Russell George: 5. Will the Minister provide an update on Welsh Government plans to improve health provision in mid Wales? OQ57641
Russell George: Diolch, Llywydd. I'm speaking today in my capacity as the Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, and I present the views of its members as a whole. Can I say 'thank you' to the Minister for responding to our report, which was only laid today, I believe? And I think it dropped into my inbox just 30 minutes ago. As the Minister has said herself, the Nationality and Borders Bill is a...
Russell George: Thank you, Presiding Officer. I speak today in my capacity as the Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee. Our view on the provisions set out in the report are listed in the report that we've presented, but I would draw the Minister's and Members' attention to a couple of areas. First of all, clause 87, which provides for the establishment of a UK-wide medicines information system. Data...
Russell George: After 19 weeks, we have finally decided to scrap vaccination passports. Of course, I'm delighted with that position, because they were ineffective, they were costly to businesses, with no evidence that they actually worked in limiting the spread of coronavirus or increasing vaccination rates. It's my view that the decision of COVID passes should never have been put on the table in the very...
Russell George: Can I thank the Minister for her statement today, and also for the briefing earlier that was made available to health committee members? That was very much appreciated. Minister, I'm very pleased with some of the details in your statement. You talk about hospital rates coming down and those in critical care with COVID-19 being at the lowest levels since July 2021. You say this is very...
Russell George: But, Minister, it's not just myself and other opposition parties calling for a cancer plan. I appreciate the detail that you mentioned—that not all this can be included in a plan—but you're also saying that the 20 charities that have also suggested that there should be a cancer plan are wrong as well and have misunderstood the approach. I'm just trying to grasp the opposition to having an...
Russell George: Will you take an intervention?
Russell George: Thank you. I do appreciate your willingness to take into account the debates and the conversations this afternoon, and your openness to what's been said this afternoon, Minister. I think, on the quality statements, the issue is that—tell me if I'm wrong—there are no targets in there. There is no vision in there. It's just a series of statements. Surely you recognise that that is needed if...
Russell George: Diolch, Deputy Llywydd, and I move the motion tabled in the name of my colleague, Darren Millar. For some people in Wales, they worry that they will die without ever getting the cancer treatment they need, and that's the view of the board of community health councils and Andy Glyde from Cancer Research UK. Today's debate, of course, is extremely important for many people across Wales, and our...
Russell George: —to lead healthier lives will need cross-Government action to tackle the root causes. That includes housing, poverty and access to affordable and healthier food. And in finishing, Deputy Presiding Officer, we need of course to tackle the many health inequalities, and we need greater clarity about how funding in the budget will be targeted to ensure that spending achieves the desired...
Russell George: Our health and social care services continue, of course, to be at the forefront of Wales's response to the pandemic. On behalf of the Health and Social Care Committee, I would like to thank everyone in health and social care, including the many volunteers and hundreds of thousands of unpaid carers across Wales. We owe them, I think, a debt of gratitude. The health and social care sector is...
Russell George: Minister, can I thank you for your statement this afternoon? I'm interested in your claim in regard to the information that you have had from health boards—that the average waiting time for people to be seen in long COVID services is 23 days. You also go on to compare this to a 15-week waiting time for access to specialist long COVID clinics that have been set up in parts of England. Can I...
Russell George: Thank you, Minister, for your answer. I'd be particularly grateful for an update in regard to improvements on food labelling, working with the industry and the sector and supermarkets in particular. I ask this in the context of new markets being opened for Welsh lamb and beef, particularly as we think of new markets in the United States, for example. Now, we know that we've got high quality...
Russell George: 3. How is the Welsh Government supporting the marketing of Welsh lamb and beef? OQ57579
Russell George: Sometimes, the benefits of the canal’s restoration can be difficult to appreciate, because the financial and well-being impacts are spread across various local individuals and businesses. There are already, of course, many benefits to the existing stretch of the canal’s restoration around Welshpool. The Heulwen Trust does amazing work offering canal trips to those who might not otherwise...
Russell George: Diolch, Llywydd. I'm pleased also to give a minute of my time to James Evans and Jane Dodds also. I should also declare an interest, as I'm also a member of the Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust. The Montgomery canal was once a 35-mile stretch of waterway, weaving from the English border into the heart of mid Wales at Newtown. Volunteers and a range of community groups have and are now...
Russell George: Diolch, Deputy Llywydd. Minister, like others I've also seen the good work of Kaleidoscope, so I'll add my own congratulations for the work that they do as well. My question, Minister, is linked to the blood-borne virus element of the strategy. I noticed that other UK nations have their target dates to accelerate the elimination of hepatitis C. In England and Northern Ireland the date is...
Russell George: Thank you, Rhun. I take your point, absolutely, about having views in hindsight, but, as Welsh Conservatives, I hope you would agree as well that we don't want to have views in hindsight on these regulations; we want to be able to vote on them when they come forward. And there's no reason why that cannot happen now. With the virtual meetings, that can be easily be brought forward. It could...
Russell George: In Wales, I do not think the business package has been enough. And that's not just me stating that, or Welsh Conservatives; this is the view of businesses across Wales. The chief executive officer of Creative Hospitality Group said this—and I'm quoting him here: 'From my own business perspective, Creative Hospitality Group may be entitled to £90,000 across the nine weeks. This won’t even...
Russell George: Thanks, Huw. I'm glad that you do follow and take an interest in the Welsh Conservatives' social media. I'm pleased to hear that. I think what I'll outline, perhaps, during the course of this debate, is not only that we're patting ourselves on the back for the Welsh Government taking heed to our calls, but why we questioned why the restrictions were in place in the very first place. I was...
