National Assembly for Wales

Good afternoon and welcome, everyone, to this Plenary meeting—the first Plenary meeting of 2025. Happy new year to all of you as Members.

We start the new year, unfortunately, on a sad note, by noting the deaths of two former Members of the Senedd—Jenny Randerson, Member for Cardiff Central from 1999 to 2011, and Peter Rogers, Member for the North Wales region from 1999 to 2003.

Both belonged to our class of ’99. Jenny was a long-serving, highly respected and influential Member of this Senedd. She was one of its most stalwart supporters, whilst here, and in her continuing political role within the House of Lords. She was a wise voice in those early days of devolution.

Peter Rogers was from a very different part of Wales and a different political tradition. His was a passionate voice for rural communities in particular. He was a kind and dedicated man.

Our thoughts as a Senedd are with the families, friends and political colleagues of both Jenny Randerson and Peter Rogers. I now ask Jane Dodds, the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, to say a few words in memory of Jenny.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to pay a short tribute to Jenny Randerson. 

The first thing I’d like to do is extend our deepest sympathies to Pete and the family at this very sad time. It was very sudden and a shock for them in losing Jenny.

Jenny was here at the dawn of devolution. She was a public servant all her life. She was a teacher, then lecturer, and then went on to be elected as the first Member here for Cardiff Central, and then, as you’ve heard, went on to be in the House of Lords as well.

Jenny was very unique. Her love and passion for the arts, culture and the Welsh language shone through. It was like a light that went through a prism for Jenny. From that came so much. We all have Jenny to thank for free entry to museums and art galleries. We all have Jenny to thank for the decision to build the Millennium Centre just here next door. We have Jenny to thank, as well, for the beginning of us having a strategy for the Welsh language. 'Iaith Pawb' was her baby.

Jenny went on to be a Minister here in Cardiff, and then a Minister in London. She was the first of many. And she was the first female Minister of our party ever. So, she really forged a real track there.

Just two real reflections personally from me. Jenny was somebody who knew how to get things done. She knew how to work across parties. She was a Member here, and a Cabinet Member in the Welsh Labour Government, and then went on to be a Minister in the Conservative Government as well. She knew how to work across parties—a real skill—and she had a genius trait in that.

The second thing is a real personal thing for me. As a female politician of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, she really inspired many of us to go into politics. She was a quiet, sensitive person, in the background, who helped us all on that journey to step into the world of politics as a woman.

I do know that many of you knew her, and I know many of you would want to extend your sincere feelings towards her family at this time. Thank you, Jenny. Diolch yn fawr iawn.

Diolch. Peter Rogers was a member of the Welsh Conservatives serving in the Senedd, and to reflect on that, Darren Millar, their leader. 

Diolch, Llywydd. I too was very sad to hear news of another former colleague passing away just yesterday—our dear friend Peter Rogers, who, of course, did serve as a Welsh Conservative Member of this Senedd between 1999 and 2003. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him. He was an incredible character in Welsh politics, I think it’s fair to say—very, very passionate. He loved a good tirade against a Labour Minister. There are many colourful phrases in the Record of Proceedings as a result of that.

But he was a formidable operator. He worked incredibly hard for the people of north Wales, whom he was very proud to represent, and, of course, the people of Anglesey, whom he served with distinction as a community councillor, and as a county councillor over the years too.

He loved his rugby. It was one of his passions, alongside farming and supporting the agricultural community, both of which he spoke up loudly for and frequently for in this Chamber over the years when he was a Member. He will be sorely missed by everybody, particularly his family, and we do send them our heartfelt condolences.

I'd also, with your indulgence, like to pay tribute to Baroness Jenny Randerson. Jenny Randerson was a Member of this Senedd when I was first elected back in 2007, and I had the honour of being able to serve alongside her as an elected representative. She was held in very high regard on all sides of the Senedd, including by Members of the Welsh Conservatives on these benches. She'd earned that respect because of the work and dedication that she had put in, both as a backbencher and, indeed, as a frontbencher, as a Minister.

We must remember also she did serve in the UK Government, not just in Welsh Government administrations. She was a pioneer of that coalition Government here in the Senedd, which was new to many people at the time. She served her constituency of Cardiff Central and the people of Wales, I think, with distinction. She certainly made her mark in Welsh political history, and we, as you do, Jane Dodds, send you and the Welsh Liberal Democrat family our deepest sympathy on your loss, but especially to Jenny's family, friends and loved ones too. Thank you.

Thank you for that.

We move on now to the first item of business, namely nominations for Chair of the Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee. I will now call for nominations for that chairship. To remind Members, only a Member from the political group that has been allocated that committee may be nominated as Chair, and only a Member of the same political group may make the nomination. That group is the Welsh Conservative group. If any Member objects to a nomination, or if two or more nominations are made, a secret ballot will be held. Are there any nominations for the chairship of the Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee? 

I nominate Andrew R.T. Davies.

Are there any other nominations? No, there are no other nominations. Do any Members oppose that nomination? No, I see that there are no objections for that nomination. Therefore, I can confirm that Andrew R.T. Davies has been elected Chair of the Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee. Best wishes with that work, Andrew.

Questions to the First Minister next. The first question this afternoon is from Julie Morgan.

With your indulgence, Llywydd, can I join Jane Dodds in paying tribute to Jenny Randerson for her enormous contribution to Wales and to this institution in particular, in those early days of devolution? I know she served as a Minister in the coalition Government under Rhodri Morgan. She was a champion for her community, she was a champion for the Lib Dems, she was a champion for Wales, and she will be missed.

I'd also like to note with sadness the passing of former Conservative Member Peter Rogers, who, alongside Jenny, was one of the originals in this Chamber, elected in 1999. On behalf of my political group, I'd like to pass on our condolences to the families of our former colleagues.

Thank you very much for the question on allergies, Julie. Local health boards are responsible for planning and delivering the provision of allergy services across their locality, in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence quality standards.

Thank you for that answer.

I've been contacted by a constituent who has an allergy to pea protein, as well as to legumes and pulses. Pea allergy is the fastest-growing allergy, overtaking sesame in its prevalence. Pea protein is being used in more and more foods, such as all McDonald's burger buns, most sausages, ice lollies, cakes, pastries and gummy sweets. Despite the rise in pea allergies, it's not one of the 14 top allergens that have to be displayed on food products. My constituent has described to me how hard it is to go to restaurants, as restaurants are not required to provide customers with the full ingredients list of their food. So, is there anything that the Welsh Government can do to ensure that restaurants and cafes help their customers identify potential allergens in the food? Also, what’s being done to identify emerging popular allergens so that they can be added to the ingredient lists displayed on food?

Thank you very much, Julie. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for adults, but in particular parents of children who have these allergies. They do seem to be coming more frequent, and people seem to be having less tolerance. I think there is recognition that more information would be helpful, and sometimes can be lifesaving. I know the Food Standards Agency, which of course is the organisation that has responsibility for food safety in relation to labelling in England and Wales, are developing strengthened guidance for food businesses, including restaurants. At the moment, you can go into a restaurant and they can tell you orally what the situation is in terms of what’s in the food, but there’s a suggestion it should be written down. There’s a consultation that closed in November 2024. I know that the FSA aims to publish the guidance on this later in the year. I hope that will help to address the issue you’ve noted.

First Minister, recent cases have highlighted challenges faced by individuals with severe allergies in Wales, such as families resorting to testing food on their children in hospital car parks due to a lack of specialist allergy services across Wales. According to Allergy UK, 61 per cent of individuals feel there is insufficient Government support for allergy sufferers. Furthermore, data indicates a growing need for emergency treatments like adrenaline autoinjectors and better allergy care infrastructure. Could you outline today, First Minister, what the Welsh Government is doing to expand specialist allergy services across Wales and improve access to emergency treatment like EpiPens, and also ensure that public facilities like schools and community facilities and venues across Wales are trained to handle severe allergic reactions within our population?

Thanks very much, and welcome to your new portfolio. I hope you don’t like sleeping too much; it’ll keep you awake a lot at night.

Just to be clear, we are very well aware that allergy support across Wales varies a lot. That’s why we’ve undertaken a scoping exercise to better understand where the gaps are in terms of provision. We’ve appointed Professor Chris Fegan to undertake this work, so that work is being undertaken as we speak. All schools are provided with guidance and are trained to recognise the signs and symptoms that trigger in particular those life-threatening medical conditions. They need to know what happens in an emergency, and they need to know how to administer an EpiPen. That is being done in our schools already. As you know, we have free school meals in primary schools, and there is a sensitivity around that as well, which needs to take into account the dietary needs of learners.

The national data from the Private Healthcare Information Network indicates all areas of the UK saw an increase in admissions for private healthcare in 2023 compared to 2022. The common UK challenge of long waiting times is likely to be a key factor behind this increase.

Thank you, First Minister. As you know, and as we all know, waiting lists have been spiralling further out of control, hitting a new record after nine months of consecutive increases. This dire situation is forcing many people to pay for their healthcare following years of—painfully, often—waiting for an appointment.

I’m sure you saw, First Minister, Keir Starmer’s latest attempt at a rebrand. The Prime Minister announced that there would be increased co-operation between the private sector and the NHS in England. While your Government has allocated some funding to attempt to tackle the longest waiting lists, the fact remains that our NHS is still miles behind England.

As a short term and pragmatic way forward to relieving the suffering of patients across the country, what consideration has the Welsh Government given to further increasing co-operation between the Welsh NHS and private healthcare providers to help reverse the appalling trend in waiting times here in Wales?

Well, thanks very much. I’m not sure if England’s got a lot to crow about: they’ve got 7.5 million people on their waiting lists. But, you’re right—you’re right—the situation in Wales is significant and that’s why we are putting a lot of attention into, in particular, those longest waits. The average wait in Wales, I think, is about 22 weeks now for care. So, I just think we’ve got to remember that the average person waits 22 weeks. But, of course, I understand that those people who’ve been waiting a long time are frustrated, sometimes waiting in pain, and, you know, they’re angry with the system. I get that. There was somebody on telly in England last night who’d been waiting nine years for a hip operation. So, I don’t know quite how you square that with ‘We’ve got great figures in England’.

Let me just explain to you that, in fact, in Wales, we only have 172 private beds in the whole of Wales, so the capacity simply isn’t there, even if we wanted to go down that route further. Of course, we didn’t have the money in the past to do what we’re able to do today, which is to ask our surgeons and our nurses to work overtime—to work in the evenings, to work weekends—and that is now possible because of that massive injection of additional money that’s come from the new UK Labour Government. But, in Wales, less than 1 per cent of the population actually use private facilities.

The First Minister will be aware that eHarleyStreet run surgeries in Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent, Newport and Torfaen. They run them remotely, as a private company based in England. I’ve spoken to Lynne Neagle about this and I’ve spoken to Alun Davies about this, as well as Nick Smith MP. We’ve got concerns: patients have noted a deterioration in service since they took over; staff, including GPs, have not been paid on time; and the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board has not given us convincing answers thus far, although we continue to tackle the health board to try and get them to respond. On this issue, we think it’s time that the Welsh Government got involved. So, can I ask what engagement the Welsh Government has had on this thus far, and can we see further engagement from the Cabinet Secretary for health?

Well, thanks very much. I’m more than aware that several Senedd Members have raised this issue with me. I think it’s something we should be deeply concerned about, and that’s why I’ve raised this issue. I know that the health Secretary has raised the issue with the health board and is due to meet again with the chair next week, I think, or in the next few weeks, just to make sure there’s an understanding that this kind of behaviour is not good enough. There is a contract in place; it needs to be respected. We expect practices who win contracts to behave responsibly, and if they don’t, there have to be consequences. So, I’m sure that conversation will continue. I understand that a group of you will be meeting with the chief executive of the health board soon. It will be good to get some feedback from that, particularly if it’s before the heath Secretary meets the chair. But I can assure you Welsh Government is very concerned about the situation, and we will not tolerate this kind of behaviour and a lack of respect for the contract that has been signed.

My concerns are similar to Hefin’s in this. There are a number of GP surgeries in the Valleys that are being managed by this private company, eHarleyStreet. Now, that affects surgeries in Bargoed, Hengoed, Brynmawr, Tredegar—across the Valleys. Patients, as we’ve heard, are finding it difficult to get appointments. There are doctors who have not been paid by this company; some are owed thousands of pounds. Now, I do worry that this model, if it’s not checked, could represent privatisation of GP surgeries by the back door. Some patients were interviewed by the BBC in the last few weeks, and they said that they didn’t feel safe because of these changes—how it’s affecting their care. Would you support calls for an inquiry into how these contracts were awarded, as well as look at what needs to change to protect our NHS services from these companies, who seem to care more for profit than for providing care that’s needed by the patients?

Well, I think there needs to be an understanding that GP surgeries have always been independent, and, actually, what’s been happening in recent years is that the health boards, when they are failing, are actually taking them over, because there is a responsibility to make sure that that provision is in the community. But, on the whole, most of them are run independently. So, to have effectively what is seen as a private company—that is the model. Now, what I'm not happy with is a model that is effectively run at a distance, where contracts are not respected. And I think that that is taking us down a route that we've got to be very, very careful of. 

I know that the health board is providing support to the practices during a transition period. I know that they're regularly meeting with the managers and the GP partners to seek assurances on contractual compliance with their general medical services contract. So, those conversations are happening, but if things don't improve, then of course we will expect there to be a consequence.

I'm grateful to you, First Minister, for your earlier answer to our colleague Hefin David. The failure of eHarleyStreet is a disgrace, and my constituents and other people's constituents are finding that they're not only unable to access basic primary care services, but we're in a situation where doctors and suppliers remain unpaid and where staff are being bullied. These are not the values that we represent as a Government and as a Parliament, I believe, and not the values of the national health service. When Aneurin Bevan established the national health service, he established a service that guaranteed access to all—access to healthcare at a local level, primary care services. And what we cannot have are primary care services being sold off to people who don't give a damn about the people they're supposed to serve. We don't want an inquiry, we want action. What we want are basic primary care services for our constituents, and I'm glad to hear that you, First Minister—. I know that the Cabinet Secretary for health has become involved, and I'm grateful to him for writing to me over recess. What we need now is action from Welsh Government and the health board to ensure that our constituents have the services that they deserve. 

Thanks very much, Alun. It's absolutely unacceptable not to pay people for a job that they've carried out. That goes beyond the pale and breaks every rule in the book. So, there's got to be a consequence to that, and I'm sure that that is something that will be raised with the chief executive soon. I know they did go through a procurement process. We do often find it difficult to recruit to some of these areas, so I think we've got to be realistic about who is willing to take on these practices, but in many health boards what happens is that the health board themselves take over the management and they employ GPs directly. So, there are alternative models that, perhaps, should be explored if this one doesn't sort itself out.

I just wanted to bring the issue back around to healthcare, and particularly around hospital discharges, whether it's from private or from our own state hospitals, because one of the big challenges is around social care and its availability. We heard on 30 December that the Welsh ambulance service declared a crisis. Half of the ambulances, we understand, were waiting outside of hospitals, waiting to move patients into those hospitals. We know that local authorities are looking at significant council tax hikes in order to meet their social care budgets, and we also know that the Welsh Local Government Association has cited concerns around the budget pressures that are on all local authorities across Wales because of social care. So, I just wonder if you could just outline what you are going to do in order to fund social care in order for us to support our brilliant health workers and those people in the health services that are really struggling in order to move people on outside our hospitals. Diolch yn fawr iawn.

Well, thanks very much. Of course, if we get our budget through, we will be able to continue to offer a £100 cap to people in terms of domiciliary care. That's not something that happens in England, where there is a limitless amount, and you will have heard last week that people are paying thousands of pounds a week in England for their domiciliary care; that's not the case in Wales. In Wales, also, we pay the real living wage. And you'll be more aware than anyone that part of the issue in terms of flow through the hospitals is our lack of availability in terms of care in the community. That is really, when it comes down to it, about getting enough money into the hands of the people who provide those services. And those are our absolutely heroic social care workers. 

We in Wales pay the real living wage, and we'd like to continue paying the real living wage, of course. We've got to get the budget through to make sure that that is the case. I know that local authorities will always ask for more money, and I don't blame them, they've been under huge pressure after 14 years of austerity, but we have offered them a significant uplift in the budget this year, which of course covers some of that cost that you're talking about that needs to be allocated to social care, which is a huge proportion of their budget today.

Questions now from the party leaders. Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Darren Millar.

Diolch, Llywydd. Blwyddyn newydd dda, and a happy new year to you as well, First Minister, and all Members of this Chamber.

First Minister, over the Christmas break, unfortunately, the Welsh ambulance service did declare a critical incident. We know that 340 patients were waiting for an ambulance response, and yet an ambulance couldn't be dispatched because over half the fleet was outside the hospital front doors across the country. I met with the chief executive of the Welsh ambulance service just yesterday, and he told me that around 1 in 10 patients statistically suffers harm or even death as a result of an ambulance delay. Are you able to tell us how many deaths does the Welsh Government estimate are attributable to ambulance delays over the past 12 months?

Well, can I start by thanking the staff of the NHS, who have been under huge pressure over the Christmas period? We have seen, once again, a huge demand on the service, where we have seen, for example, a significant uplift—50 per cent more than in the same period in 2023-24. So, there's been a huge additional demand. You're quite right, we had a critical incident that was declared. There was de-escalation within 72 hours. I'm sure the chief executive of the ambulance service told you, as he told me this morning, that Wales is not an outlier when it comes to performance. There was an 18 per cent increase in demand of red calls compared to the average period of the previous three months. Now, there are lots of reasons for this; some of it was because of the situation with the flu and also the cold weather snap. So, all of those add to the difficulties.

First Minister, we all saw the images of you thanking our health professionals online and handing out boxes of chocolates. Frankly, I think people in Wales want quality services, not Quality Street. And when you're talking about front-line workers, I too want to pay tribute to them for their hard work. But let me tell you, they are demoralised. They are fed up of working under pressure—unacceptable levels of pressure—and they feel as though they are letting patients down. And we know that the sad fact of the matter is that, here in Wales, if you're in an emergency and you're in need of an emergency ambulance, when you pick up that phone and dial 999, there's just a one in two chance of that ambulance arriving within the target time. That is not good enough. People are dying, First Minister, as a result, and that is not acceptable. People want solutions.

I was told yesterday, during my visit, that in spite of your target for ambulance handovers being just 15 minutes outside a hospital, the average, at the point of my visit, was three hours and 26 minutes. I was also told that, when the chief executive took up his post six and a half years ago, the average hours lost in handover delays each month was just 6,000 hours. That now stands, on average, every single month, in the Welsh NHS, at 25,000 to 30,000 hours. And that figure of 340 calls not being able to get the ambulance response that they needed—on a day-to-day basis, that stands between 150 to 200 people not able to get that response. Now, that would've been enough to trigger a critical incident some five years ago. Why isn't it enough to trigger a critical incident now, and what are you doing to sort this situation out?

Well, thanks very much. I made it a point of visiting several emergency departments unannounced, because I know that, if I tell them I'm coming, everything is—[Inaudible.] I wanted to see it as it was: raw, unfiltered, making sure I saw what other people experience. I'm pleased to say that, actually, there was a really good response to the visits, and they were appreciative of the fact that I turned up and that I was listening to them. I was very aware I didn't want to get in the way, but I did give an ear to people who wanted to speak to me and to set out some of the frustrations that they had. I'm pleased to say that, within the emergency department, when I spoke to many of the patients there, most of them had been triaged within a very short period of time, within about 30 minutes.

You will be aware, Darren, as I'm aware, as everybody in this Chamber is aware, that the situation in relation to the NHS very often is as a result of the lack of flow through the hospital, and that's particularly difficult at this time of year when there are real pressures, where you've got very many elderly people coming in with respiratory issues and they can't be discharged because there's nobody there to provide the packages of care. During Christmas, when lots of people are off, it is more difficult to provide those packages of care. So, there are lots of reasons why this time of the year is more difficult, but what I can tell you is that, since the last critical incident with the Welsh ambulance service, they are very pleased that they have had a significant additional amount in their settlement—3.6 per cent this financial year. They have used that money to recruit additional clinicians on their help desks, and that has helped to relieve some of the problems there. Six per cent of consultations now are closed without sending an ambulance. So, it's that additional resource that has gone in that means that the situation is not worse than it is at the moment. Remote triage is happening, and the 111 service is absolutely playing a significant role, and the abandonment rate, which means that people have been waiting for too long, effectively, that is significantly lower, three times lower now than it was last year. So, much, much better performance there.

