The minor injuries unit at the Royal Gwent Hospital, located in the Casnewydd and Islwyn constituency, met the national target in April. Ninety-six per cent of patients were assessed, treated and discharged within the four-hour standard. But, more broadly, I expect the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board to deliver sustainable improvements to emergency care across the wider Gwent area. NHS Wales Performance and Improvement is actively providing support and reviewing the health board’s plan.
I certainly agree that the provision of suitable, effective, high-quality accident and emergency in the Member's constituency, and throughout Wales, is vitally important. We need a significant improvement on the current situation, and the Grange hospital, serving the wider Gwent area, consistently falls short, of course, of meeting the four-hour standard. Latest performance figures are unsatisfactory. Prolonged waiting times continue to pose significant challenges. So, I couldn't make it clearer than to say that my Cabinet Minister for Health and Care, and I, want to see much more being done to provide the kind of level of care that the Member references.
We know that integration has to be at the heart of creating sustainability within the health and care service as a whole. Keeping people out of hospital is an important part of that. A strong social care sector at the back door of the hospital is key to that.
The Member references the investment made in the Grange. What this Government is determined to do is not just count the pennies but look at the outcomes that come out of investment, and that will guide us as a principle through the course of this Government.
We hear the calls, as I will hear calls, no doubt, for investment in different parts of the country. What's important to me, I think, is to recognise the challenges that are being faced by the Member's constituents, to put together a level of service that provides for the needs of her constituents. Welsh Government officials, NHS performance and improvement, and the health board are currently working together to agree an intervention approach based on the infrastructure that we have for the delivery of health. Let's see where we can get on improving the services in that way.
Heb os, a dwi'n falch o weld yr Aelod yn ôl ar ei draed, yn llythrennol. Mae'n cynlluniau ni i wella'r gwasanaethau iechyd yn seiliedig ar ddull system gyfan. Fel mae'r Aelod yn ei nodi yn gywir, bydd ein cynllun gweithlu newydd, er enghraifft, yn cynnwys pwyslais ar well cynllunio strategol ar gyfer gwasanaethau er mwyn hwyluso llif cleifion, yn tynnu ar arfer gorau sydd eisoes i'w weld mewn rhai rhannau o Gymru, ond mae angen ei ledaenu o a'i wreiddio fo ar raddfa genedlaethol. Rydyn ni hefyd yn gwybod bod rhaid i'r mesurau fynd law yn llaw â chryfhau gofal cymunedol, a dwi'n gwybod bod gan yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet ddiddordeb arbennig mewn sicrhau bod pwysigrwydd proffesiynau perthynol i iechyd yn gweithredu'n effeithiol a bod hynny'n cael ei adlewyrchu yn ein cynlluniau ni.
Official English translation
Without doubt, and it's good to see the Member back on his feet, quite literally. Our plans to improve health services are based on a whole-systems approach, as the Member quite rightly noted. Our new workforce plan, for example, will include an emphasis on better strategic planning for services in order to facilitate patient flow, drawing on best practice already in place in some parts of Wales. However, we need to extend that and embed it at a national level. We also know that the measures need to go hand in hand with strengthening community care, and I know that the Cabinet Secretary has a particular interest in ensuring that the importance of allied health professionals operates effectively and that that is reflected in our plans.
The Welsh Government is determined to improve water quality. We have committed to taking full control of our water and to tackling pollution through developing a system made in Wales, for Wales. This includes better data, cleaner rivers, and science-led, outcome-based and risk-appropriate regulation. We will act by targeting prevention and enforcement where evidence shows it is needed, using technology and nature-based solutions.
I hope that Members across this Chamber will agree with Plaid Cymru's determination to take Welsh Water into Welsh hands. It is because we want to set a set of values, which could include senior executive pay, for example, into the way that water is run in Wales. What we want also, of course, is to have a system that works. We want clean rivers. We have a clear manifesto commitment to improving water quality and setting clear expectations of Natural Resources Wales, Ofwat and the water companies themselves. We want to be able to deliver, or monitor delivery, rather, through this current price review period and hold companies to account for meeting their investment and performance commitments, including on matters such as storm overflows, which pollute our rivers, and wider environmental outcomes.
I am aware of and concerned about recent reported incidents of sickness when individuals have been swimming in the River Tawe. I have asked Natural Resources Wales to investigate the reports, and I will provide an update when further information becomes available. I can provide assurance, certainly, that I will work with all stakeholders necessary to ensure a joined-up approach to any investigations and associated responses.
