Caroline Jones: Thank you for your statement, Minister. The International Year of Indigenous Languages gives us the opportunity to not only celebrate the fact that over 5,000 indigenous languages are spoken around the world, but to work together to save those languages from extinction. A good friend of mine, Mohammed Sarul Islam, has worked tirelessly over the last decade or so to secure an international...
Caroline Jones: I thank the chief medical officer for his latest annual report. Dr Atherton has highlighted several health challenges facing our nation. I want to focus my contribution on two of those challenges. Two challenges to our nation’s health that, if left unchecked, could do untold damage to the well-being of Wales. Those challenges are antimicrobial resistance and the spread of the 'anti-vax'...
Caroline Jones: Thank you, Deputy Minister. Yesterday, we learnt that carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere have reached 415 ppm for the first time in human history—not recorded history; levels haven't been this high since before humans roamed the plains millions of years ago. Unless we take drastic action, future generations will be left with toxic oceans and a dying planet. You seemed at odds with the...
Caroline Jones: Thank you, First Minister. Young people today face an onslaught of pressures not even dreamt about during our generation. From pressures for how they look on Instagram to the need to spend money to avoid being a 'default' in Fortnite, the burden of the social media age takes its toll. Last week, a survey revealed that six and seven-year-olds are worried about school tests. First Minister,...
Caroline Jones: 9. Will the First Minister outline the actions the Welsh Government is taking to improve the mental health of young people? OAQ53877
Caroline Jones: 6. Will the Deputy Minister make a statement on how the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 is improving the lives of people in Wales? OAQ53878
Caroline Jones: I welcome the opportunity to take part in today's debate and thank David Melding for bringing forward the debate. I must admit that I was unaware of e-sports before seeing this debate on the agenda, but I recognise the potential value of the creative industries to the Welsh economy. E-sports and video-gaming in general are a valuable part of our growing creative sector in Wales. However, I do...
Caroline Jones: Certainly.
Caroline Jones: Sorry—? Yes, I have. Yes, I did. [Interruption.] Far-right parties have gained between 10-20 per cent of the votes in Sweden, Finland, Estonia, the Netherlands and many others. And, closer to home, we've seen UKIP lurch to the far right. When I joined UKIP, the leadership made it clear that there was no place in the party for racists, and it even said on the application form to become a...
Caroline Jones: I would like to thank the Welsh Government for tabling this important debate today. It's a sad fact that we have to table such a debate in the twenty-first century. Racism has no place in our society, but unfortunately racist elements still exist. The United Nations ratified the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in the 1960s, at a time when...
Caroline Jones: Thank you, Minister. I'm not sure if you're aware, but Nottage Primary School in Porthcawl are proposing to change their school day to align with the comprehensive school. In order to achieve this, without reducing teaching time, the proposals call for reducing playtime by 40 minutes and only allowing one 10-minute comfort break. Minister, do you agree with me that reducing play and limiting...
Caroline Jones: 2. Will the Minister make a statement on guidance given to local education authorities regarding ensuring that there is sufficient time in the school day to meet the health and well-being needs of pupils? OAQ53777
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Llywydd. Next to issues with the NHS, the vast majority of my postbag consists of issues with social housing. Consistent issues with housing associations has led me to question who benefits from social housing. In my experience, it certainly isn't the tenant. When social housing was provided by local councils, they weren't driven by profits and, for the most part, responded to the...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I would like to thank Bethan for bringing forward this proposed legislation, and I want to say at the outset that I fully support her in this. Like Bethan, I met Mayameen when she came to the Senedd to present her petition, calling for the provision of child houses in Wales for victims of child sexual abuse. I spent time with Mayameen as she informed a couple of us...
Caroline Jones: Minister, thankfully, apart from a few training issues, large private sector organisations such as banks and utility companies already accept correspondence in both Wales's official languages. Do you agree with me that, if we are to encourage more private sector organisations to follow suit, we have to incentivise rather than penalise? Minister, what consideration has the Welsh Government...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Thank you for your statement, Minister. We are three years into the recruitment campaign, and, whilst I recognise and welcome the progress we are making, we still have too few doctors and nurses. I recognise that the problem is not unique to Wales. Last week, the King's Fund, the Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation launched a joint report warning that the NHS in...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for your statement, Deputy Minister. I'd like to begin by saying that for many years I looked after children who were not biologically mine and they were never smacked or tapped and, likewise, as a schoolteacher many years ago, the same applied. However, the changes you propose to the law have caused alarm to many, many loving and law-abiding parents. Indeed, I have received many...
Caroline Jones: Will the First Minister outline the steps that the Welsh Government is taking to protect the privacy of Welsh citizens?
Caroline Jones: I have to declare an interest at the outset, because I am a WASPI woman. I'm a woman unfairly affected by state pension age changes and one of the Women Against State Pension Inequality. In 1995, the then Conservative Government introduced a new Pensions Act that would have raised the age of retirement for women to 65—the same age as men—by 2025. This would have given women 15 years to...
Caroline Jones: Deputy Minister, artificial intelligence and machine learning has the power to transform small businesses, yet the majority of businesses in Wales do not know how to harness its power. Machine learning is not just for large tech companies; it can be utilised by the local cafe, to assist with processing payments, VAT returns, and automating a whole myriad of tasks. With the majority of tools...
