, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, I thank the Member for those important points, Llywydd. First of all, to say, of course, if anybody feels that their health is changing and that things may not be as they would want them to be, they shouldn't wait for screening, they should present…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Llywydd, I entirely share the frustration of Vikki Howells at the way that a success story was communicated in a way that caused such anxiety to so many people, because the screening system in Wales is a success story. We were the first part of the United…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I thank Vikki Howells for that, Llywydd. Cervical Screening Wales has implemented the recommendation of the UK National Screening Committee and extended the routine screening interval of people aged between 25 and 49 from three to five years if HPV is not…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, Llywydd, the real risk here is not that we can bring the fuel poverty target forward, but that what is about to happen to families in April will plunge more families in Wales into fuel poverty rather than reduce that number. We know that people at the…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I understand the points that Adam Price makes, Llywydd. He will know that housing associations rely on rental income to finance their development programmes, so if they are unable to obtain through rental income the amounts that they were anticipating, it…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Llywydd, I agree with the point that Adam Price started with. The Resolution Foundation, in a very detailed analysis published only a few days ago, said that April will mark a cost-of-living catastrophe for many, many families across the United Kingdom, with…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, we will do exactly what the leader of the Conservative Party said we should do at the start of that final question—we will follow the modelling. As I've said to him, the modelling currently shows that we are not yet at the peak of coronavirus in Wales…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, of course, the leader of the opposition is right that we have the latest modelling. It shows that the peak of the omicron wave of coronavirus is yet to be reached in Wales, that we may be 10 days away from the peak, and numbers could continue to climb…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, I reciprocate the good wishes from the leader of the opposition, of course, as we go into the new year, but I don't agree with quite a lot of what he just said. All the actions that the Welsh Government takes are those recommended to us and endorsed by…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, I can help with a number of them, Llywydd, otherwise I would be here for the whole afternoon, I think. But the first point to make, as I know Russell George will recognise, is that those other parts of the system are also under significant pressure at…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Llywydd, I thank Heledd Fychan for that supplementary question. Of course, I am very pleased to hear that things turned out as they did in the case that she mentioned. The impact of omicron and coronavirus on the ambulance service is very great. There are…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Thank you. Llywydd, the most significant recent steps to alleviate pressure on the health service this winter are the vaccination booster campaign and the preventative measures taken to mitigate the impact of the omicron wave of coronavirus.
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Llywydd, I thank Rhianon Passmore for what she said at the start of her supplementary question. Here in Wales, we have a Government that is both capable and determined to take those difficult decisions that help to keep people safe and to keep our economy…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, first of all, Llywydd, I have to take issue with the last remark. Staffing levels in A&E departments in Wales, at their complement level, are not unsafe—of course they're not; they meet the different royal college requirements. Now, at the moment…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, Llywydd, the position on masks is this: that there is a national specialist group that advises the Government on the use of personal protective equipment, including higher grade masks. At the start of December, the chief nursing officer and the chief…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Llywydd, I thank the Member for that first question. Staff absences, combined with winter pressures and a rise in COVID cases, have led to significant challenges for health boards across Wales. All health boards, including those in the south-east, have plans…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Update on COVID-19
I thank the Member for those questions. In relation to schools, Members will know that the education Minister wrote to all headteachers before the end of term setting the first two days of the new school term as planning and preparation days. In that letter…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Update on COVID-19
I thank Peter Fox for those points. I recognise, as I try always to do, the point he's made—the significant sums of money that the UK Government has mobilised to deal with the pandemic. The point to remember, though, is that that is to deal with all the…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Update on COVID-19
I thank Joyce Watson very much for those points. I want to thank all those people who work in our public services, and, of course, that includes teachers. We know that the autumn term has been a challenging term in many parts of Wales, with the efforts of…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Update on COVID-19
Llywydd, we will publish statutory guidance for the public transport sector, including the bus sector, as to how they can operate safely in a regime of 2m distancing, giving them the comfort that there are mitigating measures they can take to cope with the…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Update on COVID-19
Llywydd, we will be publishing more advice and information, including some frequently asked questions. I know the Member will understand this is Christmas week. There are people who've made other plans in their lives, and they're often people who have worked…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Update on COVID-19
Well, Llywydd, we are all frustrated at the latest twist and turn of coronavirus. None of us wanted to be in this position, and it’s only a very short number of weeks ago where, dealing only with delta, we had a reasonably straightforward path for Wales into…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Update on COVID-19
Well, Llywydd, I recognise the impact that restrictions are having on businesses, but shops will reopen here in Wales after Christmas, hospitality will be able to reopen, and some offices will reopen too. Of course, we've been in contact with the sectors to…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Update on COVID-19
Dirprwy Lywydd, can I begin by echoing everything that Jenny Rathbone said about the dedication of the people who work in the care sector and in the NHS? Most of us in this call today will be at home on Christmas Day with members of our family or with friends…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Update on COVID-19
Llywydd, it is not the COVID passes that have changed; it is the context within which they are being used. COVID passes have been a very successful part of our protections against the delta variant. We're now facing a different form of coronavirus—one that…
