on the clip
Prynhawn da i chi i gyd.
Official English translation
Good afternoon to you all.
Contributions
675 contributions on record. Newest first, by sitting day. Page 5 of 19. Counted by Siambr
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We are focused on making services better in every part of Wales. We recognise that delivering effective public services in rural Wales requires responding to the particular challenges that rural communities face. Our proposal for a statutory rural-proofing duty will improve how the needs of rural communities are accounted for in how services are designed and in how they're delivered.
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As I said, this is something that this Government has proposed specific action to address. We want to be a Government for all of Wales. I agree that there are times where it has felt as if the specific needs of rural areas, rurality itself, hasn't been taken into account when decisions are being made. That is precisely what the rural-proofing mechanism is about. We are proposing to legislate on rural-proofing to make sure that it is not up to the Government of the day whether or not they take into account the impact of decisions on rural areas, but that that is put on a statutory basis. I think that is something that will be welcomed in rural parts of Wales.
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What the Member does, again, is emphasise a number of those issues on which there are particular questions that relate more to rural areas than to urban areas. We could point to the price of fuel now, which is problematic for everybody in Wales. The UK Government has taken the decision to have a rural relief system in place for some parts of the UK, but not for Wales. That's something that I would like to see the UK Government address. What our proposal, through the rural-proofing legislation route, will do for Wales is make sure that all those questions of rurality, as I say, are considered when it comes to decisions that the Welsh Government makes, because, whoever they are in whatever part of Wales, the electors who sent all of us here should feel that we are there for them.
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The Member will know that it has been a long-standing policy of the party that I lead to pursue that kind of rural relief. Our pressure on the UK Government has tended to, for obvious reasons, target energy prices and household fuel in particular, and calling for measures around off-grid as one of those elements that affect those living in more rural areas most. But there's no question now, as the intensity of the pressures of fuel for road users becomes more serious, that we will pursue that indeed with the UK Government.
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I'm certainly hearing the concerns, and the argument that has been put forward by the Member today amplifies concerns that have been raised elsewhere. This is a decision for the health board, of course, and consultation has begun on proposed options for its clinical services plan. Evidence can be seen, views can be shared, experiences and concerns shared, alternative ideas put forward too. The health board has made no decisions on those clinical plans, but the Welsh Government—let me put it as clearly as I can—expects the health board to make evidence-based decisions, underpin those decisions on robust options appraisals and impact assessments, to ensure that the future of services are sustainable, fit for purpose and safe for the local population. But, other than that, given that this is an ongoing process led by the health board, it would be inappropriate for me to comment more than that.
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I have always vowed, as an internationalist, that my Government will be internationalist in its outlook and always seek opportunities to sell Wales to the world. Through our overseas network, we have opportunities to support exports, to attract inward investment, but also to strengthen international partnerships and to promote Wales. And like all aspects of Government, we will want, as a new Government, to make sure that our operations in this area are effective and efficient.
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Spending money on 'all sorts of things' is quite an argument to put forward. I'll tell you what the Welsh Government is absolutely meant to do by law: it is to seek the best for Wales. Our international operations are about seeking trade deals for Wales, attracting inward investment to Wales, selling agriculture produce to the world, building the kind of soft diplomacy that can bring results to Wales. Now, I know that the Member is isolationist in the way that he sees the world. I am not; I am somebody who will always seek to promote Wales's place in the world for the benefit of all the people who live in Wales.
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Thank you for the question. The groans from the Reform benches when the Member mentioned Wales having a doorway to the world I think speaks volumes about a party that wants to close all opportunities for Wales. This Government, as I say, will be international in its outlook, international in the kind of ambition that we have in our goals. Wales can't just be promoted from behind a desk in Cardiff or by looking inwards. Our international offices shouldn't be judged either solely by trade and investment figures, though they are important. They also build trust, they deepen relationships, and they deliver results in soft power and in cultural diplomacy. Through our engagement across Europe and beyond—again, something that the Reform benches want to close down—Wales is sharing expertise on language, where we are global leaders in many ways, on sustainability, on future generations, while learning from others and delivering benefits for the people of Wales in doing so.