Two parts to that answer. Measures around the spreading of slurry are about avoiding environmental pollution in rivers so that agriculture isn't forced to follow the calendar and is actually able to work in a technologically based way to spread slurry in a way that doesn't pose a threat to rivers. I think that's a very important thing to remember. On the need to make sure that investment works, that is why we want the regulation of water to be done here in Wales, so that we can make sure that, when investment goes in, it provides us with the outcomes that we need, which include, of course, clean rivers.
I think the most important thing to do is to repeat what I said: we will act by targeting prevention and enforcement where evidence shows it is needed—that means in relation to polluted rivers, and it means in relation to polluted seas around our coast. We want to see urgent action. It is why we want to see regulation of water being devolved to Wales so that we can have as much influence as possible on the cleanliness of our rivers and our seas.
The rising cost of bills in recent times has caused real pain to people. It is an element, a significant element, for many people when it comes to the challenges of the cost of living. When you look at higher bills, it is particularly difficult to stomach in the context of very high executive pay. I am on the record previously as saying that one of the reasons that we want to regulate water in Wales is to make sure that we are able to have influence over the levels of executive pay, but it's about providing a better service, ultimately, to our customers here in Wales—so, the people that we represent—and making sure that we have the clean, clear waters and the clear seas that we all want to see.
I'm grateful to the leader of the opposition for now agreeing with us that health is a priority here in Wales. Listen, I've made it very, very clear that there are two elements to what we're trying to do. We want to cut waiting lists in the short term, and we want to build a sustainable health and care service for the long term. I reiterate that a priority for us now is to tackle, in the coming months, those issues of the longest two-year waits. In fact, I'm not waiting for the next months; work has already begun to put in practice the changes that are necessary to tackle that very issue.
I'll begin this answer in the spirit that I want to conduct my business here, by pointing out that more people voted for Plaid Cymru because they trusted our pledges to deliver a sustainable health and care service for the future. Let's be serious about the challenges that we face, rather than the small change that is referred to by the leader of the opposition. We are talking about—[Interruption.] We are talking about significant sums of money that we are investing already through a budget deal last year into the NHS. But I can assure you of this: it's through innovation and it's through working with staff within the NHS that we provide that sustainability for the future. I remind the leader of the opposition that he leads a group in Wales from a party whose leader does not believe in an NHS funded through general taxation. That is a principle that we will defend here as we deliver that NHS that's fit for the future, for patients and for staff alike.
It's going to be a very long Senedd term if it starts in this way, that we got a certain percentage more than you in the election. Listen, we have a programme for government that we have laid in front of the people of Wales that absolutely gets to grips with issues such as that which was referred to in Aneurin Bevan. We want to make sure that we cut out decisions such as the one that he referred to so that we can focus spending on where it makes a difference—to the patients that we all are here to serve.
The programme for government, I remind you, is this: it is about creating better jobs in all parts of Wales; it is about raising education standards; it is about a childcare offer in order to help with the cost of living; it's about standing up for Wales; and, No. 1, it's about creating an NHS and care service that is fit for the future. That was our pledge and that is what we are determined to deliver in Government.
Yes, I have, on a personal level, always taken the approach of fighting for the economic benefits that come to that particular part of Wales from that development, which is a reserved matter. But the key thing is here that my Cabinet Minister for energy will be focused on the same thing. It's about looking at how we make the most of this opportunity, in terms of job creation and in terms of the environmental impact of that, and the Member has my assurance that that will be the principle that guides us.
I remind the leader of the Labour group that his party used to say that it supported the ordinary working man and woman. My position on Wylfa is very, very clear. This is a reserved matter, and the manifesto coming into this election said that there were matters that were reserved, which absolutely includes Wylfa. We will work positively on that particular plan because of the economic benefits locally that can flow from it—and across the wider region—plus on the elements of the environmental positives associated with it.
I think most people can see who's been fighting for a long time over that particular issue, and I'm certainly not planning on waiting until 12 June. People in Ynys Môn have been let down for too long when it comes to the resilience of the Menai crossings. It is unacceptable that we have been in this position where deadlines have been missed time and time again, and where work to fix a bridge that could and should have been done a long time ago is still dragging on year after year. Where previous Governments refused to see this problem as a priority, this new Welsh Government will act with greater urgency and focus. As I say, I won't wait until 12 June; I've committed to renewing the process of developing solutions to improve the resilience of transport links across the Menai strait. That's why we have already begun work within Government with a view to ensuring short-term measures around the Menai crossing, and long-term solutions for resilience across the Menai strait. And yes, the third crossing is a part of those considerations. But let me remind you of this: it's not a structure that we need; it's an answer. Let's get the answer and move there quickly.
