National Assembly for Wales

Prynhawn da, bawb. Good afternoon, everybody.

Parents across Afan Ogwr Rhondda are deeply concerned about their children's school transport arrangements. A survey conducted, with 176 respondents from Rhondda Cynon Taf, found that 72 respondents reported attendance disruption for their children due to insufficient school transport arrangements. A hundred and twenty-five people described feeling anxiety, vulnerability, stress or fear as a result. Reliability, capacity and safety are seriously important, especially when a child faces additional barriers to their learning. So, when assessments are made on transport provision, what will your Government do to ensure that vulnerable learners are not left behind by decisions that are driven by costs rather than outcomes?

As I said earlier, this is very much a live issue, making sure that, when it comes to additional learning needs learners in particular, those particular circumstances that are relevant to them are taken into account. Funding for school transport, remember, comes through the revenue support grant. It is for local authorities to make provision, but the rise in school transport costs is a complex issue. It is driven by a number of factors. And whether that's local government or the Welsh Government, and the way we interact with this, addressing those complexities requires action across portfolios at local and national level. We, as I say, have been discussing with the WLGA those kinds of pressures that we realise are on local government, at the same time as making the case to the UK Government on the issues that they can take decisions to address—on fuel costs, for example. So, this is something that needs to be addressed on many, many levels.

Welsh Government investment through Ynni Cymru is generating real savings and benefits for the community. I was delighted just a few weeks ago to visit the Iqra Masjid mosque in Newport to see one project first-hand for myself. Our plans to establish a new Welsh public energy company will support our ambition in the national energy strategy for more of the energy generated in Wales to be owned in Wales and to benefit Wales. More Welsh ownership will see the value created from our natural resources retained for the people of Wales, which is something I hope all of us would want to pursue.

First Minister, I'm proud to support a grass-roots campaign in Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg to stop the proposed small modular reactor nuclear project in the Llynfi valley by Last Energy. More extractive and harmful projects are not what our post-industrial communities deserve. It's no surprise why they have selected one of our most deprived communities to pilot this new nuclear technology. Campaigners across the constituency are calling out for renewable energy projects that they can directly benefit from, and that's why we're exploring alternative energy options within the constituency rather than accepting private organisations coming in to extract the profits from our communities. So, Prif Weinidog, will you reaffirm this Government's ambition to ensure that our communities benefit from energy projects?

Yes, absolutely. In many ways, that principle is agnostic of that source of power generation. Energy projects in Wales must show, I think, how they improve matters for people in Wales. It's an important issue that will be at the heart of the national energy strategy we have committed to delivering. Through that strategy, we will deliver that commitment to make sure that Welsh people and communities have more ownership, as I say, of energy initiatives, and that they and their communities receive also their fair share of the profits. We need a balanced energy system that delivers secure supply. Renewables will be an important part of that system, obviously. The public energy company that we're currently consulting on will have a vital role, I think, to play in supporting communities and securing value from commercially led projects too.

First Minister, Wales presently has nearly 4,000 MW of installed capacity, all dependent on gas for firing. Given what's just been said, this document, produced by the National Grid, 'Community Energy Scenarios', reveals the truth of this community energy nonsense. At best—at best—it will mean we go from 47 MW to 281 MW by 2035. To be fair to you, you're not a Nimby First Minister, but what I would describe Plaid's nuclear policy as is 'only in Rhun's back yard', because that's effectively what we've got. First Minister, right across south Wales, we have a growing energy problem. Will you reconsider Plaid's energy policy so that we can look at a series of small modular reactors right across south Wales?

Will we reconsider our energy strategy? I think I've confirmed again today that we are bringing forward a new national energy strategy that calls for that balanced energy system. Referring to community energy 'nonsense'—talk to people in Bethesda about the 'nonsense' that is their energy production scheme, which they are hugely proud of and that brings all sorts of benefits to that community. Look at all those projects across Wales, including the one I visited in Newport recently, that people take a real, genuine sense of ownership of and know that they are tackling the energy crisis that we are facing, plus the climate change crisis that his party is denying. Our energy future will bring together all sorts of technologies, all sorts of production methods. I want to use our resources for the benefit of the people of Wales, but at the heart of that has to be something that is very different to the extractive story of the past and that has the interests of Wales at the very heart of it—something that Reform really struggle with.

First Minister, what steps are you taking, working with the UK Government, Ofgem and network operators, to ensure that connection costs and waiting times don't prevent these projects, be they community or larger scale, from progressing? We need that grid infrastructure in place for it to succeed. I think Wales has got an opportunity to be an energy superpower, and that's why the comments from the Plaid Cymru Member earlier about SMRs are so disappointing. So, can you, further to my first question, explain why SMRs are the right solution for Anglesey but not for south Wales?

Diolch, Lywydd. First Minister, I want to raise a deeply disturbing case from our capital city. In March this year, 29-year-old Mohammed Abbas arrived in Britain on a small boat from France. By June, he was in custody facing criminal charges. In July, he was convicted of offences including assaulting a police officer and sentenced to 300 hours of community service. He was subsequently placed in Home Office-funded accommodation in Cardiff. Just two days later, at 2 o'clock in the morning, he entered a family home and committed sexual offences in the presence of two young girls, both under the age of 16. He has since pleaded guilty to four further offences and is awaiting sentencing. Those two young girls should have been safe in their own home. First Minister, what discussions have you had with the Home Office about this case? What assurances have you sought about the safeguarding of communities hosting asylum accommodation? And will you now commission an urgent review of the arrangements between Welsh public services and the Home Office to ensure that a case like this is never repeated?

I think I would refer the Member to the safeguarding work that this Government is doing in general, making sure that we are strengthening the provisions that we put in place as a Welsh Government to safeguard the citizens of Wales. What has been described to me—and it's not a case that I am familiar with myself—is criminality. What has been described to me are the actions of an individual that all of us would condemn and that the legal system should be empowered to deal with.

I know that it is always the case that Reform seeks only to comment on those elements of criminality that emerge from people who have come into the UK, but that really doesn't help us when it comes to the core issue here, which is to make sure that we in Wales, in the public sector, in the Welsh Government, have safeguarding measures in place across the board that make sure that we de-risk and that we look after those vulnerable people within our society.

The point is that we absolutely accept we already have criminals home grown in the country, but why would we risk importing more? People that we don't know—we know nothing about them. The fact is, whether this is an isolated case or not, two girls have suffered because of a serious failure in safeguarding.

First Minister, last week your Deputy Minister for Transport announced yet another 18-month study into congestion on the M4 around Newport, alongside proposals that could see motorway junctions closed. Let's not forget it was the Labour Government who scrapped the relief road, wasting well over £100 million of taxpayers' money in the process. Closing motorway junctions doesn't make the traffic disappear; it simply moves the problem elsewhere, and restricts emergency services trying to carry out their duties. First Minister, Newport needs a long-term solution that improves capacity, not measures that redistribute congestion into residential communities. So, I'll ask you a straightforward question and I expect a straightforward answer: does your Government intend to press ahead with building an M4 relief road around Newport during this Senedd term—yes or no?

I described in the Senedd last week the multiphase approach that we are taking to addressing an issue that previous administrations chose not to. Inaction, we have decided, is not an option for this new Plaid Cymru Government. Therefore, we will press ahead with a number of short-term measures in order to strengthen the infrastructure that is in place now. And we are embarking right away on a piece of work to look at what is that engineering solution that will help then bring together a package that will deal with the blight that is the Brynglas situation for the people of Newport, and the blockage that is in place for the people and the economy of the wider south Wales region.

Well, it's a 'no', and it's a shame to see that you're determined to continue Mark Drakeford's war on motorists. Nothing changes, does it? The cosy Cardiff consensus continues. Speaking of which, First Minister, throughout the Senedd election, you promised Wales you would deliver change, but we've learned this morning that you've done a deal with Labour to push through your failed supplementary budget. When Labour were in power, it was your party that was propping them up, voting through their budgets as they destroyed our public services. Now you're in power, it's Labour who are nodding along as your Government sends millions of pounds abroad while our NHS suffers. When you said you'd deliver change, people expected you to change more than just the seating plan in the Chamber. And I know a few things about seating plans. So, First Minister, how much longer will the people of Wales have to wait for a Government prepared to deliver real change?

The seating plan on that side of the Chamber seems to be changing every week. [Laughter.] And I would suggest that maybe she doesn't make herself too comfortable where she is either.

We have an agreement in place on the supplementary budget and I'm grateful, on an issue that Reform also wanted us to deliver on, which is additional learning needs. The irony, Llywydd. It's just that Reform enjoys shouting from the sidelines rather than wanting to contribute to the future of Wales. The fact is that this Government has decided to make good on the wishes of the people of the north-west of Wales on the Menai crossing; that this Government is taking action after years of inaction around the M4.

I go back to the second question asked. This ultimately is around dog-whistle politics for Reform. They talk about the risk of importing criminals. And absolutely, we need to take measures to make sure that we keep our citizens safe. But what about the risk of importing doctors? What about the risk of importing nurses? What about the risk of importing people who want to contribute to the life and the future of Wales in a way the benches over there have very, very little interest in doing?

Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, some here will doubtless work tirelessly to destroy and sabotage devolution, but Welsh Labour firmly believes in making it work for the people of Wales, and we're proud to have fought for and secured an extra £60 million for children with additional learning needs for this financial year. That's a 50 per cent increase on two weeks ago, and it's £60 million more than at the start of the summer. But, of course, this is only the first step. We believe that more funding should be made available for ALN, and we've made it clear that not a penny of this £60 million should come from elsewhere within the education budget, and we've argued successfully that there needs to be a long-term sustainability plan for further education in Wales. First Minister, will you confirm these commitments today? And also, will you commit to getting the extra £60 million that Welsh Labour has fought for to schools and to children as soon as possible?

As I said previously, I'm very pleased that an agreement has been reached, and I thank those who engaged very constructively with us to get us to a point where we both now are able to move to release money for additional learning needs services, an area on which we both have common ground. It was a manifesto commitment of mine to move towards sustainability within ALN. That hasn't changed. We want to pursue that sustainability. The discussions that we have been having, without going into confidential issues, have been very much about how we are able to release this money that doesn't come from elsewhere in the education budget. This is mature, positive working, and it has led to what we both wanted to happen—and others in this Chamber—which is the strengthening of ALN provision.

Absolutely, First Minister, and Welsh Labour will never fold. We will stand firm in our positions, unlike parties—[Interruption.]—unlike parties that have no principles, that have no values, that have no direction, but have plenty of different leaders, it seems. First Minister, of course, ALN-related provision and home-to-school transport are costing more and more each year. It's now reached around £200 million for the taxpayer—money that is coming from education budgets. Now, it may come as a surprise to the vocal crew on the other side of this Chamber, but their leader at a UK level, when he went to Kent, said that spending on home-to-school transport was ridiculous. Actually, he used more profound terms. He said that the way that he would cut it is to stop providing it, to make parents drive or walk their children to school. Is that the policy of Reform here, First Minister, do you think?

And, First Minister, would you agree to a more sensible approach, a more intelligent approach, one that was started by the Welsh Labour Government, where we composed an expert panel, a cross-party, cross-departmental group, to look at how we can reduce costs for home-to-school transport whilst improving the amount of home-to-school transport that can be provided to young people?

I certainly agree with the comments made that there is an ideological drive to push down public transport by the Reform benches, and they don't seem to care who that impacts. I think we have seen in recent weeks around the ALN funding issue that we are able to reach a positive place through co-operation, and I'm always interested in looking at how we can co-operate across the Senedd in finding ways to spend public money well on ALN needs, on public transport and on learner transport. It is through that co-operation that we will get better results. 

Diolch, Lywydd. Look, Labour didn't fold, they collapsed. Isn't that the case?

First Minister, people across Wales are facing a cost-of-living crisis, yet senior managers in the public sector and in publicly funded organisations are enjoying pay packets that people in our country could only dream of. And what's really galling is that the worse their organisations seem to perform, the better the pay packet seems to be.

Let's take Transport for Wales, for example. Last year, it was one of the worst performing rail companies across the whole of the United Kingdom in terms of cancellations, yet its chief executive is earning nearly £0.25 million every single year. Then there's Cardiff Airport. It currently receives £20 million per year in annual subsidy from the Welsh Government just to stay afloat, yet its latest financial statements show that its highest paid director received a package of more than £275,000 per year. And in north Wales, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has the worst performing emergency departments and longest waiting times in the country, yet its chief executive is earning a salary of £262,500 per year. It's scandalous. 

So, do you agree with me, First Minister, that these salaries are now completely out of control, they bear no relationship to the performance of their organisations, and that no-one in the public sector or in a publicly funded organisation should be rewarded for failure?

I must say at the outset that there's a real irony here, isn't there, that the Conservatives choose to focus on high salaries when tax cuts for the highest earners are always among the driving forces of the Conservatives' agenda, which does nothing whatsoever to help people in Wales who are living with the challenges of the cost-of-living crisis.

Across the public sector, we need to make sure that we have the right people in the right place. That does absolutely involve paying them the right sums of money. But all I can tell you is that this new Government, through our work on effectiveness and efficiency, will do everything that we can to make sure that the public pound in Wales is driven as far as it possibly can be. Securing that value for money is at the heart of what this Government is trying to achieve for Wales.

Look, we all know why you are not in favour of performance-related pay and that's because you'd all be skint, wouldn't you, frankly, if it was based on the performance of your Government so far. Let's look at a decision. You say that you want efficient and fair services for taxpayers, let's take a look at a decision that you took last week, as a Government, on your Government website. On 7 October, you approved a salary of more than £200,000 per year for a chief executive of Natural Resources Wales, and a package that would be worth more than that. That's another organisation that has faced serious criticism over its performance: failures to tackle illegal dumping; slow progress in delivering flood defences; and sewage discharges into Welsh waterways, which people have been protesting outside the Senedd about even today. Yet, your Government has decided to offer its next boss a salary that is much higher than even your own—

These unacceptable salaries for public sector fat cats have gotten out of control and must stop. So, can I ask you today, First Minister: will you introduce a public sector pay restraint Bill to prevent excessive salaries for senior managers paid by the public purse, to make sure that there's fairness for taxpayers and to ensure that pay reflects performance and doesn't reward failure?

Pay absolutely should reflect performance. But I again point to the irony here. We have to make sure that we get value for money from, yes, at times, high wages within the public sector. But compare like for like. Where were the Conservatives calling for the bankers to pay their part of the bill for the financial collapse that is still causing pain for families in Wales today? Where are the Conservatives when it comes to making sure that public spending is able to help those people in communities the length and breadth of Wales, with two out of every five children in Wales living in poverty? I'm afraid that this is faux outrage from the Conservatives. And on performance-related pay, the Conservatives have precisely nothing to show for 27 years in this Parliament.