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I agree with that outlook—that our international links can and must bring real benefits to the people of Wales. I enjoyed my participation with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association over 10 years as chair. I assume that Reform want us to pull out of the work of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, as that's a waste of time looking out to the world. But what we were doing always was trying to find that common ground with others that can give us tools to do the job to improve the lot of people in Wales. That's what we're all about. It all has to come back to improving outcomes. Whilst I have a great belief in what we can do well here in Wales, I absolutely believe that, out there in the world, there's a host of lessons, a host of experiences that can come to us from different cultures that we can benefit from. That's something that I will always strive to work across party boundaries here in the Senedd on.
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I think your leader had his head in his hands, trying to put distance between himself and Reform—and there we are: banging the tables on the Reform benches at your isolationist arguments for Wales. The Member knows full well that Government, to use the kind of detail that we heard earlier, does many, many things. In reaching out to the world for trade deals, for lessons, for the sharing of experiences, we are adding to that depth of knowledge that we have and the income that we have in order to improve the lives of the people of Wales. We do that alongside improving the health service, improving education standards, improving job prospects in all parts of Wales, rolling out the most generous childcare offer anywhere in the UK and also dealing with those challenges of climate change, which my party is making a clear priority.
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I have always advocated the two-state solution, and I think the decision taken at the Greens conference was ill judged. I do not agree with that motion. I have to, though, refer to the initial comments that the Member made about Elfyn Evans. I spoke with Elfyn yesterday and congratulated him on his remarkable win and becoming the first Welsh world rally champion after coming so close on five previous occasions. And I'm sure the Member doesn't miss the irony in the way that she put the question in congratulating him for flying the Welsh flag on a world stage, when previously this afternoon we had been asked to take down that Welsh flag and just look inwards. That is Reform's view of Wales.
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No. I answered your question.
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I answered your question. Llywydd, I answered the question.
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I think it's important to put it on the record so that the leader of Reform can read it afterwards, as she wasn't listening to me previously, that I directly addressed her question on the vote in the Green Party conference, and I said that I had a very, very different view, and that I believe in a two-state solution and I stand shoulder to shoulder with the Jewish communities in Wales and make a stand against antisemitism as I do Islamophobia. She's on a roll. A second ago, she was saying that it was okay for a sportsman to wave the Welsh flag, but not for the rest of us to—or for Welsh Government to do so. And now she has the boldness—and I've suggested she's bold before—to suggest that, 10 years on from Brexit, the evidence shows that it was the right thing to do. Now, I'm not one to question the decision made by people in that specific referendum 10 years ago, but I am very, very clear in my mind that the damage that has been caused is very, very clear to see. She told me, 'Take farming'. Well, Brexit took too much out of farming. It took too much out of business. It is because of the losses that businesses face, the billions of pounds that have been lost to the Welsh economy, that I say that Wales's place is at the heart of Europe. As an absolute minimum, we should be members of the common market, we should be members of the customs union. That is in the interest of the people of Wales. The Reform leader, we know, takes a different viewpoint: she is isolationist in many, many ways. I will stand up for the people of Wales, as I pledged I would in the recent election.
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I'm sure I just heard the leader of Reform accusing me of having dodgy ideology when she literally used the words 'net stupid zero'. Now, that is climate change ideological madness wrapped up in the words of the leader of Reform here in the Senedd. There's too much to unpack in that question for me to address all issues, but I will say this: she says that Brexit hasn't worked because the leaders, on a UK level, didn't get it right. At least I'm glad that she accepts that Brexit hasn't worked. That is why we need to look again at our relationship with Europe and tightening up that relationship for the interests of businesses in Wales and all our citizens.
