Jane Dodds: The model of work we use now has barely changed since the days of the male breadwinner factory of the 1950s. It's a model that means that women are far more likely to give up work to take up caring responsibilities, and women currently do an average of 60 per cent more unpaid work than men. Is this really the way that we want to live? People face burnout, experience in-work stress and mental...
Jane Dodds: Can I firstly thank Russell George for bringing forward this very important debate? I know as well as he does about the long-standing challenges faced by the residents of Montgomeryshire in accessing health services. Thank you. Diolch yn fawr iawn. Like other speakers, I would also like to record my thanks and my appreciation and gratitude to all of our health workers, ambulance drivers,...
Jane Dodds: Just to follow on from my colleague Rhys ab Owen's question, I also am very interested in the issue of the criminal justice system and the over-representation of those with protected characteristics, particularly black and minority ethnic prisoners. Twenty-six per cent of the prison population in England and Wales are from a minority ethnic group. That's compared to 16 per cent of the entire...
Jane Dodds: May I also join with the other representatives in thanking you very much for the statement? And the Welsh Liberal Democrats welcome the detail that you've set out—particularly pleased to hear about the more proportionate regulatory framework for farmers and also that you're going to embark on a programme of engagement and consultation. Thank you. Diolch yn fawr iawn. This must be, though,...
Jane Dodds: Trefnydd, I find myself, unusually, sharing common ground with the Conservatives—[Members of the Senedd: 'Oh']—when I was disappointed to hear that the Government would continue to press ahead with NHS COVID passes in Wales, or COVID passports. Minister, the Scottish Parliament were afforded the opportunity to debate the merits of this decision before they introduced similar measures....
Jane Dodds: Minister, I wanted to ask a question in relation to access to NHS dentists in the Hywel Dda area. Hywel Dda Community Health Council undertook some mystery shopping exercises earlier this year, and found that some practices told us that they had long waiting lists for NHS care—some up to three years long. Out of the 45 practices they spoke to, less than 50 per cent were accepting new NHS...
Jane Dodds: No, I won't—cash payments is overwhelming, and I'd urge the First Minister to work with those of us who are trying to campaign for a universal basic income to establish a more comprehensive pilot than is currently being proposed. Thank you. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Jane Dodds: Just as people begin to hope that we can move forward from the worst of the coronavirus, the UK Government is ripping support from right under the feet of people in incredibly precarious positions. The Prime Minister's claim that he wants people to live by their own efforts rather than welfare shows how out of touch he really is. Almost half of those receiving universal credit are already in...
Jane Dodds: I'm very grateful to Plaid Cymru for introducing the motion today, and it's very important that we discuss this, isn't it? The coronavirus has demonstrated to all of us how important it is to have that social support. It's vital in ensuring that we succeed together, that every individual and every household succeeds. Our communities can't, and our economy can't, prosper following the...
Jane Dodds: I have a rescue greyhound. Every year, young and healthy greyhound dogs are killed because they lack winning potential, were injured while they were racing, or are no longer competitive. Racing greyhounds routinely experience terrible injuries on the track, such as broken legs, cardiac arrest, spinal cord paralysis and broken necks. My own dog has a very injured neck, for example, so I can...
Jane Dodds: Thank you very much. It's nice to be back and to see everybody. 2. Will the Minister make a statement on budget allocations to the health and social services portfolio in relation to the provision of children's services? OQ56819
Jane Dodds: Thank you very much, Minister.
Jane Dodds: I know that the welfare and life chances of our children and young people, especially those in care, is a shared priority for Ministers and me. In the last decade, we have seen an increase in the number of children coming into the care of local authorities, and I know that support workers and others work incredibly hard to give children and young people in care the best start in life. This...
Jane Dodds: Thank you for the statement, Minister. I'd firstly like to commend those who have been at the fore of rolling out the vaccine across Wales, and those staff working to keep us safe, as well, with the number, as you say, of COVID cases and hospitalisations continuing to rise. I note that health boards in our region have spoken over the weekend about a perfect storm of COVID hospitalisations,...
Jane Dodds: I wonder if I could ask you to provide a statement from the Minister for Health and Social Services, please, on dentists across Wales, particularly within Mid and West Wales. We have a particular challenge in this very rural area in being able to access NHS dentists, and I'd particularly be interested in the availability of dentists within the Llandrindod Wells and Knighton areas, where...
Jane Dodds: I'd like to pay tribute to Russell George, the Aelod of the Senedd for Montgomeryshire, for the work that he has done in pushing forward the north Powys well-being programme, which would help to address some of these problems. May I ask the First Minister, please, for a timetable for when we can see this programme, which would make such a difference to north Powys? Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Jane Dodds: Thank you very much, Lywydd; it's nice to see everyone back. First Minister, recently, the Newtown patients' forum has raised concerns about the huge pressures on GP services. Whilst coronavirus has exacerbated the problems in Newtown and beyond, a number of practices in the region have seen huge pressures for years.
Jane Dodds: If we are to, here, as a nation, understand what did work and what mistakes were made in the last 18 months and stop those from happening again, and root out the fundamental failures and shortcomings that contributed to those mistakes, then we do need an inquiry with the sharpest possible teeth. That is why the Liberal Democrats led calls in Westminster for an urgent United Kingdom inquiry...
Jane Dodds: Thank you very much to you all—those of you who spoke on this issue. Thank you to Laura Anne, to Gareth and to Siân as well. I'm very grateful to you. And I'd also like to thank those organisations that I spoke to who contributed towards my thinking here. Thank you also to the Deputy Minister as well for your response. I think I just really need to make this one thing clear—two things,...
Jane Dodds: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. And thank you to everyone who has spoken on this subject.