I'm pleased to say also that the sickness rate within the ambulance service, which is sometimes a sign of demoralised staff, has come down significantly as well. So, things are improving. It's about demand, demand, demand.

Forgive me, First Minister, but you sound pretty complacent to me about these issues. Simply throwing money at the problem isn't going to solve it. We all know that. When you talk about the issues with patient flow, much of this has been created, the problem in our national health service, by you and your predecessors. Since 2010, the number of beds in the Welsh NHS has fallen by over 20 per cent; you've promised since then to build more hospitals with more beds, but you haven't delivered. In recent years, the number of beds in the Welsh NHS has been completely static, and, as I said, we have a Welsh ambulance service that is, effectively, dealing with a critical incident every single day of the year. It's been about 14 months since the last extraordinary incident was declared, and yet we see no change.

So, it's no wonder, given the fact that we don't have sufficient beds, that the situation isn't getting any better, particularly in terms of our ageing population compounding these challenges as well. So, do you agree with me and Rob Perry, who is the vice president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, who says we need extra beds in our national health service, and do you also accept that you need to pull your finger out and deliver on these extra beds and the extra hospitals that you have promised and have failed to deliver?

Well, you obviously don't understand the issue. If you think it's all about beds, you haven't understood that, actually, there's a lot of people in beds who shouldn't be there. It's about flow. It's about flow. It's about making sure that we have that—[Interruption.]—that we have that additional funding that now we have, after 14 years of austerity, to put into the NHS. And some of those beds, the surge capacity is there, it's being used, that additional—. And we've got more beds per head of population than they have in England. But the key issue here is there are lots of people in hospital today who have been clinically optimised, they've been sorted out and they need to go home. But the real issue is that we need to sort out social care, and a huge amount of work is being done on that by the health Minister; we had that 50-day challenge where we worked out exactly, 'What is the reason they're still here?', 'Why are they still here?' And we've worked it—. It's not all about beds in social care. We know exactly what it is. We've got the data on every single reason why every single individual is still in hospital. Some of it is about an assessment. Why are we waiting so long for assessments? Who’s doing the assessments? Why can't we have more? Far more people are able to assess today than there were last year. Every single day we are making improvements, small improvements in a huge number of different areas. This is a complex area. It's not an area that has an easy solution, but I can tell you that the Welsh Government is absolutely focused on this issue.

Leader of Plaid Cymru, Rhun ap Iorwerth.

Thank you very much, and may I wish you a happy new year, Llywydd, and every other Member of the Senedd? I too would like to start by sending my condolences, and those of Plaid Cymru Members, to the loved ones of two former Members of our Senedd. Jenny Randerson made a significant contribution to public life in Wales as one of the first Members of our National Assembly. We remember that today and her commitment too as a Minister here and in the Wales Office. And Peter Rogers was one of those unique characters and political figures. He was a plain speaker if ever there was one, and we disagreed on almost everything politically, but I came to know him very well as a co-governor at a school and a constituent of mine, and I will remember him for his commitment to his square mile.

At the start of a new year, we look forward, but we have to reflect on the year gone by too: a year Labour in Wales, no doubt, will want to forget—three First Ministers, dodgy donors, a forced resignation. But let's not forget who's really suffering on Labour's watch: older people struggling after losing the winter fuel payment; users of substandard transport systems, who know what the HS2 billions owed to Wales could achieve; pensioners hit hard by Labour's backtracking on their Women Against State Pension Inequality promise. In fact, despite her promise of change, we have a First Minister perfectly happy to leave her promises and principles on the steps of Cathays Park. She used to call for a freeze on energy prices; stood with WASPI campaigners, with a promise that a Labour Government would put things right; used to agree with us on HS2, yet she's now happy to back the Prime Minister's betrayals. Does the First Minister understand why many will be wondering which pledges she intends to ditch in 2025?

Well, I thought we'd start the new year with something new, but no, we're back onto the whole issue of things where I don't have responsibility. I have responsibility for devolved issues. I can give you another lesson in how devolved Government works if you'd like. But let's just be clear that this establishment here has responsibility for scrutinising me on areas where I have influence and power directly. And lots of those areas that you've touched upon are areas where it is the UK Government that has to make those decisions.

The First Minister reminds us again that she believes she has more influence over Donald Trump than she does over Sir Keir Starmer. But she has influence and fails to learn lessons over those areas she has responsibility for. The First Minister herself has put the NHS—a devolved responsibility of this Welsh Government—at the top of her list of priorities. Who would disagree with that, frankly? But, unfortunately, she has a record we can measure her by, and it is, frankly, indefensible. As health Minister, she promised that nobody would be waiting longer than 12 months for treatment in most specialities by the spring of this year. Now it's that no more than 8,000 will be waiting over two years by April. Based on December's numbers, even those figures are going in the wrong direction. And this is the First Minister failing on her No. 1 priority. Now, with a promise to eradicate 12-month waiting times seemingly consigned to Labour's growing missed targets filing cabinet, will the First Minister confirm whether or not she stands by the two-year wait promise?

Well, thanks very much. I think it's probably worth saying that I've got a hell of a lot more influence, I think, on Keir Starmer than he'll ever have if he were in charge. Let's just be clear also that what we've seen is a 66 per cent reduction in two-year waits since March 2022. I think that is something worth drawing attention to. We have seen a significant reduction despite that massive, massive call on the NHS, and it probably is worth reminding people about the pressure on the NHS. Just to give you a sense of how much work they're doing, in November, there were 2.1 million calls to GP practices and 1.6 million appointments offered, in a population of 3 million people. So, you're quite right. We have got to keep focused on, in particular, those people who've been waiting a long time in pain, and that's where the absolute focus is. That's why we've spent £50 million additional funding this financial year, which we wouldn't have had if we didn't have a Labour Government in Westminster, by the way, and there's a lot more to come, if we can pass the budget. Let me just be clear: if we can't pass the budget, it will be difficult for us to adhere to and to deliver on a reduction in the waiting times. So, if he's serious about wanting to help us with the NHS, then he should consider what he's going to do when it comes to the budget.

The First Minister is all talk when it comes to the partnership in power. Unfortunately, she is unable to deliver anything, it seems. One way to be assured of not getting the £4 billion owed on HS2 is to stop asking. The one way to be assured of not getting fair funding is to stop asking, which is exactly what we've seen the Welsh Government do under this First Minister, rather than standing up for Wales. Now, on health, it's the same with post-COVID recovery targets, isn't it? Despite changing the goalposts, the First Minister has already missed most of those targets too. No-one waiting longer than a year for their first out-patient appointment by the end of 2022—missed. Eliminate the number of people waiting longer than two years in most specialities by March 2023—missed. I could go on. Now, when setting her priorities, we were told that this was the Government's best opportunity in more than 14 years to realise Wales's ambitions: a partnership in power, two Labour Governments—problem solved. Who then should we hold accountable? Successive Labour health Ministers promoted to First Ministers? The Labour Cabinet Secretary for delivery? The UK Labour Government? Or is it collective Labour failure for letting Wales down?

Well, first of all, can I assure you that I haven't stopped asking for money for HS2? And I won't stop asking until we are satisfied. I think it is probably worth underlining the fact that, on average in Wales, the wait is 23 weeks for treatment in the NHS. And when we talk about partnership in power, there are times when of course that is very meaningful, and let me give you an example. The fact that we were able to give above-inflation pay rises to NHS workers in Wales was because of partnership in power—something we should be very, very proud of. The fact that we were able to get £25 million to help us to clear the pits—that's another example of partnership in power. But what I will say to you is—[Interruption.] Can I just be clear that what we've had is an opportunity to get the biggest uplift since the beginning of devolution for our budget, and he and his party are threatening not to support it, and, when it comes to presenting yourselves to the public and asking us to fix the NHS, you will be held to account for not—for not—giving the money that we want to help to deliver for Wales? The money is there. The money is there. It is there to be picked up. It's important, I think, that you put your mouth where the money is and you support that investment.

This Government is committed to reducing waiting times to access health services across Wales. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board will receive £7.3 million in additional funding this year to tackle its longest waits for planned care and diagnostics. This is on top of the £34 million already made available to the health board to drive planned care recovery.

Well, the reality is, when you look at dental provision in north Wales, only 27 per cent of residents in north Wales have access to NHS dental services in north Wales, a figure that has declined year-on-year for a decade, and will decline further from the end of March, because I understood today that two further dental practices will give up their NHS contracts and will turn to private practice, one in Llandudno and one in Buckley.

Now, the health board is unable to tell us how many of those without access to NHS services have access to private services, so we estimate that, possibly, up to three quarters of north Wales residents are now unable to access the services that they need. I would argue that the dental health of children and young people, in particular, are in the balance here. Dentists themselves have asked, for example, whether they can continue to provide dental care under an NHS contract to children 18 years of age, but the health board has refused that request. So, can I ask what consideration you as a Government are giving to ensure that at least young people under the age of 18 can continue to access NHS dental services wherever they are in north Wales? Because without that, you're storing up difficulties for the future, and the cost to the NHS in the long term will be far, far higher.

Thank you very much. You're quite right that it's important that we do ensure that there is access, and free access, in terms of dental services that is available to children particularly. Of course, we're in a situation now where there is a lot of procurement happening, so 94 per cent of dental work in north Wales now comes under the new dental arrangements and that has ensured that 80,000 people have been able to receive an appointment as a result of those new arrangements. 

Contracts are handed back now and again; people can choose whether they want to work for the NHS or whether they want to give that private provision. When contracts are handed back, they are re-procured and there is quite a significant amount of dental procurement activity going on across north Wales at the moment.

Thank you very much. I sound a bit like a broken record in saying this issue, but I won’t apologise for standing up for my constituents in the Vale of Clwyd. Emergency department waiting times in north Wales are at a level that other developed nations would not tolerate. Myself and fellow Conservative Senedd Members have applied pressure on the Welsh Government for years, forcing your hand on the north Denbighshire community hospital, yet you’ve continued to drag your feet. So, can the First Minister confirm whether 2025 will be the year that the Welsh Government finally stumps up the cash for the north Denbighshire community hospital in Rhyl that my constituents in the Vale of Clwyd have been crying out for for well over a decade, or will we continue to get hot air from yourself and this Welsh Government?

Thanks very much. I know the health board are reviewing proposals for the Royal Alexandra Hospital in partnership with local stakeholders. It’s expected that these proposals will include a minor injuries unit, which we hope will take pressure off the emergency department, and a number of intermediate care beds. Now, once the revised business case is submitted, it will be considered and prioritised against the wide range of other funding requests received across the NHS in Wales. The fact now that we have more capital than we've had in years will help us to make that decision.

I’m aware that delivery is a priority for the First Minister and so is patient flow, so I was going to ask a question as well about the Royal Alexandra. I know that they were coming up with a fully costed plan in the new year, and I believe that they are meeting with Denbighshire County Council today, and they’re really pleased to be working in partnership with Denbighshire council, who will be using the integrated care fund money, Welsh Government money, in partnership with any extra capital coming from the health board and the Government.

So, I’d like to ask: do you welcome this partnership working now between local authorities and the health board to help with this flow, because it’s really important to get that flow into social healthcare, and this project, the Royal Alexandra, will hopefully help to deliver that? And I’m really pleased that now, for the first time, we have got capital funding coming from the UK Government, which has held this up in the past, and so would you welcome this? And, hopefully, now we can get the Royal Alexandra project delivered for the people of Denbighshire and north Wales. Thank you.

Thanks for being such a champion for the Royal Alexandra Hospital, as was Ann Jones before you, the great champion for the Royal Alexandra Hospital, and she reminds me every time I see her. The fact that we've got this additional capital will make life a lot easier for us. The fact that, last year, we had £1 million as an uplift in capital for all capital across the whole of Wales; we've got over £200 million this year. I remember sitting in the health department, how difficult it was to find that additional capital expenditure to fix our hospitals and sort the hospitals. The fact that that money, again, is starting to flow—partnership in power, they don't like it, but that's the reason that we're able to make these kinds of decisions.

So, I do welcome the fact that they're working with the local authorities. That's exactly what it should look like, everybody working together, understanding that it's a direct relationship between health and care, and the fact that they've built this project together is a real model, I hope, for what we may see in future. But I haven't seen the business case yet, I know the health Minister hasn't seen the business case either. We'll wait for that to come forward, and then make a decision.

Diolch. We've set out, in the refreshed actions for 'A Healthier Wales', our commitment to tackle health inequalities across Wales. This includes an action to ensure equality of access to our health and social care system to improve equity of outcomes.

Diolch, Prif Weinidog. Just this month, we will see the opening of the 19 Hills Health and Well-being Centre in Ringland in Newport East. This centre will serve many deprived communities in that area of Newport, and be an integrated approach to healthcare and well-being, with a strong community focus. Some of the services moved into the community through that centre, as well as the current strengthening of GP services, will be mental health and well-being, dental services, substance misuse support, a range of allied health professionals such as physiotherapists, as well as substance misuse support and much else.

Would you agree with me, First Minister, that this model of delivery, reaching out into the community and working with the community around prevention as well as treatment, is a very strong model, already established elsewhere in Wales, and that we can confidently expect it to address the inverse healthcare law, where, unfortunately, very often, more deprived communities receive less in the way of services than more prosperous areas? I would like to congratulate Welsh Government, the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and a range of other partners on bringing this project to fruition. Finally, First Minister, will you continue to work with the health board, all the health professionals involved, the local authority and many others to ensure that the potential of this model is fully delivered for the people in those communities?

Thanks very much, John, and thanks for championing this as a really important initiative in your constituency. The fact that it's able to go ahead is because the Welsh Labour Government has ring-fenced money to make sure that we can see more integration of health and care, and understanding that, actually, that relationship with making sure people are physically well, mentally well, all of that, is going to be encapsulated in this project. So, I'm really grateful to you. There will be £25 million of Welsh Government funding going into that development in the 19 Hills Health and Well-being Centre. That's being built on land owned by Newport City Council, so it's the council, Welsh Government, the health board all working together. That's absolutely where we need to be, and the fact that this is happening in a Marmot region—. I'm a big fan of Michael Marmot, who understands that health is not about when you get sick; it's about making sure that all the conditions are in place to make sure that you can be fit, remain fit, remain healthy, have the opportunities that you need to live a healthy life. The fact that this is happening in a Marmot region is something that is particularly special.

First Minister, just before Christmas, it was announced that the acute stroke unit at the Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil was going to close. The service has now been moved to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, more than 20 miles away. Whilst I appreciate the in-depth brief that the health board bosses gave to elected representatives a few days before Christmas—

This question is about Newport East.

Newport East. I appreciate that, Presiding Officer, but—

Yes, appreciate it and reflect on it and action it. [Laughter.]

I will. That's fine. That's fine. That's okay. As I said, the move has understandably sparked a great deal of discontent amongst constituents in Newport East, Newport West and the region who use the service—there you go, Presiding Officer, I was coming to it—and an online petition that has been put out there calling for the closure to be stopped has, indeed, gained nearly 5,500 signatures. The crux of the decision, from my understanding, is due to workforce difficulties and problems recruiting stroke consultants. Based on the fact that the Welsh Labour Government is responsible for health, First Minister, I'm intrigued to know whether the Welsh Government looked into bringing stroke specialists from other health boards in Wales or elsewhere in the UK, even on a temporary basis, in a bid to avoid this closure. And now that the decision has been taken, is there any scope for it to be reviewed in the future? Thank you.

I think it's really important that there's an understanding that, when it comes to specialised services, actually, what most people are interested in is getting the best outcomes possible. And to get the best outcomes possible, you need excellent clinicians, and there are not many of them around. We're competing in a global market here, and when it comes to stroke services, we've done a huge amount of work on this. We're taking advice from the experts, they've come up with a plan in terms of how this should be delivered and what they're saying is, 'You need experts; you need to centralise services if you want the best outcomes for people.' And it is important that we follow that clinical advice. Now, I get that people want those services as close to home as possible—I get that—but actually I think for most people, what they're really interested in is getting the best clinical outcome, and if they need to move a little bit further for that, that is the thing that is going to save their life, potentially.

Well, I think it's probably worth starting by talking about the fact that around 66 per cent of the Welsh population own their own homes. But what many of them have seen, particularly those with mortgages, is a £2,000 increase on average now, compared to December 2021. And why is that? It's because of Liz Truss's little venture into an ideological world, which had an impact on people in our communities. It is as a direct consequence of poor political behaviour that we're seeing people having those increases in mortgages. So, we recognise that there are responsibilities that the UK Government has, but there are responsibilities and there are areas where we can step in, and we're doing a huge amount, within Wales, to help people out, because one of the major causes of the cost-of-living crisis is that increase in the amount that people have to spend on their mortgages and rents. So, we have given a huge amount of support to Help to Stay and Help to Buy; we've given empty homes grants and we've given property loans. There's a huge additional list, but I think it's important that the Conservative Party takes their share of responsibility for this mess. 

After temporary Truss was removed, the markets rebounded, but then a global cost-of-living crisis hit the world and interest rates shot up. The risk of people struggling with mortgages is growing, with Ministry of Justice data showing an increase in the number of mortgage possession claims coming forward in quarter 3 in Wales, and a snapshot of Shelter Cymru data from October 2024 showing an increase in cases related to mortgage arrears and possession proceedings. However, although the Welsh Government stated that its Help to Stay Wales shared equity loan mortgage support scheme, with £40 million repayable capital funding for 2023-24, could help hundreds of struggling home owners in Wales, a Welsh Government press release showed that just five Help to Stay loans were approved the first year that the scheme operated. Given this strong evidence that something more comprehensive is needed as a response, what steps is your Government taking to address the recent rise in mortgage possession claims, and what discussions has your Government had about the need for ring-fenced funding for mortgage rescue schemes in Wales?

Thanks very much. You’re quite right—the fact is that we have introduced this new Help to Stay support, and it only started a year ago. These things do take a while to get up and running. The scheme has encouraged numerous households to seek free debt advice, which may provide an alternative solution to meet their needs.

You’re asking what else we’re doing. The Help to Buy scheme, which started in January 2014, has helped over 14,350 people to buy their own homes, and the Government has made a huge amount of money available through the financial transaction capital. Not only has that amount been put on the table—£780 million of it—but in the draft budget for next year—if you want to help us out, you are more than welcome to do so—there will be £57 million of additional financial transaction capital for the Help to Buy scheme in Wales. If you’d like to go and talk to Shelter about that, about how you’d like to support them through supporting the budget, be my guest.

We take cross-Government action to improve health outcomes across Wales, including steps to tackle the health inequity caused by deprivation. Programmes such as Flying Start, support for vulnerable households over the winter, and our social prescribing framework all support those in our most socially deprived communities.

Thank you for that answer, First Minister, and the answers you’ve given to other colleagues this afternoon, which don't inspire confidence that your Government has a grip on waiting times here in Wales.

Yesterday morning, I was approached by a constituent who was referred to the Cardiff Heath hospital for a neurology inspection on an urgent basis. He was told that the waiting time was 122 weeks. Bear that in mind when you have ‘urgent’ written on that referral.

I know you won’t comment on the specifics of this individual’s case, but what am I to tell that individual when I go back to him and try and offer him some hope? That you’ll call round his house with a box of Quality Street, or have you got some answers for him so that he can get that urgent appointment that he desperately needs?

I understand the frustration that your constituent would have. It’s not good enough. For something that is an urgent need, we need to be dealing with that quicker. I know it won’t be of any comfort to him to know that the average waiting time in Cardiff is 25 weeks, which is a very different situation, and the same thing is true for Cwm Taf Morgannwg. I know that when it comes to cancer, for example, 72 per cent of patients in Cardiff started their cancer treatment within 62 days. That is a significant improvement on what we’ve seen in the past.

I get that that doesn’t help your particular constituent, but, clearly, we’re trying to tackle a huge number of these issues. There are different areas where there are additional pressures. Most of the two-year waits now are really isolated in particular pockets, and in particular areas. In orthopaedics, for example, which was a big problem across Wales for a very long time, we’re confident that we’ve brought those waiting lists down significantly across the whole of Wales. We still have issues in Betsi, but we’re building a new orthopaedic hub there to help things out there. And Cardiff still has issues with orthopaedic waits as well.