It's a very long question, but with a very short answer. The Brynglas tunnels are a well-known bottleneck and an economic constraint for Wales, and it's clear that action is needed to address congestion on the M4. Money was wasted, I must say, in getting to a place where nothing has happened in recent years, and this Government is already doing the work to identify the solutions that will be effective, and economically and environmentally responsible, in order that we can deliver long-term benefits socially and economically for the people of, yes, the south-east of Wales and the Brynglas areas, but we know that it's much wider than that too. But that doesn't take away from the work that also happens to improve infrastructure and improving public transport and so on.
Across all of our commitments, this Government will measure progress through a clear, data-led and disciplined approach, tracking what is actually changing on the ground so that we can see what is working. The Cabinet holds collective responsibility for the cross-cutting issues of climate and nature, and we're committed to clear public reporting on Wales's progress towards net zero through an accessible online dashboard.
I agree very much with the sentiment that has been expressed there, and it's in the title of the Minister: Cabinet Minister for Government effectiveness means exactly that. It's making sure that, as a Government, we are able to break down those silos and encourage co-operation between Ministers, making sure that there aren't walls between those different elements of potential delivery that can address the climate challenge. It's not just the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution and the Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability. It's the way that that dovetails with the work of the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy. It's the way that we educate our young people through the Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language. I really wish this to be a hallmark of the way that this Government works and operates, and as I said in my initial answer, we will be providing the tools by which you hopefully will be able to hold us to account, including these digital dashboards that we are so determined to bring forward.
The Member is right. This Government is committed to dealing with the consequences of our industrial past and ensuring justice for our coalfield communities. I did visit Cwmtillery myself after that recent landslip, which really brought home the threats that so many communities are facing. We know that addressing threats associated with coal tips will need a sustained programme of investment. The mining industry, of course, predates devolution, so we're clearly of the view that it's the UK Government that should foot that bill, and we'll make the case for that. As part of our suite of measures, we will obviously want to enable Members across this Chamber to be able to measure progress against that stated aim.
The Member is right that my party is determined to bring forward a new approach. I'll put it this simply: it has to be based on the science. We will be ensuring that we work with those experts now who are able to provide us with the answers, and the Cabinet Minister will bring details forward in due course.
I'm glad the Member enjoyed my singing in 1983. Had the cameras been following my entire teenage years, they would have seen me studying physics at GCSE and physics at A-level too.
I support the principle of those three sciences being able to be taught separately and, yes, there's a review in autumn 2028, but I think it's important that we do have a review and have a current understanding of whether the curriculum is doing what we need it to do. We remain committed to the successful roll-out and delivery of the Curriculum for Wales, but a review of the curriculum is something that we are eager to see as an ongoing thing, to ensure that we have the kind of depth and breadth that the Member mentions when it comes to what is offered in terms of school study and qualifications. What my Government wants to do, of course, is to make sure that we have the staff needed to deliver that, that they have the support, and make it an attractive profession to go into, so that future generations are in good hands, whether they study physics or music.
Education is at the heart of our ambition for Wales, unlocking opportunity for every child and helping build a more confident, innovative and productive nation. That is why raising standards in every school is a core mission of this Government. Through our new foundational literacy and numeracy plan, and by supporting attendance, behaviour and our education workforce, we will ensure every learner has the strong foundations they need to succeed.
I'm glad the Member used the word 'mission'. This is a personal mission of ours—it's a mission for this Government. We have been clear that education and standards in our schools are an absolute priority for a Plaid Cymru Government. We are proud that we have led the debate on this, trying to give education, once again, the priority of esteem that it deserves within the broader public service environment in Wales. Progress is already under way for our new foundational numeracy and literacy plan, for our review of the Learner Travel (Wales) Measure 2008, and our assessment of additional learning needs provision in Welsh-medium education as part of our first 100 days commitment, and we'll be providing more detail on that later this term, as well as a timeline for the plan.