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So, there are no cuts to Flying Start. We are building greatly on Flying Start in rolling out the most generous childcare offer anywhere in the UK, and we believe in the principle of universalism. I'm surprised that this is the second bite of the cherry from the Labour leader in Wales in undermining those principles of universalism that have given us the NHS, those principles of universalism that previous Labour Governments have celebrated, through free bus passes, through prescriptions. Is the Labour leader in Wales now suggesting that he, if he were in Government, would take away those elements of universalism that have been so well embraced by the people of Wales in recent years?
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The Member knows, of course, that it's not millionaires that we're talking about here through universalism, but it's hard-working families, medium earners, middle earners who the Member says should be excluded from childcare. I just don't believe that. I believe in the principle of universalism that Labour used to believe in. What has Labour become if Labour now are genuinely asking us to engage in a fundamental debate on the question of universalism? We could allow, could we not, millionaires to buy their own health services, and we wouldn't mind, right? Let's have just a health service for those who can't afford it. I don't believe that is the best way forward. I don't believe in having a two-tier health service. I believe in the principles laid down by Aneurin Bevan I think that are as relevant today as they were when he established the NHS. So, whether it's on free school meals, or on free prescriptions, or on bus passes, or on the NHS itself, universalism is a principle that brings us together as a community, as society, and we will pursue this in the interest of the people of Wales.
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I was part of the committee in the Senedd before last that assessed the pros and cons of introducing minimum alcohol pricing. There were others here who were on that committee with me. And what we concluded was that, just as with cigarettes, the impact of pricing can have a positive impact on the choices that people make in relation to their use of alcohol. It's not a ban of alcohol, it's a trigger to make people think. That is the principle that led to the increase now—exactly these arguments that if it's about making sure that alcohol is as cheap as it possibly can be, that is not in the interest of the health of the people of Wales. It really isn't. And I think there has been a greater understanding in recent years, as happened with smoking decades ago, that we can no longer ignore the detrimental impacts of alcohol on health. And this measure is one step where we can try to redress the balance there.
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The truth of the matter is that, when we discussed this at source, back then in committee, it was about doing both. There was a recognition that this wasn't a measure that would stop alcoholics from obtaining alcohol, because they are addicted to alcohol. That is not what this is about, and I agree that we need to be strengthening support for people who have alcohol abuse problems. For the Member, though, to point to this decision being about the impact of the cost of living, I would ask him to reflect on the actions of successive Conservative Governments on a UK level, which decided to go down the route of austerity, hitting ordinary people in their pockets every single day in all aspects of their lives, rather than punishing the bankers who had put us in that position at that time. There are many decisions that Governments can take where we consider the impact on the pockets of the people that we represent. Minimum alcohol pricing is about health.
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Funded childcare must be flexible for families and deliverable for providers. We're working with local authorities and registered providers to expand provision sustainably and move to a simpler system that's easier for parents to navigate. As we introduce our universal childcare offer, we will ensure that it will enable longer and more flexible sessions.
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That universality is very, very important and, as we've touched on already today, it is a broader principle that we should value. On flexibility, as we introduce a radical, an ambitious, new national childcare offer, we're working to create a simpler, more streamlined system that gives parents more flexibility and easier access to funded childcare across Wales. Universal provision, of course, supports every child to get the best start in life, and thousands of low-earning families who've previously been locked out of any childcare or early years support will benefit as a result of our policy. Current guidance allows childcare sessions to be combined. We know this flexibility is interpreted and applied differently, and we are working to, as we roll out the childcare offer, partner with local authorities and others to make sure that that consistency does become the norm across the board.
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Well, I fundamentally disagree with that take from the Member. We've made it clear. In fact, we have put the money in for the first phase, which is the rolling out of the 12.5 hours in every part of Wales within this first financial year. It's £55 million, and that is—. Well, that's happening. The money has gone. It's £55 million. Working towards the end of roll-out in a Government term, you're talking about a significant sum, £300 million to £400 million, depending on uptake and so on. There are lots of different factors. But this was meant to be, and is being, done in a phased way, which is the only way that it can be done. It's not just because of the money; one of the big challenges that we are facing, and dealing with, is workforce. We visited a nursery in Rhyl last week, and there's real excitement about how to bring more young people into the profession, which we will need to do in significant numbers to roll out this childcare offer, which will transform lives.