But the rest of them have been coming down significantly, partly as a result of that regional working and co-operation. More of that regional working and co-operation is perhaps something that Cardiff and the other health boards need to look at. Cardiff is having a particular issue with neurological waiting times. They need to be looking at how they can work with other health boards.

The successful introduction of the new electric trains on the Treherbert line will enable faster and more frequent services, encouraging the use of public transport in Rhondda and beyond, as will our forthcoming bus services Bill, which will enable better integration with rail and should improve links to local amenities.

We know that good public transport is vital for keeping communities connected, helping people to get to work and children get to school and college. The Welsh Government Treherbert line investment will make a real difference in Rhondda; residents can't wait to see the new trains on the line, later evening services and the Porth transport hub up and running as soon as possible. The hub will be key for linking trains and buses properly and making sure Rhondda Fach residents can benefit from through ticketing once again. Can the First Minister please provide an update regarding the Porth transport hub, when we can expect to see the hub open, and if there are any further updates regarding later evening services on the Treherbert line?

Thanks very much. I told you that I was focused on delivery, and this is an example of delivery: new electric trains are now running on the Treherbert line as part of a phased introduction. I'm sure we all welcome that, I'm sure your constituents will welcome that. I know they've put up with a lot, waiting for it to happen, but it's now there. It's something we should celebrate, and I hope it will be transformational for the Valleys. I think this is a real tangible benefit for passengers; I think it's a visible sign of delivery and transformation that's happening in Wales.

I know Transport for Wales are working closely with Rhondda Cynon Taf to open the Porth interchange. I understand that that is being planned within the coming weeks, so they won't have to wait for too much longer. They've also reached an agreement with Stagecoach buses to introduce improved bus-rail ticketing in the Rhondda Fach. That's going to be introduced when the new Porth bus station opens. So, lots of things to celebrate, and I hope that lots of people will understand delivery in action.

The investment summit will showcase Wales to global industry leaders and potential investors, highlighting the many opportunities and strengths in key industries here in Wales. The overall aim of the summit will be to catalyse new investment into Wales, supporting our priority for jobs and green growth.

Thank you for the answer. I certainly hope that the summit is a success. Wales actually has a good story and a good offer in a number of areas in the economy, from life sciences to renewable energy, fintech, cyber security, and, of course, high-value manufacturing. All of these areas have real potential for growth and good jobs right across Wales. One of the areas that we could improve on is the time it still takes to make major planning decisions, to provide greater speed and certainty for investors. The First Minister will recall the unresolved Cardiff parkway issues that I've raised with her as an example of what should not happen and the need to learn lessons. Can the First Minister confirm that learning lessons from Cardiff parkway and improving decision-making speed in our planning system, together with specific areas of investment and growth potential, will feature in the investment summit that she will run later this year?

Thanks very much, Vaughan. I think you're right—we've got a good story to tell and we need to tell it to an international audience. That's part of what we're planning to do in the investment summit. But you're quite right—I think what international investors, who can go anywhere in the world, want to know is what we can offer them additionally. We have a great skills base, we now have great infrastructure, and it's important now that we offer also quick planning decisions, because that is something that is important to them. So, we're exploring a wide range of options to accelerate planning decisions made by Ministers and local planning authorities, and we're going to formulate these into a delivery plan. There's additional money gone into planning. So, I just want to assure you that I'm taking the planning issue very seriously. I know you're impatient for an answer in relation to Cardiff parkway, and, once the consultation is closed, then obviously a decision will be made as soon as possible.

I thank the First Minister.

The next item will be the business statement and announcement. That statement will be made by the Trefnydd, Jane Hutt.

Thank you very much, Llywydd. Three statements have been added to today’s agenda. However, the statement on Welsh language technology will be issued as a written statement. Additionally, questions to the Senedd Commission tomorrow have been reduced to 10 minutes. Draft business for the next three weeks is set out in the business statement and announcement, which are available to Members electronically.

Trefnydd, I’d like to call for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales regarding the closure of the A487 in Newport in my constituency. The road is to be closed for eight weeks, and local businesses are understandably anxious about the impact of the closure on the community and the fact that it could deter people from visiting the area and their businesses. Of course, everyone appreciates that essential maintenance needs to take place, but at the same time it’s vital that there is some support available to local businesses who will be disadvantaged during this particular period. Therefore, given that the A487 is a trunk road under the jurisdiction of the Welsh Government, I’d be grateful if a statement was forthcoming regarding this matter so that businesses can understand how the Welsh Government will support them whilst the road is closed. Receiving a statement like this will be helpful because it can tell all businesses, indeed, across Wales, what support is available under circumstances like these when roads are closed.

Thank you very much, Paul Davies, for your question.

There is an opportunity, of course, tomorrow for questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales. I think that is an opportunity where you can raise this. Of course, it’s important, that understanding, as I’m sure you’ve recognised, of the need for road maintenance and upgrading. It is a trunk road, but also it is a partnership arrangement with the local authority. So, of course, your question is now on the record today, and I’m sure you will take the opportunity to raise the question with the Cabinet Secretary tomorrow.

Trefnydd, I note that yesterday the summary of responses to the consultation on draft priorities for culture was published. I welcome that. It notes in the written statement that there will be a Government response published in the spring, including the final strategy, hopefully. It doesn't say when in spring. So, may I ask whether we can ensure that that is an oral statement? Because there are several concerning things raised in the summary of responses to the consultation. For example, it says the ability to care for historical collections and assets is under threat and is easy to take for granted, that additional support is needed for heritage and culture that are in danger, and that resources are needed to safeguard against environmental threats and increasing operational costs. We haven't had an opportunity to discuss culture on the floor of this Senedd for a very long time, and there are a number of points that we would like to have clarity from the Minister on. I'm sure that other Members will have questions on them too. We haven’t had a great deal of detail from the Government in terms of the written statement. The response is very ambiguous. So, may I ask for that assurance so we can have an opportunity to scrutinise this in full and receive the answers?

Diolch, Heledd Fychan. The Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership has been very engaged in this in terms of responding to the extensive consultation that has taken place. There will be opportunities for scrutiny in terms of taking this forward, but again your comments are noted today in the Chamber.

Minister, you will have heard the exchange during questions on the issue of eHarley Street and the provision of primary care in my constituency and elsewhere in the Aneurin Bevan area. We discussed this matter before Christmas as well. It would be useful to have a statement from the Welsh Government on what happens when services collapse. It’s quite clear to me that eHarley Street has failed the people of Brynmawr, Aberbeeg, Tredegar and other parts of the Aneurin Bevan area. They’ve failed their staff, they’ve failed the people they are supposed to serve. What do we do as Members when that sort of failure occurs? We take matters up with the health board, but this goes beyond the simple delivery of services; it’s about our values as a Government and as a people. The way that staff have been let down and bullied by eHarley Street is appalling. We cannot stand by and allow that to happen in this country. We cannot stand by and see our primary services privatised in this way, and we cannot stand by when services are failing. Would it be possible to have a statement? What do we do to ensure continuity of services for the people we represent?

Thank you, Alun Davies, for raising this again this afternoon and, indeed, with the First Minister, but also raising it with myself, as Trefnydd, before Christmas on more than one occasion, and, indeed, joined by other Senedd Members—Hefin David, Jocelyn Davies—and it’s also been raised by other Senedd Members affected—Lynne Neagle—and MPs as well. And I believe you are meeting with the chief executive—you are due to meet with them—shortly, to discuss these issues. You will have seen the commitment—heard the commitment—from the First Minister in terms of concerns that have been raised about some of the practices, I think, that have come through that eHarleyStreet engage in, in terms of their management of the contract that they have. It is the responsibility of the health board and, of course, it’s about their management of this contract, which I’m sure you’ll be raising with them. And, indeed, the Cabinet Secretary is meeting the chair to discuss this further. So, I think the level of discussion and concern that’s been raised in the Chamber today, Llywydd, by Members will make sure that we, as a Government, are looking at this very carefully in terms of responsibilities for the health board to tackle this.

Blwyddyn newydd dda. I’d like a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for finance on the steps being taken to improve due diligence of this Welsh Government before awarding grants to some business ventures. Only last week we heard of the site of the former aluminium works in Dolgarrog. They received £8 million of Welsh taxpayers’ money, and yet the surf lagoon, also financed by the Welsh Government, closed down in 2023. I know, from Companies House, that the Welsh Government have a charge against the limited company, but also, it’s not just that. Now, two years ago, I raised with the First Minister at the First Minister’s scrutiny committee, when these grants are given out to certain companies that then, for want of a better word, go bust, what financial monitoring is actually taken? You know, if the Development Bank of Wales were to give out loans, they would do thorough monitoring and would want a business case, because £400,000 was invested in the failed G.M. Jones headquarters in Llanrwst, £9 million of public money on the Circuit of Wales, £100 million wasted on technium centres, £114 million on the M4 relief road project, and much more, including Cardiff Airport, Bryn Cegin business park, Bangor. Many constituents of mine just wring their hands in despair at millions of pounds that are being wasted by this Welsh Government, and, in my opinion, they need some lessons in due diligence before awarding such grants. So, how will you work with the new First Minister in ensuring that—? You know, I've got small businesses where £5,000 would actually help them to remain sustainable, yet millions are given away on really poor projects, and it's time to call a halt to this. Diolch.

Well, Janet Finch-Saunders, you started by saying 'Blwyddyn newydd dda'—blwyddyn newydd dda. But I hope we can have some sensible questions to the Trefnydd, in terms of the fact that you know that I can't possibly respond to the lists, and it's about listing, isn't it, Janet? It's about listing grants to organisations, to businesses, to the private sector, but you went way beyond that, beyond your own region and constituency, to many other areas in terms of governance. All I can say is that I'm sure that your questions will be noted by some, and, indeed, it is important that you have the opportunity to do so. 

Happy new year. I'd like to have a statement, please, to say what support is available to local authorities to deal with the effects of the winter weather.

The wintry weather has caused a lot of difficulty locally. When the snow melted it caused flooding that led to road closures in Hengoed, in Ebbw Vale, and there was a landslip near Crumlin. And now that will have caused worry for people not just in that area, either, because in the storms that we had at the end of last year, there were landslips across the Valleys. We saw sinkholes opening up, and there was even a coal tip that slipped in Cwmtillery. The layout of our valleys, the topography, the fact that so many towns are built on top of these very old culverts or on mountainsides or beneath these tips—that makes our communities especially vulnerable in heavy rain or in snow. I would call, please, for a statement that could set out targeted support for local authorities representing those communities to help them to not only respond when places flood or the land slips, but to help to prevent those problems from happening so that something could be done nationally to align that, please, because this winter, we can expect more storms, more snow. So, could a statement please set out that support that could be co-ordinated as a priority? Diolch.

Diolch yn fawr, Delyth Jewell. They have experienced again—people and communities, our constituents—the impact of the winter weather, the impact of climate change. And, indeed, before Christmas, at the end of the session, the Deputy First Minister was making statements on storm Darragh, and storm Bert only a couple of weeks before, and then we have seen the impact of the winter weather over the last few weeks. And the impact is formidable for people, but also for local authorities in terms of their response. But I do believe that the opportunities that will be presented through the draft budget for next year are going to be really important in terms of assisting local authorities, particularly in terms of roads. The impact of bad weather on roads we know, and I think that the fact that, in the draft budget, we do have this opportunity for local authorities to use their borrowing powers to help us to have a really robust road maintenance programme across Wales, I think, is really important. But, again, the Deputy First Minister and Minister for climate change and rural affairs recognises indeed the impact of the winter weather, and I'm sure that we will be discussing it in the coming days and weeks.

Trefnydd, I want to request a Welsh Government response to the wild interventions in this country's politics led by the world's richest man. Predictably, as a consequence of that, another man has been charged with sending malicious communications to Jess Phillips MP, and there have been serious threats to her well-being. As chair of this Senedd's women's caucus—and I'm sure women in this Chamber will agree—I am deeply concerned that this poison may deter good women—all women—from entering public life. There is plenty of evidence that it's already causing women to leave public life. At a time when we are looking to expand and enrich our institution here at the next election, to encourage diversity within this debating Chamber, we have to raise concerns about interventions that are coming here to the UK. And we are the next in line for elections, so I am very keen to know what our Government is putting in place, working with other bodies that have powers to put things in place, to prevent this overtaking of the very good work that will happen to encourage people to stand. 

Well, thank you very much, Joyce Watson, for raising this issue, and I'm sure across the Chamber we would respect and understand that it is utterly unacceptable and we must roundly condemn the ways in which there are some people in a position of influence—and you've referred to that—who do appear to be more interested in spreading misinformation far and wide, and also the impact on people in public life that those words have had—tragic consequences. I think we would all want to—I would certainly want to—stand with you in support of Jess Phillips, who's one of the most remarkable women politicians, who spent all her life, before she become a politician, standing up for the rights of women and tackling domestic abuse and violence against women and sexual harassment. What she has gone through just over the last few days is appalling, and we must roundly condemn it.

I think it's also really important that we link this to the fact that we've just concluded today our consultation on diversity and inclusion, and guidance for registered political parties. I am grateful to all political parties, all registered political parties, for engaging with this, because this is about how we can reach out and encourage women particularly, and more diverse people, to come forward and stand for election. But you would think, 'Why would I want to put myself forward?', and of course men, everyone, in terms of thinking of opportunities to stand for election. So, we are looking for political parties—. And I look forward to seeing the responses about ways in which we can have a better working environment, that it's respectful, and that we recognise the impact of the kind of outrageous misinformation and lies and smears that have been, not just in the recent days, but so often targeting women in politics. So, thank you for that. I know the Electoral Commission is very engaged with this, and the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government is working with the Electoral Commission, because this is about how we can have a vibrant, inclusive and respectful democracy.

Good afternoon, Trefnydd. I just wanted to see if I could have a statement, please, from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care with regard to funding to health boards, particularly those that are operating on the border with England. The big challenge is around how we can fund elective and planned surgery when that's in an English health board. And the effect, for example, on Powys Teaching Health Board is that we're facing potential deficit this financial year of £9.4 million, which will mean that we'll have to look at a freeze on locum staff, and also to extend waiting times. This is particularly concerning for Powys residents, as you can imagine. So, I was just wondering if you can just reflect on some of those issues around funding for our health boards, particularly those operating on the border with England. Diolch yn fawr iawn.

Diolch yn fawr, Jane Dodds. Just before I answer your question, can I also extend my deepest sympathies and condolences to yourself, the Welsh Liberal Democrat family and the family of Jenny Randerson? I was very privileged to serve as a Minister and be one of the class of 1999—there aren't many of us here—who worked with Jenny over the years. And also, I do, of course, remember Peter as well. We go back to recognising former colleagues, but particularly for Jenny—she was such a role model for women, just following that question and that observation that we've had on the impact of politics on women's lives, and the fact that Jenny was such a strong woman in every role that she played. We do miss her enormously and send our sympathies.

You raise a question about the financial position of Powys Teaching Health Board, and, of course, Powys, like all the other health boards, received an uplift as part of the final budget for this financial year, and is now, of course, looking into the next financial year, continuing to the draft budget, looking at the priority to address all the issues that we've been discussing this afternoon, the First Minister particularly, in terms of reducing the longest waiting times, including, I have to say, for mental health, access to social care and services for women's health. I understand that a meeting has taken place with the Cabinet Secretary and the chair of Powys Teaching Health Board before Christmas, so these issues are obviously being considered and addressed. 

I'd like a statement, please, from the Cabinet Secretary for Education on school mobile phone policy. Christ the Word Catholic School in Rhyl last week announced a new school phone policy for pupils, in which they are required to place their phones in a pouch at the front of the classroom, ensuring they are not a distraction. I think this is an excellent decision and I commend the principal's bold action. There is solid empirical evidence that smartphones and social media are not just a distraction from the classroom and an impediment to learning, but also are linked to higher rates of poor mental health and well-being, and bullying. Many schools in England have made the decision to ban phones from the classroom, and internationally phone bans are becoming commonplace, with the results so far looking very positive. The state of Florida has introduced a state-wide ban on phones in the classroom, with the New York governor also backing the measure. The UK Government's guidance for schools in England heavily encourages schools to implement measures to ban phones from the classroom, yet no such guidance exists in Wales, with current guidance to encourage effective use. So, can I ask for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Education on the guidance issued to schools in relation to their phone policy, and to consider reviewing current guidance in line with the most recent evidence from experts and in line with the rest of the UK? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Gareth Davies, and thank you for raising this issue, which is the responsibility of schools, and there are schools taking these important decisions. Of course, the Cabinet Secretary for Education will be aware of the comments that you've made this afternoon.

I thank the Trefnydd.

The motions to elect Members to committees are next, and if there is no objection I propose that the motions to elect members to committees, in accordance with Standing Orders 12.24 and 12.40, are grouped for discussion and voting. Does any Member object? If not—.

I'll call on a member of the Business Committee to move the motions formally. Jane Hutt.

Formally.

The motions are moved. The proposal, therefore, is to agree the motions. Does any Member object? No. Therefore, all Members are elected to the committees.

Item 4 is next, a statement by the First Minister, and that is on delivering for Wales. The First Minister, therefore, Eluned Morgan.

Diolch yn fawr. Llywydd, my first job as First Minister wasn't making speeches in this Chamber, it was getting out there, meeting people and listening: real conversations in real communities across Wales. [Interruption.] My God, the barracking has started. You told me what mattered most—[Interruption.] It's all right—the troops are coming. It's okay, the troops are coming.

You told me—you, the public—told me what mattered most: a healthier Wales, jobs and green growth, an opportunity for every family, and connecting communities, and that's what shapes everything that we do.

I promised then I'd be a First Minister focused on delivery, not warm words, not fancy strategies, but on action, and we've already put an additional £157 million this financial year exactly into where people told me that it matters most—straight into faster NHS treatment. Twenty-one million pounds of that was for NHS diagnostic equipment to help cut waiting times. Years of austerity meant no money to pay staff overtime, no extra operations, no choice. But now staff are working extra hours, operating through evenings and weekends. We're getting Wales moving again.

What is always worth repeating is that a staggering 2 million NHS contacts are made every month in a population of 3 million people. That's our reality, and let's be clear: the vast majority are getting great care. But, yes, the pressure is real, and I've felt it. I walked those hospital corridors just last week. I talked to our front-line staff. They need backing, they need support, and we're giving them that support.

To the envy of health trusts in England, we've already rolled out the all-Wales fracture liaison service—a new way to prevent people from breaking bones rolled out in every health board. And we've reduced the age at which people receive bowel cancer screening tests to 50 because prevention matters when it comes to healthcare.

Now, pass this budget in March and they'll get even more support, but already we've provided this year an extra £50 million for better school buildings, building on our sustainable communities for learning programme success, and £180 million extra backing our students—every child, every chance, every day. Now, you told us more children need learning support. So, we listened. We acted. We delivered: £10 million, new support staff, better resources, real change, real impact all across Wales, from Anglesey to Cardiff, from Wrexham to Pembrokeshire.

And housing. We're on it: £20 million more for social homes and community care. Why? Because people are hurting. Because the Tories’ cost-of-living crisis continues to bite hard. Truss's ideological experiment sent mortgages sky high, pushing people to the brink, some onto the streets. Families facing impossible choices. Not here. Not in Wales. Not on our watch. We're stepping up. We're standing strong, supporting our communities, because that's what Wales does. That's who we are. This isn't just spending, it's investment in what the public told us that matters. It’s not just Government speak, it’s the public's money, working for them: your money working for you.

And look what we've already done: Wales's first women's health plan, because women's health matters. Many women felt that they weren’t getting the hearing that they deserved, and we will now introduce women’s health hubs in each health board area in Wales. We've also opened a new medical school in north Wales, training our doctors closer to home and encouraging those who come to study to stay. And we are more than aware of the challenges of child poverty, and that's why we are so proud that now we can provide free school meals in all primary schools, because we won't accept primary school children in Wales learning on empty stomachs.

