Caroline Jones: 1. What is the Welsh Government doing to reduce the numbers of drug-related hospital admissions? OAQ51272
Caroline Jones: I'd first of all like to congratulate the Minister on his new position whilst acknowledging the outstanding commitment made by Carl Sargeant to the role. I would like to thank the children’s commissioner and her team for their continuing hard work standing up for the rights of Welsh children and young people. As the commissioner has highlighted, the Welsh Government have accepted all the...
Caroline Jones: First Minister, enterprise zones should be a fantastic way of regenerating some of Wales's most deprived regions, but the reality is somewhat different. Some of the zones are working well, attracting private investment and rejuvenating their local economy. Others are simply operating because of Government funding, and support a handful of jobs. First Minister, if the enterprise zones were...
Caroline Jones: Yes I am, thanks, Deputy Presiding Officer. Our tourist industry must not be encumbered by a tourism tax, let alone an ever-increasing tax within a high-tax UK and Welsh environment. So, I hope that the considerations that I have put forward today, independently of the modelling of any Welsh Government economist, show that the Welsh tourism industry does not need the tax, does not want the...
Caroline Jones: Okay. According to a 2014 report by Geoff Ranson of the Cut Tourism VAT campaign group—specifically, he reports: The UK is the highest in comparison with the other countries being nearly 3% higher than Germany and over 5.5% compared with Ireland which is the lowest of the comparator countries, who removed the airport tourist tax on 1 April 2014.’ Consider this report together with the...
Caroline Jones: I am surprised that we are having this debate today because there was no mention of a tourism tax in Welsh Labour’s 2016 manifesto—a manifesto on which they were elected as the largest party to this Assembly. When there was a Labour Government also elected at UK level, there was a promise not to raise certain taxes, but this promise was broken and a raft of other stealth taxes was...
Caroline Jones: Could I please ask someone to clarify Mark Reckless’s position within the Conservative Party? Thank you.
Caroline Jones: The announcement last Thursday by the Secretary of State for Health concerning indemnity arrangements for GPs in England presents a potential challenge for Wales. The Secretary of State for Health plans to introduce a state-backed indemnity scheme for general practice in England, and he has also stated that the indemnity arrangements are a devolved matter. Therefore, the Secretary of State...
Caroline Jones: Would you take an intervention?
Caroline Jones: Thank you. Would you agree with me that it’s about Governments working together so that, when we do come out of the EU, and the VAT threshold and the rate can be lowered to encourage people to invest in our country, that Governments need to work together on this issue of business rates and VAT? Because, when Gordon Brown did give 5 per cent off, and lowered it from 20 per cent to 15 per...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Gadeirydd. I’m pleased to move the motion before you today. Before I entered politics, I was a small business owner, operating businesses on the high street in Bridgend and Porthcawl, and I experienced at first hand the challenges facing businesses on our high streets. The motion tabled by my colleagues and me seeks to mitigate some of these challenges. We are calling for the Welsh...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for your statement, Minister. The 1000 Lives campaign has shown what is possible when we are united in the pursuit of a single aim—an aim of improving each patient’s experience of the care they receive. The enthusiasm and commitment of healthcare teams is highly admirable. Working together by following an evidence-based approach, they have continued to produce positive results...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. No-one in the Chamber would disagree with the overarching principles of your plan, which include improving patient experience whilst keeping the costs of care to a reasonable level. And in this respect, the 1000 Lives improvement to help Welsh Government and NHS wales establish sustainable services and improved patient experience in planned...
Caroline Jones: I have. We will be supporting Plaid’s amendment—
Caroline Jones: I did give you an intervention.
Caroline Jones: I will in a minute—is unsustainable and I urge the Welsh Government to plan for greater use of staff banks. With these points in mind, UKIP will be supporting the motion as well as the Welsh Conservative amendment. We will be abstaining on the Welsh Government’s amendment as it does recognise the impact shortages have on our dedicated NHS staff, but fails to address the issue. I’d also...
Caroline Jones: She wanted an intervention.
Caroline Jones: No, no, she wanted an intervention.
Caroline Jones: I’d like to thank Plaid Cymru for bringing about this debate and the opportunity to speak in it. I agree with the sentiment behind this motion. Staff shortages within the NHS are detrimental to patient care. Not a day goes by when we aren’t confronted by news articles outlining the impact that staff shortages are having on NHS Wales. We have seen a 400 per cent increase in the number of...
Caroline Jones: Cabinet Secretary, whilst it’s disappointing that Jaguar Land Rover have decided to bring their engine production in-house, there were no guarantees that Ford would have won the contract when it was to be renewed in December 2020. So, we have two and a half years to be positive and to find additional contracts for the Bridgend plant. What we don’t need now is the threat of strike action....
