Will the First Minister explain on whose order the Welsh Government asked for the information relating to me, personally, that he referred to in Plenary on 30 January?
Welsh Government officials regularly make contact with health boards and NHS Trusts in order to be able to brief Ministers to carry out their roles. This information is essential to enable us, for example, to reply to correspondence from AMs and the public, be informed for events and visits and participate in Assembly scrutiny.
On 26 January 2018, Welsh Government officials contacted Hywel Dda University Health Board following sight of the oral question you had tabled for last Tuesday. . The contact was made in this case because officials had noted the statement you issued jointly with Jonathan Edwards MP about the health board’s Transforming Clinical Services programme and therefore sought reassurance from the LHB about how they were engaging with local politicians on this matter. This request was instigated by officials as part of the usual and established practice for briefing Ministers.
The information provided by the LHB is currently stored on the Welsh Government’s email system and a summary of it formed part of the background brief I received from officials.