Mark Drakeford: What did I say?
Mark Drakeford: A single constituency seat—I beg your pardon.
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, I don't plan to relitigate an issue that has long been settled here in Wales. The Conservative Party put their case to the people in Wales at the last Senedd election. The building of the M4 relief road was a prominent promise that the Welsh Conservative Party made, and your party failed to win a single seat—a single seat—along the whole length of the M4 in south Wales. So, if...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, good afternoon to Dr Hussain. The Welsh Government strategy is diametrically different to the disastrous approach of the latest Conservative Government. Alongside and in partnership with businesses, we invest in the physical infrastructure that promotes investment and the human capital that improves productivity.
Mark Drakeford: Mike Hedges makes some really important points, Llywydd. I think it's one of the most pernicious myths of poverty that poverty is somehow caused by the people who are in poverty. I've never met people who could manage money better than those people who have the least of all to manage by—they have to. And the idea that it's parental indolence or neglect is absolutely to be rejected. The...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, the figures show no such thing. What the figures demonstrate is the impact of cuts to benefits by the UK Government. And if you live in a part of the country where more families depend upon benefits, then the cuts to those benefits, of course, have a greater effect. Let me tell him what the latest research is saying to us about the actions of his Government. The Resolution Foundation...
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, I thank Sioned Williams for some of those very important facts. I think I've reported previously to the Senedd that the Cabinet's cost-of-living committee is meeting weekly, and, at the start of each meeting, we are currently hearing from expert groups who are able to give us the most up-to-date information and ideas as to how we can do more to help people in Wales. The Cabinet...
Mark Drakeford: I thank Sioned Williams for the question. We are in the midst of a poverty crisis, and we are doing everything within our powers for those who are most vulnerable, including children. This year, through programmes that protect disadvantaged households, and schemes that put money back in people’s pockets, we have provided support worth £1.6 billion.
Mark Drakeford: Our pupil development grant—access provides funding directly to eligible families for the purchase of uniform, kit and other school supplies. We announced an additional one-off payment of £100 to all children and young people eligible for PDG— Access this year, taking funding to over £23 million for 2022-23.
Mark Drakeford: In Wales, we take the threat of antimicrobial resistance extremely seriously. Wales is fully committed to the actions, ambitions and goals identified in the UK 20-year vision and five-year action plan for reducing antimicrobial resistance. All NHS Wales organisations are expected to adhere to the principles of safe antibiotic usage.
Mark Drakeford: Improving access to primary care is a key Government commitment. Primary care reform is ongoing across all contracted primary care services and increasing access is central to transforming services. Professional collaboratives are being established as part of the accelerated cluster development programme to ensure the development of accessible multi-professional services.
Mark Drakeford: With the resignation of another Prime Minister, the complete and utter failure of the UK Government prevents crucial decisions and actions from being taken to deal with the many challenges that we are facing. We will continue to seek to help people over what is going to be a very difficult winter.
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, I was glad that there was a telephone call from the Chief Secretary to the Treasury to our finance Minister earlier this week, explaining the series of changes that the Chancellor has made to the things that we were being told would happen only last week. And I'm told that the Finance: Interministerial Standing Committee—the meeting of finance Ministers—planned for 20...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, the Welsh Government’s borrowing powers remain unchanged since 2016. Our annual and aggregate borrowing limits should be updated now in line with subsequent inflation, as recommended by the Institute for Fiscal Studies. In the meantime, the revenue cost of borrowing has risen sharply, caused by the damage inflicted by the Prime Minister.
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, I agree with what Luke Fletcher has said about the long-term importance of having a different system of energy supply. That will have a particular set of advantages to those energy-intensive industries. I thank him for drawing attention to the fact that, in our discussions of energy-intensive industries we tend to have the debate dominated by the very large companies—the...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, successive UK Conservative Governments have failed to create a level playing field for energy-intensive industries. The latest Chancellor needs to do that now. The Welsh Government delivers our support through investing in skills, energy efficiency, research, innovation, decarbonisation and a renewable energy future for Wales.
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, I was pleased to approve the strategic outline case that the health board put forward when I was health Minister. It said that the new facility could be provided at a cost of £22 million. By the time that my colleague Vaughan Gething approved the outline business case in 2018, the cost had risen to £40 million. The Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board papers reporting the...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, we go on investing in the NHS estate in all parts of Wales, including Conwy and Denbighshire, despite the continuous reductions in capital budgets provided by the UK Government.
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, I'm afraid I don't recognise the description offered by the Member. As you heard Mike Hedges say, the age range of people eligible for bowel screening in Wales is being extended, and there is a very purposeful plan to go on reducing that age and, at the same time, to make the test itself more effective in diagnosis. Bowel cancer screening in Wales, particularly since the new...
Mark Drakeford: I'm very happy to confirm to the Member that all people who are directly employed by the Welsh Government are entitled to time off to attend screening appointments. I would have thought it would be entirely in the interests of any employer to make sure that they support their staff in doing so. The most important asset that any employer has will be the people who work for that service or that...
