Lesley Griffiths
Welsh Labour · Wales
“Thank you for the update. I am concerned to see the removal of the requirement for 10 per cent tree cover for each farm in order to participate in the SFS. That figure was reached as part of how the Welsh Government would not just reach its carbon reduction targets, but also its ambitious tree planting targets.”
“Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your statement. Due to the number of concerns I've had raised with me by constituents recently, I arranged to meet with the chief executive of WAST last week.”
“Our paramedics, I'm sure, are frustrated when they can't do their job properly because of handover delays, so it is absolutely vital we get that end-to-end process with improvement.”
“How will you know if it's been successful? How will payments be withheld if outcomes are not delivered? So, you could have a scheme to run on a catchment basis, for example.”
“The Welsh Government's funding for warm hubs this year is extremely welcome in Wrexham, where, once again, our libraries will be taking part in the initiative. They provide safe, comforting spaces, and, as you said, they're a place to meet people also.”
“I know the Cabinet Secretary will agree with me that libraries play a crucial role in our communities—it's very important that Wrexham people respond to the consultation—but will she continue to work with the local authority to make them realise that libraries are not just there for library facilities, but that they also have additional b…”
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“Our paramedics, I'm sure, are frustrated when they can't do their job properly because of handover delays, so it is absolutely vital we get that end-to-end process with improvement. Patients don't want to be sitting in ambulances, waiting to get into emergency departments, but neither do they want to be sitting in emergency departments, waiting to go to the right ward. What they want is to go home as soon as possible. So, could you please outline whether this group will have a holistic approach—I think that's very much needed—and will also be looking at patient flow, which others have raised with you, alongside the appropriateness of ambulance targets? Diolch.”
“Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your statement. Due to the number of concerns I've had raised with me by constituents recently, I arranged to meet with the chief executive of WAST last week. Clearly, ambulance response times are not where we would want them to be, and it is good to see the Health and Social Care Committee's report being given this level of recognition. Refreshingly, the chief executive stated he didn't want more money; he really focused on the positive actions he and the organisation have taken to improve efficiency. We spoke about the rapid clinical screening that you referred to in your statement. Having clinicians inside control rooms I think is absolutely right to target reducing harm and make sure people who are genuinely a red call receive the correct service. We do need the right systems in place.”
“How will you know if it's been successful? How will payments be withheld if outcomes are not delivered? So, you could have a scheme to run on a catchment basis, for example. You could have farmers downstream delivering the required outcomes, and maybe one farmer upstream not adhering to the contract, or maybe a farmer isn't part of the scheme. So, how will that be monitored and measured? And what was the decision-making process and what scientific advice was sought around this proposed approach being able to deliver your carbon reduction targets, along with tree planting targets and nature restoration, in this fundamental change in approach?”
“Thank you for the update. I am concerned to see the removal of the requirement for 10 per cent tree cover for each farm in order to participate in the SFS. That figure was reached as part of how the Welsh Government would not just reach its carbon reduction targets, but also its ambitious tree planting targets. We need to be planting far more trees right across Wales, and farmers are absolutely best placed to help us do that and be paid to do it. As you've outlined, Cabinet Secretary, the proposal now is for a scheme-wide target. The original proposal would have been easy to monitor, easy to reward individual farmers for services that they provide on behalf of the taxpayer, and also easy to withhold payment if the contract agreement was not delivered. So, could the Cabinet Secretary outline how the scheme-wide proposal will be monitored?”
“I know the Cabinet Secretary will agree with me that libraries play a crucial role in our communities—it's very important that Wrexham people respond to the consultation—but will she continue to work with the local authority to make them realise that libraries are not just there for library facilities, but that they also have additional benefits such as the warm hubs? Diolch.”
