Bethan Sayed: I wanted to ask a question about health visitors. I had a reply from the health Minister today to a written question that I'd put in, and I didn't get a direct response as to whether any health visitors have been redeployed in the health service due to the pandemic. He said in that reply just to risk assess any considerations for redeployment by the health boards, but didn't say if it was...
Bethan Sayed: Thank you for that reply. I'll declare an interest, because my son is in nursery day care. I've had quite a lot of nurseries get in touch with me where staff have told me that they don't seem to be appearing on any lists for the vaccine. They feel like they've been left behind. They are working day in, day out in a vulnerable position. They can't wear PPE when they're working with very young...
Bethan Sayed: 8. How is the Welsh Government protecting and supporting all key workers in Wales during the COVID-19 pandemic? OQ56185
Bethan Sayed: My office held a survey throughout the autumn and winter of last year. We got 1,000 responses to one, and 300 to another most recently, asking parents about their experience of perinatal services. We've had many responses, telling us that 80 per cent of them feel anxious about the restrictions that still exist in maternity services, 68 per cent feel that they didn't receive support, despite...
Bethan Sayed: What steps is the Welsh Government taking to improve mental health support and wellbeing for new parents in Wales?
Bethan Sayed: Could we have a statement, please, on perinatal mental health support, which includes ways in which the Welsh Government will implement a whole-family approach and recognise the fact that many new parents currently don't have the support they need? I'm asking this because my office has conducted a survey with over 300 responses, which clearly shows that over 80 per cent have felt that they...
Bethan Sayed: I've had quite a lot of communication from people who are anxious because they don't feel that the Government has been proactive enough in telling them who is eligible and when they will get that information through. I've even had some comments and some phone calls to my office, as we've been speaking here, from over-80-year-olds saying they've had to chase appointments with the GP. I hear...
Bethan Sayed: Thank you, and I'm glad that you recognise that the plan for catch-up is going to be much, much longer than one academic year, and I concur with that. My final question is with regard to university rent rebates and I've got lots of support for those who have been taking part in strikes across the country in relation to not wanting to pay their rent if they're not able to go to their...
Bethan Sayed: Okay, thank you very much for that reply and for your congratulations; I do appreciate that. It's interesting that you say that the money has come to the institutions. What I'm hearing is that, because of students being unable to go back potentially until February—some of them think that they may not be able to go back until even later than that—it will stall their ability to be able to...
Bethan Sayed: Thank you.
Bethan Sayed: Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. Thank you very much. Good afternoon, Minister. Obviously, the disruption to those who are partaking in vocational and other technical courses has been pretty bad. We all need plumbers and electricians all year round, and we are hearing from the sector, for example, that many of these people are not able to go in and do the practical work to be able to complete...
Bethan Sayed: Before I carry on, I'd like to quickly say a big thank you to Sarah Rees, my maternity cover and my community manager, for campaigning so diligently and passionately on this issue on my behalf. I couldn't have hoped for a better non-locum MS. When I gave birth during this pandemic, I look back in wonder at how I and thousands like me even managed through this situation. It's not said enough...
Bethan Sayed: Thank you, Llywydd, and thank you for your kind words.
Bethan Sayed: Thank you, Lynne Neagle and Leanne Wood for tabling this debate with me. I'm glad you received my request to be part of it—I didn't want to miss this opportunity—and for relaying the life stories of women across Wales so passionately today. Thank you to all who contributed, and especially to Hannah Albrighton, the petitioner, who has had a baby herself in lockdown. It's no surprise that...
Bethan Sayed: Thank you very much to everyone who took part, and I hope that changes will be afoot to ensure that those changes do help those people at the front line, so that they don't become so poorly that they have to enter a treatment unit in England, and that they can remain in the community to receive that specific treatment.
Bethan Sayed: Thank you, and thank you to those who have contributed; I appreciate the response we've had. What I will start with is: you said, Deputy Minister, that it won't happen overnight, and I appreciate that any service change will take time, but I think what I would urge you to do in that sense, therefore, is to ensure that the people who contributed to the review—be they patients, be they...
Bethan Sayed: Thank you for coming to that first meeting, Nick. I think you were talking about James Downs, actually, who has been an amazing campaigner. He's moved to England now and he's doing exactly the same type of campaigning that he did here there. So, he has a mountain to climb, but he is very much still involved, and I think it's very important that we do encourage those people to come forward....
Bethan Sayed: Diolch. Well, it seems timely to have this debate today, because I started my career in 2007 with starting the cross-party group on eating disorders, and I finish this part of my career before going on maternity leave today with a debate on eating disorders and the eating disorders framework. So, it's an emotional day, and bear with me if I get out of breath or get emotional. We've had an...
Bethan Sayed: In the last few weeks, I've organised a public meeting in Taibach in Port Talbot with the British Lung Foundation. There, I talked to many residents about the concerns that they have with dust in Port Talbot, and I understand that Tata has plans for a new chimney stack and other elements to replace the current 40-year-old extraction system from the sinter plant. So, I'm wanting to understand...
Bethan Sayed: As you'll be aware, the current national minimum wage for first-year apprenticeships is £3.90, and this is very low and can hinder people who have employability concerns, who will then want to take on or may have to take on other jobs as well as doing an apprenticeship. I understand that, in the past, there has been a reluctance to follow recommendations for a living support grant or bursary...
