Helen Mary Jones: Having been absent from this place for some time, I sometimes find myself reflecting on my return about what has changed and what has not. I remember having to deal with a constituency situation where information could not be transferred effectively between two hospitals in Carmarthenshire. The upshot of that was, in fact, that the patient, who was a young adult—his parents were given his...
Helen Mary Jones: Thank you, Llywydd. I'm sure that all Members here will be really pleased to hear of what is incredibly positive progress. I was fortunate to meet the Youth Parliament Members from Mid and West Wales in Carmarthen and was very impressed by some very committed and engaging young people. I was also very struck by the support arrangements that were there in place to support those young people...
Helen Mary Jones: 3. Diolch, Dirprwy Llywydd. Will the Commission provide an update on the Welsh Youth Parliament following the first regional meetings? OAQ53315
Helen Mary Jones: I'd like to thank the Deputy Minister very much for her statement and to ensure her that Plaid Cymru will be supporting, obviously, these regulations today. I just wish to raise with the Deputy Minister one particular use of language in the regulated fostering services regulations. We refer in the regulations to 'foster parents'. The Deputy Minister will be very aware that that is no longer...
Helen Mary Jones: I do think we have to acknowledge that this is a profoundly political issue. And while nobody in this Chamber could ever doubt the personal commitment of Mark Isherwood to the issues that he's just been raising with the Minister, it is incumbent upon us to point out that he sits in this Chamber in the name of the party that is responsible for the hostile environment and responsible, for...
Helen Mary Jones: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'd like to thank the Minister very much for her statement today. There is a great deal to be welcomed both in the actual plan and in the statement. I'd like to apologise to the Minister and to the Chamber for the fact that I've stepped in at the last minute to respond to this statement because my colleague Leanne Wood has had to go home due to climatic...
Helen Mary Jones: The first question I want to raise with the Minister is the issue of pace on this work. Now, I think it's very important to take time to do it right, but I'm sure that the Minister will agree with me that every day that we are not taking the actions we need to take is a day too long. So, I'd seek the Minister's assurance today that the October timetable will not be allowed to slip and that he...
Helen Mary Jones: I'm very pleased to welcome the Minister's statement today and the progress that is being made on this very important piece of work, which, of course, arises out of a Plaid Cymru amendment to the original legislation. I'd associate myself with everything that the Minister has said himself and that Darren Millar has said about the importance of this issue to the health and well-being of our...
Helen Mary Jones: May I ask the Trefnydd to discuss with the Minister for the economy whether it's possible to issue a further statement, preferably an oral statement, to this Assembly, following the announcement made that the Schaeffler plant in Llanelli is in fact going to close? I'm grateful to the Minister for his written statement yesterday, but we'd appreciate an oral statement, because I and, I'm sure,...
Helen Mary Jones: I'm grateful to the First Minister for his statement, but I'm sure that he will understand that some of us are a little frustrated with the timetable, bearing in mind that it is a good 15 years since this legislature first in principle expressed its wish to remove this unjustifiable defence. Can the First Minister provide us with reassurances that there will be sufficient time in the lifetime...
Helen Mary Jones: I'm sure that the First Minister will be aware that one of the issues leading to the problems with agency staffing is problems with retention in the nursing workforce. One of the reasons for these problems of retention, in some cases, is a lack of flexibility. I'm aware of a number of cases where nurses have asked for flexible working patterns on the wards where they're employed, and the...
Helen Mary Jones: 7. Will the First Minister make a statement about progress on the preparation of legislation to remove the defence of reasonable chastisement? OAQ53325
Helen Mary Jones: Will you give way?
Helen Mary Jones: Just to clarify, Jenny Rathbone, for you benefit, I did not say that it had nothing to do with it. What I said was that the well-being of future generations Act did not give individuals enforceable rights and, therefore, it was not the appropriate vehicle to deal with all the issues that Darren Millar raised. That is not to say that it's not a valuable piece of legislation that can do other...
Helen Mary Jones: It would be—[Interruption.] If I may proceed, if the Member would allow me, given that I'm standing at this particular point in this process to support the Member's proposal, and to recommend to the Assembly that we allow this legislation to proceed at this stage. I should say that in the Plaid Cymru group, we will be having a free vote on this, and Members will, as I feel is appropriate...
Helen Mary Jones: In your response to Mohammad Asghar, you rightly highlight the importance of the 'State of Birds in Wales 2018' report, and we have, of course, some incredibly internationally important populations—I'm thinking, for example, of the gannetry on Grassholm; I could list a whole load. Obviously, some of the investment that's already been made to protect those habitats is beginning to show...
Helen Mary Jones: Minister, you'll be aware of the correspondence that you've had between yourself and my colleague Elin Jones with regard to concerns of the residents around the Hafod Estate near Aberystwyth about the nature of the removal of the trees. You'll recall Elin Jones raising concerns with you about the use of pesticides and people's concerns about that potentially affecting both other wildlife and...
Helen Mary Jones: With regard to the issue of radioisotopes, this is actually, as he says, a serious potential risk. Not that anyone is going to voluntarily not wish to sell them to the Welsh NHS anymore, but there are, as he rightly highlights, practical issues—which can be overcome, though with considerable expense—and of course there are the legal issues. Now, Professor Wyn Owen has warned us that there...
Helen Mary Jones: I'd like to thank the Minister for his statement. In the statement, he sets out some of the issues and problems very clearly, and those concerns are concerns with which we in this part of the house would want to associate ourselves. I suppose I must admit to being a little bit disappointed that there's a lack of detail in some of his response, but I would also acknowledge that we have an...
Helen Mary Jones: I thank the First Minister for his responses to Leanne Wood. I feel, Deputy Llywydd, I have to convey that we need a bit more ambition. I fully understand what the First Minister is saying, in that if we can get youth justice devolved very quickly, if we can get the probation service devolved very quickly, and if we can get additional powers on women offenders, that would be welcome. But that...
