Angela Burns: Good afternoon, Cabinet Secretary. There are a couple of questions that have sprung to mind having read your statement and, indeed, the 'Services Fit for the Future' White Paper. I'd like to firstly and mainly address appointing members to the board in regard to underperformance. The consultation states that there was significant support for the principle of introducing time-limited...
Angela Burns: I will try to be brief, but I do want to first of all say congratulations to Chris Bryant for bringing this forward in Westminster, because I think it's an excellent Bill to have brought forward and it absolutely reflects the Welsh Conservatives' 2016 Assembly manifesto where we sought to strengthen laws on penalties. A quick bit of context, because everybody else has spoken about what the...
Angela Burns: Would the Member take an intervention?
Angela Burns: It's just to say that I absolutely agree with you and I wonder if there may be a case for asking the Counsel General if he would review why there's been so few prosecutions. Going back to my ABMU case, year after year they've had the highest number of assaults and the least number of prosecutions. So, I think you're absolutely right in identifying that something, somewhere is going wrong and...
Angela Burns: 1. A wnaiff Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet ddatganiad am gymorth ar gyfer y sector gwirfoddol yn Sir Gaerfyrddin? OAQ51816
Angela Burns: Thank you for your response. As I'm sure you know, there are some extraordinarily community-minded organisations based in Carmarthenshire that rely very, very heavily on volunteers—organisations from CAVS, to Homestart Carmarthenshire, ward befrienders at Glangwili hospital, animal rescue sites, home visiting volunteers. And they've really stepped up to the plate, especially at times like...
Angela Burns: 2. What steps is the Welsh Government taking to support equality for the transgender community in Wales? OAQ51815
Angela Burns: Thank you for that. You are probably aware that the latest Stonewall report identified that two in 10 trans people—that's 41 per cent—and three in 10 of non-binary people—31 per cent—have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their gender identity over the last 12 months. Now, this is, obviously, totally unacceptable, and you'll be aware that the Westminster Government is...
Angela Burns: First Minister, over the last decade, approximately 70 per cent of women who've been called forward to have breast test screenings have actually taken forward that invitation and have had the screenings that have sometimes saved their lives. However, there is a hardcore 30 per cent that we are unable to reach to persuade them of the benefit of taking up this kind of screening. Do you think it...
Angela Burns: Cabinet Secretary, thank you very much indeed for bringing forward this statement today. It's very welcome, and I would like to also pay tribute to the campaigners who've worked so hard to bring this inquiry about, and particularly Haemophilia Wales and the cross-party group led by Julie Morgan. I just have a couple of questions that I'd like to ask you on the back of this statement, because...
Angela Burns: I'd like to begin my contribution by indicating that the Welsh Conservatives will be supporting this Bill at Stage 1. However, we do so with a very long list of caveats and concerns that we would like to see addressed over the coming stages, and in the amendments that we will be intending to put forward. We believe that the Government should be wise in legislating. You don't just legislate...
Angela Burns: Will you take an intervention?
Angela Burns: I'm very grateful, Rhun, for your taking my intervention, but I just wanted to reiterate again what you've just said. Modelling is not the same as evidence. Evidence is based on what has happened. Modelling always has assumptions in it, and assumptions can always be skewed one way or the other.
Angela Burns: 2. What is the Welsh Government doing to promote sepsis awareness across the health and social care sector? OAQ51892
Angela Burns: Cabinet Secretary, you will know that, in my role as Chair of the cross-party group on sepsis, I wrote to every single GP practice in Wales, and had a very disappointing only 11 responses, asking them what they knew about sepsis prevention and what tools they had. I've subsequently followed that up with letters to every social care head in Wales. A great response—over 60 per cent of them...
Angela Burns: Thank you, Presiding Officer. Cabinet Secretary, storm Emma passed through our area nearly a couple of weeks ago now, and I'd like to use this opportunity to put on record my thanks, and I'm sure the thanks of every Assembly Member, to the NHS staff who were so brilliant at getting in, in very difficult conditions, who were prepared to stay and work a lot of extra hours to make up for...
Angela Burns: Thank you. I'm really grateful to you for that answer, and I'm quite sure that NHS staff across Wales will be as well. I'd like to address my second two questions to the issue of mental health. I was delighted the Welsh Government supported the Welsh Conservatives' debate on mental health of a few weeks ago. You did make a couple of comments during that debate that I would just like to...
Angela Burns: I'm delighted to hear that, because I do think there's still so much stigma attached to the whole area of mental health and how we recognise it, how we pick it up and how we help people who might be going into crisis to be able to access the support that they need. I spent a couple of hours this morning in Pontardawe looking at Hafal's new facility, and I know you've been there, because you...
Angela Burns: 9. Will the First Minister provide details of the allocation of funding for education in Wales? OAQ51959
Angela Burns: Earlier this month, your Cabinet Secretary for Education announced a £14 million injection of cash to help fund school repairs. This is a very welcome sum of money, and her statement very clearly said that every school will receive some funding. Now, throughout Wales, we have a number of new builds, either built this year or literally in the last sort of 18 months to two years. In my own...