I have been and I will continue to be relentlessly focused on the Welsh economy, and with Labour now in Westminster our work in this area can be enhanced—two Labour Governments, double the power, double the impact for Wales, real partnership with real results. Working with UK Labour, we helped to bring £1 billion investment to Shotton Mill. That's 367 jobs in Wales—real people, real families, with real security.

We have accelerated infrastructure planning decisions and we have approved five major renewable energy projects that will produce enough energy to help power 180,000 homes. And £3.7 million in addition has been provided to support planning decisions. On top of that, we have spent £12 million on broadband connectivity that will help people in rural areas to work from home and to have faster access to the internet.

And we've made up for the fact that we had to make really difficult decisions last year in cutting arts budgets due to austerity, and now we've provided an extra £2.5 million to arts organisations, ensuring that Welsh culture in all its forms is alive and well. We've continued to invest in connecting communities, ensuring £800 million in new rolling stock to transform our railways; we've invested £7.7 million in our burns unit at Morriston, which serves 10 million people from Aberystwyth to Oxford, and we've invested in our workforce, delivering above-inflation pay rises for hundreds of thousands of public sector workers.

We’ve secured £25 million in addition from the UK Government for coal tip safety, and we are hopeful of more to come. And we’ve provided £10 million for smart local energy systems, empowering communities to take control of their energy futures.  And whilst we know that many farmers are not content at the moment, we have made £14 million available to them to support sustainable practices on farms, and the Deputy First Minister has set out a clear plan for what the future of agriculture looks like, working with the industry. We've provided £1.5 million to provide safe and warm places for people to go, and we've provided £700,000 in vouchers to help people with their fuel bills.

All of these things have been delivered since I took up my role as First Minister less than six months ago, and that is what delivery looks like.

And now we have got a proposed new budget, and the public in Wales will be watching to see whether it's supported or not. A proposed £1.5 billion extra for public services in real terms—the largest budget ever available to Welsh Government outside COVID. Every department gets more. Real investment in the fabric of our nation. After 14 years of the Tories squeezing Wales dry, we're fighting back. We're investing in our future. 

But here's the thing: we’re just getting started. Let me be clear, as I have been with my officials and Ministers: 2025 isn't about big reports, it's about delivery. More pace. More action. More results. And, yes, let's hope 25 more years. I'm proud of what we're doing, but I'm more excited about what we're going to do. Working with anyone who shares our vision for Wales—businesses, councils, communities, trade unions—we're building momentum. By the end of this Senedd term, we'll have invested £400 million more to support the NHS service with delivery and pay. We're going to spend £175 million more on modernising our NHS. We're going to bring buses under public control and repair thousands of potholes and pavements. We're going to spend more money on culture, heritage and sport, because that's what makes us Welsh. We're going to focus on getting school attendance back to pre-pandemic levels, and we're going to narrow the gap between those with free school meals and their peers. We're going to provide additional targeted support for literacy and numeracy for every school, and we're going to provide £40 million to support people with additional learning needs. And we're going to make sure every secondary school has a plan in place to support mental health and well-being. We're going to provide £144 million to maintain our flagship apprenticeship programme. These are just a few examples of the ambitious plans that we have.

And it isn't just about making speeches here; it's about making a difference out there, in our hospitals, in our schools, in our communities. I'm here because Wales needs action. It needs real change. It needs real results. You told me what works and what doesn't. You showed me what needs to change, and we’re getting on with it. That's my style: listen, act, deliver. No fancy words, no excuses, just real action for real people in real communities. Because, together, we're building a Wales that works, where our NHS delivers, where our kids have chances, where our communities thrive, where good jobs grow. This conversation doesn't end here; it's just getting started.  And every day, my promise stays the same: I will deliver for Wales, I'm going to deliver for you, and I'll be setting out more things the public can expect to see delivered before the next election in the near future. Diolch.

Well, well, well. 'We need real results and we need real change.' You're too right we need real change. That's why we need to see the back of this clapped-out, tired, lazy Labour Government, a Government that has failed the people of Wales for 26 years. You talk about the fact that you're just getting started; you've been in for more than quarter of a century in power, in various guises. You say you don't want any fancy strategies—a strategy would be a start, but it doesn't appear that we've got one of those either. This is supposed to be a statement on delivery, yet you're not delivering on our NHS, you're not delivering for our children in education, and you're not delivering on our economy either. We've seen road projects cancelled. We heard in your statement that you're going to speed up planning decisions, and this is on the same day that the leader of Cardiff Council is criticising you for not having made a decision on Cardiff parkway railway station. You couldn't make it up. The timing couldn't be worse.

And also you're talking about this on a day when we've just discussed in First Minister's questions the fact that the NHS in Wales is, frankly, on its knees: one in two ambulances not turning up in time, record-breaking waiting lists, 24,000 people waiting over two years for treatment—18 times higher than the rate in England, where it's just 148 people—A&E performance that is unacceptable, and health boards, all of our health boards in Wales, in various places on the scale of escalation. What we really need is, urgently, extra bed capacity in our health boards; we need to make sure that we've got those diagnostic centres that we've been calling for for three years, that you only seem to be getting your finger out to get sorted now; and we need a proper, detailed workforce plan, because you've been responsible for workforce planning for 26 years, and you've gotten it hopelessly wrong. That's why we've got no dentists; that's why we've got no doctors; that's why we've got a shortage of nurses and we're having to ship them in from all sorts of places around the world. It isn't good enough.

And on education, you say you want every child to have every chance, every single day—so do I—but, unfortunately, they're being let down. It is an absolute national disgrace that one in five of our children are leaving school functionally illiterate. It is a disgrace that the people, the young people in England from the most deprived backgrounds are on average doing better than the whole of the average for every pupil in Wales. This is not right. We've got to make sure that we attract new teachers into the profession, and we've got to make sure that we get the situation sorted for our young people with additional learning needs, many of whom are missing out completely on their education or are having to go into the private system, which you're now taxing extra with the VAT, in order to make sure that they get the educational opportunities that they need and deserve.

You didn't mention older people, by the way, in your statement. You didn't mention older people. That's because, of course, you've failed on your promise to the WASPI women; you've failed in terms of the continuity of the winter fuel allowance, which has been withdrawn. You say you haven't got the money to introduce a Welsh winter fuel allowance, and yet you've just put up in your budget, by £117 million, your central services budget. Well, I know what older people in Wales do need, and it's not a voucher. It's not a voucher to go to a warm hub or to help them pay their electricity bills; it's to make sure that those winter fuel allowances are there to save the lives of the 4,000 people across Wales that even your own Government estimates will be lost as a result of that withdrawal. It is a disgrace.

And you're not delivering on our economy. You've been scrapping road projects. You've been making sure that our countryside is becoming increasingly plastered by pylons, solar panels and wind turbines. They're the only planning decisions that you seem to be facilitating as a Welsh Government. And you say you've had no money; it's just a few years ago that you sent £150 million back to the Treasury because you said you couldn't spend it in time, you couldn't think of ideas for how to spend it.

Your solution for buses is to nationalise them, well, that's been a great success with our trains, hasn't it? It's been a great success with our airport, the nationalisation of those things, where hundreds of millions of pounds have been wasted by your Government, have gone down the sink, and that's hundreds of millions of pounds that you could have spent on proper solutions to fix the challenges across Wales that people are facing.

It is, again, a disgrace that we've got the highest economic inactivity in Wales and the lowest pay packets in the UK as well. We need to put these things right, but I'm afraid, if you're only just getting started, I don't want to see the end of it. So, let's make sure that we have an election as soon as possible to see the back of you lot, because that's what I want.

Well, thanks very much. Where do I start? [Laughter.] If you want to know what failure looks like, Darren, just take a look at the results of your last general election results in Wales. That is what failure looks like. Fourteen years of mismanagement of the UK economy and the people of Wales comprehensively rejected you, so don't come here preaching to me with your, 'We could do this better', because the people of Wales are simply not on the same page as you.

Now, let me be clear. We have set out a list of priorities, and we've said, and I've been very clear, that we're going to focus on the four things the public told us that were most important to them. I'm going to remain focused on those and I'm not going to be distracted. I've been leader for less than six months. I've got a very different style of leadership, and we will do things differently. One of the things we're going to do is to make sure that we drive the change in terms of planning, so £3.7 million additional funding going in to speed up those planning decisions. 

The NHS average—. Let's just be clear, it is delivering for the vast majority of the people of Wales: 2 million contacts every month in a population of 3 million people. The average wait for treatment is 23 weeks. You talk about the need to set up diagnostic facilities. We'd have loved to set up diagnostic facilities before now. We had no capital. Your Government did not give us the capital to allow us to do that. We now have significant additional capital, which is why we will be able to invest in our public schools. And it is important, I think, that you look at more recent stats in relation to our education standards. You're using prehistoric stats that are very much out of date. I can tell you that the kind to support that we give in our schools, when it comes to well-being, to mental health and all of those other things, is much, much better than anything they're getting elsewhere.

When you talk about nothing here for older people, older people use the NHS, older people walk on our pavements, they use our roads, they have a £100 cap in terms of care. So, all of these things are things that many of them today have taken for granted. I think it's really important that people start to recognise that, actually, if you want it, if you appreciate it, then you have to vote for it. The fact that we have free prescriptions in Wales is something people just take for granted, not something that your Government offered.

You talk about we don't build roads anymore. Well, Ken was up at the biggest construction project in the UK yesterday, which will open up huge opportunities for economic development in our Valleys, and that is really important to the people who live there. The Welsh people are looking for hope, and I'm damned sure they're not going to get it from you.

This was a weak statement by the First Minister. Labelled 'delivery', but, essentially, just a reminder that this is a failing Government that is in a rut, out of ideas, out of energy, and soon, hopefully, to be out of power. We heard from the First Minister today that she is basing what she is doing on action not words. Carwyn Jones established a delivery unit in 2011. It was disbanded five years later. He said at the time, though,

'We don’t want words with no action following on from those words.'

Surely, though, we should expect from Government, whether or not you have a delivery unit or a Minister for Delivery, as we have now, that they should be promoting and pursuing action at all times. The First Minister opened her statement today by celebrating the fact that she has been out talking to actual people, as if it's something special. Surely, again, that is something that we should come to expect from a Government. And it's been 25 years of apparently not listening to people, yet we're told now it's action and no fancy strategies. I assure the First Minister that she needs a strategy.

In questions to the First Minister earlier today, I referred to a litany of broken promises. As health Minister, she vowed that nobody would be waiting more than 12 months for treatment by the spring of this year, but with total disregard for the impact on patients and staff alike, the broken promise is repackaged now as bringing two-year waits down to 8,000. Remember what Carwyn Jones said:

'We don’t want words with no action following on from those words.'

Llywydd, the First Minister delivered post-Christmas chocolates to front-line staff—useful to have a camera standing by. But it was a kind gesture that, nonetheless, doesn't airbrush, does it, over the fact that we have a lack of delivery on promises made to the people of Wales.

I'll start, though, by agreeing with a couple of positives mentioned by the First Minister as Labour successes. [Interruption.] That's your call to go and deliver, Cabinet Secretary. Yes, a couple of promises: Bangor medical school and free school meals were celebrated. I would remind her that these are both Plaid Cymru proposals repeatedly blocked and voted down by Labour. But, yes, we are pleased that, through the determination of these benches, we eventually did persuade the Government to do them. But look elsewhere, and too often we see promises made that haven't been kept.

Now, as he muses about Labour's troubles in his latest blog, the Member for Llanelli puts its current opinion poll standing down to inflation and a rebellion against the incumbent Government, but his analysis and proposed remedy, much of which I don't disagree with, by the way, misses one critical point. What if the Government actually fulfilled its promises? What if the punitive and—as Labour themselves once put it—outdated Barnett formula was replaced, as we were told it would be? What if the cross-border health plan was more than a PR stunt? What if the First Minister persuaded the Prime Minister to devolve the Crown Estate? What if the partnership in power actually meant something? Wouldn't that be a start? You can't stand up for Wales by sitting on your hands.

Llywydd, empty promises encourage people to turn to powers that feed on prejudice and fear. We have to gain trust in our promises. That's the essence of delivery: doing what we say we're going to do, and to do so in order to create a fairer society that works for everyone who is part of it. The record of the Labour Government is one, I'm afraid, of blaming others, more often than not, whether it's COVID or the Conservatives, and I agree with much of the criticism of the Conservatives, of course, but blaming them for everything that goes wrong—. But do you know what? Week after week, I speak with more and more people in Wales who are asking for more, who are asking for change—people who want to see standards rising in our schools, waiting times reducing in our NHS, and a more enterprising economy that makes the best use of the resources and potential of our communities. And despite all of the repackaging of the measures that count, Labour is not delivering. Labour is not working for Wales.

I will end by reflecting on what the First Minister said: 'We're just getting started.' Labour have led Welsh Government for 25 years. If the First Minister believes that now it is time for them to get started, then it really is time for a fresh start with Plaid Cymru.

Well, I think it's going to be really difficult for you to sell your pipe dreams to the public, because that's what they are. They are pipe dreams. At one point, you wanted to nationalise Tata. I think, this Christmas, you wanted to nationalise the port of Holyhead.

We still do.

There we go. Where is this magic money tree of Plaid coming from? What are you going to cut? Do you know what? If you're serious about wanting to get into power, you're going to have to get serious about saying what you're going to cut. And every time you vote against the budget, every time you ask for more money, the public is watching you and thinking, 'That's not serious.' That is not serious. If you want people to run your country, you need the grown-ups in the room, and it's really important that people understand that it's difficult to run a Government, and to make promises on nationalising Tata, on nationalising the port of Holyhead, without any concept of what it would mean, how much it would cost, whilst actually the thing that we're interested in is focusing on the four priorities that the public told us that we should focus on, and that's what we're doing, because we've never taken the public in Wales for granted. We know we have to earn their trust. We know that the demands on the NHS are constantly increasing and that we have massive challenges. And let me tell you. You might be cynical and stick your nose up about me going to thank people on our front line. Actually, it was really appreciated by people, and I think people have had enough of this sneering negativity.

You know what they call him where I live? They call him 'Rhun ap Negative'. That's what they call him. Always looking at the negative, and it is important to recognise that Rhun ap Negative walked away. He walked away from the—[Interruption.] He walked away from the agreement. So, it is important, I think, for us to recognise—. Oh, he doesn't like that one, does he? That's touched a little nerve there—

I think that name calling is touching a nerve with quite a few of us, actually, so can we refrain from the personalisation, First Minister?

I think it is important for us to make sure that we’re not distracted from our priorities: from jobs, from the NHS, from connecting communities, from giving opportunities. We all know that if they ever came to power, none of it, no problem, would be their responsibility—it would all be set at the door of the UK Government. The public know that. They know that, actually, it makes far more sense to have somebody who can have a decent conversation with the Prime Minister of this country.

I’m grateful to the First Minister for that statement. I very much welcome the priorities that the First Minister has set out this afternoon, and very much welcome the way in which she’s done that. She’s set out her vision for the future. I think we all recognise and welcome that.

If we are serious about achieving those ambitions, and if we’re serious about achieving the vision that the First Minister has set out, then we need a financial settlement that enables that to happen. One of the really key things facing the Welsh Government at the moment is the financial settlement upon which all of these ambitions rest. We know that Wales is the worst funded part of the United Kingdom. We know that the United Kingdom Government has recognised the needs of Northern Ireland, and we know that the Barnett formula works well for Scotland. Barnett is letting Wales down every day of the week, every week of the year. If we’re serious about ensuring that we’re able to deliver for the people we represent in the coming years, then we need a financial formula that funds Wales according to Wales’s needs. That has to be our priority.

I hope, First Minister, in delivering the ambitions that you set out this afternoon, and in delivering the vision that we all share, a part of that will be ensuring that we have a settlement that recognises Wales’s needs, and enables this Welsh Government to drive forward to meet all of our ambitions for all of the people that we represent.

Thanks very much. I think it is important to recognise that what we have is the best financial settlement since the start of devolution. That is something that I think we should celebrate. But you’re quite right—it is important for us to look at reform of the Barnett formula. That is something that’s been a long-standing issue for us in the Labour Government. But let me tell you that I think it will be much more difficult to ask for reform of the Barnett formula if this Chamber has just turned against an uplift of £1.3 billion. There is no way they’re going to take us seriously if this Chamber says 'no' to that.

Your style, you say, First Minister, is to listen, to act and deliver. You were the health Minister for three years, and when you left that role, the waiting lists had increased, we had fewer GPs, and we were 2,000 nurses short. Is this the result of listening, acting and delivering? One in five people in Wales are on a waiting list. Patients are waiting hours, days sometimes, in ambulances and in A&E departments before being seen. People can’t see a dentist and they’re having to take their own teeth out. GPs don’t have enough time with their patients because there aren’t enough of them. Patients are waiting in beds in hospitals needlessly because there is no care in the community, and vulnerable people can’t receive the care that they need because there are no carers for them. And unpaid carers are being burnt out because of the lack of support for them. You said in your statement that there would be no excuses. Will you, therefore, take responsibility for these failures?

Thank you very much. Of course, I was responsible for the health portfolio when there was a pandemic, and there was a situation where waiting lists had increased a lot under those circumstances. As I have said previously, people have clinical intervention, on average, within 24 weeks. And I think it’s worth emphasising as well that, on average, 1.6 million appointments are made with GPs in our communities every month. That equates to about half of the Welsh population, and that’s amazing work that’s done by the people who work in the NHS every day of the year.

Last year was the hottest year on record, which follows 2023, which was the hottest year on record. In fact, the United Nations says that all the projections are now at the upper end of what was predicted. The 10 hottest years on record all happened in the last 10 years. Can the First Minister confirm that tackling climate change remains a priority for the Government, and that the legal targets and the carbon budgets remain a priority for this Government to deliver on?

Thank you very much. I would like to make it clear that of course this Government takes climate change extremely seriously. We just need to look at the recent weather to understand that it's something that is not in the future—it's something that's with us right now. It's affecting our communities, certainly every winter, but also in the summer. There is a direct effect on the way we live at the moment, and, unless we take our share of responsibility, then we are handing on a really difficult situation to future generations. That is not the kind of Government that I lead.

I think there are real opportunities, though, when it comes to climate change, and one of those is the opportunity that we have to exploit the natural resources we have in Wales. That's why, later on today, there's going to be a statement by the economy Secretary to set out how we are practically moving on, through the establishment of a task and finish group, with the development of offshore wind in Wales—what investment it will take, what we need to put in place as a Government to make that happen. So, I can give him that assurance.

Whatever you say about achievement, nothing could be further from the truth in terms of what we're seeing across Wales. There's one area where this is quite clear, and that is education. Let me just give you one example—there are many others, of course. This Government has failed for eight consecutive years to meet its own targets for the recruitment of secondary school teachers. Over that period, more than 5,500 teachers have left the profession, and that equates to almost 100,000 years of total teaching experience that's been lost. Let's be honest: teachers in Wales are disillusioned, and they feel completely discouraged. And unfortunately, if the conversations that I've had over Christmas with teachers are any kind of yardstick, nothing at all is going to change any time soon. During the general election campaign, Labour promised more money and more teachers for education in Wales. First Minister, could I ask you how much more money, and when will we see more teachers being appointed and placed in front of classrooms in Wales? I asked that question to the Cabinet Secretary for Education last term. I had no answer. Could I ask you for the answers, please?

Thank you very much, Cefin. I'm sure that you are aware that teacher recruitment is an issue worldwide—this is something that is facing people across the globe. All of us are trying to ensure and convince them that they come to our nation, to ensure that they can teach our children. So, it's not a problem that is unique to Wales. You've asked about how much additional funding there will be. Well, there will be £101 million in addition for education from April onwards—£73 million in revenue, £28 million in capital—and this will be directed towards ensuring improvement in those attending school and raising standards in our schools. But of course, none of that funding will come to us if we don't get a budget passed in this place. You need to think about what that means.

First Minister, I just wanted to raise the issue of children living in poverty here in Wales. Some 190,000 children in Wales live in relative poverty, and, despite the decades of promises, that number remains unchanged, I'm afraid. It is heartbreaking and unacceptable. When more than half of children in poverty come from families where there are children under five, and 92 per cent of parents report childcare costs too high for their income, childcare should obviously be a priority. Yet despite overwhelming evidence, this Government continues to deliver a fragmented system that simply isn’t working. Countries like Scotland show how universal childcare can transform lives and lift children out of poverty, yet we choose not to follow their lead. Pumping more money into the childcare offer isn’t the answer, not when we have eligibility rules that disadvantage so many families, particularly those that are vulnerable. You say, ‘Every child, every chance, every day’, and yet children who are living in poverty are not included in that. Diolch yn fawr iawn.