The Member has more knowledge than most, from her previous role, of the challenges that we face in education. It's important to point out, of course, that the money in England was in order to clear historic debts. Now, it's not for me to praise the former Labour Minister, but those debts were not here in Wales, so it is not additional funding, as it were, for ALN. I think that's something that is for us to bear in mind when we recognise what this funding actually was. The former Government managed to take that pressure off.
But what we also know is that there is extreme pressure on the whole ALN issue, and we are all, as Members, made aware of the difficulties that families the length and breadth of Wales are facing because of challenges with delivering ALN. Already, measures have started to be put in place by my Government to look at how we make sure that what we have is a sustainable level of ALN provision, so that parents understand what they are able to get for their children through the education system, and that Government is in a sustainable position to deliver that.
This is the first opportunity for us to have a Plaid Cymru Government, the first opportunity for us to put our principles into practice in Government. Striving for the highest possible level of education standards is a core principle, as well as a policy, of my party and of the Government that I lead. We have a proud record as a nation in the delivery of education: we were one of the first literate general populations anywhere in the world. Those standards and those levels of achievement have been allowed to slip. We will, as a Government, not turn a blind eye to that, and I hope the Member sees that, in placing this among our key priorities—education, health, job creation, cost of living, and standing up for Wales—we are serious about delivering. Already, the work has begun on that foundational literacy and numeracy plan. We expect to be held to account for our work and our record in raising standards that are long overdue in Welsh schools.
We will drive change across social care to tackle pressures and improve access to support. We will shift care closer to home, helping people live independently for longer. We will improve joined-up working, support unpaid carers and set clearer national standards. To build a resilient system people can depend on, we will progress our national care service and move closer towards care that is free at the point of need.
We are determined in everything that we do to deliver a more joined-up health and social care system, to reduce fragmentation and improve the patient experience. We must do everything that we can, always, to ensure consistency of care in all parts of Wales. Call it the postcode lottery if you like. Whether it's quality of care or the level of provision, we have to make sure that no area is disadvantaged. The delivery of rural healthcare and care services is something that is particularly relevant to that. As we progress towards a national care service, we have to remember that that word 'national' means something, that that care service is something that has to be relevant and sustainable in all parts of the nation, bringing health and social care together with shared, clear accountability. People in rural Wales should know that this Government is on their side, as people in urban areas should too.
Local government is a key partner, as the Member knows, in the delivery of care. It was one of the reasons why we ensured, through the agreement on the budget for 2026-27, that the firmest possible foundations were laid for local government, because of the significant pressures that they face on care, as with many other issues. We look forward to having those constructive relationships with local government leaders throughout Wales to deliver the sustainability that we can within the resources at our disposal.
Our manifesto included a range of specific commitments to help reinvigorate our town centres, including reform of the non-domestic rates system. We will explore how to use all the levers available to us to support a thriving, modern hospitality sector, working in collaboration with businesses and communities.
The Member touches on many things that I certainly agree with, such as the role of the community pub as a third space, as it was described to me recently. You have home, you have the workplace or school, perhaps, and then you have that other place where we need to congregate. It may have been chapels in days gone by. But we need to look at how we build those community hubs. Certainly, the pub can be a big part of that.
We are determined, in looking at that rates issue, to put it in a wider context. Yes, we will look at what we can do around rates relief. It is a manifesto pledge of ours. The town centres taskforce, in our first 100 days, will explore the options for reformed business rates that better support high-street regeneration. But we have to put it in a wider context as well. There are other measures that we're determined to take to create a new vibrancy on our high streets, including looking at how planning helps. It certainly will be one of those issues that our new national development agency will look at—how we support those businesses to thrive and, by that, bringing new life into our town centres.
We will take forward proposals to incorporate key United Nations human rights conventions, which includes the United Nations convention on the rights of disabled people, into Welsh law. This will build on existing rights and protections, and embed international standards in the way devolved public services are designed and delivered. We're also committed to delivering a robust and action-oriented disabled people’s rights action plan, with clear lines of accountability and regular and transparent reporting on progress.
I agree with the points made on the need to embed in everything that we do the rights of disabled people. Here, I would hope that we could have agreement across this Chamber on the approach, and it is about building on work done by the previous Government too. We have a disabled people's rights plan, published in December of last year. It's a 10-year plan with actions ranging across Government, and an external advisory board established to ensure actions are transparent, accountable and responsive. The next meeting is taking place later this month. We will build on that. I certainly want to invite Members here to be able to contribute to that work. Yes, there should always be a role for disabled people in formulating and enforcing policy. I’ll end by saying that I absolutely, of course, agree and align myself with the social model of disability. We are fully committed to that as a Government.