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As you mentioned rural-proofing and Flying Start, I'll maybe bring those two together. Flying Start has done a great job in helping families who are struggling to make ends meet in some parts of Wales. I know of parts in my own constituency, and many others will have their own experiences of families who are outside Flying Start areas, in rural areas who are unable to get that kind of support. What we're doing in building on Flying Start, not cutting it, is making sure that we are expanding this universally to all people, universally to all areas, because we have identified this as something that could be the underpinnings of education, of job opportunities and tackling poverty. We're not setting simple targets for ourselves here. We're stretching ourselves because we think it's important, and rurality is very much a part of the mix.
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Professional sport makes a significant contribution to the Welsh economy. It brings visitors into our communities, supports local businesses, creates jobs and showcases Wales to a global audience, at home and abroad. I'll take the opportunity to congratulate Elfyn Evans again on waving the flag in Sardinia on Sunday. But, from the Tour de France Grand Départ to Euro 2028, Wales has shown that it is able to attract world-class sporting events. What we need to do always is make sure that those events leave a lasting legacy for communities across Wales.
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I believe in the principle of seeing what we can do to attract events. We've got the Women's Champions League final as well coming to Cardiff. It's not always Government that delivers them. Government can be a facilitator. Government can be a conduit for making them happen. We want to work with others when they see opportunities to bring global sporting events to Wales. Like having overseas offices, it is all part of that—[Interruption.] It is all part of that work of raising Wales's profile on the world stage, and the benefits that flow from that are multiple. This soft diplomacy, plus the hard numbers of where we can attract, through sporting events, international inward investment, is something that we should embrace, all of us here, because Wales can only win from this.
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Llywydd, I know the Member speaks from her own experience working in sports governance before being elected here. But I'd say that, through our investment as a Government in elite sports, we support partners, including Sport Wales and other governing bodies, to help athletes prepare for life beyond sport, through education, through training and through career development opportunities. There are so many of them—Welsh Athletics, Swim Wales, Hoci Cymru—they all support athletes to gain coaching, officiating and leadership qualifications alongside their sporting careers. Many former elite athletes go on to become coaches, performance managers, board members and ambassadors within their sports. The Football Association of Wales is particularly good at being a centre of excellence for preparing the coaches of the future, not just for Wales, but for other nations too. And developing that pipeline is key, I think, to ensuring that the skills, the experience and the inspiration gained through representing Wales or competing in elite sports continue to benefit our economy, our communities and our sporting success in future.
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Right then, I'm going to have to be careful here. 'Yes' is the answer to the question. I have no doubt that professional sporting events, which happen week in, week out, of course, through professional sport in football and rugby, can bring huge, huge benefits, and supporting those hospitality sectors that support those coming to support their teams, that's something that we should encourage always. Do I want to see Swansea City being promoted to the premier league? Absolutely, yes. As a Cardiff City Football Club fan, they can only go up if we go up as well. And let's make it Wrexham also. Because, genuinely, I think the success of Welsh football currently—. I see Jayne Bryant looking at me here—I wish Newport all the very, very best too, and all league of Wales teams. [Laughter.] But, no, I think the success of our football teams is something that we can all celebrate, whichever colour we individually choose to wear.
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Llywydd, I hope you've built lots of time into this, because everybody wants to name their local football team now, I think. But I wish Haverfordwest well. I'm quite excited about premier football in Wales. Currently, there's been a lot of investment and there seems to be a real vibrancy around football at its highest level in Wales. I congratulate the work that the Football Association of Wales are doing. We engage with the Football Association of Wales in many different ways in supporting grass-roots sport, and we are happy to engage in any way that could see the Welsh Government supporting and facilitating the kind of investment that I know the FAW are determined to bring into Welsh football.
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Our programme for government commits us to cutting waiting lists and building a health and care service fit for the future. Backed by £145 million of additional investment, we're taking immediate action to reduce waits for diagnosis and treatment, while accelerating the wider transformation of services, with a stronger focus on prevention, care closer to home and the needs of individuals and communities.
