1 March 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 7
Well, we certainly don't need the food Bill to do that, and I appreciate—. Annex A of the letter I sent to committee yesterday sets that out, and I appreciate that you might not have had time to read it, because I only sent it yesterday, but just looking at…
1 March 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 7
No, not the agriculture Bill, that's a very different team, but it certainly is taking away from the community food strategy. I appreciate it's a five-year term of Government, and it's policy within the programme for government, that will be delivered in this…
1 March 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 7
We have given no consideration to that whatsoever. It's something that we would have to look at. So, as you know, I'm hoping to make some progress on the community food strategy in the very near future, and perhaps we could look at it alongside that, because…
1 March 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 7
Sorry, Hefin. So, I don't think it's necessary. However, what I've said is, if, during the scrutiny of the food Bill, it becomes apparent that it could do something for us as a Government, and it could make the complexity of policy simpler, I'm very prepared…
1 March 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 7
Me? Are you asking me that? Sorry.
1 March 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 7
No, we do have a variety of mechanisms. It does depend on the specific issue. So, some can be much more formal in nature, but we have several groups, we’ve got several reporting systems to Ministers. Ultimately, Cabinet is the end point—that’s where the…
1 March 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 7
I’m not aware of a mapping exercise. I just referred to a mapping exercise we’ve done around community food strategy; I’m not aware of a mapping exercise in the way that you suggest, but probably that’s because we’re so much smaller than the UK Government…
1 March 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 7
Morning.
1 March 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 7
I think not having duplication is very important. I suppose that’s another thing for why I’m saying we don’t need another piece of legislation, because we’re really keen to avoid that. I don’t know the specifics of the case that you’ve just brought up, but I…
1 March 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 7
Yes. I suppose my starting point in relation to that is I don't accept the central argument that's in the EM that policy is not joined up, so I suppose that's where my basic point—. If you look at the EM, it repeatedly claims that policy is incoherent, but…
1 March 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 7
Well, let's be frank—we don't have all the levers in relation to the cost-of-living crisis. The two main areas where you can have the most influence are the fiscal policy areas and the benefits system, both of which rest with the UK Government. I think the UK…
1 March 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 7
Yes, I do think we will miss an opportunity if we don't procure more Welsh food and drink. For people like Darren, who's been here as long as me—when I was health Minister, we could not get Welsh food. Welsh lamb was the main one. We had a famous chef who was…
1 March 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 7
Well, of course, more always can be done, can't it? Childhood obesity is a very serious public health problem, not just in Wales, but across the UK, and I would say it's also growing in many other countries across the world. What we need to do is really…
1 March 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 7
Yes, absolutely. So, just going back to your first point around the well-being of future generations commissioner—of course, we've just had a new commissioner, last month—and, interestingly, food as a whole isn't included in the future generations Act, but…
1 March 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 7
Well, it's quite vague, and I don't want to be disparaging; I'm not at all. Peter's got some ideas that I think we will take forward, we need to look at. So, the national strategy, at the moment I don't think it's necessary, but people are telling me, 'Well…
1 March 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 7
I quite agree with you. When you see the responses and the evidence that not just you, but the Finance Committee and the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee have taken on this Bill, there is overwhelming support for it. But I think the main reason…
1 March 2023 , Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Food (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 7
Okay, thank you.
28 February 2023 , Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd: Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)—Progress of the Wales Five-year Animal and Environment Plan
Thank you. Information about sector-specific uses is published annually in the veterinary AMR and sales surveillance report, and if you look at it, you will see that, I think, the poultry and the pig sectors are the two sectors that have the highest uses of…
28 February 2023 , Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd: Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)—Progress of the Wales Five-year Animal and Environment Plan
Thank you very much. It is new money. As I say, more details will be worked up, and it's from that programme. You ask about the assessment in relation to our sewage. That wouldn't be a piece of work that, obviously, my department would do, but Public Health…
28 February 2023 , Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd: Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)—Progress of the Wales Five-year Animal and Environment Plan
Thank you, Sam, for your very positive response to the report. I think you're right. You do have to be very brave, and certainly when I was health Minister it was an area that I was really keen to look at. I remember we had a very small project on one…
28 February 2023 , Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd: Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)—Progress of the Wales Five-year Animal and Environment Plan
Diolch, Llywydd. Antibiotics are a fundamental foundation for modern healthcare systems, enabling us to effectively treat most bacterial infections, in both people and animals. Their discovery and development have revolutionised not only healthcare, but also…
28 February 2023 , Plenary
Business Statement and Announcement
It's an ongoing piece of work to make sure that computers talk to computers and health boards talk to health boards here in Wales. It is absolutely vital that patients don't have to repeat their story every time they go to a different hospital, for instance…
28 February 2023 , Plenary
Business Statement and Announcement
Thank you. I will certainly ask the Minister to provide some clarity via a written statement. You're absolutely right that the whole point of having that policy of free prescriptions is to keep people well and to make sure that those who are employed are able…
28 February 2023 , Plenary
Business Statement and Announcement
I don't think there's a need for an oral statement. I think you've done absolutely the right thing. I was aware of the meeting this morning. Clearly the data will help, because we certainly haven't seen patronage return to bus services post the COVID pandemic…
28 February 2023 , Plenary
Business Statement and Announcement
Thank you. As you know, growing the horticultural part of the agricultural sector in Wales is something I'm particularly interested in. It's a very small part of our agricultural sector, only 1 per cent. The reason I had the two schemes that you referred to…