Our programme for government sets clear priorities. We will drive efficiency and effectiveness by focusing on these priorities, working collaboratively across Government with a clear focus on outcomes for the people of Wales. We're committed to being the most transparent Government since devolution. And the first iteration of our digital dashboard, for example, which measures progress against our top priorities, was issued this summer.

First Minister, taxpayers don't measure Government efficiency by how many strategies, reviews or initiatives you announce; they measure it by what actually improves and what it costs them.

Your Government has promised measurable outcomes, progress milestones, plans for plans, greater productivity and so on, so will you actually put the numbers against those promises? Will you publish clear targets showing how much taxpayers' money you intend to save, and which areas of Government will become more efficient and by when? And when programmes or public bodies repeatedly fail to deliver value for money, will you actually reform, merge or scrap them? Because Government efficiency cannot just mean spending more money more efficiently; sometimes, it actually means having to spend less. 

Well, neither does spending less mean that you are being more efficient or more effective, that's what my response would be to that. You spend what you need to spend, not a penny more. You drive that efficiency, you drive that effectiveness. That's the programme that the Government is engaged with now in looking at budgets for the coming years. We have a set budget. Reform voted against fair funding for Wales, but we will work within the budget that we have. And in spending every pound sensibly, in looking at how we get the most out of every pound, that is how we drive outcomes. Because I absolutely agree with the Member that it's not measuring how much you spend, it's what you do with the money. And that also goes on whether you're putting efficiency drives in place for ideological reasons, or whether you're doing it in order to get more out of the system. Let's focus on what we're trying to achieve always for the people of Wales.

Effective Government is underpinned by taking a collaborative, cross-sector and holistic approach to policy development and decision making. It recognises that many of the challenges facing Wales cannot be addressed by individual departments working in isolation. Because for too long, previous Governments have operated in silos, failing to look at the bigger picture and tackle shared challenges through joined-up action. Take prevention, for example. Prevention cuts across health, housing and culture. Food policy connects social justice, public health and rural resilience. Creating high-quality jobs needs co-ordination between the economy and education. So, Prif Weinidog, I'd like to know how this Plaid Cymru Welsh Government is already working collaboratively across ministerial portfolios in a tangible and measurable way that will genuinely make a difference to the lives of the people of Wales.

This is a programme of work that we put in place in the early weeks of this new Government. The programme for government is built around a set of priorities. To deliver on those priorities and all those other areas that the Welsh Government is responsible for will take a whole-Government approach. Cross-Government working we really want to be a part of our DNA as a Government.

I tasked the Cabinet Minister for Government effectiveness to ensure that the Government works collectively across portfolios to deliver meaningful outcomes. Here are three examples. On climate change, yes, there's a Minister responsible, but it belongs to all of us, so we've put the structures in place to make sure that we're working collaboratively on climate change. Prevention is another one that cuts across the work of so many departments. Tackling poverty is another one of those.

I'd also make the point, Llywydd, that it's not how we work co-operatively within Government alone that matters. Effective delivery also depends on strong collaboration with others—local government, for example, businesses, the third sector and, crucially, communities across Wales.

First Minister, you've spoken about the importance of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the Welsh Government. You've even appointed a Minister for the task. My constituents and the people of Wales need more than just warm words, new strategies and talking shops. They actually want to see improvements in the areas that matter most to them and they want to see their money spent wisely. We've all heard about these ambitious targets and pie-in-the-sky plans from your Government. In fact, you've filled 70 pages with pipe dreams and packaged it up as a programme for government full of ideas but very light on delivery. So, First Minister, what specific measurable targets are you going to be setting during this Senedd term to reduce waste, improve productivity, slash NHS waiting lists and improve educational outcomes across the board? Thank you.

We can point to a whole host of targets that are already in place, from the first meaningful economic target that we've had in maybe a quarter of a century, on halving the productivity gap with the rest of the UK within a decade. That's setting our sights high, but we need that kind of target. We know about the targets on the longest waiting times in the NHS. We have a very clear path towards raising standards in numeracy, literacy and so on.

I'd refer the Member to the answer I gave a few moments ago. Yes, we want to be efficient in our use of public money in everything that we do. And yes, we have already found ways that we, I believe, can deliver more for less in a whole host of different ways, and I think that's very important.

But to ideologically drive down spending for the sake of it doesn't help the people of Wales. What helps the people of Wales is using money wisely, carefully and setting a clear trajectory for the kinds of changes that we want to deliver for them. With childcare, we know what it is that we're trying to deliver. We know what we have to do. We're getting on with the job.

I recognise the vital role that health visitors play in supporting children and families across Wales. Responsibility for their pay, grading and employment rests with the health board as the employer. But we have engaged with the health board and the trade union, making clear our expectation that all parties should work constructively towards a swift resolution. We will continue to support those efforts while ensuring appropriate arrangements remain in place to safeguard children and families.

First Minister, I accept the health visitor dispute began before you took office, but it has continued under your Government, affecting vulnerable children and families in my constituency. In March, Heledd Fychan, who now sits in your Cabinet, asked the previous First Minister to intervene. Luke Fletcher reminded the Government that it was, in his words,

'setting the policy and funding the services.'

Then, on 17 April, you signed a letter calling for band 6 health visitors to be upgraded to band 7. Yet your Cabinet Minister for health continues to describe this as a local employment dispute between Unite and the health board, with no fixed timetable for resolution. First Minister, you now set the policy, you fund the services, and you signed the call for band 7. So, I ask you plainly: will your Government provide the funding necessary to deliver band 7 for these health visitors? Yes or no?

This is a dispute, as the Member rightly points out, that this Government inherited, and yes, I did say that I wanted this dispute to be settled very quickly. I say now, also, now that I'm in Government, that I want this dispute to be settled quickly—for the health visitors, for the health board and for the people that they serve. It is clear that this is a matter that can only be resolved in dispute resolution between the employer and the employee, between the health board and the health workers. What we can do in Government is ensure that there is real clarity on roles and bands and pay structures nationally, and that is exactly what the review instigated by the Cabinet Minister for health is setting out to do.

Prif Weinidog, I think it's important to challenge the suggestion that nothing has been done on this issue. Plaid Cymru Members have repeatedly raised the dispute with the health board in the Senedd and through the Health and Social Care Committee. The health Minister has engaged with both sides and consistently called for a resolution. The Minister has also been clear that this is not a dispute he can simply impose a settlement on, and the frustration felt by the health visitors is shared across this Chamber. What this long-running dispute does raise, however, is wider concerns about governance and accountability. When concerns can persist for years despite scrutiny and repeated calls for resolution, we must ask whether the warning signs should have been identified much earlier. What lessons is the Government drawing more widely about strengthening leadership and accountability across NHS Wales to prevent disputes reaching this stage in future? Diolch.

I agree that it is important that there's a real understanding of where resolution for this dispute lies. Where disputes persist and affect service delivery, wherever that might be, health boards must demonstrate how concerns have been managed, risks monitored, and the necessary actions taken to maintain safe services.

The Cabinet Secretary has therefore sought further assurance from the health board on safeguarding arrangements and health visiting capacity, with an expectation of full transparency and robust oversight, just to make sure that children and families remain protected.

More broadly, NHS organisations must have strong governance to identify and respond to emerging risks, whatever they might be. The new accountability and support framework published just two weeks ago strengthens accountability, oversight and improvement support, while a forthcoming well-led framework will further strengthen leadership right across the NHS.

There's obviously no denying that the dispute has been running for far too long. Many of us have been outside on the picket lines and have spoken to constituents who are really frustrated; it's a massive women's workforce, particularly. But I do welcome some news that it looks like, potentially, some progress is now being made towards resolving the dispute. But does the First Minister accept that the lesson from this dispute is that the Welsh Government must now understand and accept its own role in using social partnership as a vehicle to bring employers and trade unions together and to drive that early resolution of disputes rather than allowing them to become so entrenched?

It's hard for me to comment on what would have happened in the early days, because that was under a Labour Government. Do I believe that we should lean heavily on social partnership? Yes, absolutely. That comes to the resolution of local disputes, it comes into play on issues of national disputes. I believe in the concept and the principle of social partnership. There are certainly learnings from this issue, where we can all ask could things have been done sooner. I hope, as the Member does, that that resolution, which we all wish to see happening, is coming closer.

Steve Bayliss highlighted the letter that you signed as leader of Plaid Cymru during the election campaign. There was a key ask in that letter, and it's stated quite simply: 'Honour agreed processes and upgrade all band 6 health visitors to band 7.' Do you still agree with that statement that you made back in April now that you're First Minister? 

It is not as simple as that. This is a resolution that can only come from dispute resolution between the employer and the employee. What we need to ensure, as I said, is that we have absolute clarity now on pay structures and banding, as that relates to health workers wherever they are in Wales, because that consistency of application is crucial to make sure that we avoid this kind of dispute in future. There's work that has been instigated by the Cabinet Minister for health, and I trust that that not only comes into play now, but that it will be of use when it comes to, potentially, nipping other disputes in the bud in future through social partnership.

At the start of September, my mother passed away. She had spent her entire career working as a health visitor. For her, this work wasn't just a job, it was her calling. My mum's identity, from when she first started training in 1951, was shaped around her time as a health visitor. Even in retirement, you could tell from the way that she spoke and interacted with people that being a health visitor was really part of who she was and what she was meant to be doing. This is the case for so many people for whom their career is a vocation.

Does the First Minister agree with me that, very often, when a career is a vocation for a person, they are often not remunerated according to the value of the kind of work they do for society or in comparison with other equivalent professions? And furthermore, does the First Minister agree that this is an issue that disproportionately affects professions dominated by women, like health visiting, more than it does professions dominated by men?

There is no question that health visitors are driven by vocation. I've met those who are currently involved in this particular dispute. They want to get back to work. That's the core of this from their point of view. Yes, we are talking about women, largely, here, but I think what we need to show always is an appreciation of that commitment that people right across the public sector show towards their work that goes over and above, by some way, what they are contracted or paid or the hours that they are meant to work. We look right across the public sector and show our appreciation to those people who care for those within their communities. I'll also take this opportunity to wish your family well after your recent loss.

The Government believes in the future of our town and city centres. They're at the heart of local identities, our culture and our communities. We refuse to accept their decline and want to reinvent and repurpose those town and city centres for the future. Public services are very much part of that. We want our town and city centres to be places where people can easily access the services they need. We're also investing in better transport links and regeneration schemes and using our town centre taskforce to consider what further action is needed.

Diolch, First Minister. Strong cities and towns depend not only on attracting investment but also on ensuring that people can continue to access essential services they rely on every day. In Swansea, the city centre post office in the Quadrant is due to close in February 2027. While a replacement is being explored, no new location or opening date has been confirmed, and the alternative branches do not provide the same range of services. For older residents, disabled people and many small businesses, that would represent a significant loss. First Minister, your Government has rightly committed to supporting thriving high streets and regenerating our towns and city centres. How will the Welsh Government work with partners to safeguard access to essential services, including a full-service post office, as part of a wider regeneration plan for Swansea city centre and communities across Wales?

Well, post office provision in itself is a reserved matter for UK Government, but I certainly do recognise the importance of maintaining access to a full-service branch in Swansea city centre, particularly for older and perhaps disabled people and small businesses too. I understand that Post Office Ltd has committed to finding replacement host businesses for branches like the one in Swansea affected by the TG Jones closures. Alongside this, our town-centre taskforce will consider how essential public services, as I say, can support thriving town and city centres. Across Wales, we will continue to support co-location, accessible transport and business rates relief, which we announced recently, so that regeneration sustains the kind of everyday services that communities rely on, and, at the same time, attracting, hopefully, new investment into these town and city centres.

People are rightly frustrated by congestion on the M4 around Newport and want to see progress, so last week we brought clarity where there has been uncertainty, I think, for too long. We've taken a clear decision that road and engineering improvements must be part of the solution, and we're getting on with the practical improvements now while we develop that long-term solution.

Thank you, First Minister. I know you've spoken about this earlier, but it's one of those things that I think is going to crop up again and again and again for the next few years, because everyone in this Chamber knows the issues on the M4 around Newport all too well, yet too few of us here acknowledge there is only one proper solution, and that is a relief road.

Some of the alternative suggestions, such as junction closures, are certainly very concerning, and would see huge volumes of traffic pushed into the city, Newport, stifling the local economy there, which is of great concern to many people already, and I know the Minister will be talking to people over the coming months, but there is concern.

And the suggestion to encourage HGVs to use the A465 will supposedly reduce traffic on the M4 by 1 per cent. Now, that's great, but it will then move that same 1 per cent on to already challenged areas like the Hardwick interchange at Abergavenny, which, based on traffic this week, is really, really struggling to cope.

So, let's not send Newport's congestion on a sightseeing tour of Wales. We know the answer is a relief road, First Minister. I note your earlier answer, but if the smaller engineering fixes don't solve the congestion problem—

—will you finally reconsider a relief road, or have you ruled out the only long-term solution, regardless of evidence?

The Member is referring to what was known as the black route, of course. It is no longer a protected route. When the decision was taken to cancel that particular route, that option was essentially taken off the table, or at least for a very, very, very long time, and we're not prepared to wait that long. And I think we've made it clear that we do think road relief is a part of the solution, and that is why we need to do that careful planning and engineering work to make sure that we understand what is the best solution to pursue, because it's become very, very clear to me—and I've been personally engaged on this, because I have an interest in unblocking this issue for the people of Newport and for the wider south Wales economy—that it will take a host of different things. It will mean—and this is good news for the people of Newport—strengthening public transport. It is important, it will contribute.

Taking traffic on other roads where there is capacity is something that's very, very important, and it could be something as simple as making sure that we provide better provision for HGV drivers, something that I know from my own constituency, with how important that is around Holyhead. So, what I say is, this is live now, this is happening. We're pressing ahead with a multiphase scheme that will crucially take into consideration the views of, and will happen in partnership with, the people of Newport. Will there be challenges in this transformation to a twenty-second century Newport? Yes, but we want to face those challenges and put solutions in place with the people of that city, because there is a city and a broader region that have a lot to benefit from getting this right. Inaction is what we saw up until now; that's not an option now.

Patients in north-east Wales deserve timely, joined-up care, whichever side of the border provides it. We are strengthening cross-border partnerships, streamlining referrals and improving information sharing between NHS Wales and NHS England. Our aim is clear: better co-ordinated care, clear accountability and fewer avoidable delays, so patients receive the right treatment, in the right place, at the right time.

Diolch, First Minister. In Fflint Wrecsam, cross-border healthcare is an everyday reality. The Health and Social Care Committee heard evidence a couple of weeks ago that patients can face different waiting time arrangements depending on which side of the border they are treated, that some are left chasing records, test results and appointments themselves, and that there are concerns Welsh patients could become invisible as the NHS in England restructures.

