Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. Well, as I say, I cannot pre-empt any consultation, but, certainly, the discussions I have had—. I mentioned in my answer to Natasha Asghar that I have met with representatives of many welfare organisations on a range of issues. Obviously, housing dogs is something that I am particularly interested in. Clearly, nine to 12 months is not a huge amount of time. I am very grateful...
Lesley Griffiths: I have not had any specific discussions with the Minister for Health and Social Serives regarding a mother and baby unit for the people of Arfon. I am, of course, aware of the plans to improve access to specialist mother and baby unit provision for the people living in north Wales.
Lesley Griffiths: What I do think is that it's really important that these babies have access to the very best care available, and my understanding is that the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee undertook an assessment of demand in north Wales and concluded there was a need to fund two beds in a mother and baby unit and, within their plans, they concluded the most appropriate approach to delivering...
Lesley Griffiths: It's imperative that the proposed provision is what we would want for our constituents across north Wales. My understanding from the work that WHSSC undertook is that this was the best way of providing provision. I do take on board what you're saying about the language; it's very important that that is part of the consideration. But I think we have to be very pragmatic here and say that we...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. The Down to Earth project, funded through rural development programme, is due to submit the final claim in June 2023. The project is required to appoint an independent assessor to report on the impact and outcomes achieved, which will be assessed before the final claim is paid and project ends.
Lesley Griffiths: You'll be aware there are very strict criteria around this funding. So, the Down to Earth project is funded through the EU RDP co-operation and LEADER schemes, and it's absolutely able to do that. You're very well aware, I'm sure, of what the project will be working on—two specific schemes. RDP projects are subject to special conditions, and, as I said, this will be assessed. It has to be...
Lesley Griffiths: Well, the report to which you refer was many years ago, and we’ve certainly learned lessons, and there’s been no criticism since that time, and I can assure you that will absolutely be put in place. The reason I said I wasn’t having a board any more is because we’re not looking to replace the RDP in the way that it currently is, and we’re focusing very much on bringing forward the...
Lesley Griffiths: Our animal welfare plan for Wales details how we will deliver our programme for government commitments. A review of the Animal Welfare (Breeding of Dogs) (Wales) Regulations 2014 is planned and will include consideration of broadening the scope to include cats.
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. Well, as I mentioned, a review of the dog breeding regulations is going to be broadened to see if there are any other species—and, absolutely, cats would be part of that—would benefit from being within the scope of the regulations, because I think we’ve seen it with dogs, haven’t we? You referred to the extreme breeds and, unfortunately, as you say, we are seeing it with...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. Clearly, the Member didn't hear my answer to Vikki Howells—we didn't introduce Lucy's law here in Wales; that's England-only legislation. We went beyond that; we brought forward the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Wales) Regulations 2021, and, as I say, that went further than Lucy's law. The point you make around the local authority enforcement project...
Lesley Griffiths: Future rural development support focuses on delivering our core programme for government commitments. I have already announced a package of support through my rural investment schemes worth over £200 million to support the rural economy and our natural environment.
Lesley Griffiths: I don't think they're disconnected at all. What I've been really keen to do with the rural investment schemes is for our stakeholders to work very closely with us and that they tell us what they want. For instance, we had, I think, three schemes specifically around horticulture, because that's what I was being told people wanted. Of course, you can tell by the number of bids you get with...
Lesley Griffiths: Our priorities for animal welfare are set out in the animal welfare plan for Wales. It includes a timetable for the delivery of key actions against our four animal welfare programme for government commitments, alongside our other planned work.
Lesley Griffiths: I am committed to ensuring the funding available for the EU rural development programme is fully spent by 31 December 2023. As at 15 March 2023, total programme spend has exceeded £733 million, representing 87 per cent of total programme value.
Lesley Griffiths: Proposals in this area will draw upon joint research published in 2021. We will consider whether any amendments are required on the current microchipping regulations for dogs and possible new measures for kittens and cats. Any proposed changes would be subject to a full public consultation.
Lesley Griffiths: Diolch, Llywydd. There are three changes to this week's business. Firstly, the Minister for Economy will make a statement on the free-port programme in Wales. To accommodate this, the statement on the taxi and private hire vehicle White Paper has been withdrawn. Finally, the legislative consent debate on the Procurement Bill will consist of two motions rather than one. Draft business for...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. In relation to your second point, the Deputy Minister is in her seat and has heard your questions. I'm sure she is, and will continue to be, committed to working both with the third sector and any other service provider or organisation in supporting our veterans. Regarding the blue badge scheme, I am aware that, obviously, the system was looked at holistically—it was probably...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. We know, not just in our community hospitals, but in our district general hospitals as well, that delayed transfers of care are causing a great deal of consternation with bed capacity. Obviously, this is something that the Minister for Health and Social Services is looking at across the piece.
Lesley Griffiths: The Deputy Minister for Climate Change recently issued a written statement on the Welsh Government's plans for improving rural transport. This confirmed that we would be submitting a proposal shortly to the UK Government's union connectivity fund to develop plans to increase capacity across the Cambrian and Heart of Wales rail lines, and, in doing so, increase cross-border connectivity. I...
Lesley Griffiths: The Welsh Government allocates a great deal of funding to local authorities, on a great number of schemes, so I'm not aware of the particular grant that you refer to. But I'm sure the Member would expect—and it is, indeed, the case—that there are very strict criteria, and it's not something that you can just leave to chance. I would think that it's probably best to write to the Minister...
