit of the British-Irish Council in Cardiff in the summer, where the economy and trade and the common travel area were key points of discussion, and EU exit implications will figure prominently, I'm sure, in future British-Irish Council meetings.
Carwyn Jones: It's fairly common for people to use a hospital that isn't technically within the health board area that they reside in. For example, people in Ogmore by Sea or Ewenny naturally use the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend, even though they're not within the local health board area, and that will continue in the future. He's absolutely right to point out that there are opportunities with...
Carwyn Jones: Yes. We’ll continue to work with the health board to address the transport requirements of patients and others who require access to the SCCC, and that will, of course, mean working to ensure that his constituents have the best transport access possible.
Carwyn Jones: Well, as regards the plastic bottles, of course, it is possible to recycle plastic bottles. I know that local authorities collect those bottles separate—some of them, anyway—to ordinary waste. So, it was very important for us to ensure that plastic bags are dealt with in this way, because of the fact that they are not recycled and also not biodegradable. But, of course, ultimately, we...
Carwyn Jones: The difficulty with it, of course, is that much of what we buy comes from outside even the EU. With China particularly, the packaging is substantial because of the distance that goods will travel. So, there is a difficulty for me in saying, ‘Right, we're going to have a closed cycle in Wales’, because Wales is so small. I think there is scope for doing it at a UK level and an EU level to...
Carwyn Jones: It’s a matter for the UK Government to deal with, given the fact that we’re talking here about employment rights, but, nevertheless, any loss of talent to any business is something to be regretted. That means, of course, ensuring that, where there is any discrimination on the basis of maternity leave, that is challenged and dealt with by the employment tribunals.
Carwyn Jones: We take the view that every week is a week for waste reduction. We are the only country in the UK to set waste reduction targets, and, since 2006-07, we have reduced our household waste by 14 per cent.
Carwyn Jones: We are proud supporters of Chwarae Teg, who, of course, work tirelessly to challenge gender stereotypes, occupational segregation, and to promote modern workplace practices through, for example, the Agile Nation 2 programme and campaigns such as Not Just for Boys, but we are also continuing to challenge gender stereotypes. We held Girls Make a Difference conferences in 2014 and 2015,...
Carwyn Jones: There is still a long way to go before we close the pay gap. It remains a priority. We do continue to tackle the underlying issues that create gender pay inequality, and those plans are to be found in our Welsh-specific equality duties and our strategic equality plan objectives.
Carwyn Jones: I can say to the Member that we are currently funding research trials for pancreatic cancer through Health and Care Research Wales. That’s in collaboration with Cancer Research UK. Researchers in Wales are also part of the European study group for pancreatic cancer trials. That includes population-based studies of genetic predispositions to pancreatic cancer. So, yes, some work is already...
Carwyn Jones: Hugely difficult: I’ve seen it in more than one individual in my family, and, once it’s diagnosed, it’s hopeless. That’s the usual way with pancreatic cancer at the moment—a 4 per cent survival rate. The difficulty is, of course, that the symptoms are quite general and non-specific, and can be symptoms of any number of conditions. That said, the cancer delivery plan does include the...
Carwyn Jones: The refreshed cancer delivery plan for Wales, launched today, continues to include a commitment to deliver a programme of awareness campaigns for cancer, including pancreatic cancer.
Carwyn Jones: An interesting point, but it’s not quite as easy as that, because we don’t have a self-contained prison estate. For example, you’d still to need to buy in, as it were, prison places in England, at a price that England wanted to charge—we’d have no particular control over that. We lack certain high-security prisons as well, so all this has to be examined to make sure that we don’t...
Carwyn Jones: They have the responsibility to pick up the pieces of their mess, primarily. The reduction by 25 per cent of front-line prison officers means that those that remain are overstretched, overwhelmed, and without support, and both prisoners and staff are being left in a vulnerable position. I was the local councillor when the Parc prison was built in my council ward, and the major problem the...
Carwyn Jones: Prisons aren’t devolved, and any call for an independent inquiry is a matter for the UK Government, but there clearly are problems within the prison system that the UK Government needs to tackle.
Carwyn Jones: I’m confident that the service the people of Flint will get when the new health centre is open will be far, far better than what the hospital was able to provide. We have seen this before in different parts of Wales, where people naturally feel concerned when a hospital is lost. But when they see what comes instead, and the facilities that are available, that tends to provide them with...
Carwyn Jones: Of course, I will look into that and I will write back to the Member with a response.