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The lack of accessibility to dentists is something that deeply worries me. I lost my NHS dentist a long time ago, as many of us here have, I know. What we're in the process of doing now is reviewing the contract. We need to make sure that we have a system that works for the patient and for the dentist, who we want to work within the NHS system in Wales. There's more beside that. We need to be making sure that we have that pipeline of dentists coming through the system. That is why work led by the now Minister for local government, when she was in opposition, to bring a new dental school to Wales is something that is so key. The problems in dentistry are plain for all to see. I do believe we have a window in which we can try to act now, but be in no doubt about the scale of the challenge that we face around dentistry, because of the legacy of a lack of attention to this over many years, I fear.
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Throughout our ambitious programme for government, we commit to take action to reduce financial pressures facing households, working to break the cycle of poverty that too many find themselves in. Our new child poverty strategy will set clear targets and milestones to drive ambitious, deliverable change. We'll also seek to introduce the Cynnal child payment pilot. This Government will help those in crisis, while taking longer term, strategic action to prevent people falling into poverty in the first place.
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I think the fact that the Member wants an academic discussion rather than a discussion about how we as a Government can really help those who are in dire need of that help from Government says a lot. The fact that he quotes Margaret Thatcher in an argument on tackling poverty speaks even further volumes. We have a series of measures that we have put in place. Our poverty strategy, setting the meaningful targets that the sector and others have called for, is going to be a really important part of that. We haven't had a trajectory for some years in Wales on where we need to go in terms of tackling poverty. What I know is that the problems are real. That's why the universal childcare offer cuts to some of the biggest challenges that families are facing, and why the Cynnal direct payment can be the beginnings of something that genuinely puts a safety net beneath some of our poorest families in Wales.
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Mae'r Llywodraeth yma wedi ymrwymo i gefnogi presgripsiynu cymdeithasol ledled Cymru, yn gynnwys yn Afan Ogwr Rhondda. Mae hynny'n golygu helpu pobl i wella eu hiechyd a'u lles drwy gymorth yn y gymuned a thrwy ganolbwyntio ar atal. Mor ddiweddar â bore ddoe, mi wnaeth y Dirprwy Weinidog dros Iechyd Cyhoeddus ac Ataliol, Nerys Evans, ymweld â phrosiect rhagorol presgripsiynu cymdeithasol sy'n seiliedig ar natur, sef Grow Well, a hynny yn Dusty Forge yn Nhrelái yma yng Nghaerdydd. Rydyn ni'n buddsoddi mewn gwerthusiad annibynnol i asesu'r canlyniadau i unigolion, cymunedau a gwasanaethau rheng flaen, ac i drio deall yn well sut y gall presgripsiynu cymdeithasol wella lles a chefnogi gwasanaethau cynaliadwy.
Official English translation
This Government is committed to supporting social prescribing across Wales, including in Afan Ogwr Rhondda, helping people to improve their health and well-being through community-based support and by focusing on prevention. As recently as yesterday morning, the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health, Nerys Evans, visited an excellent project for social prescribing that is nature based, namely Grow Well at the Dusty Forge in Ely, here in Cardiff. We are investing in an independent evaluation to assess outcomes for individuals, communities and front-line services and to try and better understand how social prescribing can improve well-being and support sustainable services.
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Diolch. Mae hi'n dda clywed am waith y ganolfan yn Gilfach Goch. Dwi’n cytuno bod presgripsiynu cymdeithasol effeithiol yn dibynnu ar sefydliadau cymunedol cryf a chynaliadwy sydd â chapasiti i ateb galw sydd yn cynyddu o hyd. Mae'r sector wirfoddol yn allweddol i'r model Cymreig yna. Dwi’n sicr yn cydnabod bod y pwysau yna o gwmpas cyllidebu tymor byr a diffyg hyblygrwydd weithiau o ran arian staffio ac arian rhedeg yn gallu creu problemau. Mi fyddwn ni'n parhau fel Llywodraeth i weithio efo partneriaid ac i ystyried sut y gall newidiadau, o bosib, i drefniadau cyllido yn y dyfodol gefnogi yn well y capasiti a sefydlogrwydd sydd gan sefydliadau er mwyn iddyn nhw allu delifro ein hagenda ataliol ni. Achos nid y Llywodraeth yn gwneud hynny ydy'r stori gyfan; y stori ydy bod y Llywodraeth yn gosod y tôn, ac mae angen partneriaid arnom i wneud y gwaith ataliol ar lawr gwlad.
