Caroline Jones: Cabinet Secretary, it’s good news to see that the pupil development grant is having an impact on improving the education chances of our most deprived children and young people. However, the children and young people in Ogmore are about to have their education decimated as budget cuts take hold. Bridgend’s local education authority comprehensive schools could see up to five teaching posts...
Caroline Jones: Will the Cabinet Secretary outline the actions taken by the Welsh Government to increase the number of young people studying STEM subjects at GCSE and A-level?
Caroline Jones: Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. I would also like to place on record my thanks to Dr Ruth Hussey and the panel for keeping me and my team regularly updated on the review’s progress. The interim report starkly lays out the challenges facing health and social care in Wales. We are at an evolutionary moment with our health and care systems: we adapt or we perish. This is not a...
Caroline Jones: First Minister, the city region has the potential not only to transform the Swansea bay region but also to deliver wider benefits to Wales as a whole. The internet of life science and well-being could help reshape the way we deliver healthcare in future. Key to the success of the internet coast vision of the city region is the transatlantic cable. Can you provide an update, First Minister, on...
Caroline Jones: Will the First Minister outline how the Welsh Government is improving transport links to Wales's tourist destinations?
Caroline Jones: But I’m supporting it.
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Llywydd. I’d like to congratulate Bethan on being selected to take forward a proposal for legislation and to offer my support to her proposals. In Wales, thousands of young people under the age of 16 are caring for relatives with little or no support from their school or from health authorities. Bethan’s legislation recognises the impact that caring responsibilities can have on a...
Caroline Jones: I thank you for that, Jenny, for that information, and I will certainly meet with you to discuss further. However, I will answer this question in the way that I have prepared at the moment. But I will meet with you later. We are aware of the excellent initiative. As I mentioned, a group of staff volunteers did assess the feasibility of growing food on our estate. However, with almost no...
Caroline Jones: I thank the Member for the question. In 2014, a group of staff volunteers ran a pilot scheme to assess the feasibility of growing food on the Assembly estate. As you’ll appreciate, the Assembly has almost no suitable growing space, unlike some of the other UK legislatures, and, unfortunately, it has proved not to be possible to grow food on the estate, although our caterers do grow herbs...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. The 111 service has been well received by a lot of my constituents who had the benefit of the pathfinder service. However, quite a lot of constituents are still unaware of the service, and whilst I appreciate the infancy of the scheme, we must ensure that those hard-to-reach constituents are made aware of the service. I am pleased to see that...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. The new treatment fund has brought hope to many cancer sufferers, making drugs such as Kadcyla routinely available to Welsh NHS patients. Of course, it is not just cancer patients who will benefit from the new treatment fund, and it will fund more than drugs. Cabinet Secretary, while I welcome the introduction of the fund, I do have some...
Caroline Jones: First Minister, the Ministry of Justice have indicated that they’ll be holding a two-day event in Port Talbot in order to garner people’s views on the new prison prior to submitting a formal planning application. While this is welcome, we need a more complete public consultation on the proposals. What discussions has your Government had with the MOJ about a more detailed public...
Caroline Jones: Cabinet Secretary, we celebrate Armed Forces Day each year in order to reaffirm our sincere appreciation for those who serve in the armed forces and to show our support for the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our country and our way of life. I was delighted when the UK Government and the DUP reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to the armed forces covenant. In...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Llywydd. Cabinet Secretary, cockles have been harvested off the Gower coast since Roman occupation. Yet, over the last decade, there’s been significant die-off of the cockle beds every year. I welcome the new study, which will, hopefully, address the shortcomings of the 2012 study. Cabinet Secretary, what more can your Government do to ensure that the Penclawdd cockle remains the...
Caroline Jones: Thank you to my colleague Angela Burns for bringing forward this important topic. Cabinet Secretary, the deal between NHS Wales and Roche is terrific news for breast cancer sufferers in Wales and a perfect example of what we can achieve when we work in conjunction with the pharmaceutical industry. This deal and the new treatments fund means that women with HER2 positive tumours can gain a few...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. Information technology has the potential to transform how we deliver healthcare in the future. From telemedicine to interactive health apps, the benefits to patients are enormous. Unfortunately, our current infrastructure is not able to meet today’s demands. With doctors and nurses forced to use ageing IT, unable to instantly share diagnostics...
Caroline Jones: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. Bowel cancer screening is offered to those aged between 60 and 74. Scotland has opted to screen those aged between 50 and 74. Bowel cancer can, however, strike at any age. A few weeks ago, we sadly lost a colleague to bowel cancer, and he was aged only 33. Cabinet Secretary, does your Government have any plans to offer routine FIT screening to those deemed to be...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. Wales has opted to set a much higher sensitivity threshold for the FIT screening. While it is lower than the level set in England, it is double the level set in Scotland, and eight times higher than the threshold set elsewhere in Europe. Cancer Research UK state that the reason for the much higher threshold is due to the lack of endoscopy capacity...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Llywydd. Cabinet Secretary, we all know that early detection of cancer is vital to patient survival, which is why screening programmes are so important. If bowel cancer is diagnosed at the earlier stage, more than nine in 10 people will be successfully treated. Screening should reduce the number of people who die from the disease, which kills around 1,000 people in Wales each year....
Caroline Jones: 5. Will the Cabinet Secretary outline the Welsh Government’s plans to improve the Welsh NHS IT infrastructure? OAQ(5)0184(HWS)
