Caroline Jones: Yes.
Caroline Jones: I hope that article 50 is triggered quite soon, so that everyone can just—[Interruption.] There will be a little bit of speculation in it. We are all speculating at the moment, and there are fluctuations that are going to happen. [Interruption.] Of course it matters to me, I live in Wales. What do you think matters to me? [Laughter.] Good grief. Where do you think I come from? [Interruption.]
Caroline Jones: In the days and weeks that preceded the Brexit vote and the days and weeks after, we have had dire warnings of an economic meltdown as a result of our decision to leave the EU. But, in recent weeks, economic data have proven the warnings as little more than scaremongering. But, this week, the British Chambers of Commerce have slightly revised their growth figures for the UK downwards, but...
Caroline Jones: I would like to thank the Welsh Conservatives for bringing forward this debate. It’s very welcome. Also, I’d like to commend the NHS staff for the work that they do, often under very difficult circumstances. Problems with the recruitment and retention of front-line staff, clinicians in particular, have been well documented in recent years. Staff shortages have led to increased workloads,...
Caroline Jones: Cabinet Secretary, Aberavon has some of the highest levels of child poverty in Wales. In one ward, nearly 46 per cent of children are living in poverty. The ‘State of the Nation’ annual report by the UK’s Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission was critical of the Welsh Government’s policies, stating that they were not having the right level of impact. Given the Welsh...
Caroline Jones: What is the Welsh Government doing to improve air quality in South Wales West?
Caroline Jones: I welcome the opportunity to take part in this important debate. Substance abuse affects every section of our society and communities. Thirty four per cent of men and 28 per cent of women drank more than the recommended limits on at least one day during the last week. Adults living in households in the highest income bracket are twice as likely to drink heavily as adults in the lowest income...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Lywydd. Cabinet Secretary, we now have over half of all local health boards requiring some form of Government intervention. My own health board is receiving targeted intervention due to poor performance in unscheduled care and cancer care. This poor performance is putting people’s lives at risk and is a damning indictment of our health policies. It is abundantly clear that there are...
Caroline Jones: Cabinet Secretary, while it’s disappointing that the planned investment at Bridgend is being scaled back, it is reassuring to hear Ford reaffirm their commitment to the Bridgend plant and its flexible manufacturing capability. Both Ford and the unions refute the assertion that this decision is anything to do with Brexit. There have been other scare stories in recent days, saying that the...
Caroline Jones: First Minister, Welsh steel and other energy-intensive industries are suffering as a result of EU-imposed carbon reduction policies, which have resulted in higher energy bills. In order to secure the future of Welsh steel, particularly the Tata plant in Port Talbot in my region, we have to drop EU legislation that pushes up our energy costs. First Minister, do you agree with me that the best...
Caroline Jones: I would also like to thank Plaid Cymru for the chance to discuss the opportunities for Welsh finances following the decision to leave the European Union. We join the other parties in calling upon the UK Government to ensure that Wales benefits from the decision to stop haemorrhaging billions of pounds a year to the EU. However, unlike some Members in the Chamber, UKIP firmly believes that...
Caroline Jones: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. I would like to touch upon the training of our doctors. According to the BMA, it costs over £0.75 million to train a registrar, and over £500,000 to train a GP—a significant investment from the Welsh NHS. What consideration has the Welsh Government given to asking for a minimum term of service in the NHS before those doctors are able to enter private practice...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. Perhaps we can move on to the retention of doctors. Hugely increased workloads and the stress of managing in an overloaded primary care system have been blamed by many GPs as the reason behind their decision to move overseas or to retire from general practice altogether. What is your Government doing to reduce the workload of our GPs to ensure...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Lywydd. Cabinet Secretary, the recruitment and retention of doctors in both primary and secondary care has been described by many, including many of the royal colleges, as a ticking time bomb. In primary care, we have the dual problem of failing to recruit enough GPs and, due to an ageing population, an increasing number of GPs retiring. The Royal College of General Practitioners told...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Lywydd. Thank you for your statement, Minister, and your earlier written statement. All of us in this Chamber wish to see the Welsh language survive and thrive. Rwy’n dysgu Cymraeg. To say that it won’t be an easy task to reach a million Welsh speakers by 2050 is an understatement. Annual population survey estimates show that, over the fourth Assembly, the percentage of people...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. I would also like to put on record my thanks for the way you’re approaching the review into the IPFR process. On issues such as these, it is important that we rise above party politics and work constructively together to delivery life-saving treatments for Welsh patients. While there has been much criticism of the...
Caroline Jones: Thank you. Members, following Brexit, Tata Steel in my region has a better chance of survival and I urge you to support the motion. Moving to the amendments, I urge Members to reject the Welsh Conservative amendment. We do not disagree with the points you are making and, if you had decided to add those points to our motion, we would have supported you. However, perhaps your group is still...
Caroline Jones: Yes, I will.
Caroline Jones: UKIP MEPs voted against a Labour group amendment that Labour claimed would result in higher anti-dumping measures. But there was little evidence of this and UKIP abstained—abstained—as part of principle. The EU tariffs of just 16 per cent—as a result, Chinese steel imports to the EU rose by over 50 per cent. This has had a devastating effect on UK and Welsh steel. Three years ago the UK...
Caroline Jones: Okay. Thank you—diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. I formally move the motion tabled in the names of Neil Hamilton and myself. The UKIP motion before you today reflects our belief that the European Union has shackled British business with masses of red tape and an industrial policy that has not been designed for our industrialists in the British manufacturing sector. The problems facing companies...