Diolch. We will deliver fair work by embedding social partnership at the heart of public services and Government, recognising workers as experts, and ensuring they are heard in shaping service delivery and working conditions. We will also adopt a 'fair work first' approach to encourage fair, safe and secure work rooted in dignity and respect. These were central messages in one of my first engagements as First Minister at said TUC Cymru congress.
The proof of the pudding will indeed be in the eating, and the eating in this case will be about whether we measure up to the promises that we have made on our commitment to not just continuing but strengthening the social partnership model that was previously in place, and not just delivering but strengthening the fair work being embedded as a principle at the heart of our public services. It's about delivering better jobs, it's about delivering stronger public services, a fairer Wales. Workers, employers and Government sit as partners on the social partnership council, and my job is to make the most of that partnership and deliver for the people of Wales.
Agriculture is the backbone of our rural economy and the beating heart of our rural communities. This Welsh Government will provide strong support for our farmers. In our first 100 days, we will confirm a multi-year funding cycle instead of the current one-year sustainable farming scheme payment, commission an independent review of the bureaucratic burden on family farms in Wales, and begin work on a new and comprehensive national food strategy.
Our job is to support agriculture as a key pillar not just of the rural economy, but of rural society. This Government has not supported or called for a reduction in livestock numbers. This Government has supported environmental policies. The farmers that I know, and those that I speak to, want to be seen as being environmentally responsible. All the actions that we want to pursue as this Government are to help agriculture be more sustainable, more profitable and more environmentally sustainable.
The Member might believe that that's not possible, but I'm afraid he's fighting a losing battle there. We have to make it possible, and the agriculture industry is telling me that they want that to be the case. We can make our family farm more sustainable. We can use tools at our disposal to support agriculture in many different ways, and I've referred to some of them already—on TB, on nitrate vulnerable zones, on the food plan. Measure us on our success in doing so, but we will be supporters of the Welsh family farm in a way that no Welsh Government has been before.
Diolch, Lywydd. Pleser ydy enwebu Elfyn Llwyd ar gyfer swydd y Cwnsler Cyffredinol. Yn fargyfreithiwr ac yn seneddwr profiadol, dwi'n gwybod y bydd Elfyn yn camu i'r rôl efo'r un urddas, yr un angerdd a'r un agwedd bragmataidd a ddiffiniodd ei yrfa yn San Steffan ac a ddenodd barch o bob cwr o Dŷ'r Cyffredin. Mi weithiodd o'n drawsbleidiol i arwain yr ymgyrch dros greu trosedd benodol o stelcian. Mi fu yn lladmerydd diflino dros hawliau cyn-filwyr a thros system gyfiawnder i Gymru.
Mae'n debyg i Elfyn ragweld y foment yma mewn cyfweliad efo Dewi Llwyd chwe blynedd yn ôl, gan rannu fod un uchelgais yn weddill ganddo, sef i ddod yn Gwnsler Cyffredinol yn y Senedd. Ddywedodd o ddim wrthyf fi, ond mi ddywedodd o bryd hynny, a dwi'n dyfynnu:
'byswn i'n licio cyfrannu gymaint ag y medrwn i tuag at ddatblygu'r Gymru newydd trwy'r cyfrwng hynny.'
Lywydd, does gen i ddim amheuaeth y bydd y cyfraniad hwnnw yn un gwerthfawr, meddylgar ac egwyddorol. Dwi'n gofyn i Aelodau gefnogi'r enwebiad hwn heddiw. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Official English translation
Thank you, Llywydd. It's a pleasure to nominate Elfyn Llwyd for the role of Counsel General. A barrister and an experienced parliamentarian, I know that Elfyn will step into the role with the same dignity, the same passion and the same pragmatic attitude that defined his career in Westminster and that drew respect from all parts of the House of Commons. He worked on a cross-party basis to create an offence of stalking. He campaigned for veterans and for a justice system for Wales.
Elfyn foresaw this moment in an interview with Dewi Llwyd six years ago, sharing that one ambition remained, namely to become Counsel General in the Senedd. He didn't say that to me, but he did say at that time, and I quote:
'I would like to contribute as much as I could to developing the new Wales through that medium.'
Llywydd, I have no doubt that that contribution will be a very valuable one, a thoughtful one and a principled one. I ask Members to support this nomination today. Thank you very much.