Diolch, Jane. I accept that this is not a situation that you, and certainly people on my benches, are satisfied with. We hate the thought of children living in poverty. We’re very pleased that, at least in primary schools, they have a full belly. That’s something that goes towards at least making sure that they are physically well fed. I know this is an issue that’s close to your heart. I know you’ve championed this matter for a long time. We have given not an insignificant amount to support people to go back to work with young children, to make sure that the costs of childcare are not too inhibitive for people. Of course, it is something where there’s an opportunity, I guess, to shape this policy when it comes to the budget. I think there are opportunities for us to have further discussions. Certainly, as a woman, I’m very keen to see this kind of theme championed. We all have to make really tough decisions, and we have to decide what our priorities are. This is an area where we’re open for more discussions, in particular in relation to the budget.

First Minister, one of the great challenges for England, Wales and Scotland has been the delivery of new schools, and the inheritance that we’ve all had across the UK in terms of the state of our schools, many inherited back from Victorian times. Just looking, for example, at the English situation, there are reports that six in 10 schools in parts of England have buildings in urgent need of repair, there are 7,158 schools at imminent risk of failure, one in three of more than 22,000 schools are in a bad state of repair, and some structures are described as a risk to life.

Can I just compare that with one area where there has been such delivery that I’m proud of in this Senedd over the past decade, and that is the twenty-first century schools programme? I just look around Rhondda Cynon Taf alone and I look at the brand new Y Pant school, the brand new Tonyrefail Community School, the new schools just recently opened at Maesybryn, Tonysguboriau, the new sixth form buildings at Bryn Celynnog, where the education Minister has recently been round. This is something that is a massive comparison and is a massive tribute to the delivery that I think everyone from all parties in this Senedd should actually be proud of. This is happening across the whole of Wales and it is a shining light of what could be done and what is being done—

You need to ask your question now, please.

Will you prepare a report for us that actually sets out what the next decade of development for twenty-first century schools is, our commitment to funding the continuation of the replenishment of our schools, and also a report showing what has been achieved now and what we expect to have achieved over the course of the next decade of Welsh Labour Government?

Thanks very much, Mick. I think this is one of the proudest achievements of the Welsh Labour Government. It is something that people in every constituency can point to and demonstrate what a difference a Welsh Labour Government has made. The fact that they had to close down so many schools in England because of the RAAC situation and we had very few problems here in Wales suggests that that investment made a huge difference. There will be a difference in terms of—[Interruption.]

Can I ask the Members on the opposition benches to allow the First Minister to respond to the Member who asked the question?

When it comes to what happens next, there is an additional £28 million in capital that's been earmarked for the budget next year, if we manage to get it through the Chamber. But of course, once again, if we don't get that money through then that additional capital will not come. But I do think this is something we should celebrate, and it is something I’ll ask the education Minister to perhaps bring to this Chamber, where we can celebrate the success of this particular issue.

Well, we’ve heard some second-rate rhetoric today, I must say. Let’s look at the hard reality in Wales, because you boasted about the ‘real results’, as you called them, of the partnership in power, with two Labour Governments either end of the M4. Well, here are some real results for you: 5,000 children trapped in poverty due to the two-child benefit cap; nearly one in five older people in Wales living in poverty; while over a half a million pensioners have had their winter fuel payment scrapped, pushing thousands more into poverty, putting their health at risk, placing further pressure on the Welsh NHS. And, yes, we are very proud of the fact that free school meals have been delivered in primary schools, thanks to the co-operation agreement with Plaid Cymru. One in three children live in Wales in poverty, over half of those—the majority of those—are in families with children under four. Free school meals aren’t helping them, and we do need 'fancy' strategies. What a childish way to talk about strategies. Effective strategies are what we need, like the child poverty strategy, perhaps with some targets. So, I’d like to ask you, First Minister, how can you really say the Welsh Government is delivering for Wales, when your policies and your willingness to follow Westminster’s lead are deepening inequality?

I’ll tell you what the difference makes, it’s the difference that it makes to the people, the hundreds of thousands of people, who work in the public sector. That has made a difference. We’ve seen an uplift to their salaries as a result of the uplift that has come to the Welsh Labour Government. And, once again, you’ve gone back to things for which I don’t have responsibility. You keep on trying to hold me to account for things over which I have very little influence, and I think it is really important for us to understand the responsibilities of this Chamber. And I can tell you that, if we’re talking about influence, I am able to have regular meetings with the Labour Prime Minister. That is not something that will be quite as easy for anybody from any other party. Now, there are plenty of strategies—there are plenty of strategies—that exist and what I’m interested in is delivering on the strategies that already exist under this Welsh Labour Government.

First Minister, thank you very much for your statement today. I wholeheartedly agree, 2025 is about delivery, more pace, more action, more results, and we all know that there is much dissatisfaction across the world from ordinary citizens. And since the global financial banking crisis of 2008, the British and world economies have never truly recovered for the man and woman on the street, but there was no excuse for self-inflicted Tory austerity that benefited the uber rich only and penalised working people and punished the poor. First Minister, the Welsh Government now has the opportunity of working for the first time with the UK Labour Government to make a difference, a strong and tangible difference, and for the first time, actual capital investment, after 14 years of nothing for Wales, to invest in our infrastructure, alongside a record-breaking financial settlement this year—direct examples of the difference of aligned devolution. But people will be unforgiving of delays, and so we need that longer term financial reform of our settlement to do that for Wales and reform our Barnett formula.

First Minister, do you agree with me that the priorities for our Welsh Labour Government must be, firstly and foremostly, the people’s priorities from the people’s purse—for the first time, genuine above inflation pay rises for the public sector, the hard-working doctors and nurses that we all clapped but did not pay, Wales’s first ever women’s health plan in regional hub centres, Wales’s new medical school, now, for the first time, able to deliver not just beds, but the staff for our depleted NHS that need to be delivered, and, lastly—finally—if I may say, not just cutting child poverty but delivering those new quality green jobs for Wales that will make a difference to every man and woman across Wales, as well as protecting our future for future generations?

Diolch yn fawr, Rhianon. And you’re quite right, it is important for us to celebrate that £1.5 billion of extra money that has come to us as a result of that Labour Government making some tough decisions, but making sure that that additional money is available for us to improve our public services should we wish to pick up that funding. Quality jobs I think are something that is really important to the public; that is something they told us. And where possible, if those can be green jobs, that is an additional benefit. The people want us to concentrate on the NHS, they want us to concentrate on connecting communities, they want to ensure that we give opportunities for all, and that's where our focus will remain.

And finally, Heledd Fychan. 

Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. In your statement, you said that the culture sector is alive and well. May I ask on what basis you are making that statement and who you have been listening to, because looking at the summary of the responses to the consultation on culture, that's not what I'm hearing? So, I would like to ask what the vision of the Welsh Government is for the culture sector. And if you haven't been listening, and I take it that you haven't been listening to the sector, because you are challenging that the sector is alive and well, will you start listening now and ensure that this Government does deliver in terms of this important sector?

Thank you very much. Well, as I said, it was very difficult for us last year, because we had to make cuts that were very difficult in order to ensure that the additional funding went to the NHS. What has been good this year is the fact that we've been able to provide more funding during this financial year, and that we hope to provide more funding next year for the culture department. So, funding is available, and it is important that, if possible, we can offer that funding to them. Of course, that will be difficult if we can't get the budget through.

I thank the First Minister. 

Item 5 is next, the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales on the port of Holyhead. I call on the Cabinet Secretary, Ken Skates. 

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. The port of Holyhead has been closed since the weekend of 7-8 December last year, following damage to its berthing infrastructure inflicted by storm Darragh. Despite initial optimism that the port would be able to reopen shortly after the storm, following engineering inspections it became apparent that the damage was more extensive than first thought and the closure would be more prolonged, spanning the Christmas and new year period. Given Holyhead’s status as the UK’s second-busiest passenger ferry port and its importance to connectivity across the Irish sea, the potential impacts of the closure on freight and passenger movements were very significant, especially for our neighbours in the Republic of Ireland, with time-sensitive seasonal goods needing to reach market and people travelling home to their families for Christmas. In recognition of these impacts, the Welsh Government worked urgently with the Irish Government, Welsh ports, ferry companies and others to secure alternative routes for goods and people to get where they needed to go. I spoke regularly with my ministerial colleagues in the UK Government to help ensure a co-ordinated response.

As a result, we saw the rapid delivery of significant additional passenger and goods capacity on services rerouted via Fishguard and Pembroke Dock, as well as some additional freight capacity provided via ports in the north-west of England. Welsh Government and local authority transport teams worked to ensure that road and public transport links to these new services would operate smoothly and with the necessary capacity over the holiday period. I am very grateful to everyone involved in these efforts, which made a very valuable difference for passengers trying to get across the Irish sea in time for the holidays. I am also very grateful to our logistics sector, who once again have demonstrated their resilience and adaptability in the face of adverse circumstances. January is typically a quieter month for movements on Irish sea routes, but these new temporary ferry services remain in place to ensure people and goods can continue to flow as needed.

I was very pleased to hear that the port of Holyhead is now confident that it can reopen one of its ferry berths from the sixteenth of this month, with four services per day to and from Dublin. This will make a huge contribution to getting things back to normal, but I, alongside my counterparts in the Irish Government, will continue to monitor the situation over the coming months to ensure that sufficient capacity remains available on the strategically important Irish sea routes. I will also remain keenly interested in the progress of the longer term work to restore all ferry berths to full operational capacity. I would like to thank the team at the port of Holyhead for their continued significant efforts to restore services in the face of very challenging circumstances. 

The restoration of services at Holyhead will help to address some of the very understandable local concerns about the potential impact of the port’s closure on the regional economy. The Welsh Government remains in close contact with Ynys Môn council and wider stakeholder groups to monitor for evidence of impacts on local businesses, and Business Wales, of course, can always be contacted by any company seeking support. However, even if immediate concerns have eased, the incident has highlighted how important Holyhead is to local economies and communities in north Wales, to the UK more widely and to our partners in Ireland. As is often the case with transport networks, there is a tendency for their true value to fade from our day-to-day thinking until something goes wrong. 

The Welsh Government has always recognised the strategic significance of Holyhead, as evidenced by our support for the Anglesey freeport and our support to ensure that the port’s breakwater can be maintained, so that the port can remain usable for many decades to come. Similarly, I am grateful for the recent assurance from Stena ports that they remain fully committed to Holyhead’s long-term future.

But I think that the time is now right for us to re-evaluate what Holyhead needs from all of its stakeholders over the longer term to not just survive, but to thrive. Therefore, alongside the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, I intend to establish a Welsh Government-led multistakeholder taskforce to develop a new strategy for the future of Holyhead. Minister Lawless from the Irish Government has kindly agreed to join me in driving forward this project so that we can ensure that the port will meet the future needs of both nations. I will also want this taskforce to consider the resilience of sea connectivity between Wales and Ireland more generally, so that these critical transport links can better withstand the challenges we expect from climate-driven changes in severe weather patterns and other hazards and threats. The taskforce will of course link in with our broader work on a ports strategy for Wales.

I will announce further details of this taskforce in due course but expect to invite participation from all of the major players in the Welsh and Irish ports and ferry industry, the UK Government, local authorities, regional businesses and representatives, logistics bodies and surface transport operators. And I hope that Senedd colleagues will support me in this endeavour so that we can secure a successful future for the port of Holyhead.

Thank you very much, Cabinet Secretary, for your statement. The closure of the port of Holyhead following the damage caused by storm Darragh has placed immense strain on the economy of north Wales, businesses reliant on trade across the Irish sea, and the communities whose livelihoods depend on the efficient operation of this critical transport hub. I welcome warmly the efforts taken in the aftermath of the storm, and as a former seafarer myself working on the Rosslare crossing, this is something that I’ve paid close attention to since storm Darragh.

Cabinet Secretary, you rightly highlight the significance of Holyhead as the UK’s second-busiest passenger ferry port and its central role in the UK-Ireland trade corridor. However, the delays in reopening the port initially anticipated shortly after the storm and then pushed to 16 January for partial operations have caused considerable uncertainty. While it’s positive to hear that one ferry berth will reopen for four daily services, the fact that full operations are not expected until March leaves businesses and communities in a state of limbo. So, could the Cabinet Secretary provide greater clarity on the timeline for the full restoration of services, particularly in light of the delays in underwater inspections?

I note the commendable efforts of stakeholders to secure alternative routes and additional capacity via Fishguard, Pembroke Dock and ports in the north-west of England. The James Joyce and the Isle of Innisfree from Irish ferries and the Nordica and Adventurer from Stena Line, sailing from Pembrokeshire’s ports, were critical in addressing the immediate impact during the holiday season, as acknowledged rightly in your statement. However, this does also underscore the importance of the southern corridor, which is often overlooked, and while I appreciate that this statement focuses rightly on Holyhead, an update from yourself on the port of Pembroke and Fishguard harbour, and whether the Welsh Government has a view on focusing or consolidating passenger services in the southern corridor to strengthen it on the route to Rosslare, would be welcome, because a balance needs to be struck maximising the opportunities presented by the southern corridor while ensuring this does not detract from Holyhead. So, what assurances can the Cabinet Secretary provide that these temporary measures will not result in a permanent shift away of services from Holyhead? Additionally, how does the Welsh Government intend to fully capitalise on the opportunities in the southern corridor without undermining Holyhead's strategic importance? I think the phrase that you used, Cabinet Secretary, was not just survive, but thrive; I would agree with that.

The Cabinet Secretary's recognition of the strain on logistics and the adaptability of the sector is welcome, but the knock-on effects remain significant. The increased traffic to other ports has highlighted issues with driver facilities and road infrastructure. Indeed, hauliers were contacting me about potential poor facilities. And the Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee report, 'A new direction for HGV Drivers', has recommendations 4 and 6, which call for improvements in driver rest provisions and facilities. This is particularly relevant given the increased pressures on other ports and routes. So, Cabinet Secretary, could you update the Chamber on progress in implementing the recommendations of the ETRA report? I would also urge the Cabinet Secretary to potentially consider in the future delivering a specific statement on the Welsh Government's progress in implementing this whole report, given that your predecessor bar one agreed in principle or entirely with the recommendations of that report.

Finally, while I welcome the establishment of a taskforce to develop a new strategy for Holyhead and the broader work on a ports strategy for Wales, it is vital that these initiatives deliver tangible outcomes. Too often, we've heard of focus groups and task and finish groups being launched with no tangible outcomes. So, what specific measures will the taskforce prioritise to enhance the resilience of critical transport links like Holyhead and other ports across the Irish sea? Furthermore, how will the taskforce ensure that these ports are utilised as economic catalysts, delivering prosperity to the regions that they serve? Indeed, ports over time immemorial have been catalysts in delivering economic prosperity in the region, be that through fishing, be that now through the oil and gas industry in Pembrokeshire, or be that through freight and passenger terminals up in Holyhead and other ports. These harbours, these ports, are key to that. If your taskforce will look at that specifically in the wider prosperity of those regions and how ports play a fundamental role in that, I think that is incredibly significant.

The closure of the port of Holyhead is not just a logistical challenge, but a test of leadership and foresight. That said, the adaptability of other ports in filling the void has been warmly welcomed and commendable. Looking ahead, hauliers, businesses and all customers need assurance on the future of Irish sea crossings. The Welsh Government must take a lead in delivering those assurances. Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd.

Can I thank Sam Kurtz for not just his questions, but his very generous acknowledgement that it really was a herculean response to what could been, and at one point was appearing to be, a crisis, with tens of thousands—in fact, I think, in total, around 100,000—Irish citizens needing to get back for Christmas, and a huge dependence in the Irish economy on the goods that needed to move across the Irish sea from Holyhead? We managed to avert a crisis because we did respond immediately, and we responded collectively. I have never worked with the Irish Government so closely as I have done in the past six weeks, and I think that it's strengthened our relationship, that's for sure. I think the taskforce work will also continue to strengthen our relationship; we'll be able to identify areas perhaps of economic collaboration that we haven't identified in the past that will benefit both nations. So, I'm very grateful to Sam Kurtz for acknowledging the immediate response to the challenge.

It was an enormous challenge itself for the port as well. Divers couldn't be sent into the water during the storm; it was far too dangerous to do so. It's been an incredibly challenging time for the port, and particularly for those engineers who are having to respond to the damage that has been caused to the berths. I will update Members as soon as I have more information about the full reopening of the berths. I am pleased that one of those berths will be reopening this month. That will provide significant capacity to address the concerns of hauliers, the Irish Government and many, many businesses.

My belief is that there will be no permanent shift—no permanent shift—because all parties involved in this effort have agreed that the measures that have been implemented are temporary measures until both berths can be reopened. Indeed, I think what it has highlighted is the need to make sure that we work together to invest in and to focus on the potential of Holyhead port. Holyhead is to the Irish what Calais is to the British. It is vitally important for their well-being and their economy, and we need to ensure that we maximise the potential of the port and ensure that the refurbishment, as a priority, of the breakwater can be achieved as soon as possible. That will obviously be—. Sam asked about the specific work of the taskforce—that will obviously be one of the priorities that the taskforce will focus on. But the taskforce will also look at other routes—all other routes. We don't want to step on the toes of the experts who are looking at a ports strategy, but what we want to do within the transport department is ensure that we can identify opportunities for our ports and feed into the strategy. So, we'll be working very closely with the Minister for economy and planning.

Now, the freight sector, I have to say, has been remarkable—remarkable in the way that it's responded to this challenge and the way that it's engaged with us, with the Irish Government and UK Government and the local authority. We had various meetings with representatives of the freight sector, with the Irish Road Haulage Association, Logistics UK, the Road Haulage Association, and there'll be more meetings coming, as well; another meeting is scheduled for 15 January to provide more updates to the respective bodies. But I'd like to put on record my thanks to them for their adaptability in these most difficult circumstances.

And then, finally, to the point that Sam made about the impact and potential impact on business, I'm pleased to say that the portal that I spoke of at the time that the Isle of Anglesey County Council, Ynys Môn council, were looking at putting on their website will be going live very soon. That will enable businesses to register any concerns about the loss of revenue as a result of the damage that was caused at the port. We will obviously, then, assess the evidence. As of this point in time, the council have confirmed that there's no evidence to support the additional economic intervention that some are looking for. But, of course, based on that portal going live, I think on 10 January, we will have finer evidence to be able to make a decision on what we can do to assist the businesses in and around Holyhead and across north Wales.

May I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his statement today? We're pleased that we've been able to be in touch throughout this period, and I will note my surprise that we've heard so little from the UK Government, bearing in mind the importance, as we've already heard this afternoon, of this port, not just for us here in Wales but as part of the UK's strategic network. The damage done to the port has, of course, had an impact across a number of different sectors, to the local community and the workers who perhaps have had to move temporarily, or some have lost their jobs. Local businesses have lost income. It has impacted travellers, including some in my own family. Hauliers that I've been discussing with are facing far higher costs and so on. And of course, for our partners in Ireland, the loss to their economy is very significant.

There are short-term, medium-term and long-term questions that arise. A comment or two from me in terms of the danger of people seeking alternative crossings of the Irish sea. We saw after Brexit, didn't we, companies deciding to try to sail directly from France, and many have continued to do that. We've seen companies being forced, of course, temporarily, to use other ports, but I'm very pleased to hear the Cabinet Secretary stating that he doesn't expect a permanent shift here. I'm slightly concerned to hear the Conservative spokesperson talking about using the situation around Holyhead to look at strengthening crossings from Pembrokeshire. Of course we need to ensure that those ports receive investment, but we don't want to give any sign that it could be seen as an opportunity being withdrawn from Holyhead—[Interruption.] But I hear the Member stating that that wasn't the intention.

In terms of the short-term questions, I've spoken to Stena and they are confident that one of the berths will be able to open on 16 January, or, if the weather is very poor, very shortly after that. They can't give an assurance about the second berth. Does the Cabinet Secretary have further information about that? Because I'm concerned that March sounds very, very ambitious, it has to be said, bearing in mind so many options have to be discussed in the first place, and then the planning work that will have to be undertaken to implement different options for restoring that berth.

