Jenny Rathbone: I think we have plenty of evidence of the need to take this measure. Public Health Wales has all the evidence you might need from people who went to music festivals over the summer and the numbers who returned with COVID. We know that, when young people congregate together, that is when the spread of infection occurs. And one of the really disturbing things is that, although we've got 564 per...
Jenny Rathbone: They clearly have to use their funds collectively to do whatever they think are the priorities for their area, but I do think that there is something that the Government can do to make it easier for them. So, that is certainly one, and I have plenty more to say, but I can see that the Deputy Presiding Officer is not going to let me proceed.
Jenny Rathbone: —you accept them. So, the question really is—I don't understand why you've not accepted fully recommendation 2, that you look at the way the public services boards are funded, simply because—. This is not about giving them loads of money so they get into the whole cycle of bidding for grants; it's about ensuring that they can access pooled funds so that they're not thinking about who is...
Jenny Rathbone: I agree with Mark Isherwood, particularly that we do actually need a full debate in Government time on these important issues, because we simply can't afford not to use the Act to ensure that all public bodies are working together to collectively deliver the aims and required outcomes of the well-being of future generations Act, not least because of the cuts in funding by the UK Government,...
Jenny Rathbone: —car drivers think that they have a God-given right to travel for free on our roads when we all have to pay when we go on the train or the buses?
Jenny Rathbone: —and cherish. So, how are we going to replace that £40 billion when people no longer are buying petrol and diesel and are simply using cars that are charged up on renewable energy, otherwise it won't be worth a candle?
Jenny Rathbone: So, if the UK Government is considering charging as a mechanism, which is widely used in places like France—and the world hasn't stopped going round in France—and is widely used on the Dartford tunnel east of London, why on earth could it not be a policy tool in this country, if we need it to be? Why is it that—
Jenny Rathbone: Well, that's a good idea; that's why he's able to lead on the—. But the point is, if we want to extend free bus passes to 16 to 25-year-olds—which I don't discount as a great idea—we have to work out how we're going to pay for it. I just want to, equally—. I do question the idea from Gareth Davies that people would rather sit in a queue on the A55. Would they rather do that than pay...
Jenny Rathbone: A pleasure to be taking part in this debate. I just want to refute one or two of the things that the Conservatives have already said. I just want to question this holy grail of the positive impact of the removal of the Severn crossing tolls. Perhaps Peter Fox might remember how much it increased the pressure on housing in the areas around Monmouthshire, next to our border with England,...
Jenny Rathbone: I'd like to thank Luke Fletcher for proposing this debate, and the level of interest indicates that we are all aware of just what an important subject this is. We face a veritable epidemic of dementia—that's not my assessment, but that of a leading expert in older people's medicine. We need to do research as a matter of urgency into the link between air pollution and dementia. We need to...
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you, Minister. One of my constituents was correctly diagnosed as having a stroke by a 999 call handler and obviously confirmed that he needed to be seen as an emergency in the Heath hospital. Because it was unclear how long it would take for an ambulance to arrive, the family informed 999 they would take him to hospital themselves, but, on arrival, they got stuck in the emergency...
Jenny Rathbone: 3. Will the Minister make a statement on the availability of emergency stroke services in Cardiff? OQ56928
Jenny Rathbone: Last week, we learned that, as a result of the disastrous decision not to proceed with the electrification of the main railway line up to Swansea, we now have more pollution on these bi-mode trains that were foisted upon us than they have on the worst polluted streets in central London. This is a really serious issue for my constituents, as Cardiff Central Station is where the electrification...
Jenny Rathbone: One supermarket I've managed to speak to about all this confirmed that they do indeed use a Brixometer in their factories to test the sugars, acids and texture of their products before they pack them up and send them off to their shops, but they don't test them for nutritional quality unless they've got something they want to challenge with the supplier, but they don't do that routinely. But...
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you, Presiding Officer. I've agreed to give a minute of my time to Cefin Campbell. 'We are what we eat' is often quoted, and examples of the consequences of poor diet are all around us. We have record levels of heart disease, diabetes and other diet-related illnesses, some of which we are only just beginning to understand. When we go shopping, cost tends to be the most important...
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you for your statement. This is prudent healthcare in action. Well done. You know, given all the problems we face in the health service, it's really important that we are moving services to primary care, where it's safe to do so. And I'm sure this is going to be very much welcomed by people who can now get an excellent service in their local communities. I visited a really excellent...
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you for your statement. I appreciate that some of the things that I wanted to raise have already been covered, but I just want to emphasise that this week has demonstrated just how much disruption the farming sector is suffering, both as a result of Brexit and the climate emergency. So, we've set ourselves some really tough targets for reducing our emissions by nearly two thirds by...
Jenny Rathbone: I just wanted to raise the very serious issue that occurred in Bute park about 10 days ago, where there was a premeditated attack on over 50 trees and other infrastructure in the park. This is one of our most iconic parks across Europe, and I'm very disturbed that somebody could've done such a thing, given that it was obviously well organised in advance. It appears to be an attention-seeking...
Jenny Rathbone: Thank you very much. I was very grateful that all members of the Equality and Social Justice Committee supported the request for me to sign a joint letter to Thérèse Coffey as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which went from all the Chairs of the committees responsible for social justice in the four Parliaments of the UK. And I'm aware that a similar joint letter has been sent by...
Jenny Rathbone: I just want to go back to these ozone disinfecting machines, because I completely understand the rationale for using them in ambulances; these are very expensive pieces of capital equipment and are required to be used 24 hours a day, and ambulance operators are highly trained in the use of complex pieces of equipment. But I struggle to understand how we'd be able to translate that technology...
