Carwyn Jones: Well, we are developing a new curriculum for Wales and one of the four purposes of the new curriculum is that young people leave education as ethical, informed citizens who are able to understand and exercise their human and democratic responsibilities and rights. Of course, making sure that happens in practice will be an important part of the curriculum, because we know that education is...
Carwyn Jones: Well, there is scope to consider the methods that people use to vote. For example, there’s no reason why every election has to be on a Thursday. Why can’t we have elections on the weekend? That happens in a number of other countries. Historically, Sunday would be difficult in Wales, but voting happens on the weekend in a number of countries, where more people can go out to vote. In...
Carwyn Jones: Absolutely. In Northern Ireland, in many years gone by, the slogan was, 'Vote early, vote often'. The second bit of it, I suspect, we need to leave out. But the figures speak for themselves. The fact that 16 to 18-year-olds turned out at a far higher rate than those in the immediate age group beyond shows how enthusiastic they are, how engaged they are with the political process, and how...
Carwyn Jones: Well, there's no consistency in that case now. I believe that 16-year-olds are well able to vote. They're able, for example, to give their consent for medical procedures. Why then should they not be able to form their own minds, make up their own minds, in terms of who to vote for? They can't drive until they're 17, they can't consume alcohol until they're 18, they can't be a competent driver...
Carwyn Jones: Well, we consulted on lowering the voting age for local government elections recently. That change will be implemented for the next elections, given effect through the local government Bill in the autumn. And I know the Llywydd is consulting separately in respect of elections to the Assembly.
Carwyn Jones: Well, the money has been transferred to local authorities. We want to make sure that the level of care remains at least as good as it has been in the past. And I remind the Member, of course, that the amount we spend on social services per head in Wales is significantly higher than in England.
Carwyn Jones: Well, that monitoring is continuing. We know that local authorities had reviewed, or were in the process of reviewing, the future support needs of just over 350 of the former ILF recipients in Wales. Out of these, just over 30 had already agreed and were receiving their future support either direct from the authority or by receiving direct payments in order to obtain their support...
Carwyn Jones: In terms of how we got to where we are, there was an advisory group, as the Member will know, which recommended providing future support through local authorities' social services. Now, the principle behind that was to ensure that all disabled people in Wales were supported to live in the same way, and to ensure that the finite funding—let's remember that transferred from the UK...
Carwyn Jones: We’ve been monitoring what the local authorities have been doing, and that monitoring will continue in the current situation, namely the transition period. From the beginning of that period in April of last year to the end of that period, we will be monitoring the actions of local government. We know, of course, that individuals have been assessed during that same period. I know that the...
Carwyn Jones: Thank you. May I begin by thanking those volunteers who’ve worked so hard during the very inclement weather, and especially those who have helped to transport health service staff to their places of work, and those who have worked so hard to ensure that there is less pressure on the NHS, local government and, of course, the emergency services? We are providing full funding of £27 million...
Carwyn Jones: Well, I can say that, as far as Caerphilly is concerned, Y Gwyndy campus is complete, Islwyn High School has opened, Pontlottyn and Abertysswg replacement schools—construction is under way there—and, of course, there is the new Idris Davies primary school, which will be built as well, just to give some examples. But, as I said to the Member earlier on, it is rich for the Tories to say,...
Carwyn Jones: Many of us were in school in the 1980s, and despite the best efforts of our teachers, we were taught in buildings that were falling apart, portakabins—I remember one portakabin where there was ivy growing up the inside of the wall because there was a gap between the floor and the wall. I saw heating systems that didn't work. I saw no new schools being built. Compare that to now. Compare...
Carwyn Jones: Band A of the twenty-first century schools programme will see investment of over £58 million in schools in Caerphilly county borough, with over £28 million spent in the Islwyn constituency. A funding envelope for Caerphilly of over £110 million for band B, beginning in 2019, has been approved in principle.
Carwyn Jones: I think there are two issues here: firstly, to examine whether there's a need for further legislation, and, secondly, to ensure that enforcement is what we would want it and expect it to be. I know that local authorities in Wales have recently undertaken a data-capture survey on licensed dog-breeding premises in Wales, and that exercise has served as an opportunity to assess the standards...
Carwyn Jones: I have to say that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs followed us. Actually, we were the first to introduce regulations of this sort, and DEFRA is now following suit. We do note the fact that DEFRA have issued a call for evidence on the banning of third-party sales, and we'll consider our own position in due course, but this is certainly a situation where we were ahead of...
Carwyn Jones: Many things. I've been to many countries. The US, of course, is our biggest international investing country, I've been there. I was in Ireland yesterday, and Ireland is in the top five of investing countries in Wales. Of course, we look at markets outside Europe. One of the things I did when I was rural affairs Minister was to get Welsh lamb into Dubai, looking at a new market beyond the...
Carwyn Jones: We take animal welfare seriously and expect others to do so too. The Animal Welfare (Breeding of Dogs)(Wales) Regulations 2014 introduced stricter criteria for licensed puppy breeders. We recently consulted on a revised code of practice for the welfare of dogs. The code reminds owners of their responsibilities and obligations.
Carwyn Jones: Well, I’ve visited Flanders a number of times, of course, and as the Member says, there is an historic connection and it’s also a very sad connection between Wales and Flanders. Well, what’s important for me is that we urge the United Kingdom Government to give us some kind of indication of what their plans are because nobody has a clue at the moment what exactly they wish to see at the...
Carwyn Jones: Yes. We have relations with many Governments and sub-regional Governments, at many different levels and through different channels, both formal and informal.
Carwyn Jones: I fully support, of course, an individual's right to freedom of conscience. I have raised human rights issues in the past in some countries that I have been to—I've not shied away from that. Of course we take advice from the Foreign Office; it's hugely important, with their network of embassies and their access to intelligence, that we take advice from them, but nobody, of course, could...