So, with more than 13,000 Welsh patients registered with English general practitioners and over 20,000 English patients registered with Welsh GPs, what concrete assurances can you give that cross-border patients will not face longer waits, poorer co-ordination or unclear accountability when things go wrong? And will your Government commit to publishing regular data on cross-border waiting times, complaints and patient outcomes so that patients don't fall through the gaps?

I'm very glad that the Member pointed out that statistic about traffic for primary care and in which direction it goes. And it's a little-known fact that there are more people from England coming into Wales to see a GP than the other way around. What that tells me is that we need to get this right for people on both sides of the border. I'm a patient in the north of Wales too. It is part of our landscape that there are elements of care that we might get at a specialist children's hospital in Liverpool or a neurosurgery department at Walton and so on. We are committed to making sure that we improve that cross-border working.

I'll give you an example on information sharing: we are working on improving the transfer of referrals, improving the sharing of clinical records, test results and prescribing information. Digital interoperability work is focused on making sure that care becomes safer, becomes more co-ordinated, reducing the need for patients to chase information and so on. In terms of those waiting times, the key thing is that it is the patients that we look after and make sure that we trace their journey through the NHS, wherever that treatment takes place, and for many patients, parts of their treatment will be in the north of Wales and parts of it will be in the north-west of England.

We are taking action across Wales to improve and integrate provision across bus, rail and active travel. We are working closely with Transport for Wales and local authorities, including in Sir Fynwy Torfaen. We are implementing bus franchising and making better use of assets across bus and rail, which will be key to delivering better integrated services that reflect passenger demand and the priorities of communities.

Diolch, Brif Weinidog. The transport Minister's announcement last week shows that this Government is willing to tackle transport issues that have previously been kicked down the road. Now, this is an opportunity to vastly improve public transport throughout Monmouthshire and Torfaen. Because when people have the option of quick, frequent and reliable public transport, they'll take it, especially if it's convenient and affordable.

Now, previous south Wales metro reports have proposed upgrading to transport services, with more frequent trains between Abergavenny and Cardiff and rapid bus transport from Monmouth to Newport. So, will this Government's fresh look at transport in the south-east of Wales look to provide convenient and affordable public transport, including, if I may, rapid bus transport between towns in Sir Fynwy Torfaen, more frequent trains between Abergavenny and Cardiff, and more reliable trains to and from Chepstow, Severn Tunnel Junction and the much-anticipated Magor and Undy station? Diolch.

The Member describes exactly what we all should be trying to achieve in making public transport so accessible and cheap and easy to use that it becomes a no-brainer. We want to make it easier to choose public transport for everyday journeys across the wider M4 corridor by integrating bus and rail into one cohesive network. Bus reform is an important of it. That'll support co-ordinated planning and management of public transport by Transport for Wales, in collaboration with local authorities. That should mean more efficient aligning of transport options. TfW is already working with local authorities in the south-east to review the bus network plan. We'll launch a programme of public engagement in the region next year. Yes, we will consider the potential for more frequent train services, including on routes from Abergavenny and Chepstow to Cardiff, and, yes, we want to see the delivery of those new stations in the south-east of Wales without further delay.

We are committed to this agenda. I know the Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health wants people to be able to access high-quality addiction recovery services where needed. Some £68 million has been invested annually in substance misuse services, with most funding allocated to area planning boards to commission services based on the needs of those localities. Accessibility is a key consideration, with boards needing to provide regular assurance to Welsh Government on both delivery and performance.

Diolch. I recently visited the Salvation Army in Rhyl, an open-access organisation with a welcoming home-from-home feel, offering a warm space alongside physical and emotional support to anyone seeking help. I was privileged to speak with two amazing volunteers, Chris and Mandy. Both have experienced their own journeys through recovery and now use their lived experiences to support others. Their experiences, alongside those of the others that were there, with accessing services highlighted to me significant challenges individuals experiencing addiction can face when trying to access and retain support. Chaotic living circumstances, mental health difficulties, fear, shame and the physical and cognitive effects of substance use can make it difficult for people to engage with rigid appointment times, overly structured recovery programmes and services that may not accommodate the reality of their lives.

The stigma faced by people experiencing addiction can further hinder recovery, and this stigma doesn't always disappear when in recovery. How can the Government build on the support being offered in Wales to ensure that people experiencing addiction have access to more effective support, and what work can be done to reduce the stigma around addiction?

Well, we certainly do recognise the challenges faced by people recovering from addiction, and we value the vital contribution of organisations such as the Salvation Army in supporting recovery. We also recognise, absolutely, the stigma that can be a significant barrier to individuals seeking help and sustaining recovery afterwards. Through investment in local treatment and recovery services, we're working to make sure that people can access the right support at the right time. The Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health will continue to engage with people with lived experience, service providers and the wider sectors, so that we can be properly informed as a Government of future action in these areas.

Well, we've allocated over £450 million for social housing alone this year, providing the investment needed to increase supply and help more people access a safe, secure and affordable home. Local authorities across the Caerdydd Penarth constituency have been allocated over £82 million in social housing grant funding this year. Together, this will contribute to the delivery of over 1,100 additional homes.

Diolch, Brif Weinidog. There are currently over 10,000 people in temporary accommodation across Wales, including over 2,000 children. I welcome that the Government has set out its ambition to deliver 20,000 new social homes by the end of this Senedd. However, the latest data from Shelter Cymru suggests that there at least 94,000 households currently on a waiting list for a social home.

Will the First Minister commit to publishing a new housing strategy as soon as possible, including the Government's plans for ending homelessness? What steps will you be taking to ensure that everyone in Wales is supported to access a safe and affordable home?

I appreciate the work that the Member does around the issue of housing. Some of the statistics that he mentions are pretty sobering, and we are under no illusion as a Government as to the scale of the challenge that we are facing.

We propose to address this, and look forward to co-operating with him and others on this. We propose to take action, not only in making sure the necessary investment goes in on building more social homes, but that we legislate too, that we put legislative steps in place to make sure that we are emphasising our belief as a Government that people should have that fundamental support in making sure that they have a roof over their heads and somewhere to live safely. This is something that I know drives my housing Cabinet Minister every day in her work.

I'd be grateful if, when budget deals or statements are made in the future, that they're made to the Chamber, and not to the press in advance. 

But on to—. I request a statement, if possible, Trefnydd, from the Minister for education, based on AI and coding. There's a new study that's coming out that shows Wales quite low, behind other parts of the UK, in terms of where we are with coding in our schools. Given that it's going to be a huge part of young people's futures, would the Government come forward with a statement to tell us what their plans are to get children up to date with the future, like other nations?

Trefnydd, while the Welsh Government has rightly highlighted support for households facing energy bills, businesses across Wales are also grappling with energy costs themselves and rising overheads. Will you request a statement, please, from the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy on the effects of higher energy prices on Welsh businesses and what further action the Government intends to take to support those firms throughout all of those pressures?

Trefnydd, I'd be grateful if we could have a statement from the Welsh Government on its overview of local authorities across Wales. A special investigation by the Cambrian News in my constituency has unearthed a number of troubling concerns regarding Ceredigion County Council and its purchase of Llettytwppa Farm, including questions over governance and oversight, allegations of conflict of interest, and the use of significant sums of public money for a project that reportedly has attracted only a small number of students.

Now, I believe that, given the serious nature of the concerns, it's vital that there is a statement from the Welsh Government outlining what oversight mechanisms are available to ensure proper governance and accountability of local authorities in Wales, and to confirm whether the Welsh Government believes any further investigation is warranted in this particular case. The people of my constituency need assurances that public funds are being spent appropriately by the local authority and that decisions are being taken transparently and appropriately. So, I'd be grateful if a statement could be issued by the Welsh Government on this important issue as soon as possible.

British job losses from AI last year were twice the international average. I'm particularly concerned about the impact of this on younger people and particularly entry-level jobs. We already have one of the highest amounts of young people in Wales not in education, employment or training. I'm also concerned about how we ensure that the gains from AI are spread equally across our communities in Wales and not just felt in the pocket of big businesses. We know that there is generally concern among people in Wales with AI. In my constituency, there's been huge pushback against a data centre in Pontyclun, which will have little, if any, benefit for the local community, and I know this isn't unique just to my constituency. So, I wonder if the Government would make a statement on its strategy towards AI, including mitigating job losses, the development of data centres and also ensuring equitable gains from AI as well.

Trefnydd, I'd like to request a statement from the First Minister on the Welsh Government's overseas offices—the network of 20 offices across 11 countries, with an annual running cost of around £4.7 million. Members from more than one party have asked since 2021 for office-by-office costs and benefits, most recently David Mills, on 6 October. The Government has said it cannot break them down. In February, the Government told the Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee it would not release office-by-office investment results, citing data protection and Office for National Statistics rules, and offered only network-wide figures. A Senedd committee has also reported that written information on the wider £58 million international budget was frequently incomplete and unclear, with irreconcilable amounts. Will the Trefnydd ask the First Minister to make a statement on this?

Can I call for two statements today, please? Can I have a statement in relation to the noise assessment work that needs to be done on the A55 in the Llanddulas area from the Deputy Minister for Transport? This is a priority area for noise reduction. Residents in that community have lived with lots of noise from the A55 for many years. We've been told that a noise assessment is going to be done, but there's no indication as to the timeline for that work or when any follow-up work might be completed, in terms of capital investment for noise barriers. So, I think it is something that I would like an update from the Minister on.

Secondly, can I call for a statement from the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care in relation to medical speciality training for next year? I've been contacted by a group of doctors who are internationally trained, who have many years of experience in the Welsh NHS and want to go on to further their careers, but their experience in the NHS is not currently recognised within the framework as giving them priority access to that training. I do think this is something that the Welsh Government could take action on to address some of the gaps in our workforce in the NHS, and I'd be grateful for a statement.

Business Manager, can I ask for a joint statement from the Deputy Minister for social care, the Minister for local government and the Minister for education on the pupil development grant for children looked after? The issue I raise is complicated and cuts across multiple portfolios. A recent Estyn report highlighted concerns about the current PDG-CLA funding arrangements. Corporate parenting responsibility remains with the placing authority, but the receiving authorities are required to provide support from their own PDG-CLA allocation. Estyn also reported existing arrangements did not always operate effectively, including inconsistent information sharing and joint working, particularly when learners move between settings, services and local authorities. So, can I have a statement on how the Welsh Government intends to address these issues highlighted in Estyn's report? Diolch.

Prynhawn da, Drefnydd. I want a statement, please, on the services for women, in particular in rural areas, when they face domestic violence. Last week, two cases in Wales were in our media. In Carmarthen, James McKenna was jailed for 24 years for the attempted murder of his ex-partner, whom he stalked and stabbed repeatedly as she walked her dog. And secondly, there's the really tragic case in Prestatyn, of mother of four Samantha Phythian, who was pregnant and found dead in a burning van. All of these cases, along with the cases of women who are living in rural areas that I represent, show how hard it is for those women to get the services and the responses they need. Could you please give us an update and a statement, and perhaps from the Minister as well, on services for women who face domestic violence and what you're doing to develop these and ensure that they reach everybody? Diolch yn fawr iawn.

Trefnydd, I would like a statement from the Government regarding the threat to our most valuable industry, tourism. In Carmarthenshire, tourism earned in 2024-25, £724 million, employing over 6,600 full-time employees. This is vital to Wales's economy, and we need to listen to the challenge it is facing. I believe this Government doesn't appear to be listening. A whole raft of taxation and regulation is having a serious impact on these businesses. Let's talk about the visitor levy, a tourist tax that is placing another burden on the industry. We are now faced with plans to turn Wales into a giant energy park, with hundreds of enormous wind turbines and pylons in our most beautiful countryside that attracts millions of visitors. Are you aware of the impact? Are you listening to the tourism industry? And what action are you taking to protect it? Diolch.

Trefnydd, I'd like to request a statement on transport accessibility for blind and partially sighted people from the Deputy Minister for Transport to understand what more can be done to ensure everyone can travel safely, confidently and independently. Last week, I had the privilege of spending the morning with Rachel from the Royal National Institute of Blind People and her guide dog, Flick, as we attempted to walk from the bus station in Wrexham to the train station. I was provided a pair of goggles to help me understand Rachel's visual impairment. What struck me was the daily challenges facing people with sight loss in navigating their surroundings and accessing public transport. Access to public transport is essential for people to maintain their independence, access healthcare and stay connected to their communities. It's important that buses, trains and transport infrastructure are accessible, and that people with sight loss feel safe when travelling, certainly to avoid any risk of isolation. So, I'd be grateful for a statement from the Deputy Minister to highlight the work undertaken by the Welsh Government to ensure that blind and partially sighted people can access this transport as easily as possible. Thank you.

Trefnydd, I would like to request an urgent Government statement on the independence, accountability and powers of Care Inspectorate Wales. When social services fail, accountability cannot be optional. Section 150 of Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 sets out clear statutory grounds for intervention where a local authority fails, or is likely to fail, in the exercise of its social services functions. Section 152 then gives Welsh Ministers the power to intervene where statutory conditions aren't met. Yet, Care Inspectorate Wales exercises its functions on behalf of Welsh Ministers. That raises a serious question about whether professional independence goes far enough. Families affected by serious failures deserve a regulator whose structural independence is beyond question, with powers necessary to expose systematic problems and ensure they are acted upon. Will the Government, therefore, bring forward an urgent statement setting out precisely how it will ensure that Care Inspectorate Wales can make decisions independently of Welsh Ministers, while remaining fully transparent and accountable to the people of Wales and the Senedd? Diolch.

Business Minister, can I please request an urgent statement from the Welsh Government about the proposed closure of the three junctions alongside the M4 in Newport? All residents know that shutting down junctions 27, 26 and 25 on the M4 would be disastrous and cause nothing but chaos and mayhem across the city, with traffic being pushed into already congested routes. Now, news of the Government's junction closure plans has sparked anger and uproar in Newport, with constituents inundating me and other MSs with e-mails, calls and also letters. The message is clear: they want the Government to keep their hands off our motorway junctions. And I've spoken to numerous constituents living near junction 27 who've told me that they're seriously considering moving and selling up because they just can't handle what's going to be coming their way. And it's not just residents and businesses who have serious concerns over the Government plans. Gwent police and crime commissioner has warned that these closures could pose a serious risk to our emergency service response times, going forward. The Government has insisted that it will listen to the concerns and voice of those directly impacted by these plans, but we haven't heard how exactly this is going to be achieved. So, an urgent statement from the Government outlining its plans, how it's going to be consulting with residents, businesses and emergency services, as well as others, and when this work will start, is urgently needed by us all. Thank you.