Official English translation
Thank you. It's good to hear about the work of the centre in Gilfach Goch. I agree that social prescribing, done effectively, does depend on strong community organisations that are sustainable and have the capacity to meet ever-increasing demand. The voluntary sector is key to that Welsh model. I certainly accept that the pressures around short-term budgeting and the lack of flexibility on occasion in terms of staffing and running costs can create problems. We as a Government will continue to work with partners and to consider how possible changes to funding arrangements in future could better support that capacity and the stability available to these organisations, so that they can deliver our preventative agenda. Because the Government doing this is not the whole story; the story is that the Government sets the tone, and we need partners to do that work on the ground.
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Effective learner travel provision is vital to ensure that children and young people can access the education that they need. I understand there are also challenges for local authorities, given very real budget pressures. This is why we've committed to a joined-up approach to learner travel in our programme for government and why we've already delivered on our first 100 days commitment to review learner travel in Welsh-medium education in particular.
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I certainly appreciate that journeys for pupils are different depending on their individual circumstances. We're looking at the existing framework in the context of the budgets available to us. The Deputy Minister for Transport has himself highlighted learner travel as one of his key priorities. We'll consider this as a Cabinet, because it does cut across portfolios. I know that decisions are made on a local level by local authorities, some of whose decisions to deem walking routes safe do raise questions and anxiety. But these are decisions for those local authorities. It is for local authorities to assess whether a walking route is safe, taking account of the conditions learners would encounter on that journey to school at that time of day, and so on.
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I lawer o oroeswyr, mae cael mynediad at gofnodion hanesyddol yn bwysig er mwyn deall eu plentyndod, ond mae'r broses yn gallu peri gofid mawr. Rydyn ni'n gwybod hynny. Rydyn ni'n cefnogi gwasanaethau cyhoeddus i fabwysiadu dulliau mwy ystyriol o drawma, fel bod pobl yn cael eu trin efo urddas, tosturi a sensitifrwydd. Mae'r gwaith yma yn cael ei ategu gan ein fframwaith Cymru sy'n ystyriol o drawma a'n strategaeth ar atal ac ymateb i gam-drin plant yn rhywiol. Mae'r ddau yn cydnabod effaith gydol oes cam-drin ac yn rhoi lle canolog i leisiau goroeswyr wrth wella gwasanaethau.
Official English translation
For many survivors, accessing historical records is important in understanding their childhood, but the process can be deeply distressing. We know that. We are supporting public services to adopt trauma-informed approaches, so that people are treated with dignity, compassion and sensitivity. This work is reinforced through our trauma-informed Wales framework and our strategy for preventing and responding to child sexual abuse. Both recognise the lifelong impact of abuse and place survivors' voices at the centre of improvement.
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We recognise that the language, the assumptions or professional judgments contained in some historical records can be distressing and certainly can compound the impact of past trauma. Through the trauma-informed Wales framework and that strategy for preventing and responding to child sexual abuse, we are supporting services to respond with dignity, with compassion, with sensitivity, recognising, as I say, that the effects of abuse can be lifelong. We're also continuing to support life journey work for children in care, care leavers and adopted children, helping them to understand their personal history and experiences in a way that is sensitive, that is meaningful and that, crucially, is centred on their voice. These are matters that the Government is determined to take steps forward on, for very good reason, because we are talking about people who face vulnerabilities, and they deserve to sense that support from Government in all ways.
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Sources
The Record of Proceedings for each sitting day, quoted verbatim.