In terms of support for business, I recognise that the portal is going to be going live in a few days' time for businesses to be able to state how they've been hit by this. I've written to the Cabinet Secretary asking for further support for businesses. I would like to hear what preparations are being made by the Welsh Government to ensure that there is a fund available to make payments to business, because I have no doubt that there will be major losses incurred by some. We've heard about hotels talking about tens of thousands of pounds of losses for them, so I do think that we will need to make payments. I want to learn more about how decisions will be made swiftly, and what the source of the funds will be.

In terms of learning lessons, I've focused on trying to ask the vital questions to try to gain clarity on the next steps to get ships sailing again. We will need to learn lessons, however, about what has been happening that could have placed this port at risk. We know that there have been deficiencies over a very long period of time that have led to the undermining of the breakwater, for example. I need to know that the questions are now going to be asked by the Welsh Government about what the maintenance undertaken on these births was, so that we can ensure that we don't face the same problems in storms that will undoubtedly happen more frequently in future.

And then finally, on the taskforce, I've asked frequently to bring all the partners together, so I'm pleased that the taskforce is being established. I'd welcome more information about the remit of the taskforce, including whether it can look at this question of ownership of the port. The First Minister attacked me earlier on today for supporting the nationalisation of Tata steelworks—I was willing to do anything to safeguard those steelworks—and for calling for the nationalisation of the port of Holyhead. I'm not aware that I had called publicly in any place for the nationalisation of the port of Holyhead, because I wanted to ask those questions that are a priority now in terms of reopening the berths. But the Cabinet Secretary will know that I've discussed with him the possibility of looking at a new ownership model for the future, because we do need to know that Governments—our Government here in Wales, or with input from the Irish Government, even—can ensure that this vital infrastructure is safeguarded and supported for the future, and I'd be interested in hearing more from the Cabinet Secretary on that.

Can I thank the local Member for Ynys Môn for his contribution today? We did stay in touch—very much so—over the Christmas period. I'm very grateful for the information that he's able to convey to me, along with local authority elected members as well on the Isle of Anglesey. Can I just put on record, Dirprwy Lywydd, my sincere thanks to Border Force, who were phenomenal during the Christmas period in ensuring that people were able to move across the Irish sea at speed, given the challenge that they had in mobilising staff across the west coast of Great Britain? I should also say that I met with both Jo Stevens, the Secretary of State for Wales, and with Heidi Alexander, the Secretary of State for Transport, to discuss this matter in the first few days that the issue became a crisis. And I have to say that the UK Government moved at breakneck speed to process the driver hour derogation, which was so important in enabling goods to return to Ireland, to get to Ireland, to support the economy at Christmas time. So, I'm very grateful for the work that has been done by all Governments at every level. I cannot criticise any Government on what has been achieved. It has been an incredibly challenging time, but the energy and the determination by so many has resulted in a crisis being averted, I believe.

Now, in terms of the time frame for reopening both of the berths, all of the information that I have I am sharing with Members, and I pledge to keep Members updated on the progress regarding the second berth. As soon as we learn more information from the port, we will convey it to Members in a transparent manner.

Businesses will soon, in a matter of days, have the ability to be able to present evidence for any loss of earnings, and of course I've heard of many cases where businesses raise concerns about significant losses. The portal that the local authority is opening, I think, is very welcome. It's a very welcome initiative, and it will help us to ascertain what support might be needed. Business Wales is on standby to support businesses, and I know that the Minister for economy has taken a very keen interest in this as well.

I can't speculate on the cause of the damage at the port, but I can assure Members that lessons will be learned as a result of the assessments that are taking place, the investigations that are taking place, and they'll be considered, I think, as a matter of urgency by the taskforce. As the local Member I'd be very keen to take on board any suggestions that he has for membership of the taskforce, the terms of reference for the taskforce, for any specific areas that we've omitted that I haven't thought of that the taskforce could perhaps look at. I am very, very open to suggestions, and we'll be engaging with as many partners as we possibly can to make sure that this taskforce produces the best possible recommendations for how we can go forward.

The port is not for sale at this moment, and Stena have thankfully committed fully to its long-term future. I want to work with private operators, not just the port, but also the ferry operators, to maximise the benefits of the port for the people of north Wales, the people of Wales, the UK and Ireland.

I'll just highlight how important the port of Holyhead is, and I do hope it continues to be important and a priority, and I've heard that today, and also how vulnerable it is. The north Wales railway line connects with the port as well, doesn't it? It's ongoing for people. The A55, it's part of the European highway in a way; it's all so important.

I welcome the taskforce being set up and the good working relationship with Ireland. I was also really quite surprised to see that a berth will be opened up, and the hard work that's gone into that has really been appreciated.

I was concerned and surprised to hear how vulnerable it is. So, I'd like to ask you: with increasing climate change, how concerned are you about the port? Was it a one-off storm, the way it was, that really impacted with it, or is it going to carry on being an issue of resilience? What difference will the breakwater investment really make going forward? I don't want to sound gloomy, but I just want to make sure that it continues to be a big priority. It's really, really important for north Wales. But just to know how resilient it is, and will it continue to be resilient going forward? Thank you.

Can I thank Carolyn Thomas for her questions? I know that Carolyn has shown a very keen interest in the refurbishment of the breakwater for some years. This is a matter that we're very keen to examine: how we can deliver on the refurbishment as soon as possible and at maximum speed. That is the primary purpose of the taskforce at the outset, to look at how that can happen. But the taskforce, as I've said to other Members, will be examining many, many issues.

I think the Member actually makes a really important point about connected infrastructure. The A55 is, in my view, the biggest and most important economic enabler in north Wales, and we love it, and the Irish love it as well, and so do people across Great Britain, because without that route I'm afraid the port would be pretty pointless. So, we have to look at not just the port in isolation, but we have to look at routes as well, all of the routes that lead to and from the port. I'm sure that the taskforce will be examining that. Of course, rail connectivity is important as well right across north Wales.

In terms of climate change, I am no expert in climatic events of this nature, and the storm was exceptional. I'm no expert, but of course we expect more severe weather events like this, and so we need to ensure that not just the port of Holyhead, but all of our infrastructure is resilient to more dramatic and catastrophic events such as the one that we saw just before Christmas.

I saw the First Minister's video following storm Darragh before Christmas, but it was disappointing that she wasn't capable of leaving west Wales to record her video from the port of Holyhead, which is the damaged port in question, and chose instead to record her video at the port of Fishguard in Pembrokeshire, and what message that gives out to people on the island of Ynys Môn and, indeed, north Wales as well.

I would also like to remind the Cabinet Secretary that following the 2011 tsunami in Japan, many of the damaged ports were up and running within days. Yet a month on from storm Darragh and the ports remain closed for business, and the statement mentioned also that one of the ports could be closed until March, which is, sadly, disappointing for many reasons, economically and indeed in terms of our relationship with Ireland, and indeed in terms of the transportation of cars, because that's the only way you can get a vehicle across the Irish sea and there's a lot of interconnectivity there with vehicles as well. So, I would like to know how the Cabinet Secretary for transport is working with other areas of Government to ensure that the bureaucratic processes are streamlined, and repairs are undertaken as a matter of urgency to get the port open as soon as possible? Thank you. 

I thank Gareth Davies for his questions. I should first of all say that, clearly, we spoke with the port of Holyhead as soon as the incident happened and asked whether it would be helpful for the First Minister and others to visit to look at the damage. Clearly the damage was under the water, and what the port didn't need at that moment in time, when we were desperately trying to identify opportunities to sail from elsewhere, was a load of people turning up to rubberneck at the damage that had been caused, or at least the water that was on top of it. It was vitally important that all of our efforts were focused purely on identifying additional capacity at other ports. And the reason that the First Minister recorded the video at Fishguard was because she was there helping to broker a deal to get more capacity at that particular port. I'd like to thank all of the ports along the west coast for helping in this huge effort, and the First Minister played her part in this. 

We are keen as well to make sure that that particular berth that remains closed beyond January is reopened as soon and as safely as possible. We'll be working with the port owner and operator to ensure that where we can accelerate the delivery of the repairs, we will do so and they will do so. But it would also be part of the taskforce's work as well, looking at how improvements to the port can be fast-tracked with maximum speed. 

Well, this has certainly had some wide debate and it's actually quite reassuring. You'll note that, tomorrow, I've actually put this in as a question because it affects us all, in Aberconwy and obviously in Ynys Môn. I welcome the announcement of a multistakeholder taskforce to develop a new strategy for the future of Holyhead. I'm a little bit concerned when I hear you talk about the nationalisation of this sea port when, in fact, it's fair to say there have been many failings in the nationalisation of Cardiff Airport.

Holyhead to Dublin is the second-busiest ferry route in the UK and the port itself handles over 2 million passengers a year, and many businesses rely on passing trade from ferry passengers. Footfall has plummeted as a result of this damage and traders in Holyhead and other areas have reported a sharp drop in customers, particularly those catering to the Irish and American visitors. The owner of Mete's Smash Burger has seen a 25 per cent decline in business, while owners of the Holly Molly cafe have also noted a fall in trade. The hospitality sector has been hit particularly hard and Claudia Howard, who runs the Boathouse Hotel near Holyhead marina, mentioned that she's lost £14,700 in cancelled bookings alone.

So, you have mentioned that you are going to be sympathetic. Are we to understand today that where it can be proven that businesses have suffered financial hardship that you will indeed provide compensation? Diolch.

Can I thank Janet Finch-Saunders for her questions? I should just add, actually, to the last contribution that was made that not only did the First Minister go to Fishguard to help broker in that deal, the First Minister led on various talks—internal, external—right over the Christmas period. And I know that she's spoken on at least one occasion, and I think possibly two occasions by now, with the Taoiseach of Ireland, and will be speaking with the Taoiseach again next week. So, she's been engaged at every single level, externally and internally, to make sure that we deal with this challenge.

I've already addressed questions, I think pretty extensively, about business impacts. This was an exceptional event. We're working very closely with the local authority and with Business Wales to make sure that where businesses need support, we can consider that, but it will effectively be the decision of the Minister for economy, and I'm sure that she's keenly interested in learning about any impact that's been evidenced by businesses in north Wales.

Finally, Sam Rowlands.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for bringing the statement forward today, I guess, at the earliest opportunity, for the Senedd to hear. As you rightly point out, the significance of the port can't be underestimated: it's the second busiest freight port in the UK. I wonder, sometimes, we don't perhaps appreciate the importance of this until moments like this, when it's no longer able to be used momentarily.

I just want to ask a couple of questions on, as you describe it, the multistakeholder taskforce for the future of Holyhead. I'm conscious that many of the faces around that table will be faces that sit around lots of other tables in north Wales-related matters—I imagine, as you said, representatives from local authorities and other bodies in north Wales. I have some concerns about other areas of work that aren't being delivered at the pace they should be in north Wales—things like the north Wales growth deal, things related to Ambition North Wales, and other regional pieces of work. So, I want to understand how you expect there to be pace being delivered through this taskforce when we've perhaps not seen that level of pace in other areas of work.

And secondly, very, very briefly, what breadth of work do you expect this taskforce to undertake? I think you just described it as a taskforce for the future of Holyhead. Is that specifically just for the port of Holyhead, or is it broader than that, considering the impact that the port has on Holyhead as a whole? Diolch yn fawr iawn. 

Can I thank Sam Rowlands for his questions? And he's absolutely right when he says that, sometimes, we just don't value and recognise how important an asset is until it becomes a liability, until it breaks down, until we've lost it. The port of Holyhead is a hugely, hugely important port for the whole of the United Kingdom, and that's why we're determined to make sure that, through the taskforce, we can maximise its benefits for Wales.

This taskforce will be very different to anything that we've put together in the past. Having both the Welsh Government and the Irish Government alongside the UK Government, right at the centre of the taskforce, will make it a pretty interesting board for examining what we can do collectively across three national Governments. But it will also include, crucially in my view, local authority representatives, primarily from Ynys Môn, but it will also include vitally important private sector interests, principally the port itself, and also the freight and logistics sector. So, I am confident that this is a very fresh approach to not just a challenge that we face, but an opportunity that's being highlighted, I think. I think we can do far more with Holyhead port for not just Holyhead, but the whole of north Wales. But the Member is absolutely right: we're not just looking, through the taskforce, at the port itself; I'd like to examine how we can ensure that the port contributes fully to the best possible economic prospects for Holyhead itself.

I thank the Cabinet Secretary.

Item 6 today is a statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care on NHS winter pressures. I call on the Cabinet Secretary, Jeremy Miles.

Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. I had originally planned to provide an update to the Senedd next week, as this was when the forecasts suggested that we would see a peak of both flu cases and winter pressures. But, this year, flu arrived early, with an increase in other respiratory infections, including COVID-19 and the respiratory syncytial virus. We have also seen an increase in cases of norovirus. This combination has placed significant demand on NHS services, most visibly on the Welsh ambulance service, which declared a critical incident on 30 December last year. I will provide further details on the scale of demand and the steps the NHS has taken to respond to it.

But first, Dirprwy Lywydd, I would like to place on record my thanks to NHS and social care staff, who've worked tirelessly over the Christmas period in often difficult circumstances. Dirprwy Lywydd, the NHS works throughout the year to plan for winter. We expect health boards and NHS trusts to describe how seasonal pressures will be managed through their plans, enabling a year-round approach to match capacity with demand. Delivery of these plans has been supported by the NHS executive national programmes for urgent and emergency care, primary care, mental health and planned care, in addition to clinical networks. We made more than £180 million available to organisations at the start of the financial year to give them as much time as possible to develop and put in place a range of interventions, which will provide greater resilience over the winter. In October, we directed health boards to develop strategies to flex bed capacity and to bring forward plans for urgent community care between the end of December and early January.

We have also repeatedly emphasised that vaccination is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of flu, RSV and other common respiratory viruses. The flu vaccination programme began in earnest this year on 1 October and, for the first time, pregnant women were offered the RSV vaccine to help protect newborn babies from this virus, which can lead, as we know, to serious complications. We know that flu can be particularly serious for people who have underlying medical conditions, those who are vulnerable, and either very young or very elderly. But uptake this year has been lower than expected and certainly lower than we would have liked. I continue to encourage all those eligible for a free NHS flu jab to have the vaccine, especially as high levels of flu are circulating in local communities.

In planning for winter, the deputy chief medical officer also asked health boards to develop paediatric surge plans to ensure they could respond to any significant peaks in RSV, or other childhood conditions. In November, we launched the 50-day integrated care winter challenge to safely reduce admissions and improve discharge arrangements.

As we anticipated and planned for, some parts of the NHS have experienced a surge in demand due to a combination of the recent cold weather, flu and other seasonal illnesses. There was a spike in the number of people with flu in hospitals across Wales throughout December, with numbers rising 18 per cent during the Christmas week. The latest available data show there are more than 900 people with flu, COVID-19 and RSV in our hospital beds. This is 20 per cent more than in the same period last year and is higher than the most likely scenario modelled by our experts.

Nearly one in 10 people in hospital are suffering from an acute respiratory infection virus. And the results of screening of hundreds of people attending hospital in the last week, regardless of any symptoms, showed 30 per cent of people tested for flu were positive. This is three times as many as this time last year. We are now entering the peak flu period and numbers could rise further over the coming days and weeks.

The increased prevalence of respiratory viruses has perhaps unsurprisingly had a knock-on consequence on NHS sickness absence rates and on demand for all NHS services. 'Breathing problems' is given as the most common reason why people have been calling 999.

In the period between 19 December and New Year's Day, there was a 19 per cent increase in 999 calls for breathing problems compared to the same period last year. The added complexity of triaging, assessing and discharging people with acute respiratory infections in critical care and emergency departments has contributed to longer waiting times for admission. This has resulted in congested wards and emergency departments, and in longer ambulance handover delays, limiting ambulance resources.

Members will, of course, be aware the Welsh ambulance service declared a critical incident on the evening of 30 December. The high volumes of people waiting for a 999 call was the main contributing factor to this. The Welsh ambulance service was not the only ambulance trust across the UK to declare such an incident.

Despite the challenges faced by the ambulance service, the proportion of people who attended an emergency department and who went on to be admitted to hospital remained stable or was lower than last year. The consistent use of alternatives to admission, such as same-day emergency care services, have helped people to avoid admission to hospital. However, the current cold snap will present new challenges for vulnerable people in our communities, for NHS staff, and for services more broadly.

To address these pressures, health boards have opened all available surge bed capacity and increased staff capacity on a temporary basis in critical parts of our community services, where possible. For example, a number of health boards and the ambulance service have recruited extra staff to remotely assess patients over the telephone so they can avoid the need for transport to hospital or they can be navigated to the right service for their needs to be treated more quickly. I've also made additional funding available to increase community-based falls response services to help safely keep people at home.

Over the coming days and weeks, I expect to see health boards and partners focus on the safe and speedy discharge of patients, building on the 50-day challenge, to further improve capacity to respond to winter pressures.

Finally, Dirprwy Lywydd, I'm asking the public to help the NHS by choosing the most appropriate source of help for their needs. This may mean using the Choose Pharmacy service, which provides free advice and treatment for 26 common ailments, or calling NHS 111 Wales for advice and support. And please, if you haven’t yet had a flu jab, contact your pharmacy, GP surgery or health board for information about how to get vaccinated. Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'll provide a further update in due course.

I'd like to thank the Cabinet Secretary for his statement today and also join with him in thanking our NHS staff and our social care staff across Wales for the amazing job they do keeping us all safe during this winter period.

Cabinet Secretary, as you alluded to, given the significant pressure on the NHS due to an early and intensive flu season, along with rising cases of respiratory infections like COVID-19 and RSV, this is putting huge pressure on our A&E departments. Given the decline in A&E performance against the four-hour waiting target in September 2024, what specific goals has the Welsh Government put in place to reduce waiting times during the winter months? What interventions are planned to tackled delayed discharges, staff shortages and inefficiency in triage systems, which often exacerbate the problems that we see in our A&E departments?

Also, Cabinet Secretary, the Welsh ambulance service, as you said, declared that critical incident on 30 December. It does highlight the severe challenges, including increased 999 calls and the prolonged handover delays at A&E departments. When I spent time with them out on the front line last Friday, and also in the contact centre yesterday, it was actually quite telling that they said little things could make such a big difference. When I was there they talked about having additional resources, more advanced medical practitioners, more GPs in that service, more mental health support. They said if that could be put in to that service, it would reduce the number of people who need ambulances, and more people could be kept at home with more higher clinical decisions being made about people's outcomes and where they're going. One thing I do want to mention is the steps that are being taken from Government to support ambulance and call centre staff well-being during this time, because I witnessed first-hand the pressure that they're under. I'd be very interested to know what work you're doing, Cabinet Secretary, with the Welsh ambulance service, to make sure staff are supported during this period.   

We all know that delayed discharges and bed availability are one of the big problems. Given the ongoing 50-day challenge that the Welsh Government have initiated, how are health boards adapting to this initiative to address the peak in hospital admissions that are caused by respiratory infections? I'd like to know what measurable outcomes are being targeted in terms of bed availability as well, and the discharge efficiency, and how these are being monitored by Government to make sure that that 50-day challenge is actually delivering. Because, as we all know in this Chamber, if you can sort out getting people out of the back and into social care or back into their homes, it does alleviate the pressure on the whole of the system across the NHS. It's not rocket science—that's what everybody has told me, and I'm sure they're telling you the same.

One the long-term NHS resilience, I think this is something that we need to have a laser focus on as this Senedd, because I would like to know what the Welsh Government's long-term plan is to build a more resilient NHS, capable of maintaining our staff, maintaining standards, and keeping people safe, because we do have these recurring winter challenges as well, which seem to get worse year after year, so we do need to have that long-term plan. I know the First Minister said we don't need fancy strategies, but I think in the health service, we really, really do, because, Cabinet Secretary, I don't like saying this, but our NHS is broken. Its staff are on their knees, and patients' expectations of the NHS are getting more and more, and demand is going through the roof as well. So, I'd like to know what that long-term plan is, because we need to see one sooner rather than later from you.