Good afternoon, Trefnydd. Since questioning the First Minister on NHS dental care last week, I have had countless constituents and people across Wales get in contact. One said that they have waited unsuccessfully since 2019 to get back on an NHS list, now facing £800-plus for root canal treatment. Another says they finally secured NHS care, only to be restricted to emergency treatment due to the new dental contract. Another says their practice has gone private, demanding £264 a year just for membership fees. This is the reality of your fundamentally flawed dental contract. A new dental school is welcome, of course it is, but it is the contract that needs reworking, and this Government needs to listen, as I said last week, to practising dentists to make the contract fit for purpose. A lack of NHS dental care is now a national emergency, and I believe this requires an urgent statement on the floor of this Senedd or a debate to address this. Diolch.

Bit of a long one that one, sorry.

Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Today, I am updating Members on the next steps regarding the Glyndŵr National Park (Designation) Order submitted to Welsh Ministers by Natural Resources Wales in January of this year.

Following careful consideration of the designation Order, the evidence assembled by Natural Resources Wales, the representations and objections received during the designation process, and the associated impact assessments, I have reached a provisional view in respect of the question of whether to confirm, confirm with modifications or to reject the designation Order. I am currently minded not to confirm the designation Order, and consequently minded not to proceed with a public local inquiry at this stage. Not confirming the designation Order and not proceeding with a public local inquiry will mean that no new national park is established at this time.

I do want to be clear with Members that this is not a final decision. Before reaching a final decision, I intend to provide a short opportunity for everyone with an interest in this proposal to make further representations in respect of the provisional view that I have reached.

Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Cabinet Minister, we've only known each other for a few months, but during that time I've found you to be a reasonable man, and quite frankly, we have political differences, but I know that, as I do, you have the best interests of the people of Wales. So, as such, your statement on a proposed new national park for Wales is welcome. In this instance, nobody in this Chamber needs convincing that the Clwydian range, the Dee valley and the wider area covered by the proposal contain some of the finest landscapes in Wales; they're absolutely fantastic. However, that is not the issue; the issue is determining whether a new national park with associated new powers and costs is the right answer. 

Cabinet Minister, I applaud your recognition that there remain too many unanswered questions to confirm the designation Order or to conduct a public inquiry at the moment. We know that Natural Resources Wales believes the area meets the statutory test for designation. However, we also know that serious concerns remain. Numerous opposition points have been raised by stakeholders. Denbighshire has maintained its objection. Flintshire has raised concerns surrounding costs, duplication of planning, amongst others. These concerns matter because this isn't simply about drawing a line on a map, is it? People live within these lines. They farm, they run businesses, they raise families, and basically they're entitled to know what this proposal will actually mean for their lives and livelihoods. That's paramount. They deserve absolute transparency.

So, Cabinet Minister, I appreciate your commitment to pausing proposals in light of the continued uncertainty. Your recognition of the affordability question and what makes commercial common sense for Wales is welcome. These proposals intersect with Wales's best financial interests and the heart of Welsh communities. The important question now is what will happen afterwards or to these proposals.

You've made it clear that your statement today is not a final decision, and have committed to giving an opportunity to those with an interest in these proposals to make further representations. But after the four weeks' extended consultation period, what will happen next? You have committed to ensuring officials will analyse the representations and provide further advice; however, the representations of the interested parties must be listened to—not simply heard, but listened to. Because if local government, communities and other interested parties are to feel confident in the proposals, they must be confident that their views have been listened to and are capable of influencing the final decision.

When looking at the area in question, it's clear that statistics on tourist footfall are positive. In the 2025 statutory consultation report, Natural Resources Wales found that the area already draws 3.3 million visitors annually. Cabinet Minister, it is the right decision not to push forward with the proposals with an incomplete evidence base when it cannot be guaranteed that councils such as Denbighshire, Flintshire, Wrexham and others will not end up carrying additional costs, whether directly or indirectly.

Then there's the effect on local communities, of course. A national park is not simply scenery. There are legitimate concerns about housing development, tourism, traffic and the ability of younger people to remain in the communities where they grew up, with implications for the Welsh language, of course. These concerns should not be dismissed as hostility to environmental protection. They are practical questions about how this proposal will work in the real world.

And finally, Cabinet Minister, there is a question of trust, isn't there? The law provides for objections to be heard for a jolly good reason. Affected county councils and communities have already raised serious issues. Basically, they need to discuss these matters further. I applaud your commitment to exploring how the objectives of the designating process can be delivered under alternative arrangements, and without the £11.6 million estimated establishment cost. We need to understand the fundamentals before prioritising designation: what issues does a new national park solve, why is this particular structure the right solution, how will it work, how will it be funded, and who will be accountable when decisions go wrong.

Cabinet Minister, in light of persistent unanswered questions, the decision not to pursue these proposals before further representations are made across the board is absolutely the right one. Should your Government answer these questions in the affirmative and make a clear financial and local case for proposals, we in Reform will look positively upon the proposals and we will support it, but only if it reflects the wishes of the people of the communities most directly affected. Before another layer of Government is created in north-east Wales, those questions deserve clear answers. The purpose of this Chamber is to represent the interests of the Welsh people—

Can I ask you to conclude, please?

Indeed you can. In light of today's statement, Cabinet Minister, I am confident that the correct steps have been taken to ensure Welsh voices have not just been acknowledged but been listened to. Thank you.

Thank you to the opposition spokesperson for his comments. My intention, Dirprwy Lywydd, is not to get into immense detail in my responses, because we are now in a phase of listening. I have set out the rationale for why I will be listening over the next four weeks before I make my final decision. But the points are clearly well made by the opposition spokesperson, and I thank him for those comments.

I thank the Cabinet Minister for his statement, but this is a disappointing and, I would add, weak statement from the Minister that demonstrates two things: firstly, a lack of ambition from this Plaid Cymru Government and, secondly, a divide on the Government side when it comes to environmental issues. I think people watching will be surprised to learn that Plaid Cymru, a party that says it wants to tackle the nature emergency, is not progressive when it comes to the environment or on improving access to nature, and surprised that, rather than taking steps to consult the public and get Glyndŵr over the finishing line, the Cabinet Minister has instead chosen to duck his responsibility with what is effectively half a decision.

We are fortunate in Wales that we have beautiful natural environments, and national parks are a great way of opening up our natural environment so more people can enjoy the beautiful places we have in Wales. In Government, Welsh Labour cherished and protected our natural environment and we recognised the huge potential of a new national park. We were ambitious to press ahead. It was a firm manifesto commitment from us. We launched that public inquiry to take the final steps towards establishing Glyndŵr, which would be Wales's first new national park in almost 70 years. The Campaign for National Parks has said that to not go ahead with a public inquiry, as the Cabinet Minister has laid out, would be a bitterly disappointing retreat from this Government, especially from one that has supposedly committed to the protection and restoration of nature-rich landscapes. So, does the Minister agree that this is a retreat?

In your statement, Minister, you said that many respondents supported the proposal and many opposed it. But can you confirm that a majority of respondents were actually in favour of a new national park? Minister, you also said there's now a short opportunity for interested parties to try to change the Government's position. Can you set out the time frame for people to make representations to the Government about this? What advice do you give to those interested about the most effective way of making their case heard? When can we expect you, Minister, to reach a final decision, rather than today's part decision? And why, Minister, do you now think that a 'short opportunity' is preferable to a proper public inquiry, which would have looked in more detail at the evidence and the arguments for and against Glyndŵr? 

Lastly, people will rightly ask why a Government that across every other aspect of public policy is so in favour of reviews and inquiries has decided not to have a public inquiry on this occasion. Can I ask the Minister whether there was any new evidence that prompted his statement today, or was it always the Government's intention to cancel a public inquiry and stop Glyndŵr from progressing? Diolch.

Thank you to the opposition spokesperson for those questions. There are some points of substance there. I've heard the view expressed clearly, which I will obviously take into account, and I will reiterate my request to anyone who has an interest in these matters to write to the Government through the Welsh Government website or through the Royal Mail to offer us their views. I will welcome those views, and I will consider them carefully and reasonably.

It is a period of four weeks, and that is the timetable. It would be my intention, and I have asked my officials, to assess and analyse those representations in short order, because I do not believe that uncertainty helps anyone. I would hope to be in a position to update this Senedd either by Christmas or early in the new year as to the next steps—the next step either being the commissioning of a public inquiry or a rejection of the designation Order.

There is a point raised here about whether we should always turn to a public inquiry or to a 54:46 result on a consultation to guide us as a Government. Fundamentally, it is my belief that Government Ministers must make political judgments. At times, those judgments will be balanced, and there will be people who are proponents of one side or the other, but we have to consider the evidence carefully and come to a conclusion. That is what I have sought to do here, and I have set out a follow-on process that will allow people to make further representations. Diolch.

Well, you have parked the national park. I want to welcome that announcement. It's absolutely necessary, because whilst I support the principle of a national park in north-east Wales, I was not impressed with the proposals that were put forward by Natural Resources Wales, which seem to have gone bonkers with the felt-tip pen, drawing a huge area into the new proposed national park. I did not believe that that represented the opportunity for north-east Wales that it ought to have done. I have always believed that, had a national park been able to be established, it should have been established along the borders of the existing area of outstanding natural beauty in the Clwydian range and the Dee valley. Nor was I supportive of the establishment of a new national park authority, because we all know the democratic deficit that exists in national park authorities, with people who are appointed to them rather than people who are directly accountable to members of the public in those national park areas. That is something that I would hope the Government could reflect on for other national parks in Wales, and whether there may be an opportunity to undertake a piece of work on reform for national parks.

I have to say, I heard the bleating from the Labour Party about this. They had five years to deliver a national park. It was one of the key commitments that they say their party made in advance of the Senedd elections in 2021. We know that they failed to fulfil many of their promises; this was on that long list of promises that they failed to fulfil. And if it was so important to them, perhaps you could have asked for this as part of the budget deal that you've just given to the Plaid Cymru Government. Because you could have extracted a much higher price, frankly, than the peanuts that you seem to have accepted in return for your votes on the supplementary budget when it comes in a few weeks' time.

You've identified the timetable, which is good, because I don't think the uncertainty helps anybody in north Wales, particularly those who were fearful about the implications of a national park. Can you tell me this, though, Minister? You mentioned the cost of the establishment of the national park, the £11.6 million. That money has been provided for, if you like, within the budget, I would assume, over the next few years, has it not? [Interruption.] No. Okay. So, it's not in your thinking, not in your psyche, which seems a bit odd. [Interruption.] The reason I'm asking is because I would still like that investment to flow into the existing AONB, because I do think that protecting our designated landscapes is important. We know that there are issues with the capacity of car parks, the maintenance of footpaths, the need for rangers, if you like, to make sure that our designated landscapes, including AONBs, are properly managed. I do think that there is a need for further resources to be invested in north-east Wales in the Clwydian range and Dee valley AONB. Of course, you would expect me to argue that, as a person who represents that neck of the woods.

But I do urge you, in making your final determination on this: don't shy away from making a brave decision to abandon the project altogether if necessary, because we've got to do what's right for the people in those communities that are affected by this. I heard the comments about impact on the Welsh language, and impact on house prices as well, of course, which has been raised by many people in response to the consultation. But what we've really got to do is make sure that the beauty that we're all able to enjoy in north-east Wales is something that we can continue to offer to people, to visitors, to take advantage of the economic benefits that those visitors can bring to our communities, but in a way that is well managed, in a way that supports appropriate development, that doesn't hinder responsible landowners from continuing to be able to manage their land in a way that protects the environment, and also in a way that is efficient for the taxpayer.

That's why I would urge you, please, to consider looking at the reform of national parks to see whether there's a different way forward, and whether designated landscapes can be managed in a different way—rather than by national park authorities, whether they can be managed by local authorities in those areas, in the same way that the AONB is successfully managed in north Wales. Because I do think that's a more efficient way for the taxpayer to still get the benefits that these designations bring.

I thank the Member for those generally positive comments. As my colleague has highlighted, there was no money allocated in the previous Government's budget for this purpose, which I think is interesting, shall we say. You make some interesting points more broadly about the governance of national parks. It is something that I shall certainly be considering and my colleagues will certainly be considering. The landscape of governance in Wales is potentially more complicated than it needs to be. How we move from here to where we would like to be is another question and I'm sure we will have lively debates in this Senedd around some of those issues. But it is a point well made.

Cabinet Minister, I really do welcome the decision, actually—although it's only provisional so far—not to proceed with yet another publicly funded authority. Now, you've also acknowledged that existing organisations and bodies can already deliver the same objectives that a national park would do if it was to be introduced, and I'll come to that at the end. But, surely, the evidence in front of us now raises a bigger question, and that is: why was this proposal allowed to progress this far in the first place? 

If this does ever proceed, obviously, as was alluded to earlier, it's going to cost £11.6 million just to establish it, plus further ongoing costs, despite objections from every single one of the other affected local authorities. So, I'd like to know, really: how much taxpayers' money has already been spent pursuing this proposal? Also, will you now commit to rejecting it permanently, please, rather than leaving the door open to yet another expensive layer of bureaucracy that local communities neither need nor want?

Now, finally, as I've alluded to just now, you've confirmed that the work of all local authorities can be carried out without them—

Can you conclude, please?

So, I'd just like to sort of echo the comment that was made over there, but go further than that, and that is to confirm that, if we don't need these other national park authorities, we should get rid of them all in the first place. Thank you. 

I thank the Member for the question. I think allusion has been made to the sum spent by a previous Government on this programme, and I've given a commitment to the Senedd that, over this next period, we will be spending very little indeed in simply assessing the information we get in, and affording an opportunity for people to e-mail us. 

I understand the point made that it should be rejected permanently today. I am minded towards that point of view, but, for the reasons I've outlined, I have set out that extra short process, so that interested parties—. Because it is not a matter of consensus, even across this Chamber, but I am minded to make that decision. I have set out the reasons why I am minded to make that decision, but I have also set out a short timescale for reaching that decision. 

You raise an interesting point, and maybe I may make some positive points about the previous Government here. The financial context that we face is clearly an issue. I think, if we were in a position, if we were back in the halcyon dates of public sector growth in spending between 1997 and 2005, we might be having a different discussion here. I'm sceptical about layers of bureaucracy generally, but if the financial position was different—. I think that is an issue. 

I also think—and it is something that I'm hoping to bring to my role, and colleagues are hoping to bring to their role—that we have, as a Senedd, and as a Government in past years, sought out major pieces of legislation, major new initiatives, without following through every time on working out what the outcomes will be for people in communities right across Wales. And if we can bring that focus back to outcomes and to making an improvement to people's lives, we can improve housing, the Welsh language, businesses, tourism, sustainability, in a more integrated way. So, I think there is an opportunity there to bring things together across Government.

As I've set out, I am not persuaded that that requires a new national park in the Glyndŵr area, as of today. I've offered that opportunity for people to make further representations, and I welcome all comments on that point. Diolch yn fawr. 