“The Welsh Government's funding for warm hubs this year is extremely welcome in Wrexham, where, once again, our libraries will be taking part in the initiative. They provide safe, comforting spaces, and, as you said, they're a place to meet people also. Despite highlighting the importance, just a few short weeks ago, when promoting warm hubs, Wrexham County Borough Council are now doing a consultation on the future of our libraries, stating it needs to save £185,000. Whilst of course I understand there are financial pressures, the impact that this relatively small amount of money makes is significant.”
“I also welcome the focus on transformation and innovation—it’s really essential that we continue to have that within our health service, so that we make sure, going forward, that the NHS is prepared for whatever is coming down the track—and also the importance of building capacity, and you mentioned that procedures are now taking place in the evening. It’s not always just about funding; it’s about building that capacity. And, of course, the facilities are there; it’s the staff that we need. There has to be a focus on that. So, could you please clarify how performance will be monitored, and how that will then be communicated to the people of Wales, who, of course, use and rely on our NHS?”
“Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your statement, and, certainly, for the funding to ensure that the longest waiting times are reduced. And it’s good to hear that it’s not about surgery; it’s about outpatients as well, and other procedures. It is really vital that this funding is closely monitored to ensure it’s used for the purpose given. I also think performance should be closely monitored, and, if needs be, funding should be reallocated if targets aren’t being met in the way that health boards, when applying for this funding, outlined.”
“Sadly, a significant number of women suffer baby loss at different stages of pregnancy, and in England, baby loss certificates are given to families who experience baby loss before 24 weeks. I know Welsh Government officials have been working with their English counterparts to see how these certificates work in practice, and I wonder, First Minister, could you outline if consideration is being given to providing this much-needed support to our Welsh families at such a difficult time in their lives?”
“I agree wholeheartedly with the many people who’ve spoken to me, having watched that programme, that this year’s event was truly remarkable. I would like to say a personal 'thank you' to the Royal British Legion, not just for their work locally, but also for hosting such a thought-provoking, memorable and, at times, truly heartbreaking, but also wonderfully uplifting festival. I am proud of our armed forces communities and the considerable contribution they make, and I’m proud of the well-deserved support we in Wales deliver for our veterans, of whom there are many, not only in and around Wrexham, but right across our country. And I particularly welcome the undertakings made by the Welsh Government about continued support for our armed forces liaison officers.”
“Witnessing so many young people taking part is both pleasing and reassuring, and it’s an important factor in ensuring, as a country, we continue to honour the words from the famous poem ‘For the Fallen’, from the time of the first world war in 1914: ‘At the going down of the sun and in the morning / We will remember them.’ This remembrance period came at the end of a particularly poignant year with the eightieth anniversary of the D-day landings that, of course, took place in Normandy on 6 June 1944. Along with so many other important dates, events and campaigns through the generations, including, more recently, Afghanistan, it was good to see the prominence to the D-day landings during the festival of remembrance televised on Saturday evening.”
“We remember also those who've suffered life-changing injuries, both mental and physical, ensuring our freedoms are maintained, and we also remember their families and friends. We also share our pride and sincere gratitude to those who currently serve in every arm of our armed forces. Wrexham is a city with a proud military tradition, and it was heartwarming to see so many people attend the cenotaph services on Remembrance Sunday, and yesterday’s Armistice Day’s service. And the numbers of people involved every year appear to increase. It is fantastic too to see the younger generation attending in such large numbers.”
“It was truly humbling and a huge privilege for me to participate, as I do every year, in a number of Remembrance Week events in my home city and constituency of Wrexham, and it was good to have you, Cabinet Secretary, alongside me and other colleagues laying a wreath at the cenotaph on Sunday on behalf of the Welsh Government. The opportunity to stand together with so many people from our military, our veterans and our wider armed forces family to honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice to help maintain the freedom we enjoy was truly inspirational. Freedom is not a matter to be taken lightly. It is, perhaps, too easy for us to lose sight of how fortunate we are to have the freedoms we enjoy, freedoms that for so many people across the globe are unobtainable. Of course, it is not only those who made the ultimate sacrifice we remember.”