One issue I do want to raise, Cabinet Secretary, with you today as well is something that's broken the news locally in my part of the world, which affects all constituencies on the border. It's about Powys Teaching Health Board considering on Friday a number of actions to save money in the system that they've got there now because of their budget deficit, which also includes a recruitment freeze, a freeze on agency staff, and asking English health providers to keep Powys patients waiting for longer for treatment for elective surgery because they don't have enough money to pay the bills, as operations in England seem to be getting done quicker than in Wales, and they're more efficient than Welsh providers. Powys patients already feel like second-class citizens due to longer waiting times for treatment compared to other areas across the country, and proposals that deliberately extend waiting times will only deepen those problems. We've already been told that people need timely care, and the longer they wait, that means the more times they go into other services—back to GPs, back to physios, back to A&E departments, calling ambulances because they're in pain. So, this proposal, if it does come forward, is actually going to create more problems for the health service, and make it worse.

So, Cabinet Secretary, I'd like to ask you: what financial support can you provide to Powys Teaching Health Board, and what concrete actions can the Welsh Government bring forward sooner rather than later, to make sure that we don't have a situation in Powys and other health boards that could set the trend across the country, that we can't send patients into England, or if they are in English providers that they will have to wait for longer, because the system there is more efficient than what we have here in Wales? So, I'd like to get your thoughts on that, Cabinet Secretary.

And as I didn't open with this, it's an honour coming into this brief of health. It's a big challenge, which I'm looking forward to, and I will work constructively with you to try and improve health outcomes for the people of Wales. Thank you.

Thank you to James Evans, and welcome to the new portfolio. I agree with him. It absolutely is an honour to be in the health and social care portfolio. I am grateful to him for the measured way in which he put his questions at what is a very difficult time for the NHS and obviously for the public as well. He asked a series of important questions. I'll try to cover as many as I can.

I think he was asking what steps had been taken recently, I guess, to prepare for the particular pressures that arise, perhaps necessarily, during the winter months but that have been particularly challenging this year. During 2024, a number of very significant steps have been taken. The NHS plans for winter constantly, obviously, but it seeks as well to learn from previous years' experience, and it was clear from last year that the most common reason given then, as this year, for red calls to ambulances in particular was breathing difficulties. So, a number of interventions reflected that. He mentioned he'd been to see the Welsh ambulance service trust and that they had talked to him, as they have to me, about the capacity for advanced practitioner paramedics to be able to do more, which is very encouraging, and the positive benefits that they see from more clinical capacity in triage and so on. The reason they were able to tell him and me that is because they were using funding that we had provided to employ more of those people, so we know that it works.

I think it's probably fair to say that the resourcing that the ambulance trust had put aside for this year's winter period is probably more than the last two years. So, the resourcing level going into the challenging period has been, I think, a good level of resourcing. On staffing in particular, the level of capacity was well provided for. So, I think the preparation work in terms of resourcing and staffing has been effective and robust, but the surge in demand has been particularly challenging, even against that backdrop. In addition to that, he alluded to the 50-day challenge. That is a critical part of how we can put the service on a more stable footing generally. It obviously has a particular relevance at Christmas, so that is a new initiative for health boards and local authorities working together.

He asked me in relation to that how we could have confidence in the effectiveness or otherwise of the interventions that have been put in place. So, there are two things in play there—and I do intend to make a further statement, as I committed to Plaid Cymru's spokesman a few weeks ago that I would do—firstly, we have a weekly monitor from the regions looking at progress in implementing the various interventions, and separately we have a monthly report of the numbers of people who are waiting for discharge and are fit and ready to go home otherwise. So, we know that we went into December this year—we haven't yet got December figures published; they'll be coming shortly—we went into December with a downward trend and figures for people waiting in hospital ready for discharge lower than they were in 2023. So, a modest level of progress there, but progress nevertheless. What I will now want to see is the effect in December, and crucially, as we're now entering a period when discharge becomes particularly important, to make sure that that system can work smoothly. I haven't got figures for that yet, but I'm reasonably confident that the ways of working that have been developed during that 50-day period of intensity, putting new ways of working in place, will bear fruit in terms of the trend over time. So, we’ll obviously publish the monthly figures so that colleagues can see what they are.

He asked me finally—well, finally before he mentioned the point about his local health board—what the long-term plan was, and I think he makes a fair point, that challenge in the system this year is acute. We see winter pressures every year; the question then is why are they particularly acute. And I think the inescapable answer is that, when the system itself is operating at a level of pressure, there isn't, as it were, any slack in the system to be able to deal with this surge in demand. So, the long-term solution to that is to enable emergency departments to function more smoothly. We have established programmes in order to do that, backed up with significant levels of funding. Swansea bay health board, for example, has had a challenging few weeks, and is still having a challenging few weeks in terms of admissions. They've been talking to the Getting It Right First Time team, the GIRFT team, who look at how systems work in all parts of the health service, actually, but in this context, in the ED department, and can advise on how to improve practice to ensure smoother delivery. So, those sorts of initiatives are under way, but also he'll know that we are reviewing the approach that we set to red call targets for ambulances to make sure that ambulances are available for those who need them most. So, there are a range of interventions in the system already in place with funding, and when they bear fruit, we will be able to see a reduction in that pressure, and that will ultimately put the service on a more resilient footing.

His final question—I know there will be others in the Chamber with an interest in this as well, Dirprwy Lywydd—I spoke to the chair of Powys Teaching Health Board before Christmas. We had made available significant additional funding in the weeks before Christmas. I don't have the figures in front of me, but I'll happily write to the Member with those figures. I saw as well what the health board have published. Clearly, all health boards need to be able to balance their budgets. This isn't a negotiable element, and so what I hope to see is that the board is able to make decisions that enable the budget to be balanced and also to make sure that people get the care in the timely way that they need and deserve.

Happy new year to the Cabinet Secretary. Christmas and new year are times of celebration, but for many it's a difficult time, as diseases are spread, impacting particularly on the most vulnerable, with people falling, drinking to excess, not to mention the impact on mental health and in terms of loneliness. So, winter pressure is inevitable. It happens every year, and we have to prepare for the pressures, but the pressures increase and the ability of the health service to cope decreases. The emergency statement by the ambulance service was testament to the huge pressures that they were facing a few weeks ago. This isn't a criticism of the dedicated staff who’ve continued to do heroic work in very difficult conditions; rather, it's a reflection of the record of this Government of underinvestment in the capacity of the estate, and the consistent mismanagement of the scarce resources that we have. For example, over the past years, we've seen a significant decline in the number of beds and the maintenance bill of the estate increasing to over £1 billion, which impacts on the ability of hospitals to comply with the standards to prevent respiratory diseases. In the meantime, we've also seen a serious erosion in the capacity of primary care, particularly in terms of the numbers of GPs, which causes huge pressure on the front line. The fact that 99 per cent of GPs have voted to reject the current pay offer underlines the gap that exists between the reasonable expectations of the workforce and the value that this Government places on the sector.

The fact that this Government is responding in a reactive rather than a proactive way has a further impact. This was exemplified by the fact that we had to wait until the end of September for the announcement of the Government's recent modelling on respiratory diseases, and only after I asked for this information in a written question a few weeks before that. Whilst I acknowledge that the modelling work continues throughout the year, it's vital that the Government is ready to share this information regularly and promptly to ensure effective understanding and collaboration between health boards, regional partnership boards and local authorities.

To turn to the more specific elements of the respiratory framework, I'm sure that the Cabinet Secretary is aware, as he mentioned, that there have been decreases in vaccination levels for flu. Fewer people over 65 years of age and those in need, as well as fewer people in the health workforce, have chosen to take up the flu vaccine as compared to the previous year. So, what is the Cabinet Secretary's understanding of the decrease in these specific groups, and does this call for a change in terms of the strategy to encourage more people to take up the vaccine?

On the same topic, I note that the health boards of Cardiff and Vale, Cwm Taf Morgannwg and Hywel Dda have introduced rules over the past two weeks in terms of wearing masks among staff and visitors. To what extent have you, therefore, considered making this mandatory across Wales? Also, do you have a current policy to ensure ventilation in our hospitals? That is, many of these winter diseases are those that are spread in hospitals, and more so when hospitals are full. So, when can we expect an update on the nosocomial policy the Government has put in place?

We also know, of course, that the UK Government's policy to cut the winter fuel allowance has made it harder for those people who are vulnerable in financial terms to heat their homes. What modelling work, therefore, has been done to understand the impact of this better, and what additional resources will be needed to be able to cope with the increase in terms of respiratory diseases and hospital visits that will emanate from this decision?

Falls and broken bones happen more often in winter, particularly amongst older people, partly because of the failure to take the right medicine or the right dose of medicine. Swansea University, under Professor Sue Jordan, has done excellent work in developing the adverse drug reaction programme, so that people understand the medicines that they need to take, which prevents falls as a result of taking the wrong medicine. Is the Cabinet Secretary aware of the ADRe programme, and will he meet with me and Professor Sue Jordan to discuss the scheme, which could help a number of people going forward? Thank you.

I thank Mabon ap Gwynfor for those questions. He was trying to differentiate between proactive and reactive approaches to tackling winter pressure challenges. What I think we saw over the last year was a Government operating very proactively to learn lessons from last year and the previous year, so more resources for ambulance services, more resources for A&E departments, more guidance on how to tackle disinfection, more guidance on transfers from the ambulance service to hospitals, and more support for health boards and local government to collaborate to put services for falls in place. So, on all of these measures, specific actions have been taken in the wake of what we learned last year. So, I think, in terms of preparation for the period, those preparations were very significant, but the challenge in the wake of the surge in demand following flu infections and so forth was very high as well.

Regarding vaccinations and how you ensure that people do take up the vaccines, this is something that is always under review, because we have to respond to patterns of awareness of where messages come from, whether they come from Ministers, or from public bodies, or health boards themselves. And there's a lot of evidence that shows different kinds of responses to different kinds of messaging. So, we look consistently at how we can adapt those messages to ensure that they reach the target audience. I think the picture has been one, unfortunately, that is broader than Wales, and Governments are taking different initiatives to try to encourage people to take up the vaccine. So, certainly, we'll be trying to learn lessons from the experience of this period, as we consistently try to do.

In terms of infection policy and ventilation and so on, the evidence that we base those policies on is already public, in that regard. The Member mentioned the framework that we published in September; there is an element of that that deals with this issue as well.

He did ask a question about whether there is any evidence of the age of those, perhaps, who enter hospitals with a respiratory ailment. What we know so far is that the age of those in ICUs with respiratory infections currently tends towards the younger rather than the older range. So, that's the evidence that we have, which suggests that it's one of the strains of flu that attacks people who are younger rather than older that we have here. But the evidence isn't clear yet, but that's the picture that seems to be right.

He made an important point about fall services. We do see more and more of that being established by health boards. It is a part of the 50-day challenge in order to look at what more we can do in this area. It is part of the very important way of securing community and home services, so that we can avoid people being taken to hospital.

As you said in your statement, the NHS winter pressures are being exacerbated by many things, but I just wanted to focus on two areas. Mabon ap Gwynfor raised these concerns also around the uptake of the flu vaccine. We know that only 27 per cent of NHS staff have taken up that vaccine, so I think it is really important that you do look at best practice to see what more can be done to encourage people to take the vaccine up. I think also people need to take responsibility, and if they are offered the vaccine, they should clearly have it to protect themselves and their loved ones, as well as our NHS. I do appreciate that you have limited health resources, but I wonder if you would look at expanding the groups that are offered the vaccine. So, for instance, would you look at over-55s being given the chance to have a free flu jab as well? I appreciate that you would look to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation for advice also, but I'd be very interested to hear your views on that.

The other area is poor patient flow, and we know what is causing that. So, as you grapple with next year's budget, I think it is really essential that it's not just primary care that sees an increase in its budget, but also social care and secondary care.

I thank Lesley Griffiths for those questions. I share her surprise, I think, at the levels of vaccine uptake amongst staff, and they're quite considerably down on last year, even, so I think there is something that we certainly need to get to grips with there, and we want to make sure that the conversation is one that is supportive and enables people to make the right choice, both for themselves and the patients they're caring for. So, I will want to look, over the next few weeks, at what more we can do, working with trade unions and with health boards to seek to encourage a greater uptake, obviously this year, but in particular, at this point, for next year, and to understand, I think, better than we do, what the core obstacles are to uptake amongst people who often spend their time dispensing vaccinations and medicines for other people. So, it's quite a complex question, but we do need to understand that. And I think that does have a bearing on the weeks ahead, where staff sickness itself can cause pressures in the system, can't it?

The second point that you made—. We will, obviously, take advice from the JCVI, as the Member highlighted, but I do think, if the patterns that I alluded to in my response to Mabon ap Gwynfor are borne out, I will want to understand whether there is a case for expanding the cohort, not least because of the pressures it can create on the system. So, that will be something that I do raise.

I think the point that she makes about—. And she acknowledges the budget pressures that we obviously face across the Government, but I do think it is critical, of course—. I've talked a lot today about the 50-day challenge and the delayed pathways of care; this is an area where the deep connection between the social care service and the health service is at its most obvious, it seems to me, and so I do think there is a case for us doing all that we can to support the social care service as well, working together, of course, with the Cabinet Secretary for local government, and my colleague the Minister for social care. 

And finally, Russell George.

Thanks, Deputy Presiding Officer. Cabinet Secretary, in Powys, there are no district general hospitals, as you know; 60 per cent of my constituents receive their treatment from hospitals over the border in England. Now, today, it's revealed that Powys health board is proposing to ask providers in England to not see patients too quickly, because they can't afford to pay. I can't quite believe that I'm actually saying this. It is a ludicrous position to be in that patients from Wales could be sat in the same hospital, being seen by the same health professionals, but are not seen as quickly as English patients. 

Now, you said earlier that health boards have to balance their books. I understand that, but the position in Powys is they're not going to balance their books. That is absolutely quite clear. Surely you must intervene. Can I ask you: will you, before Friday's board meeting of Powys health board, agree to meet and reach out to the chair of the health board and say, 'What needs to happen for this decision that you're proposing not to happen?' Because it cannot be the case that Powys patients are not seen for financial reasons, and not need. I know, Cabinet Secretary, you say that you want to do everything you can—it's one of your top priorities—to drive waiting for treatment times down. This is a position where treatment is available just a few miles up the road. It cannot be a financial decision, and I would urgently ask you to intervene with the health board in the next few days.

Well, as I said in my answer to James Evans, I've already spoken with the chair of the health board in relation to this question, and, at the same point, I've made funding available to the health board, as I mentioned in my earlier answer. The health board has to do two things: it has to balance its books, and it has to provide timely care for the residents of Powys. It is often very challenging to do that, but, clearly, that is the requirement of every health board in Wales, and Powys is no different in that respect.

I thank the Cabinet Secretary.

Item 7 today is a statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning on the offshore wind task and finish group. I call on the Cabinet Secretary, Rebecca Evans.

Diolch. The Welsh Labour Government is committed to creating jobs and green growth to make families in Wales more prosperous and to help with the cost of living. We are also a Government that listens to the concerns of people in Wales, and, through that listening, the First Minister has set out the priorities of this Government and how we are going to deliver for the people of Wales.

Critical to a sustainable Welsh economy is the delivery of jobs and green growth. Wales has already played a significant role in the delivery of fixed offshore wind in the UK. The very first array of offshore wind was off the coast of north Wales. This has helped establish an economic base through the port of Mostyn that has been an integral part of the constructing, operating and maintaining of these fixed offshore wind projects off the coast of north Wales and the north-west of England. Over time, these projects have provided opportunities for the local workforce, but we recognise that more needs to be done to realise our vision for the future economy of Wales.

We have identified more than 15 GW of offshore wind projects that are under development wind projects that are under development around our coastline. These projects are spread across Welsh, English and Irish waters and are scheduled to be operational by the end of the 2030s. The opportunities for Wales are huge, and the offshore wind task and finish group I am announcing today has been created to help us, with their expertise, to maximise these opportunities. To do this it's crucial that we understand the right opportunities. It's intended that this group will provide that direction in order that we can attract lasting economic value.

We have a vision for offshore wind that supports UK energy security and creates jobs for current and future generations in Wales. According to the latest ‘State of the Sector’ report from Marine Energy Wales, floating offshore wind has already delivered £21.2 million to the Welsh economy and is expected to grow significantly due to the advancement of the test and demonstration projects in the Celtic sea and a larger commercial pipeline being confirmed by the Crown Estate.

The Crown Estate's ‘Celtic Sea Blueprint’ report determined that the delivery of the first three commercial floating offshore windfarms in the Celtic sea could deliver £1.4 billion a year to the UK economy and sustain more than 5,000 jobs over five years. I want us to identify and concentrate on the priority areas that will bring the most benefit for the people and businesses in Wales. For example, I want the ports in Wales to lead integration and assembly, seeking realistic manufacturing opportunities and acting as hubs for ongoing operations and maintenance.

To attract lasting economic value, we need to establish and support the manufacturing supply chain around a realistic range of attainable areas that offshore wind developers will look to Wales to supply. We also recognise that fixed and floating wind supply chains are at different levels of maturity and opportunity. From a fixed offshore wind perspective, we believe that we can deliver a range of integration and assembly solutions to the sector, plus ongoing operations and maintenance support. Then, from the floating offshore wind side, we will focus on playing to Wales's strengths, capturing parts of the emerging supply chain, including floating foundation systems and steel substructures. Wales has some obvious strengths, including the use of green steel that could support a new sustainable future for Port Talbot, and the use of rebar products from Cardiff.

All this work is underpinned by supporting the right opportunities, and by having the right skills and workforce development to support the new activity. Flexibility is also critical, as at this point in time we are not absolutely certain which emerging technologies will be deployed in the Celtic sea. I can assure you now that this group will not produce another report on the high-level opportunities or the challenges to Wales. It will focus on clear actions that need to be taken across the relevant sectors and all stakeholders in the Welsh economy to realise the opportunity and to overcome the challenges. This will be led by relevant sector leads and will be supported by experts from across lead industries and bodies.

We already have a good understanding of many of the opportunities across Wales and how these align with activity elsewhere in the UK. Working through the marine energy programme, the Offshore Energy Alliance and the Celtic sea cluster, we have been advancing our understanding of what success could look like for Wales. We have also actively engaged with project developers and the active tier 1 suppliers and engineering, procurement, construction and installation companies to sense check our understanding of the opportunity. The intention is to ensure the work to date is comprehensive, and that clear timelines are included for the task and finish group to test this position, and agree a scale of the opportunity for Wales to inform the development of the action plan.

It also allows us to share information with the UK Government in terms of actions for the 'Clean Power 2030 Action Plan' and beyond. The success of the four Welsh companies in the Crown Estate's supply chain accelerator highlights what potential we already have in terms of supporting the delivery of renewable energy projects, which in turn will support the delivery of floating wind. Key areas that the task and finish group will need to consider in the development of the action plan will include the timetable for delivery of current and future leasing opportunities led through the Crown Estate leasing process and offshore wind route-map. From that timetable, we can understand the pipeline of investment opportunities from the developers bidding for leases. This will inform the action plan for the scale of the Wales economic opportunity. Central to the opportunity for Wales will be the ports and the investment and development requirements to lock in the investment opportunity in our communities. And finally, we will need to strengthen our understanding of the specific skills and workforce requirements.

The task and finish group will co-ordinate the work across sectors to develop an overall plan, recognising the interrelationships between sectors. We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to support thousands of jobs in Wales and to grow our economy for current and future generations. We know that Wales has a key role in driving forward clean power and energy security, and this task and finish group will create the plan to deliver our vision for our economy and the regeneration of many of our communities. 

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your comprehensive statement this afternoon, because it serves as a timely reminder of both the immense potential and the pressing challenges facing Wales's renewable energy sector. The announcement of the task and finish group is certainly welcome, particularly given the expertise of its members, and I thank you for sharing it ahead of your statement this afternoon. 

Your acknowledgement of Wales's pioneering role in fixed offshore wind, particularly through the port of Mostyn, is heartening. However, the stagnation in offshore wind capacity since 2016 highlights systemic issues that must be addressed urgently. The Climate Change Committee's recent report underscores this urgency, noting that Wales is not on track to meet its net-zero goals. With the ambition to deliver 15 GW of offshore wind projects by the 2030s commendable, the current trajectory suggests significant risks of underachievement without decisive action. I would also ask if the Cabinet Secretary could provide a breakdown of the gigawatts for fixed and the gigawatts for floating offshore wind. 