Just yesterday I chaired the cross-party group on outdoor activities, where there was a unanimous view around the table on how vital and underappreciated access to the countryside is. We know what the RSPB have said about Wales being one of the most nature-deprived countries in the western world, and we heard earlier, even from the Reform Member, about the importance of tourism to our economy. So, why take this decision? There is no mention of doing this in your manifesto. I don't wish to downplay the real concerns that exist around these proposals, but the place to explore them, surely, is through a public inquiry. I'd like the Minister to explain why he doesn't believe that a public inquiry is the right format for this, because it looks to me that, at this Government's first test on its ability to protect nature, it fails spectacularly, and has instead entered into some sort of unholy trinity with the Tories and Reform. Your progressive credentials look failing to me, Minister.

Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. As a north Powys resident, I welcome the Minister's announcement today. I think he's reached a sensible conclusion, albeit provisionally, and I'm sure my constituents in the affected area will also welcome this announcement. All five local authorities, remember—all five local authorities—objected to this proposal, and there have been very real concerns from farmers, businesses and local communities.

In my role as Chair of the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee, I'm particularly conscious of the financial pressures facing public services. Indeed, only yesterday we were examining the serious financial difficulties facing the NHS in Wales. At £11.6 million, just to establish another national park authority, before we even consider the ongoing costs, we have to question whether that's the best use of public money. Nobody's suggesting we shouldn't protect our countryside, but, surely, we should make better use of the arrangements we already have, rather than creating another layer of bureaucracy. So, Minister, can you reassure those communities that their concerns will be properly reflected in the final decision, and tell us how quickly that decision will be made once the four weeks are up? Diolch.

I thank the Member. I can give that reassurance to communities. I can give that reassurance to everyone who will be submitting comments during that four-week period. I have committed to the Senedd to aim to give a final decision by Christmas, and that is my commitment to the Senedd. I believe that minimises the risk of uncertainty and disruption that these proposals have created to communities right across the area affected.

Thank you for your statement, Minister. Natural Resources Wales has warned of a higher risk of flooding this year than last year, with one in seven homes and businesses in Wales at risk. People are being told to prepare, but what your Government has outlined today just doesn't cut it, sadly, and fails to reassure those affected by flooding year on year. We already know where the flooding will be. Communities are already doing everything they can to prepare, but I do agree that there does need to be greater awareness of tools that are available to alert to flood warnings. But, across the border, the Government has set out £4.2 billion for flood defences and also set out what emergency resources they will provide, including 260 mobile pumps, 250 km of temporary barriers and so on. Welsh communities deserve that level of clarity. So, my first question is: where is the detail in the statement, Minister?

At the end of the day, it'll be no surprise to anyone here that there will be a lot of rain in Wales this winter. Call it what you like: El Niño, the end of the world, whatever, but what we do know is that there will be weather that will cause floods this year. What we're trying to establish in Wales is how prepared are we for storms like this, like the devastating storm Claudia. Why is it that communities such as Skenfrith that have been severely flooded four times in six years still don't qualify for urgent funding, when there's a clear need for it? Why is it that our precious rural villages across Wales have to build, for example, an extra 20 to 200 houses to satisfy the Government's criteria to get the urgent help that they need and deserve? I've stood in my wellies with residents time and time again, year after year, who've had their businesses or family homes destroyed over and over again. Why is it that they lose out?

Reform will protect rural Wales and ensure that communities like Skenfrith won't be expected to shoulder the burden of repeated flooding in areas where successive Governments have failed to invest in proper flood defences. And to that end, Minister, can you make your position clear now on how funding will be allocated for flood defences, please?

Minister, do you know what's missing from this statement? And I'm genuinely shocked that it's missing from the statement. There's no mention of flood risks that now have been created from the recent wildfires. Trenches were built, landscape was disrupted on the mountains, and now, that, potentially, will channel water downhill towards urban areas, affecting homes and businesses, for example, in Blaenavon. Yet, in Blaenavon, the commoners there have not seen a penny from Welsh Government to reduce the flood risk—no funding, no practical guidance. So, you say in your statement that

'natural flood management can only succeed through strong partnership working with farmers and landowners',

but where is that partnership now? Where is the financial help here? Farmers do need your help on this now, and I urge you to be proactive, Minister, on this now, and not follow in the footsteps of past Governments that have been more reactive. Diolch.

Well, I was minded to thank the spokesperson for her response, but I do rather feel that it doesn't appreciate what is already happening. You know, £85 million is a significant chunk of Welsh Government funding towards flood schemes. We know that there are 273,000 properties at risk of flooding, and we know as well that 270 separate locations will benefit from capital investment through the schemes that are being proposed. There's a current window open for those local authorities to bring forward schemes that they wish to pursue in the next financial year—that window closes at the end of this year—whilst, at the same time, there are schemes there to support communities in the interim, whilst those schemes are being developed. So, the lead flood authorities will know this, and we are working closely with many of them.

You referenced Monmouthshire. I have met with the leader of the council and officials at Monmouthshire, and we know that £445,000 is being provided for the Woodside scheme in Usk, a further £178,000 for works on four local flood management interventions, alongside £389,000 for further projects as well. But we know that there's more to do, and we are pursuing options, working with other partners, Natural Resources Wales, and others as well.

Schemes such as the sustainable farming scheme will play their part. You will be familiar with the fact that there is over £100 million allocated for the optional and collaborative tiers of that scheme. The collaboration at that landscape scale, catchment scale, is exactly the kind of intervention that we want to encourage and that we will hope to invest in, through this scheme. And you mentioned wildfires—I'm glad you did, because it is a consequence of climate change, something that you don't recognise—and there is a summit, as you well know, happening on 27 October, to consider, discuss, reflect and pursue these exact schemes moving forward to the future.

Thank you, Cabinet Minister, for your statement here today. We all know it's devastating when a home or business is flooded and that, because of climate change, far too many people across Wales, including in my constituency of Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr, have been hit hard by flooding over recent years.

I recently met with Natural Resources Wales to discuss flooding and what more can be done to keep our communities safe. Their warning yesterday of intense weather this winter will cause real concern for families who are at risk from flooding, especially those who've seen their homes destroyed in the past. NRW also warned that one in seven homes and businesses are at risk from flooding, and, of these, just 27 per cent are signed up for flood alerts. So, it's right that the Government tries to get ahead of this winter's wet weather and helps ensure that families are as prepared as they can be. So, I want to start by asking you, Cabinet Minister, about what the Government is doing to inform households about the practical steps that they can take to prepare for flooding. As residents in my constituency have seen first-hand over recent years, flooding can happen very quickly and leave families with little time to react. So, having these plans in place is crucial. So, what are you doing, Minister, to increase that 27 per cent figure from Natural Resources Wales, so more people are alerted as soon as their home is at risk? And what arrangements are in place to ensure that local authorities, NRW and the emergency services are working together to identify the communities that are most at risk of flooding?

I also want to ask about funding for flood defences. In Government, Welsh Labour delivered the highest-ever level of investment in flooding, with more than £377 million committed to flood risk management over the last Senedd term. That investment meant that 52,000 properties were protected from flooding, helping to safeguard homes, businesses and communities across Wales. For this last financial year, we invested that extra £85 million, including almost £43 million in capital funding for new schemes across Wales.

There's a great example of this in my constituency that was referred to in your statement, where Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council is carrying out a major flood alleviation scheme in the Maesyffynnon Lane area of Aberaman and Aberdare, using funding from the previous Welsh Labour Government. I noticed you were a bit naughty, Minister, and you didn't mention that fact in your statement.

That funding that my party provided will see a range of improvements being delivered there that could be replicated in other areas across Wales, including changes to watercourses, installation of remote telemetry equipment, and the creation of a new attenuation basin that's capable of storing the equivalent of two Olympic swimming pools during storm events. The result from that will be flood risk being reduced for 56 residential properties and three commercial properties, something that I myself and those residents really welcome. So, Minister, are you committed to maintaining and building on that record investment in future years? And what is the Government doing to provide greater certainty over investment in flood defences for future years, especially for local authorities?

Similarly, previous Welsh Labour Governments have invested in nature-based interventions to tackle flooding. I can think in my constituency of an attenuation basin in Trecynon, and the really impressive network of attenuation basins along the A465 Heads of the Valleys road between Dowlais and Hirwaun. So, will you commit to further exploring this type of solution?

You'll also be aware, Cabinet Minister, of calls for an extreme weather resilience fund to help Wales prepare for increasingly severe weather, including through greater investment in flood management. So, what conversations have you had about the benefits of Wales having an extreme weather resilience fund, and can you tell us if this is something that the Government is considering?

And finally, the fire and rescue service hasn't been mentioned in your statement today, but we know they're frequently called upon to assist in flooding events. So, what additional support and funding will you consider for them? Diolch.

Diolch yn fawr. There's a lot there. Certainly, in terms of informing people about the risks and actions they can take, I hope that this statement today will contribute to that. Clearly, Natural Resources Wales were across the media earlier this week promoting the support that they can provide that I referred to in my statement.

You mentioned specifically around vulnerable people as well. We do have JIGSO, which is a secure mapping capability within DataMapWales, and that brings together information to help emergency responders build situational awareness and identify where vulnerable people are during incidents, and I think that's important. It combines Dŵr Cymru priority services register data with information such as flood alerts, weather warnings and power outage data et cetera. So, we will need to continue to build on that.

You are right; we are building on investments and commitments made by the previous Government. And the challenge back to you is that, with your support, we might be able to continue with that very good work. Clearly, that's something that we need to discuss, but I'm sure that everyone who gets up in the Chamber today and encourages this Government to consider giving this budget the rightful quantum of funding will consider that when they cast their vote, when it's time to decide whether we have a budget or not.

I would agree with the points you were making about embedding flood action across Government, actually. Transport, certainly, has a big role to play, because we know that water run-off very often is a big contributor to some of the challenges that we face. I referenced the sustainable farming scheme, but there are wider considerations around the wider economy and enterprise portfolio as well. And similarly, on your reference to the fire and rescue authorities, I did reference the emergency services, which, of course, goes beyond just those. But the relevant Minister as well has a role to play in that. Much of this—again, I would reiterate—will come together in the summit that's being held next week, but that is only very much a moment in this ongoing discussion and one that we appreciate needs to continue, intensify and accelerate.

Thank you, Minister, for your statement this afternoon. When I first got elected to this Chamber, I didn't think that one of the big things that I'd be dealing with right the way through the 19 years I've been a Member is flooding, to be honest with you, across the old South Wales Central region, from Merthyr Dyfan in Barry to Llantwit Major, to Pontypridd, to the Rhondda and the Cynon valley, as Vikki highlighted in her own constituency, and the devastating impact it has on households, but businesses as well, and the wider community, and the fear that it puts in people's minds that, when the next heavy rain comes, it could be them. That stench of sewage and foul water, as well as the personal items that sadly have to get discarded and left as rubbish on the side of the street, but are very personal and irreplaceable to the households who have lost them, is something that I, certainly as an elected Member, will never forget from the incidents that I've attended during my time as an elected Member.

That's why this statement is so important this afternoon about being prepared for the winter and what actions the new Government, in fairness, is taking and what assessments you, as a new Government, have taken of the previous Government's actions in this particular area. Because flood defences don't happen overnight. They are long-term projects that need to be planned, worked up and built. The first point I'd like to ask you, Minister, is this: you highlight £85 million is going into flood prevention measures, but what sort of scale are we talking about? What assessment have you made of the moneys that are needed to make a dent in the massive backlog of projects that are available to be built across Wales, to move more houses into flood-safe zones rather than remaining in flood-risk zones? Because £85 million, I accept, is a lot of money, but it is my understanding that a considerable amount more money is required for that, and we all know the difficulties that the finance Minister is finding in reconciling the figures that all departments are demanding at the moment.

We've also had the wildfires that struck in the summer, and many of the services that will be called on to deal with flooding incidents, should we see them in the winter, are the same organisations that have had their services called upon right the way through the summer. So, what assessment have you made as Minister of the resilience of those services to deal with the risk of floods going through the winter months, and, in particular, the working roles that they play working together, from the local authorities to the fire service to NRW, in making sure that they are in a position to respond accordingly? That is important as well from a Government point of view, because a lot of these responsibilities, such as the fire service, sit with the local government Minister, NRW sits with you, and then the finance Minister, who undoubtedly gets called for more resources on a financial footing, obviously has to make a call in that respect. How does the Government co-ordinate all that, so that there is a one-stop shop to make sure that you can respond in a timely manner, with financial help and also logistical help when it is required, and, in particular, the resilience of those services that have been called upon right the way through the summer and potentially could be called upon now in the winter to deal with many issues across Wales?

I would also highlight the point that other Members have made, which is that only 27 per cent of houses are signed up to the NRW alerts. You touched on it in your statement that they've highlighted this fact and they've gone on a promotion campaign. The previous promotion campaigns clearly haven't worked if only 27 per cent—fewer than a third—of the houses that would benefit from that have signed up. What assessment have you made of the campaign that NRW are enacting across Wales to get more houses to sign up, so that those alerts can be received by the people who need them, and people can take the precautionary measures of moving valuable and personal items upstairs, and also take the building advice that's available out there about raising electrical fittings and sockets, so that they don't get damaged as badly if there is flooding, because that causes huge problems in the restoration work?

And when it comes to insurance in particular, the scheme that is available for flood-risk properties is still available and should be available for the next 10 years, but that 10-year window will go very quickly. I notice in your manifesto that you did highlight how you would wish to lobby and work with the UK Government to make sure that there's a successor scheme in place. Well, if you're buying a house and you're in a flood-risk area, you haven't got a hope in hell of getting a mortgage unless you can get insurance. And if you're running a business, that insurance is critical to having confidence to invest in that business. So, could you highlight whether you have made any contact with the UK Government to support calls to make sure that that insurance scheme is available beyond the 10-year horizon that we can see at the moment? And, if you haven't done that, when will you be doing it?

Thank you very much, again, a long list of questions there. I think it was right that you acknowledged the impact on businesses as well, because we do focus, of course, on domestic properties and homes, but businesses, absolutely. And I would reiterate again that there are particular sources of support and the need for different kinds of insurances, et cetera, for businesses as well, and there is information out there to support those, similarly.

You asked about the overall picture and what it would cost to fix it all. I don't have that figure. What I do know is that 273,000 properties are at risk in Wales, and not one Government can meet the cost of addressing all of that. But that is, of course, why we are pursuing—building on work from previous Governments as well—nature finance and those opportunities that, hopefully, will allow us to invest in those catchment-scale, nature-based solutions that will go part of the way in defending and mitigating some of those risks.

