Russell George: Can I thank you, Minister, for your statement today? Of course, it was very interesting to read the plan when it dropped into my inbox this morning. I very much welcome the plan today, and, of course, as a nation, we've made huge strides, haven't we, since the fight against HIV back in the 1980s? And as a very young person in the mid 1980s, I just about remember some of the issues around the...
Russell George: 4. What assessment has the Minister made of the provision of dentists in mid Wales? OQ58168
Russell George: What is the Welsh Government doing to support entrepreneurship in Wales?
Russell George: Thank you for your answer, Minister. I've been raising in this Chamber for years and years and years the issue of my constituents not being able to access a local NHS dentist. Now, this was well before the pandemic started, okay—well before the pandemic started. What my constituents tell me now is that, if they contact an NHS dentist, they get put on a waiting list, which they get told...
Russell George: Minister, this is an issue I know I've raised with you previously as well, in terms of the extra support that students need to be supported due to missing education over the course of the pandemic. But I would ask you to what extent the mechanisms that you've developed to offer that additional support will remain in place after the pandemic, for perhaps other means where students need...
Russell George: Just to correct the record here, because I think what's important to say is that the Welsh Government were responsible for transport before Transport for Wales in terms of the infrastructure.
Russell George: The concern that I have, First Minister, as indeed do cancer charities themselves, is about the pace at which the new diagnostic hubs or clinics are being rolled out. Can you tell me what the role of the diagnostics board will be in ensuring health boards develop these service models and hubs at a faster pace?
Russell George: Diolch, Llywydd. I’m pleased this afternoon to debate the Health and Social Care Committee’s report on the impact of the waiting times backlog. I move the motion in my name. What is important to say is that before the pandemic, people were already waiting far too long for diagnosis, care and treatment. COVID has of course made the situation worse across all specialities and all stages of...
Russell George: We heard about people who are in pain, discomfort or experiencing anxiety. And we heard about people whose needs are becoming more complex, which puts more pressure on health services and on unpaid carers, who may be asked to take on more complex caring responsibilities. We also heard about people who are less able to work, study or undertake their usual caring responsibilities, and whose...
Russell George: Diolch, Deputy Presiding Officer. Can I thank Members for taking part in this debate today? Can I also add my thanks, really, to the clerking team and the research team at the Senedd, who support us very ably and do so much work behind the scenes? So, thank you very much, diolch yn fawr iawn for your work supporting us as Members. I think Gareth Davies pointed out in his contribution, of...
Russell George: Yes. Absolutely, yes.
Russell George: Thank you, Altaf, for your intervention. I think it's not something we specifically looked into in our committee report, but I think, from our perspective, what's important to us is that the backlog comes down. We know, we’ve heard from other Members’ contributions this afternoon, that we can talk about statistics, but it's about the real impact on people's lives. Again, the Senedd...
Russell George: Diolch. Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. This is the first of two Welsh Conservative debate this afternoon, and I think the Minister will be pleased that our second debate isn't on health as well; she's had a busy afternoon, I know. I do move the motion in the name of my colleague Darren Millar this afternoon. Diabetes is a ticking time bomb and I don't think that we have talked...
Russell George: Can I thank the Minister for her statement today, and also take the opportunity to pay tribute to the NHS as it marks its seventy-fourth birthday today, and 74 years of remarkable service? Can I thank you, Minister, for the statement today and say I'm very pleased to hear that you, of course, recognise the inequalities that exist, inequalities that perhaps 18 months ago, before I took the...
Russell George: Yes. I will ask my last question in that case, Deputy Presiding Officer. How do you envisage your plan also addressing the short amount of time—I can't even read my own writing here, Minister. [Laughter.] My time is up, so I'll end with that, because I can't read my own handwriting.
Russell George: Will you take an intervention?
Russell George: A very quick one.
Russell George: Thank you. The Minister talks about exemptions being in place, but doesn't this just confirm that this whole policy in the first place is back to front, and this is the wrong policy, an unfair policy, because the exemptions should have been considered at a much earlier stage, not now?
Russell George: 4. Will the First Minister provide an update on the deposit-return scheme? OQ58360
Russell George: Minister, I've reviewed your answer to the questions that Joel James asked you back in May, and I don't ask my question to debate whether glass bottles should be or not be included in the scheme; the reality is that the four nations of the UK are now likely to take a different approach. And that being the case, I'm keen to explore how the Welsh Government would limit any competitive...
