Jane Dodds: The Welsh NHS is facing pressures that 'cannot be coped with' and that's not me saying that; that's the Welsh NHS Confederation. And I'll be honest, it's no different in England, so, actually, we can't take any lessons from the Conservatives across there. We must work together here to acknowledge that, actually, we, as a small country of only 3 million people, can actually do something...
Jane Dodds: Good afternoon, Deputy Minister. Just to follow up on the situation in mid and west Wales, where I represent, along with others, the chief fire officer there highlighted the unsustainability of our fire services in rural areas if things carry on as they are. And I'm sure that we'd all be concerned about that. The service in mid and west Wales is staffed by majority-retained firefighters and...
Jane Dodds: Thank you very much for the statement, Minister. I think I join with the cross-party support for the announcements that you've made today. Just two short points from me, if I may. It seems really important that this is both preventative and reactive so that we have the option of providing support to people before, and, indeed, hopefully avoiding, any hospital admissions. I'm sure that's the...
Jane Dodds: It's so hard, isn't it, to talk about this, and, yet, it is so essential. It is so important that we remember these events, these horrific events, which should pervade our life, and we must never forget them. One thing I will never forget is standing in Kigali in Rwanda, on the site where 125,000 people were buried. It's hard to imagine that ordinary people in Rwanda, in a period of only 100...
Jane Dodds: Good afternoon, Minister. I'm going to continue the theme of ambulances and waiting times. It was reported in our local paper, the County Times, that Welsh patients arriving at English hospitals, given that most of the patients on the border with England in Mid and West Wales actually use those hospitals, are potentially waiting longer because they are from Powys. Given that the area I...
Jane Dodds: Thank you for that response.
Jane Dodds: It's 13:30. If somebody phones 999 now because they have chest pains, when would you expect an ambulance to arrive? I'm sure you'll recognise that question from the leader of the Labour Party in Westminster, Keir Starmer, to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister refused a straight answer, so I'm hoping that we can get a straight answer from you this afternoon. But, from NHS Wales stats, we...
Jane Dodds: 1. Will the First Minister make a statement on ambulance response times? OQ59013
Jane Dodds: Thank you very much for the response.
Jane Dodds: One aspect of primary care that I think most people know that I'm really concerned about is teeth, and particularly the teeth of our children across Wales. I understand that we don't have data about how many children are actually waiting for an NHS dentist. The only health boards that we've been able to get data from, having asked them specifically, were from Powys and from Cardiff. And, in...
Jane Dodds: 6. What are the Welsh Government's priorities for primary care in Mid and West Wales? OQ58976
Jane Dodds: Across the Chamber, I think it's fair to say, we are in awe of the Welsh ambulance service. It is an absolute life-saver, and I am very clear that I’ll be supporting this motion this evening. Both the Welshpool and Caernarfon air ambulance bases provide mid and north Wales respectively with a lifeline in the form of emergency medical support and transit. Rural healthcare is challenging, we...
Jane Dodds: Thank you to the Conservatives and to Russell George for setting out these important issues.
Jane Dodds: I stand here with my tin hat on, because I'm taking a very radical approach, which is I don't think we should support Cardiff Airport staying open at all. Back in 2013, the Lib Dems led calls to prevent the Welsh Government buying the airport from the private sector. The airport seems to be a bottomless pit for taxpayers' cash—cash that could go into public transport. You did say, Minister,...
Jane Dodds: Thank you very much, Minister. I want to focus, if it's okay, on the WESPs—you've talked about the WESPs in a previous question—and particularly the part of the WESPs that mention secondary schools and how primary schools in rural areas can ensure that the secondary schools have an adequate number of pupils entering them. There is a balance to be struck here, as I'm sure you can see. In...
Jane Dodds: 3. What steps is the Welsh Government taking to support the Welsh language in rural schools and communities? OQ58914
Jane Dodds: Will the Minister provide a commitment that the Welsh Government will veto any new coal mines in Wales?
Jane Dodds: I feel compelled to tell you a story that's positive. I live in a very rural area. On 17 December, I had to attend to a lady who'd fallen and had a serious head injury. We called the ambulance service. We were told it would be a two-hour wait. So, imagine our surprise when one turned up within 15 minutes. We must talk about those positive stories as well, and there are many. I do want to...
Jane Dodds: Good afternoon, Minister. And also
Jane Dodds: happy birthday to you too.