The resilience of services is absolutely critical here. In fact, the wider Cabinet yesterday spent some time considering wider resilience questions here in Wales. The First Minister himself, of course, has an overarching responsibility for national resilience, but you're right, it's about working with other Ministers and we do that and we will continue to do that. And, of course, that will come into greater focus again on the back of the summit, where I hope there will be some clear outcomes, some clear actions for us all to pursue collectively.

Only 27 per cent are registered for the NRW alerts. When I chaired the climate change committee in the last Senedd, we published a report on flooding and the response to flooding; this was one of the concerns that we highlighted. I'm glad to see a concerted effort now from NRW to increase and to try and promote that, but of course, that isn't just on NRW, it's for every single one of us here as well to make sure that we use our social media channels, that we use our contacts and connections in communities, particularly in those communities that people have referred to that we know are facing potential risks this winter. So, I would not just throw it back to you, but I would say that we all have a part to play in that endeavour.

But also, of course, we are, I will remind Members, in the process of setting up the Welsh flood forum, which is going to be all about making sure that communities are prepared, and then when something happens, that there is a response and a resilience from within, not just from the emergency authorities, but also the support there to recover as well. We're taking inspiration from what they've done in Scotland and we're engaging with the National Flood Forum to start that work in earnest. As I said, I was part of a meeting last week where we brought those stakeholders together with those people from communities with lived experience of flooding to start the work of bringing all of this together.

The warnings from NRW have already been highlighted today and will be of particular concern to communities in Afan Ogwr Rhondda, where a number of areas rank highly on the communities at risk register. I want to focus on the immediate measures being taken to protect communities as we prepare for the unthinkable, as NRW have put it. A number of the flood alleviation schemes in train across the constituency are still under construction and will likely not be completed in time for this winter. Although I think key lessons have been learned as a result of previous flooding events and the local lead flood authorities will have a better understanding of the vulnerabilities in their networks, there will be gaps in protection while these schemes are ongoing. So, I'd be very grateful to know what immediate support the Welsh Government is providing to lead local flood authorities to help them manage the risks and protect communities over the coming months. Diolch.

Thank you for your question, and you're right, there's a longer term picture here, and there's a shorter term, more initial response that's required, and we try and accommodate that in the way that we utilise the funding that's available. So, as I said, this year we are making £85 million available to risk management authorities across Wales. That includes nearly £30 million in revenue funding for things like asset maintenance, warning systems, which are absolutely relevant this year, operational planning and flood response, which all could be part of the services provided within the coming months. Right now, I know that risk management authorities across Wales are proactively clearing trash screens, checking pumps, clearing vegetation and inspecting assets as well.

They can apply for funding from Welsh Government for property flood resilience measures, things such as flood gates, and we'll fund those authorities to provide that sort of property flood resilience as an interim measure, whilst more formal schemes are being developed and built up. This year, we've made over £3 million available in capital funding for risk management authorities in Afan Ogwr Rhondda. I think there are 19 different schemes being delivered by NRW, by Neath Port Talbot Council, Bridgend council and Rhondda Cynon Taf as well within the constituency area. Once those schemes are completed, then the estimate is that that funding will benefit over 7,000 properties. 

Cabinet Secretary—no, Cabinet Minister now—you mentioned on a number of occasions during your statement the sustainable farming scheme, but actually I think the figure is £102 million, not £100 million, which you quoted. I hope there hasn't been a cut there. There is no actual ring-fenced support within the sustainable farming scheme for flood prevention and mitigation, but it is an overarching aim of the scheme to deliver that. So, I'd actually quite like to know from you today, out of that £102 million, how much of that is going to be identified for flood mitigation. If you want farmers to go into it, you'll have to provide the funding to enable them to go into these schemes. So, I'd quite like some assurances from you today. How much are you doing that and are you going to ring-fence any part of that money to deliver these aims that you've set out today?

I don't have a particular precise figure in mind. I think these are the kinds of schemes that we can build up through, particularly, the collaborative layer of the scheme, because bringing farmers and landowners together at that catchment scale requires that level of collaboration that we're not seeing happening as often as we would like. There are very good examples out there of groups coming together and realising very positive benefits. So, it's certainly something that we're looking at, something that we're considering and something that could well be a bespoke funding stream within the sustainable farming scheme, particularly at those maybe optional, but maybe even more so the collaborative layer. 

We've just had the warmest summer of the rest of our lives. According to public documents, we have had more flooding in the first 25 years of the twenty-first century than the whole of the twentieth century. Whilst flooding is not as annually predictable as heat, we'll have more flooding in the next five years than the last five years. You can believe that climate change is not happening, it does not stop it happening or stop the repercussions of it. Will the Government consider taking the following action? Plant trees on higher ground to reduce floods at source; introduce beavers into rivers to create ponds and wetlands that slow down river flow; promote the use of planted areas, rain gardens and permeable paving to allow water to drain away. We're not going to stop the water coming down, but at least we can do something with it.

Thank you for the question. I think there are a number of interventions along those lines that would absolutely contribute to the bigger picture. It needs to be co-ordinated, managed and designed in the appropriate way. I visited a site recently in Denbighshire, Llysfasi college, where they've created leaky dams, which means that once the water level rises to a certain point, it flows into a leat and into lakes in a nearby field to store that water. That one single intervention isn't going to be the silver bullet for the River Clwyd, but you replicate that a dozen, 20 or 30 times at catchment scale and it does make a difference. There's a wide range of interventions. But we can—and I've said this very recently in the Chamber and elsewhere—mix concrete to our heart's content. Yes, there will be traditional interventions that we need for some specific locations, but we have to work with nature. We have to work with the grain of nature. Because if we don't, nature always wins, and I think we need to be mindful of that in designing the right approach in the right place.

Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Minister. There are two themes I wanted to pick up that are really impacting my constituents in Brecon—. Sorry, I'm looking across at James Evans. [Interruption.] In Bretton and Broughton, in my patch, in relation to flooding. The first, Cabinet Minister, is around pace of delivery. My residents there have been flooded in 2021, 2023 and 2025. We're now in 2026 and the flood alleviation works have still yet to be undertaken.

I was struck by your statement and your reference to flood defence works in Llanrwst. I believe those are in response to flooding events that took place probably in 2020 when I was the council leader there at that point in time. So, six years later to get delivery perhaps is not the pace that you would want to see. I'd be interested in your response around how you'd want to see pace of delivery accelerated.

And secondly, around accountability, my residents in Bretton and Broughton are frustrated at the interaction sometimes with NRW, Welsh Water, local authorities, who is responsible for what and when. I think the simpler that can be, the better it would be for residents in places that I represent and I'm sure you represent as well. Diolch yn fawr.

Thank you. I appreciate that sometimes these processes take longer than anyone would wish, but there is a process in place, there is a window for funding for some of these schemes. Risk management authorities need to bring forward their proposals, they need to develop their business case and make the case. Sometimes they succeed, sometimes they don't, because as you can imagine, all parts of Wales are submitting for those kinds of schemes. It's clearly something that we need to work with local authorities particularly, but other bodies as well, to deliver.

In terms of the coherence of approach, yes, we do have local resilience groups that bring some of these parties together, and that needs to happen as effectively as possible. There's always room for improvements, there are always lessons to be learnt, and that's one important message that I would convey. The summit again is going to be another opportunity to do that at a national level, but certainly there's a regional and more localised element to that as well. There's no silver bullet, there's no magic wand; I think very often it's about getting the right people in the right place together around the table.

Thank you, Cabinet Minister, for your statement today. Flooding remains a real worry for communities across Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni and the whole of Wales, especially as we see this much more extreme weather happening year on year. Research by the British Red Cross highlights the challenges that are faced by people in vulnerable situations when flooding eventually happens. The research found that most people were completely unprepared when flooding hit. Many were displaced for months from their homes, often living in unsuitable accommodation, struggled to get recovery grants, and almost all of them said that their mental health had been significantly impacted by the flooding. So, I was just wondering what the Welsh Government was going to do to make sure that our most vulnerable communities in Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni are better prepared for flooding and get the support they need when it happens, especially that mental health support as well in the longer term.

Thank you for that. I think that's an important point that we haven't covered so far this afternoon. I've mentioned the flood forum, of course, which has a very specific focus on working with people and communities, particularly those who are at risk and who maybe have experienced historic incidents of flooding, and that will be supported by this Government. It is a programme for government commitment, a manifesto commitment of ours, and we will deliver it, and work has already started on making that happen. I took a great deal of inspiration from the visit I mentioned in my statement to Milford Haven, where we saw that flooding isn't just about damage to your property or losing possessions. As horrible as that is and how harrowing the physical damage is, the mental health impacts can last for much longer. And I was struck, as I'm sure many Members here who've seen that kind of experience close up are, by how the community can rally around very often and continue to support each other long after the flooding has receded. But we are committed to establishing that independent flood forum, which will be there to try and stimulate and support some of those less formal networks, if you like, that are so critical when communities are in their hour of need.

Minister, as you know, local authorities have a duty to publish reports of investigations into significant flooding incidents—section 19 reports. Wrexham council has warned that they usually take between nine months and a year to complete their reports. That's similar in Conwy and Flintshire. And in another local authority in our constituency of Clwyd, it can take up to 18 months to complete a section 19 report. Bearing in mind that these reports identify the cause, likelihood of reoccurrence, and any appropriate alleviation measures that can be taken, their importance is key. But the delays around completing these reports don't appear to be addressed in your statement. So, Cabinet Minister, what support will the Welsh Government provide to local authorities to speed up work on section 19 reports? Diolch.

Thank you for the question. That isn't something that I've thought about, and I will go away and reflect on that. What I would say is that they're not Welsh Government reports. They are reports by those flood authorities. I'm not passing the buck. If there is a genuine element of support that the Government could provide in stimulating that to happen a bit more quickly, then we're more than open to considering that. But what I would caution is that those section 19 reports have a job to do in terms of understanding a lot of technical stuff around hydrology and the impact of how things happen, how they can be mitigated, and you don't arrive at some of those decisions within weeks. Assessments and studies have to happen. But I will take that away and reflect to see whether there's something that we can do about that.

Cabinet Minister, as your statement acknowledges, flooding is a problem for a number of communities in Ceredigion Penfro, and I'm pleased that your visit to Milford Haven showed how important that matter is. As I'm sure you're aware, flooding at Gumfreston in south Pembrokeshire has caused road closures, disruption and lengthy diversions for local communities, businesses and visitors. This was the subject of a Senedd petition calling for a long-term solution, which attracted more than 3,400 signatures. It was led by Councillor Rhys Jordan, who continues to press for the long-term improvements that local residents have been asking for. I understand that Natural Resources Wales is undertaking further appraisal work on flood mitigation options for the River Ritec catchment, but this has been an issue for the local community for some time and they want to see some more progress, as you would expect. I appreciate that you might not be able to give me specific details today, but I would be grateful if you could look at this particular issue and commit to bringing together Natural Resources Wales, Pembrokeshire County Council and Welsh Government officials once the appraisal work is complete so that a clear timetable for progress can be agreed and the necessary funding arrangements put in place so that we can finally move forward with a solution as soon as possible.

Thank you for raising that specific issue. I think it underlines as well how responding to some of these situations is a cross-Government responsibility, because of the impact on infrastructure such as transport as well. I will ask Natural Resources Wales to update the Member as regards where they are with that, and we'll probably have to go from there.

That is why cross-cutting and cross-sector action is at the centre of our approach. Health boards, local authorities, ambulance services, primary care, housing, social care and voluntary organisations must plan and act as one system around the needs of individuals and communities. Community nursing, frailty services, single points of access, community response teams, hospital at home, rehabilitation and reablement all have a critical role. When these services work well, people are supported earlier, avoidable admissions are prevented and those leaving hospital can recover safely and independently at or close to home. This must include people who face the greatest barriers to care, including those experiencing homelessness, housing insecurity or social exclusion. Their needs don't fit neatly within organisational boundaries and neither should our response. This work is aligned with delivering health together and our ambition for an integrated community care system—a more sustainable model built on prevention, early intervention, community-based care and better integration.

For this winter, I'm setting three immediate priorities. First: protect people through vaccination, which continues to be the best safeguard against the transition of disease. Eligibility for the RSV vaccination has been expanded and health boards are working with Public Health Wales to improve the uptake of influenza vaccination among eligible people and staff. It is also vital that we continue to robustly counter at all times the dangerous anti-vax narratives pedalled by people who should know better.

Second: make every day count for patient flow. Health boards and local authorities are expected to apply 'home first', discharge to recover and assess, criteria-led discharge and trusted assessment consistently, seven days a week, so that people can leave hospital as soon as they are clinically ready.

Third: strengthen urgent care in the community. Single points of access, community response teams, hospital at home, same-day services and rapid clinical advice must help people receive earlier care and protect hospital capacity for those with the most urgent and complex needs. These aren't optional aspirations, they are delivery expectations. We'll monitor progress against clear operational evidence, including access to urgent care, ambulance handovers, hospital flow, discharge and community capacity. Where assurance is insufficient, organisations will be required to strengthen their response and take corrective action.

To support delivery, NHS Wales Performance and Improvement is making an additional £2 million available through the national urgent and emergency care improvement programme. It will be targeted at practical action before, during and after winter to improve acute hospital flow, accelerate safe discharge, reduce avoidable delay and strengthen patient safety at the points of greatest pressure. We'll expect health boards to demonstrate how that investment has improved delivery. A national winter planning session this month will bring together health boards' chief operating officers and local authority partners to resolve shared risks, reinforce joint accountability and maintain co-ordinated delivery throughout the winter.

Workforce availability remains a serious risk. Health boards must maintain safe, flexible and credible contingency arrangements, and national support will be targeted where it can make the greatest difference. But our responsibility goes beyond one winter. As a result of climate change, pressure no longer follows a predictable seasonal pattern. The record-breaking heatwaves of the summer months placed immense strains on our staff and estate alike, and it is essential that the lessons of adaptation from this year inform our approach to future years where hazardous heat levels will become the norm.

I'm therefore announcing that Wales will move to a comprehensive, continuous cycle of planning and preparedness, so that risks are assessed, learning is acted upon and resilience is strengthened throughout the year.

Thank you, Minister, for the advance notice of your statement today. I'd like to begin by associating myself with the comments you made about our NHS staff, who are the absolute backbone of the NHS in Wales, and they deserve a system that works for them and works effectively. I'm also glad that we're talking about winter preparedness today. Winter is something that has affected humanity every year since the dawn of time, and so it blows my mind that there still hasn't been proper planning in the Welsh NHS to deal with the pressures that we know are going to reoccur year after year.

However, I am slightly concerned about the current plans that are in place. Whilst doing research for the debate today, I came across this document. It's a self-assessment and assurance template that was published in the annex of the September board meeting notes from Swansea Bay University Health Board. In it, it outlines 90 key actions that the health board should undertake in order to begin preparing for winter. Of those 90, only 28 had been fully implemented, 61 had been partially implemented and one had not been implemented at all. This was something that was worrying to see to me, and I wonder, when it comes to these templates, what is the acceptable number of key actions that are completely implemented in order to be able to call this preparedness plan a success?

