Rhun ap Iorwerth: How dare you say that I should be embarrassed? How dare you say that I should be embarrassed for suggesting that your system is broken? It is NHS staff on the front line, be it in ambulances or in accident and emergency units, who are telling me that the system is broken. You're in charge of the system, and we want a better system for the patients that deserve that, frankly, here in Wales....
Rhun ap Iorwerth: You should be embarrassed. You should be embarrassed. How dare you? How dare you?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I agree entirely that we need a whole-service approach. I'm saying that the whole system is broken and it's the ambulances and paramedics and call centre staff who are having to bear the brunt. And you say you're meeting targets; there are no targets for amber calls and that's a part of the problem. Behind the statistics, though, we must remember are some truly shocking stories. Let me...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Diolch, Llywydd. I'd like to begin, if I could, by correcting some comments made yesterday by the leader of the Conservatives, who claimed the ambulance waiting times in Wales were improving. In fact, the median response times to red calls are worse this winter than last winter—fewer are arriving within the target eight minutes. When it comes to amber calls, almost half are now taking...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I have no question.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Both are actually useful, and we're slightly lacking on both fronts—either theoretical modelling or evidence.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: As I was saying, we need to persuade the public of the fairness and effectiveness of what we are trying to do here. We need to look in detail at this conclusion that introducing this Bill would only cost £3 per annum for a moderate drinker—£3 per annum. We can’t ignore scenarios where this legislation could have a great deal more of an effect on moderate drinkers who have a lower income...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Certainly.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 'Principle' is the important word today, and I will begin by confirming that I do agree with that fundamental principle underpinning this Bill—that there is scope to look at financial incentives in order to reduce dangerous use of alcohol. Alcohol costs us a great deal as a society. It costs lives, and when you have evidence before you suggesting that this Bill, if it would become an Act,...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I thank the Cabinet Secretary for that statement. I would like to express my gratitude to and admiration of the group of campaigners who have worked so hard over far too long a period in presenting their case with determination and dignity that there should be the inquiry that we are about to see. I’ve got to know many of them through the cross-party group, and I’d like to pay tribute to...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you for that response. I was at Holyhead marina on Friday, immediately after the storm, and the scene—many of you will have seen the pictures on television and so on—was truly heartbreaking: utter destruction. There were many pleasure boats there, which are important to the area, but there were also commercial boats in the marina, and many of those had been destroyed or partially...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much. I’m going to ask you not to be as impartial as careers advisers. My interest is in your willingness to work with the Cabinet Secretary for health to encourage the young people of Wales to follow a career in health and care. Would you, as a Government, support joint investment between education and health, possibly, in a kind of all-Wales roadshow to explain the whole...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 11. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on careers advice services? OAQ51872
Rhun ap Iorwerth: 1. What is the Welsh Government's response to the effects of storm Emma on Holyhead? 150
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Will you take another intervention? I can see the time is very short.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you very much. Is it not the case, though, that this legislation in emergency form would not perhaps be necessary had the UK Government responded to our demands from Wales to take into account the needs of Wales moving forward after we leave the European Union?
Rhun ap Iorwerth: I think the stories that we've heard from across the NHS in the recent extreme weather conditions show the extreme dedication of staff to provide care for their patients, and I hope that they hear our gratitude for their commitment to their work and the service they provide.
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Thank you, to all the NHS staff, for your commitment. I have a number of questions to ask. One could insist that everything was fine in terms of staffing levels in the NHS in listening to this statement, but I do have a number of issues that I think are important to emphasise and to highlight here. This claim that there’s a record number of staff working in the NHS. We still have fewer GPs...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: A specific question on waiting times during the bad weather that we've just experienced—we are aware of the particular pressures put on the ambulance service because of the snow. I've heard one particularly concerning report about the impact of waiting a very long time on a specific patient. Heavy snow isn't something that happens on a weekly basis, but neither is it something that's...
Rhun ap Iorwerth: Diolch yn fawr iawn. Thank you for all the contributions to this afternoon's debate. You know, Cabinet Secretary, there's so much that we agree on on this matter, but I would really like to know, and would welcome an intervention or a lengthy letter, as you wish, whether there are other elements of the White Paper that you are now distancing yourselves from. Let's remind ourselves of the...
