Mark Drakeford: Thank you to Rhys ab Owen for the question. Too many children are removed from their families into the care system in Wales. Numbers have risen year on year over the last two decades. The Thomas commission provided a powerful analysis of this unhappy history, and with our local government partners we continue to pursue the policies that it proposed.
Mark Drakeford: The views attributed to the individual are absolutely unacceptable and would be condemned by anybody, I think, in this Chamber. We spoke only last week about our concerns for Gypsy/Traveller communities, and we discussed those at some length in the policing board for Wales, which my colleague Jane Hutt and I attended. If it were as simple as issuing an edict and putting things right, then of...
Mark Drakeford: I'm very well aware of the concerns that surround face recognition technology, and I think those concerns deserve to be taken very seriously. I know that my colleague Jane Hutt has had an opportunity to discuss this and allied matters with the lead PCC for Wales, Dafydd Llywelyn, and we will continue to make sure those concerns are properly represented to PCCs, and indeed to chief constables...
Mark Drakeford: I thank the Member for that. It was very good to read the accounts of the march on Sunday—a march that Members here will know commemorates the Sharpeville massacre, which took place in 1960. It is fantastic, I think, to see that continuing to be commemorated here in Wales. I was able to talk to my colleague Jane Hutt, who opened the speeches at the rally, and I know that the Counsel General...
Mark Drakeford: There are a series of actions that the Welsh Government will be taking. I listened to the first question by the leader of the opposition. The teacher that he identified living in Bangor will be able to take advantage, I hope, of the new centre that will be opening in Bangor—a major new dental centre that will provide a new level of NHS dental provision to people in the north-west of Wales....
Mark Drakeford: I'm puzzled at the report of the letter, because, as from next month, dentists in Wales have a choice. They are able to take the new contract, but if they feel the new contract does not suit them they will be able to continue with the existing contract. Nobody is being forced to take the new contract. The new contract has been very carefully negotiated with the professional bodies. Many, many...
Mark Drakeford: Well, NHS dentistry is undoubtedly very challenged at the moment, Llywydd, but it's not so much a capacity issue; it is the circumstances under which dental treatment is carried out. We still have significant numbers of dentists in Wales carrying out NHS dental treatment, but they are simply not able to provide the volumes of treatment that they were in pre-COVID conditions, because, of all...
Mark Drakeford: I thank Rhun ap Iorwerth. The situation that we're facing during this week is challenging, isn't it? Of course, we want to make progress with the plan that we put in place some weeks ago, but the context is changing. And that's why the Cabinet has decided to wait until Thursday for the latest figures and for the latest advice from the chief medical officer, and so on, to help us to make these...
Mark Drakeford: Thanks to Russell George for that question. As I said in my original answer, the spring booster campaign in Wales began last week, on 14 March, focusing on care home residents in the first instance. We expect, within a further three weeks, to have completed the bulk of care home vaccination. There will be some care homes, because of outbreaks, where there will be some further time needed, but...
Mark Drakeford: I thank Vikki Howells for that question, Llywydd, and I'll take her final point first, because, after a prolonged period of the number of people falling ill with coronavirus in Wales falling week by week, in the last 10 days we've seen numbers rising again, and not simply rising but rising rapidly and at an accelerating rate. Now, Wales continues to have the lowest incidence of coronavirus of...
Mark Drakeford: My colleague Jane Hutt led a summit back in February, which drew over 150 people around the table together, to make sure that we had the best possible information from those organisations that provide services for people at the front line, and to make sure that public services were also preparing to play whatever part they could in responding to the emergency—and it will be an...
Mark Drakeford: Of course, if there will be an opportunity to get people around the table once again, to share information, to make plans together, then the Government will be open to doing that.
Mark Drakeford: I thank the Member for that, Llywydd. The Minister for Health and Social Services published the latest COVID-19 vaccination strategy on 24 February. On 14 March, NHS Wales began the roll-out of spring boosters, starting with care home residents, along with the first vaccinations for five to 11-year-olds.
Mark Drakeford: Well, thank you very much to Mabon ap Gwynfor. The research that he refers to by Manchester university comes on top of everything else that we've seen, from the Resolution Foundation, the Institute for Public Policy Research and so on, which shows the same thing, namely the major impact the increase in costs of living is going to have on people in Wales.
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, thank you very much to the Member for the question. The impact of the cost-of-living crisis will be profound for households in Dwyfor Meirionnydd, especially the poorest households. Incomes suppressed by a decade of austerity will be further eroded by cuts to the value of benefits, rises in national insurance contributions and rapidly rising inflation.
Mark Drakeford: Our strategy, 'Welcome to Wales: Priorities for the visitor economy 2020-2025', sets our ambition for the sector and outlines how, together with partners, we can extend the season, bring tourism to more parts of Wales and increase spend in the tourism economy.
Mark Drakeford: Our funding objectives to reduce flood risk are set out in the programme for government, and this includes the relevant co-operation agreement commitments. This year, the Welsh Government is providing a record level of funding to our flood risk management authorities. This funding will be increased further in 2022-23.
Mark Drakeford: As part of the Welsh Government’s final budget package, Cadw was allocated an indicative annual capital budget of £10 million for 2022-23 to 2024-25 to support national heritage projects. This will conserve and invest in our outstanding historic sites, including the completion of major projects at Caernarfon and Caerphilly castles.
Mark Drakeford: In February 2021, we launched our manufacturing action plan, which identifies the steps needed to develop resilient supply chains in Wales.
Mark Drakeford: If the Member wishes to, he can contribute those views in the consultation to which the Welsh Government is committed alongside our colleagues in Plaid Cymru, because the raising of a tourism levy is part of the co-operation agreement that we have struck. We will certainly explore in that consultation the hypothecation of the money raised through a local tourism levy in order to support the...