What are the enforcement mechanisms that are going to be used to ensure that health boards deliver here? You say, for example, that of your three priorities, they are not optional aspirations, they are delivery expectations, and that you would expect a health board to take corrective action and strengthen their response were they not to achieve them. But in this document, Swansea bay health board says that, when it comes to meeting the vaccination key actions, the significant risks to delivery are around limited capacity and lack of access to vaccination clinics.

Across all of the actions listed in that document, they say that eight key actions are at risk of full delivery due to insufficient workforce and seven key actions are at risk of delivery due to insufficient funding. Now, there is mention in your statement of £2 million being allocated as part of the urgent and emergency care improvement programme, but Audit Wales notes that the annual deficit for the NHS in 2025-26 was £199 million. So, if these health boards are already in deficit, and the only funding that has been made available clearly in your statement is £2 million, that seems to me like a drop in the ocean and not sufficient to implement these plans properly. So, are there any plans for additional resources to be allocated for winter preparedness? And if not, why not? If so, how many resources are going to be allocated and how much is that estimated to cost the taxpayer?

Now, something else that I found interesting about this document was to do with your comments about the plans needing to be tested in September and October of this year. Towards the end of the template, there is a self-assessment section and within it there are some local comments that have been made. It says this document has to be completed by a senior officer with sufficient oversight of the region's health and social care integrated plan to deliver the actions for winter 2026.

Now, in that self-assessment template, or the regional assurance template, rather, point 35 says that the plan should be tested during a winter exercise. The local comments in this document say, 'Which parts need testing? We don't have any resources for testing, and we only think that some bits are applicable for testing.' So, given that testing, you say, needs to occur within September and October, what is the progress of this testing? Has it all been completed already? And if it hasn't, do additional resources need to be allocated to our health boards in order to ensure that this testing can occur? And my suspicion is that the concerns are not just isolated to Swansea bay. I was able to see a screenshot of the same document from Powys Teaching Health Board in the annex of one of their recent board meeting documents. That screenshot showed that they would be unable to ensure pulmonary rehabilitation within two to four weeks after an exacerbation, because their current wait time for these services is between 20 and 36 weeks.

So, whilst I agree that we need to be focusing on winter preparedness, I'm personally concerned, given the evidence that I've seen today, about the health board's ability to implement on time. And I would like to ask you what your assessment is of the health board's ability to deliver these preparedness plans this winter and what actions are going to be taken to correct if they are not able to implement them. Diolch yn fawr.

Thank you for those comments, and thanks for your opening remarks welcoming the fact that we have started the preparations earlier. In fact, I remember when I was asked to take this position, one of the first actions I did was ask for planning around winter preparedness, because, as you said right at the start of your contribution, this is something that happens annually, it's something that we should be prepared for. So, we've started earlier than ever before, which means that we are in a better position now than ever before to tackle the challenges that winter brings, and we know that those challenges and that winter is getting harder. I've also asked the NHS in Wales to look at the impact of the El Niño event as well, which is likely to have a significant detrimental impact on communities across Wales, and that needs to be taken into consideration.

But to your further points about the modelling and testing, yes, we are modelling those plans put forward by the health boards now. As I said, we're modelling them and testing them during September and October to see how robust they are. NHSPI is doing that work with the health boards, and, if we find weaknesses in the system, that gives us time then to correct course and find resolutions so that those weaknesses aren't highlighted when winter hits hard.

You asked about the limited capacity and the access to clinics with vaccination, for instance, and what other workforce or funding might be made available in the case of Swansea bay. As you said right at the beginning, this is an event that happens every year. So, this is part of their annual preparing. They should be budgeting for this. It's part of the budgets that they have and part of the work that they are preparing for year-round. So, I expect, the same as every other year, for them to deliver within budget. They're aware that this is happening. They are preparing for it.

And finally, you asked about the health board's need to prepare within the budgets and what assessment I've made of Swansea's plan. Now, I'm glad you finished right at the end there mentioning other health boards, because there's more than just Swansea in Wales. My assurance is moderate at the moment that they will be able to achieve the plans that they have set themselves—moderate currently, and we're just in early October now, based on the plans that I received in early September. Now that we're testing the plans that they've put forward—all the health boards and the trusts as well have put forward plans. We're testing them this month; we did a little bit last month. Having the learnings and the lessons from that testing, that assessment will increase over time, and I'm confident that we will be in a better position when winter comes and they will be in a better position to tackle the issues that winter brings to our communities.

Can I thank you, Cabinet Minister, for your statement today? I am pleased that this is one of three statements on winter preparedness that Ministers are delivering today, and that recognises that planning for the winter months needs to be a cross-cutting approach.

In Government, of course, Welsh Labour began preparations for the winter months as early as possible, with preparations for last winter beginning in March 2025, with a winter summit for 2025-26. I am concerned that the actions taken by this Welsh Government mean the NHS isn't going into the winter in the robust shape that it needs to be. We still haven't heard from Ministers when two-year waits will be eliminated, just that it will be within a year, and that uncertainty certainly doesn't help the NHS or patients. After 10 months of waiting lists falling under the last Welsh Labour Government, they are now rising again under this Government. Ministers, of course, have been in dispute with health visitors in Cwm Taf, and now there's concern and uncertainty around the future of endometriosis services in Wales. All of this adds to the perception that the grip on health services is not firm enough as we go into the winter.

Minister, on the whole, this statement was light on detail and even lighter on financial commitments—more of a commentary than a detailed action plan for the winter. As you know, the extra £2 million that you referenced is a drop in the ocean for health budgets. Can you put a figure on the total actual resource that you are putting into winter pressures this year? Further to the questions that have been raised about stress testing of regional assessments, can you just outline what problems have so far been identified through that process and whether the problems that have been identified are now being addressed?

We know that, when hospitals come under pressure, the pressure on GP practices intensifies as well. The Royal College of General Practitioners have said that winter pressures for general practices are all too often overshadowed by the focus on acute hospital settings. So, what are you doing, Cabinet Minister, to ensure that GPs are properly supported going into the winter and what specific arrangements are you putting in place? Could you also give an update on how many more GPs have been recruited on your watch, given that we are now almost six months into the four-year term, during which the people of Wales are being promised 100 new and additional GPs?

Now, the programme for government also set out Ministers' intentions for greater use of evidence and data in the Welsh health service. So, can I ask you whether any targets have been put in place for winter preparedness, particularly around the uptake of vaccinations? I was very pleased that you called out dangerous misinformation about vaccinations. Could you just outline what additional effort is being made to provide facts on vaccinations to people who may be anxious about them? And more broadly, what is the Government doing to monitor and increase the take-up of vaccinations, especially for high-risk groups?

Now, in June, you said that the Government would be bringing forward proposals for a new communications approach that helps people get the right support and takes pressure off front-line services. Minister, I'd be very grateful if you could give an update on that new approach and whether it would be introduced in time for winter, and what key differences you anticipate it will make. Diolch.

Thank you for those questions. Llywydd, it's true that we've started earlier than ever before in planning for winter pressures. Now, the Member does point to other pressures within the health system: two-year waits, you've mentioned before, and I've responded to those issues numerous times, and we've made it clear that we will tackle those two-year waits. The money is now going into the system, with plans designed by clinicians and the health board, and we'll be seeing the result of that when we see the numbers coming through in the November period.

But those pressures, while they're there—. The winter pressures add further to the already current pressures that we've got in the NHS. That's why we are looking at frailty as an issue, making sure that we tackle frailty in the community. So, when you asked about GPs, it's making sure that GPs are supported in the community with district nurses so that we identify those issues earlier on, and, if frail patients do enter the front door of an A&E, that they're seen sooner, so that frailty is identified sooner, rather than people having to wait in the A&E for a longer time. So, that'll take pressure off the acute settings.

You asked about GP recruitment; you'll know that our target is to recruit an extra 100 GPs before the end of this Senedd term, which we will achieve when we reach that point. That will take pressure off in some communities where, currently, there's not enough resource in that primary care setting. So, that's a target that is clear; it's in our programme for government. 

And with vaccinations, currently, we've seen some improvement in the uptake of vaccinations in some of the most vulnerable parts of the community, especially in children, but it's very early, at this stage, to be able to monitor exactly if we're going to achieve an increase in the vaccination uptake. But, at the moment, it's looking promising. I am asking professionals in the health sector to make sure that they also take up the offer of a vaccination as well, because it's important in those acute settings especially, and with people who are mingling and working with people who are already ill, that they are vaccinated so that they don't share the illness when the time comes.

Can I also thank the Cabinet Minister for his statement this afternoon? With winter looming, ensuring that the NHS is as prepared as can be for what might be lurking around the corner is indeed paramount. Winter is always a demanding time for our health service and hard-working staff, and, every year, winter brings additional pressures to our health service: more respiratory illness, more falls and fractures, more demand on emergency departments and more pressures on ambulances, and, inevitably, more pressure on staff.

Planning is essential, Cabinet Minister. We've all heard it, we all know it, but it's no good having a plan if we don't have the health service resilient enough to deliver it. That, in my view, boils down to capacity. I'd like to know: are you confident that we have a strong enough workforce to deal with the challenges that may crop up this winter? Are you confident that we have enough beds? And perhaps more importantly, are you confident that patients will be able to move through the system effectively? Cabinet Minister, back in July, you vowed to plan earlier for winter pressures—genuinely, a sensible move in my book. You promised a year-round approach to resilience, community care, better hospital flow and more of a focus on older people and those living with frailty. So, what has actually changed since July, because the figures still paint a worrying picture for me?

In August, the height of summer, nearly 1,400 patients across Wales were waiting longer than they should have to leave their hospital bed. This is up on the number of incidents of delayed transfers of care reported in the previous month. In total, these patients have been delayed for just shy of 60,000 days. So, if those were the figures in August, what will they be during the winter months, Cabinet Secretary? And what steps has the Government taken to ensure that those numbers start heading in the right direction, and when can we expect to see improvements? Cabinet Minister, are you confident that health boards and local authorities have the workforce and enough funding to prevent patients remaining in hospital unnecessarily this winter? What discussions have you had with health boards, local authorities and other key stakeholders to ensure the social care sector is on a strong footing to be able to ease the pressures?

Cabinet Minister, you say that winter preparedness plans submitted by health boards were being stress tested throughout September and into this month. Have major causes of concern been picked up at this stage? You talk about setting three immediate priorities for this winter, looking at vaccination, health boards and applying a home-first approach to discharge and strengthening urgent care in the community. Very noble claims, Cabinet Minister, but I have to agree with Ken Skates on this one—you've been very light on the detail in terms of how this is going to be achieved. [Interruption.] I know, I was shocked as well. So, an explanation on how this would be would be very much appreciated.

You said that £2 million is being allocated to health boards to help them improve acute hospital flow, accelerate safe discharge, reduce delay and strengthen patient safety. So, Cabinet Minister, are you confident that this funding is going to be enough? The Welsh Government quite rightly expects health boards to demonstrate how any extra funds have improved delivery, but what happens if they fail to do so? Previously, Cabinet Minister, you said the Government would reduce ambulance handover delays, tackle corridor care and shorten emergency department waits. But what are the specific targets for this winter, and what contingency action will be triggered if those targets are indeed missed? Because, Cabinet Minister, we still haven't seen enough progress in this area, and you cannot better prepare the NHS for winter pressures if it is already under immense strain as it is.

The Welsh Government has a target of ensuring that 95 per cent of patients should spend fewer than four hours in emergency departments. That target's never been met. According to the latest figures, only 63 per cent of patients spent under four hours in an A&E department in Wales during August. The Welsh Government has another target that no patient should wait longer than 12 hours in an emergency department. And guess what? That's never been hit either. Latest figures show that just under 11,000 people waited more than 12 hours in August this year.

Corridor care, as we all know, is a major problem in Wales, with the Royal College of Emergency Medicine previously finding that it was happening at all 12 emergency departments across Wales. Corridor care is dangerous and dehumanising, yet it's now common practice, and, frankly, Cabinet Minister, that's shameful. A report by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales released only last week declared that delayed patient handovers remain the most significant challenge facing the Welsh ambulance service, and that's before winter has even arrived. Clearly, it's not acceptable, so how can you expect people to believe things are going to be turning around in time for winter?

Prevention must be, therefore, at the heart of the winter strategy, and I welcome the Government's focus on vaccination, including the expansion of the RSV vaccine. We know that flu and other respiratory infections can indeed put significant pressures on the NHS, so every eligible person who takes up a vaccination is not only protecting themselves, they are helping to reduce avoidable pressures on our health and care services. In terms of an update, Cabinet Minister, we need to know whether vaccination programmes are reaching those most at risk. So, does the Welsh Government monitor this? Have any areas been identified where uptake is lagging? If so, what targeted action is taking place now? My final question, Cabinet Secretary, is simple: are you confident this Government and the health boards all across Wales are truly prepared for what is around the corner? Thank you.

Llywydd, there were a number of questions there and a lot of statements as well. I agree with a number of the statements that you made. Regarding capacity, workforce, beds and flow, flow was a theme of your contribution, which I'll get on to in a minute, but, of course, the number of beds, whether we've got enough or not, is dependent on whether or not we can make sure that people don't enter that acute setting in the first place, tackling issues earlier on, which is why we are looking at that whole-system approach, making sure that we are shifting resources into the community, making sure that the primary care setting is resourced and has the support it needs in order to stop people from going there.

It would be remiss of me not to point out that community pharmacies play an important role here, especially with the common ailments scheme. Back in 2024-25, they gave 462,000 consultations. That's a massive amount of work that's done in our community pharmacies, and they play a crucial role also with vaccination as well. Getting those community-based services in place is crucial, and we're getting co-operation from those organisations, community pharmacies, GPs and others.

What's changed since July? Well, we've got plans now. The health boards have designed these plans, have presented them to us, we're testing them and making sure that we learn the lessons. So, we're going to be in a better position than ever before to face the pressures that inevitably will hit us when winter arrives.

You asked about the ambulances. Ambulance handovers are always a concern, and we need to see improvement in that space. We've seen some improvement over the last few months, which is a real positive, and we need to see that sustained over the coming few months, because as you say, winter is going to present a different challenge, but I am glad that we're seeing those improvements in the ambulance service.

Finally, you mentioned social services, and I'm really glad that you did. It's forgotten far too often in the discussions around the impact on the health service, but more importantly on individuals. And, yes, the social care sector, social services, are crucial in this. We're making sure that the COOs, the chief operating officers of health boards, are meeting up with leaders of social services in local authorities to develop that plan, making sure that they're aligned and that we can have improved discharges.