You mentioned that the task and finish group will focus on clear actions rather than producing yet another report. This is hugely encouraging. However, I would like to understand how the Welsh Government plans to overcome the persistent barriers, particularly planning delays and grid capacity constraints that have hindered progress thus far. RenewableUK Cymru's assertion that these factors are stifling development rings alarmingly true, with the decisions on windfarms capable of powering 170,000 households still delayed. So, Cabinet Secretary, how do you intend to expedite these processes and reduce inefficiencies? 

Your vision for Welsh ports to lead integration and assembly, as well as your focus on floating foundation systems and green steel, aligns well with Wales's natural and industrial strengths. Indeed, we've discussed ports this afternoon already with the Cabinet Secretary for transport, but as you highlight the economic potential of offshore wind, including £1.4 billion annually to the UK economy and thousands of jobs, the pressing question remains: how will the Welsh Government ensure that these benefits are realised in practice? Having these numbers written down in statements is no good when communities are being left behind and prosperity is slipping away from them because these opportunities aren't being realised, because both the Celtic and Anglesey free ports hold great promise, but it requires swift and co-ordinated action to address infrastructure and supply chain gaps and skills gaps.

Your commitment to flexibility in emerging technologies is prudent but a robust offshore wind strategy, both fixed and floating, must also include immediate measures to bolster the planning system and upgrade grid infrastructure, as I've mentioned. Increasing the capacity of planning and environmental decisions in Wales is essential to meeting the ambitious targets of 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2035, but, Cabinet Secretary, what specific steps are being taken to address these bottlenecks, particularly with regard to grid upgrade and planning reform? 

Finally, I welcome your recognition of the need to develop a skilled workforce. Roadshows and clear pathways for young people into the marine energy workforce should be prioritised, because I've always said it's very difficult for this workforce to imagine these future technologies, imagine floating offshore wind, when they've not yet seen what a floating offshore wind field looks like. And I know Blue Gem Wind have used artificial intelligence and headsets, augmented reality, to demonstrate the size and scale of these, but it's sometimes difficult to rationalise the opportunities for young people who are only now going through the education system, and these industries aren't yet accessible. So, what initiatives is the Welsh Government investing in to ensure job creation aligns with scale and timeline on these projects? Because, on skills, I would also ask, in terms of those who are on the task and finish group, why Barry Walters, the principal of Pembrokeshire College, has not been included? As you rightly emphasise the importance of workforce development, Pembrokeshire College is a key institution in training the next generation of skilled workers for the green energy revolution. Indeed, Shell UK have—. Yes, I'm sure you've seen the skills transition hub; you're nodding along, Cabinet Secretary. Pembrokeshire College is right at the forefront of this, so for them to be missing from this, either as an error or—. It needs to be addressed, because they are delivering already way above what is required of them, and given their proximity to the Celtic sea, I would say that they should be on that list.

The opportunities for Wales in offshore wind and broader renewable energy are indeed immense, as you've outlined, and you and I have discussed in private a number of times. However, ambition must be matched with action. Collaboration, such as a four nations renewable team, could provide the co-ordinated approach needed to overcome shared challenges. Is this something you would consider pursuing with the UK Government?

In conclusion, the vision you have set out is commendable, and I welcome it, but the need for decisive action is paramount. By addressing planning barriers, investing in infrastructure and fostering a skilled domestic workforce, Wales can truly lead in the transition to a greener, more sustainable future, bringing prosperity back to the communities that we represent. Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd.

I'm very grateful to Sam Kurtz for those questions this afternoon, and I know that he also shares a real and genuine passion for this particular agenda, and a genuine interest in this as well. Of course, I'm keen to work with all colleagues who are passionate about renewable energy, and particularly the opportunities that renewables provide for our economy more widely. Sam Kurtz referred to the immense potential that there is in this space, and I absolutely agree with him on that.

In terms of that urgency that he spoke about, I think that the most recent round of the contracts for difference has been a massive step forward in terms of the approach of the UK Government. The new UK Government has increased the funding pot, enabling 8 GW of new projects to be brought to market. Of course I think that we need to continue to do more to accelerate delivery and to ensure that there are stronger commitments to supply chain development in that space, but the clean industry bonus, I think, will be very important.

I would like to see, also, a ring-fenced pot of money for the test and demonstration projects. I think that will help boost confidence within the sector, and it could give further confidence for the beginnings of that particular supply chain as well. I've discussed that particular point with the UK Government Minister Michael Shanks, when I had a discussion with him on 'Clean Power 2030 Action Plan'. And I'm pleased, of course, that we've consented a test and demonstration project in the Erebus project, and I hope the ownership of the scheme can be advanced, so that it can bid for future contracts for difference rounds.

I think that the point about the need to improve the speed of planning is absolutely well made. It's something that the First Minister has identified as one of her top priorities. I'm pleased that, even since I came into post just a few short months ago, I've been able to agree developments of national significance that will power 150,000 homes in Wales. So, we're absolutely making some real progress now in terms of the speed at which we're able to make those decisions. Colleagues will be aware that, recently, I published a consultation that looks at actions that we can take to speed up the planning process further.

I've recently launched a consultation on full-cost recovery for local authorities, which will be important in order to give local authorities more access to resources to bolster their planning departments, which we know have been under pressure and depleted recently. Part of the work also involves conversations such as those that I had just this week alongside the Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Housing with our colleagues in the corporate joint committees. That will be about how we maximise the opportunities around regional working, to ensure that those very specialist areas of planning resource are able to be shared across regions in order to allow access to the kind of information and advice that local authorities need in order to take decisions.

And, of course, I've also delegated decision making to inspectors for those projects up to 50 MW, so, relatively small compared to what we're talking about here in terms of the large opportunities for offshore. Those have been delegated to inspectors in order to remove about three months from the whole planning decision process. So, there are certainly lots of actions that we're undertaking, and you'll see, hopefully, the additional funding for planning within the draft budget as well, and again, I hope colleagues would look to take the opportunity to support that.

The challenges around grid, I think, are again really well recognised both by ourselves and by the UK Government. The Welsh Government obviously is committed to achieving net zero, but we do recognise that that will require some major changes to the energy system and to the infrastructure that supports that. Our 2023 'Future Energy Grids for Wales' reports explored future pathways for the energy system, to understand what that might mean for electricity grids here in Wales. We worked really closely with the National Energy System Operator, and we welcome the plans that it is setting out for a more strategic approach to the grid system in Britain. The proposed central strategic network plan provides an opportunity to have a better planned approach to grid, taking into account future needs rather than just responding to individual projects and the needs of individual developers over time. So, again, I think that that is an important new development.

And, again, I absolutely agree with all of the important points around skills and why it's important that we understand what the pipeline of activity is going to be and then ensure that we have the skilled people available. On the recommendation of Sam Kurtz, I did visit the Shell skills transition hub in Pembrokeshire. I visited alongside my colleague Vikki Howells and also Joyce Watson, and to say we were impressed by what we saw is a huge understatement, and not only by the kit and the learning that was taking place there, but actually by the young people themselves and the sheer enthusiasm that they had for the opportunities that renewable energy will provide for them in future.

In terms of the membership of the group itself, the group will take a sector lead approach, so there will be individual sector leads who sit on the task and finish group, but then those sector leads will go out and consult more widely with those within their sphere of expertise. Paul Flanagan, the principal of Coleg Llandrillo, will be the sector lead for skills, but I know that he will look to consult and engage with Pembrokeshire College to make sure that the very impressive learning and expertise they have there is also considered as part of our approach to skills within the work of the task and finish group.

I thank the Cabinet Secretary for the statement. It is a positive statement.

I think this looks to be a positive statement, and I'm looking forward to seeing now the work stream of the task and finish group develop over the next few years. I don't need to reiterate how important it is that we get this right. Sam Kurtz was right: this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. I would caveat welcoming the task and finish group, though, by just asking Government to guard against potentially being hands-off with where we need to be when it comes to offshore wind over the next few years, because it very much is an all-hands-on-deck project, but I know that the Cabinet Secretary is sensitive to that.

There are a number of hurdles to overcome and we've heard some of them now: planning and grid capacity. But if I could take a moment just to look at overall port readiness, and particularly when we think about the priority that the Cabinet Secretary set out in terms of manufacturing, and I heard the reference to green steel, so could I take from that, or assume from that, that conversations have started now with Tata in Port Talbot around the potential for a plate steel mill? Because thinking back to the evidence that we took in the Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee, Tata were pretty clear that, as things currently stand, the capacity to be involved in offshore wind is not there in Port Talbot. It requires a plate steel mill, but the problem then, of course, is that the demand for plate steel is also not there, so it would require some sort of Government intervention. So, I would welcome any thoughts from the Cabinet Secretary on that and if those conversations have at least started to begin now.

Because one thing that has been made clear to me by stakeholders within the energy sector is this issue around port readiness, manufacturing and capacity within our ports. One thing we have seen is that investments are being made in ports in Europe, whether that's in France, the Netherlands, or even in Spain, where large manufacturing of offshore wind turbines is already taking place. One of the fears that they conveyed to me, and one of the fears that I actually share with them, is that we might see the investments that should be being made in Wales being made elsewhere, and therefore the economic benefits circumventing our communities and being in Europe, whether that is, again, in France, the Netherlands or Spain. So, I'd welcome some news from the Cabinet Secretary on how the task and finish group will focus particularly on the manufacturing part of this. Because if we don't get this right, then all that economic benefit that we've talked about, all the potential that we've talked about will be lost, and yet again we'll see in Wales an extractive economy that doesn't benefit our communities.

I'm really grateful to Luke Fletcher for his comments and, again, he's a colleague whom I know shares a real passion for this particular agenda and sees the opportunities for us here in Wales. I think that your reference to things being 'all hands on deck' is absolutely correct, in the sense that this really is an agenda where there are so many different partners and parties involved, but we all need to understand what our specific roles are. One of the roles of this task and finish group is setting out, if you like, that route-map as to which partners need to be doing what at which points in order to maximise the opportunities available to us. I think one of the particular roles that Welsh Government can have, especially at this early stage, is about giving confidence—confidence to investors, confidence to businesses, confidence to the supply chain for the future as well. And I'm absolutely up for that challenge, and I think that that's something that the group, again, will be able to advise us on, in terms of being able to make sure that we put our efforts where they will have the most impact.

We also know that, in order to unlock those additional high-value employment opportunities, which I know we both want to see, we have to make sure that the port infrastructure is fit for purpose and offers that end-to-end solution for the project developers. We specifically discussed the types of high-value manufacturing, technical services and operation and maintenance activities that could be undertaken across all ports and surrounding areas, so we've been having those discussions with partners.

We know that a multiport strategy will also be important in terms of delivery of offshore wind projects around the Welsh coastline, so we've got the marine energy programme. That's a cross-Government initiative, and that works closely with our major port operators in Wales and the project developers to fully understand what's required and, of course, where the Welsh Government can make the most difference. And just as an example of our approach, the marine energy programme has been working closely with the two main port operators in south-west Wales to facilitate the discussions around areas of potential delivery. We've also provided early stage support for both ports in the form of £1 million match funding of capital funding to share the risk of the early stages of development, covering, for example, consenting, harbour revision orders, and early design work and investigations as well. And, of course, we've got the Welsh Government land in Baglan as well, which, again, could provide us with an absolutely essential resource in future as we look to develop out, through these opportunities. So, there's work going on to explore what remediation will be required for that land as well. So, there's a lot of good work going on with the ports, which I think is critical.

In terms of the opportunities for steel, well, this afternoon, immediately before this statement, I was at the UK Government's steel council. So, that was the first meeting of the new steel council, and I had the opportunity within that to talk about the opportunities looking ahead, in terms of floating offshore wind, but offshore wind more generally, and making sure that those opportunities are there to be grasped by our steel industry here in Wales. That's a piece of work that we need to do to understand how we maximise those opportunities for our Welsh steel makers as well. So, just to reassure you that that is definitely part of the conversation that we're having.

And as part of the steel council, of course, Tata was there as a representative too. And I know that we were both at the Tata transition board just before Christmas, and had the opportunity to think about what's required in terms of responding to the transition at Tata, to maximise the opportunities for working people in the local area as well. So, just to reassure colleagues that even though today's about a task and finish group, looking, I suppose, to those medium to longer term opportunities, we are very mindful of the immediate challenges as well.

I was pleased to be at the opening of the Coleg Llandrillo engineering unit, where they're doing wind turbine maintenance and working with RWE, last year. I know that Welsh Government helped fund that unit as well, and it's really welcome for Rhyl. I've also visited the port of Mostyn, which is hugely important. I know, subject to planning, they could have capacity to have larger wind turbines going from there as well—capacity that maybe they haven't even got in Ireland. So, I know it's important for businesses across to look at that area.

On a visit with the committee to Ireland, we heard about an energy cable going across from Ireland to Wales so that there would be a baseload between the two, depending on where the wind is blowing, which is really interesting for me. We can use wind energy for baseload then as well, sharing it between Ireland and Wales. When I was at the college, talking with RWE, they were saying that they need thousands of apprentices, basically—a lot. So, I want to know how are the Welsh Government, with the net-zero skills action plan, helping to inform skill requirements for these projects, and working with RWE and others as well, building up curriculums, such as that at Rhyl college. Thank you.

Thank you very much for those questions. It's wonderful to hear about the hands-on experience you've been having locally, seeing the difference that wind energy is providing, in terms of employment opportunities for people currently, but then so that young people can see the opportunities that will exist for them in the future as well.

In terms of skills, we do have the draft clean energy sector skills road maps, and that does include now some key projects, skills requirements and workforce size forecasts for sectors associated with clean energy. They've been developed but they are subject at the moment to some data verification processes. So, we do intend to publish those. I don't have a date for them yet until those figures have been tested and we're confident that what's been produced is robust. But again, just to reassure colleagues that that work is going on in terms of scoping out what the skills requirements might be for various clean energy projects in the future.

I was really interested by the references as well to Ireland, and the opportunities within the Irish sea. We had a really good conversation at the British-Irish Council recently. We had a focus on energy at that particular meeting. That desire to collaborate was really strong in that meeting, in terms of when we were exploring ways in which we can work and learn from each other, but then also the kind of expertise that we can share in this space as well. I think that this is definitely an area where we understand as a group through the British-Irish Council what the challenges are, but we're really keen to work together as well, which was really heartening.

I welcome the statement today, of course, on where I live. You refer to a pipeline of over 15 GW of offshore wind projects planned to be developed in Wales, and also Ireland and England. We all know it's going to deliver economic benefit but also huge opportunities to upskill existing workforces and to train those coming through. We saw that—the three of us—in Pembrokeshire College, when we were there just the other day. I was quite envious of all that equipment that they had. And it was fantastic, because within that there were lots of sponsors from the energy sector sponsoring those pupils and engaging them and keeping them ahead of the game. It was quite fantastic.

But I suppose the real question here is whether you're able to provide any further information on what the particular projects are going to entail, as well as all the other things that have been discussed. And what would be key here, of course, is this: you say that the ports are going to lead the integration, but how is the integration of these proposals going to match with the existing plans that we have, perhaps for free ports, and other avenues that we can explore? Because we clearly are on the cusp of the third industrial revolution and anything that we can do to grasp that has to be taken. I agree as well that in terms of manufacturing, we can't miss the opportunities. We've already fallen behind—

Thank you, Joyce.

—but I'd welcome any statements that you have. Thank you.

Thank you. It was brilliant to be in Pembrokeshire College alongside Joyce Watson and see how enthused the young people were about the opportunities available to them, but then also how respected they felt in terms of being able to learn in such an excellent environment and with such excellent kit available to them. It was just really uplifting, the time that we spent at the college. 

I was really interested by the reference to the third industrial revolution. I think that that really speaks to the importance of a just transition, because again, thinking back to the British-Irish Council, we had a really good discussion there about how Wales in the past has faced an unjust transition in terms of our moving away from fossil fuels, particularly coal, and what that has meant for our communities in Wales, and that we can't face another unjust transition. This is why looking at the whole skills agenda and the opportunities through the projects themselves but also through the supply chains is going to be absolutely critical to make sure that we retain as much of the value and the opportunity as we can here in Wales. The apprenticeship work, I think, is one way in which we can do that.

The commitments that we've made through our personal learning accounts have helped people to upskill. But part of that, really importantly, has been a green PLA, and that's been about meeting net zero skills gaps in construction, which I know Joyce Watson is particularly passionate about, as well as energy, manufacturing and engineering. The wage cap has been removed for that element to allow more people to access these net zero skills and qualifications. So far, almost 1,900 people have accessed green PLAs in the 2023-24 academic year, according to provisional figures. But we'll have some final figures for that. So, that's really positive in terms of people seeing the opportunities that exist for themselves and their families in terms of skilling up to meet those needs for the future. 

Again, I think the free ports work will be really important. We're really proud in Wales that our approach to free ports with the previous UK Government allowed us to negotiate fair work and environmental conditions as part of our offer. I know that the current UK Government now is looking at that more widely for its approach to free ports. But free ports absolutely, I think, will play an important part in our future story for floating offshore wind and fixed offshore wind as well. 

And finally, Jenny Rathbone. 

I agree with previous speakers that this is an incredibly important development and a once-in-a-generation opportunity, but we absolutely need to get it right. As Luke Fletcher said, we need to keep our eye on the ball here. In your statement, you talked about four Welsh organisations being involved in the first round of the supply chain accelerator. It's not in the statement, but I'm assuming that they were Marine Power Systems, based in Swansea, the Neath Port Talbot group of colleges, Pembrokeshire College, and then the fourth one I had down was Tugdock, but they're based in Cornwall. So, who are these four organisations? Because it's absolutely crucial that we don't have a repeat of what happened with the coal industry, where all of the profits went elsewhere.

The second is what has been done already in terms of the skills development that we need. It was nearly a year ago that the managing director of marine at the Crown Estate said that it's an incredible opportunity, but if we're going to make the most of the transition to renewable energy, we must be on the front foot, acting now to develop the supply chain capability, skills and infrastructure needed. That was back in February. What has been done already, or is it the case that we were waiting for this task and finish group to come along to ensure that these skills were being developed now? Because we know we're going to need a huge amount of welding and the ability to handle concrete accurately for it to stay up in the wind offshore. 

The third thing is—

You've had two questions.

We talked about the planning issues here; what is the role of the Infrastructure (Wales) Act 2024 in ensuring that these planning decisions are going to be made in a timely fashion, given that if you don't make a decision within six months, you'll have to come here and explain yourself?

Thank you, Jenny.

Thank you very much for those questions. I completely agree with the point about this being a huge opportunity and we absolutely need to get it right.

I should say on skills that we're absolutely not waiting for this task and finish group to provide us with what we need. I mentioned in response to a previous contributor that we have our draft clean energy sector skills road maps. When we are able to publish those, that will include more detail on the key projects that we know are in the pipeline and what skills are required to be able to deliver and maintain those projects. I think that that will be really helpful.

But even before that, we've pivoted our personal learning accounts towards the green agenda and the net-zero skills. I was able to say a bit more about that in the response to Joyce Watson. But I should also mention our net-zero skills element within the long-standing flexible skills programme. That's there to support employers to upskill staff to meet the future economy needs. It's a training grant; it's available to all employers in Wales who want to purchase courses to meet upskilling objectives. We will provide 50 per cent towards the training cost.

It does then include some specific programmes to support skills gaps in the engineering and manufacturing sector, as well as the development of skills to help address net-zero challenges, amongst other areas. In the opportunities that we are providing, whether it's the personal learning accounts, the flexible skills programme or our apprenticeship programme, we're making sure that all of those are pivoting towards the opportunities that exist in the green energy space.

On the infrastructure Act, that's going to be really instrumental in speeding up the decision making, because it does streamline the consenting process; it's much more clear now on the information that is going to be required by developers and at what point. Alongside the investment that we're making in the planning profession, that will, I'm sure, speed up the time it takes for decisions to be made on those major infrastructure projects, which is very positive.

And on the original point that Jenny Rathbone made in terms of the organisations, I will write to provide clarity on that point.

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary.

Item 8 has been issued as a written statement, so that brings today's proceedings to a close. Thank you very much.