I want to write to Joel James
Joel James: Thank you, Minister, for bringing forward today's statement—our national mission. As we know, the Welsh Government launched their education national mission back in 2017, which had big aspirations for the people of Wales. The aim of the national mission was to raise standards, reduce the attainment gap and deliver an education system that is a source of national pride and confidence. On...
Joel James: ...have no knowledge of who will actually be available for work, making it very difficult to plan even minimum services for shifts, and it's vital that, for health, fire and rescue, transport and education, these sectors are able to plan. In my mind, there is nothing wrong with introducing legislation that provides minimum service levels during strikes so that the most vulnerable—those...
Joel James: ...with terrorist offences connected to incel involvement. Minister, what assessment has this Government made of the incel movement in Wales? What conversations have you had with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language regarding the need to help promote better body image in Welsh schools and to implement action to help young people become more resilient with issues surrounding body...
Joel James: ...support. So, it is not acceptable that, in a number of local authority areas, young people with vision impairment are not receiving mobility and independence training at a key time in their education. The difference that habilitation support can make is profound. It can unlock so much potential from children and young people with vision impairment. It will enable them to fully engage with...
Joel James: ...pathway into work and the benefits that they bring to both individuals and employers. I would particularly like to highlight the work of ColegauCymru, which co-ordinates the network of 13 further education colleges to deliver high-quality apprenticeship programmes in a wide range of vocational areas, from junior to foundation level and higher apprenticeships. Wales's colleges have strong...
Joel James: ...involved won't be in vain and that a BSL Bill will eventually be introduced, because truthfully, making statutory provision for the use of British Sign Language will undoubtably improve access to education and to services and help deaf people and those with hearing issues fully integrate into every aspect of Welsh life, which at present is being denied to them. In many ways, I'm surprised,...
Joel James: ...true for rural communities, where sufficient broadband bandwidth is extremely limited, and therefore not really worth purchasing. Given the fact that home learning has become a tool adopted by schools to manage teaching during COVID lockdown—and I'm aware that many, if not almost all, schools have kept the system in place to continue to help provide additional learning support—what...
Joel James: ...have a greater capacity to help with medical emergencies, but I feel that you have failed to recognise that the drop in the number of fires is due to firefighters doing a very good job, not only in educating people to assess risks, but in helping people to implement greater fire protection. And you have made no mention of how you'll maintain this if you broaden the role of firefighters to...
Joel James: ...for the warning signs of diabetic ketoacidosis, which if left untreated can be deadly. Discovery of a propensity for type 1 diabetes also means that parents and children can be offered support and education, including information on symptoms and management, to help prepare them for the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. Families will also be given the opportunity to be followed up in the long...
Joel James: .... Surely there are community groups further north who would have welcomed some engagement with the children's commissioner and her office. There is no mention in either 'Amplify!' or the ambassador schools programme about the geographical distribution of participants, and I would therefore like to emphasise to the Minister that there needs to be some commitment by the commissioner that her...
Joel James: Thank you, Llywydd. The situation is dire; the reception and year 1 classes are squeezed into the school hall, which not only has inadequate toilet facilities, but ultimately renders the school hall completely out of action, meaning that the entire school no longer has PE lessons if the weather is bad. The scaffolding around the school, which has been in place for four years without any work...
Joel James: 6. Will the Minister provide an update on the improvement works at St. Monica's Church in Wales Primary School, Cardiff? OQ58538
Joel James: ...attend their appointment and will now go back on to a waiting list, but it also means that healthcare professionals lack any flexibility and have to make difficult family decisions—having to miss school plays or sports days, for example. This manifests itself either in poorer working environments when compared to other professions or in healthcare professionals choosing locum positions...
Joel James: ...the introduction of universal smart metering would be cost neutral. I would therefore challenge the Welsh Government to ensure that NRW's drought-planning measures include public communication and education on how best to use water, especially since we are likely to experience drought weather more often, and ask them to highlight any initiatives they are planning for the future. Moreover,...
Joel James: Thank you, Minister. As you're aware, we are at crisis point with the education of science in Wales because of the lack of teachers in physics and chemistry. Wales now has so few physics teachers that there are not enough for every secondary school in Wales to have one, meaning that this science is almost predominantly being taught by teachers who have no qualifications in the subject area....
Joel James: Minister, undoubtedly the cost of supplying energy to school buildings with the recent increases in wholesale energy prices is going to put enormous strain on finances, which, as we know, are already under considerable pressure. It is therefore a real concern that headteachers will have to make staffing cuts in order to balance budgets, as highlighted earlier by other Members. Whilst we all...
Joel James: ...funded as it is. The UK Government is not going to increase the Welsh Government budget to support this costly experiment, and so the Welsh Government would have to cut money out of health, education and other budgets in Wales, which, as we have heard repeatedly in this Chamber, are sectors already in dire need. Last week, I visited a primary school in Cardiff whose building is in such a...
Joel James: ...Welsh NHS workers to experience for themselves some of the challenges faced by sub-Saharan communities and establish mutual knowledge transfer that enables African communities to improve health education and to upskill health professionals and other workers in partner nations. Sub-Saharan countries bear 24 per cent of the world's disease burden, but employ only 3 per cent of the world's...
Joel James: ...or dosing with a bit too much insulin can cause people to slip into a coma. And lastly I want to use this opportunity today to give a huge offering of thanks to all those who work in hospitals, schools, charities and elsewhere, who give up so much time to help and to support those affected by diabetes. They are truly life savers. And, with that in mind, I would like to urge everyone to...
Joel James: ...to be knowledgeable about what the risk factors are for diabetes, and most importantly, how to reduce them. The approach requires commitment from all partners, including local government, schools, industry, employers, the third sector, health boards, and most importantly the public. I would like to take this opportunity to urge the Government to place a requirement on public bodies and...