We're looking at improved patient flow—which is the theme, as I said, you looked at in your contribution—and the transition home, starting the planning for the discharge process earlier, making sure that we've got a seven-day approach to that, with expected discharge dates and regular senior clinical reviews of those discharges, so that people can go home sooner than they are currently doing.

Let's do our best. If we keep it really tight, let's see how many people we can get in.

Diolch, Lywydd. Gweinidog Cabinet, winter pressures are often discussed in terms of hospital capacity, delayed discharges and access to primary care, but in the communities that I represent, there's also the very basic issue of whether people can physically get to hospital at all. Living in the shadow of the Rhigos mountain, I know personally how dependent communities in Afan Ogwr Rhondda are on mountain roads, such as the Rhigos, the Bwlch—Bwlch y Clawdd to friends—and Maerdy mountain.

These are essential routes for people getting to hospital and for ambulance crews getting patients to urgent and emergency care. During periods of snow and ice, those roads can close very quickly with little communication, leaving communities effectively cut off. What assurances can the Cabinet Secretary give that winter preparedness plans include specific contingencies for mountain road closures, including joint working between health boards, the ambulance services and local authorities, so that patients in those communities are not left without safe access to care?

Absolutely, people will want assurances and to understand that the ambulance will arrive on time. I don't know how many of you saw the film Effi o Blaenau, which showed how an ambulance during winter didn't arrive on time and the cataclysmic consequences of that. Now, we're not in that position; that was a film. But, yes, people will want to be assured that those ambulances can reach them. And, yes, we've got four local resilience forums operating along the police boundaries here in Wales, and they ensure that the emergency services, the NHS and local authorities develop those contingency plans in the event of road closures or catastrophic incidents around the weather.

So, they'll have control and grip on that, which makes sure that ambulances will be able to find and reach their destination. The Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust is also preparing for what we call the predictable winter risks, especially for rural mountainous areas, including severe weather and the pressures that rural areas provide. So, WAST is preparing for that, and people can be assured that they will be there.

I've got the wrong thing. I'm really sorry.

I just wanted to say thank you, Minister, for bringing the statement forward. Everybody's been talking about vaccines, so I just wanted to add that I want to recognise the vital contribution of the third sector, primary care and the community teams, GPs, pharmacists, nurses and health workers, who deliver essential vaccinations all over the county, especially in my community.

Yesterday, I visited Bronglais Hospital and saw first-hand the mental and physical wear that departments and their staff are experiencing. Speaking to front-line workers, it was impossible not to be struck by their commitment to their patients, but also the toll that the relentless demand is taking on them. Year on year, we hear of increased demand and an uptick in pressure on A&E and wards, yet too many patients and staff continue to face challenges that are becoming increasingly difficult. Just this Sunday, Glangwili, Bronglais and Withybush put out a statement saying they were severely under pressure in their A&Es, so this is nothing unusual to them. It's a fact that the health and social care staff are carrying immense constraint. History shows that winter pressures—

Question, please.

—are harsher than forecasted. I'm really sorry. If demand this winter exceeds the forecast, what reassurance can you give the public that they will not see a repeat of the delays experienced in previous years? Diolch.

Thanks for your recognition of the fantastic work done by a number of healthcare workers, third sector organisations and others in ensuring that the preventative measures are taken. You referenced specifically Bronglais, Glangwili, Withybush and others in your constituency, and they are under severe pressure, and it's now early October. So, that's why we're taking a year-round approach to this, because it's not a one-off event or, even just when the summer heats come, a two-time event for the year. We have to prepare for pressures on the health system throughout the year. Those are the steps that we're taking.

If pressure does become more than expected, then we will respond to that. We've got some of the best staff in the health system and the care system anywhere in the world here. We're so lucky to have them, and they will respond as needed, as they've always done, year after year after year, if pressures arise. But I will finish by saying that when it comes to flu—and flu is one of the biggest challenges, and frailty, but the big challenge in winter—we monitor what's going on in the southern hemisphere. Currently, the flu season hasn't been as bad as we would have feared in Australia, but they're seeing a very late surge and very late spike in numbers as they come into their spring. So, we're monitoring that, and we will be following what's going on in Australia with interest and preparing for that.

Thank you very much for your statement, Minister, and I note this follows a statement you made on 1 July, when temperatures were slightly warmer than they are now. I'm very pleased as well that, in your statement, you refer to those vulnerable groups, particularly people who are homeless. And I just really wanted to just focus on this, because for those people who are homeless in winter, it literally is about getting a home. That will save their lives. Crisis in Wales reported, this month, that 63 people died on the streets in 2025 in Wales. The average age of a woman dying, who is homeless, was 43, and 47 for men. Crisis says it's preparing for a busy winter. They want the UK Government to unfreeze the housing benefit, but it does call on the Welsh Government to enact the new Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation (Wales) Act 2026. So, what will you be doing to work across the Government, but also to support those third sector organisations, such as Crisis, to get homeless people literally off our streets this winter? Diolch yn fawr iawn, Lywydd. 

Llywydd, the Member makes really important points there around people who are homeless, primarily rough-sleeping, I think, is what you were referring to in this instance. Nevertheless, people who are sofa surfing and having to depend on friends and others for a bed are also vulnerable in this situation. That's why we're making sure that people in those kinds of situations are a priority group for us when it comes to ensuring that we identify them in order for them to get treated on time, get vaccinated, and get the support they need.

However, the questions, Llywydd, that the Member raised are more appropriate for the Cabinet Minister for housing. She will have heard what you have to say and she will take note of what you've said. I will have conversations with her, as I regularly do because of the link between housing and health, and make sure that the Minister is aware of your concerns and the points that you raised.

Year after year, the previous Government failed to prepare sufficiently for the winter months. In May, the people of Wales put their faith in this Plaid Cymru Government to prioritise our NHS. And I welcome the statement today, which is breaking the cycle of waiting for winter to arrive before reaching it.

Many of the priorities set out in the statement can only succeed through local implementation. Could the Cabinet Minister please provide more detail on how the Government will support those providing healthcare in our communities? They are often under-resourced and under immense pressure, but if we can get this right, it would reduce the pressure on A&E, keeping people in their communities and out of hospital, where there is a chance they would pick up further illness and infection. Diolch.

Llywydd, I agree with the Member that those providing healthcare in our communities are under significant pressure. And again, let's recognise the work that nurses, community nurses, GPs, allied health professionals and others do in this field. We owe a debt of gratitude to them. We know that pressures in our emergency departments are often a symptom of the pressures elsewhere in the system, which is why we've set in place a programme to shift resources into the community, making sure that primary care is properly resourced. We've got the Community by Design transformation programme, ensuring that we have a community and home first approach. District nursing, for instance, remains at the heart of the approach that we're taking. Across Wales, there are 167 neighbourhood district nursing teams providing a 24/7 service, and undertaking more than 230,000 visits every month. So, that's the work that we've got in place; that's why we're making sure, and how we're making sure, that people are seen closer to home. If we are to make sure that the acute settings are protected, that hospital spaces and intensive care units are protected, then we have to make sure that we've got those services in the community, treating people at home.

Cabinet Minister, when ice and snow arrive, disabled people are often the first to be cut off from healthcare. A wheelchair user cannot safely cross an untreated pavement, and someone who relies on accessible transport may find services cancelled without notice. Missed appointments can mean delayed treatment, and too often, a crisis that ends in hospital.

Cabinet Minister, what guidance has been given to the health boards to make sure that disabled patients are offered flexible alternatives, such as home visits, rescheduling without penalty, or remote consultations where appropriate, when severe weather prevents them from travelling? And how will health boards work with local authorities and transport providers, so that routes to key health sites remain accessible throughout the winter? Diolch.

Llywydd, the Member makes an incredibly important point there about the accessibility of services for the most vulnerable and disabled people in our communities. We discussed non-emergency transport last week, and so there are discussions with WAST about accessibility, making sure that steps are being taken between WAST and health boards, so that disabled people and others who can't easily access, via private transport or other means, treatment, that they are prioritised. It is a point that I will pick up with them in my next discussions, and I'm happy to give you an update on that when I do. But making sure that there are remote consultations and flexible visits is something that should be considered, absolutely.

Diolch, Llywydd. I thank the Cabinet Minister for your statement today. Can I join you in thanking all those NHS staff across the country doing a lot of work under extreme circumstances? Now that I've stepped back from the shadow health role, and I'm sitting a little bit closer to the exit, I just want to remind you, and just reassure you, really, that it's no reflection on my job of scrutinising you over the NHS performance here in Wales. Because, Cabinet Minister, in opposition, you criticised Labour's winter plans as 'short-term sticking plasters' and 'no solutions' and challenged the absence of clear targets. Today, you said your Government has acted 'earlier than ever before', with health boards' plans being stress-tested and an additional £2 million for urgent and emergency care.

Now, I welcome the preparation, but delivery and preparation are two very different things. So, I'd like to know what weaknesses have been identified through the stress-testing so far, and what changes are being made to reassure the public and the clinicians that results will be delivered. And will you today—because I know you do like targets, Cabinet Minister—publish measurable targets, reducing ambulance handover delays, emergency department waiting times, and delayed discharges, so that we can actually judge whether your Government's plans are actually delivering, and worth the paper they're written on?

Llywydd, I'd like to thank the Member for the contributions that he made when he was spokesperson. This is the first opportunity I've had from here to say that and express my gratitude for his work in that field.

But on to the points that he raised, yes, we need confidence that the system will work over the winter period. That's why we're stress-testing them. So, there are issues that we need greater assurances on. I mentioned earlier that currently we've got moderate assurance. Some of the parts we need to make sure that they work and function better are around protecting the acute hospital capacity. That goes without saying, I'd imagine. We know of the pressures

We know of the pressures that are on acute settings at the moment. The discharges without delay I mentioned; we've got steps that we expect the health boards to ensure they deliver. So, that is something at the moment that we want them to work on, which is what we're stress testing and making sure that they will have improved outcomes when it comes to the winter itself. And you can measure the success or otherwise of the plan that we've put in place by the number of people who attend or otherwise hospital and put pressure on the acute settings during the winter period.

Diolch, Lywydd. Before I start, I'd just like to correct the Record, if I may. In the business statement today, the Trefnydd mentioned that I'd made a written statement on the rail changes in the north of the country. I haven't made one yet, but I will be making a statement; so, I'd just like the Record to show that, if I may. Turning to my statement, Llywydd.

The weather conditions—[Inaudible.] Diolch. I appreciate that. The weather conditions experienced across Wales this year have demonstrated how rapidly climate risks are changing. Wales has faced prolonged rainfall, drought, extreme heat and significant wildfire incidents. These are not simply environmental issues, they are transport issues too. These events have reinforced the need to adapt our transport networks so that they can continue to operate safely and reliably in a changing climate.

Later this month, the First Minister will convene a wildfire summit, bringing together the public and private sectors and trade unions to identify ways to reduce the risk of wildfires and make sure we are better prepared to respond when they occur. Extreme heat and wildfires have placed exceptional pressure on infrastructure, services, passengers and staff. I recognise the work of transport organisations, emergency services, local authorities, trade unions and other partners in maintaining safe travel and protecting critical links.

Through my engagement with operators and trade unions, I have heard first-hand the impact that extreme heat, wildfire risk and other severe weather events can have on front-line staff. Their safety and well-being must come first. We will work with Transport for Wales and trade unions to make sure the experience of front-line workers informs the practical measures we put in place. Transport employers must plan for these risks, working with trade unions to identify measures that protect staff and support the safe operation of services.

The challenges experienced across the network this summer demonstrated why this preparation is increasingly important. On the rail network, high temperatures required some trains to be withdrawn because of cooling-system problems. Infrastructure operated close to, and, at times, beyond, historic design limits, leading to speed restrictions 

leading to speed restrictions and additional failures. But this is not just a rail issue.

Although the most visible impacts this summer were on rail, resilience matters across every mode. Extreme temperatures affected bus services, while flooding, landslips and heat are placing growing pressure on roads and active travel infrastructure. The same principle applies to the international gateways on which Wales depends for connectivity, trade and economic activity.

Our major ferry ports—Holyhead, Fishguard and Pembroke Dock—provide vital international connections for people and goods. The prolonged disruption at Holyhead in December 2024 demonstrated how important our ports are to communities, businesses and the wider Welsh economy. It also showed how quickly disruption at one strategic gateway can have wider consequences. The Irish sea taskforce was established in response, to consider how a similar incident could be avoided and how partners should respond if one occurred at any Welsh port. I intend to publish a six-month update on its recommendations this autumn.

Investment is also strengthening port resilience. Stena Line has committed significant investment in infrastructure at Holyhead and Fishguard to improve resilience, connectivity and future capacity. During my recent visit to Ireland, I met Minister Canney and key stakeholders to discuss resilience and co-operation across these vital routes. I have also asked officials to prepare a joint exercise based on the scenario of an unforeseen Welsh port closure.

These lessons about preparedness, co-ordination and contingency planning apply to other strategic gateways. Cardiff Airport maintains emergency planning arrangements for incidents including severe weather and winter storms. Across aviation and ports, preparedness depends on clear responsibilities, tested plans, and effective communication. Strong partnerships are equally important across the wider network. My officials have established the Wales transport adaptation working group, bringing together infrastructure managers, operators and key stakeholders to support a co-ordinated approach.

I have asked Transport for Wales to take immediate steps to improve resilience to weather conditions that can no longer be treated as exceptional. In the short term, this includes strengthening maintenance and inspection regimes, working to improve the reliability of train cooling systems and taking practical measures to reduce heat impacts on rolling stock. Enhanced weather monitoring, clearer escalation arrangements and pre-planned operational responses will improve preparedness and help reduce disruption during periods of severe weather. The aim is simple: to act earlier, reduce disruption and keep people moving safely.

Alongside these immediate measures, Transport for Wales is developing a longer term adaptation programme. This will embed resilience in the way transport services are planned, operated and invested in for the future. Transport for Wales will work closely with Network Rail, which operates much of the rail infrastructure in Wales, so that plans cover the whole network. Priorities will include better climate-risk information, stronger drainage and earthworks, resilient rail and bus specifications, new monitoring technology, and nature-based solutions. The work will also support the wider cross-Government approach to climate adaptation and resilience that'll be reflected through the forthcoming climate and nature action plan.

On the strategic road network, lessons from recent storms, floods and heatwaves are shaping how we manage and maintain our roads, helping us become better prepared for future disruption. We're also working with local authorities to strengthen the wider highway network and rolling out resilience and adaptation training across all 22 authorities. As we move into winter, preparations reflect the growing risks of heavy rainfall, flooding, landslips, storms and coastal impacts, alongside projections for warmer, wetter winters and more intense rainfall. The central lesson is clear: resilience is not simply about maintaining assets; it is about enabling people to travel safely and reliably. We cannot limit ourselves