Delyth Jewell: 2. Will the Minister make a statement providing an update on the support and resources that will be available to local authorities in developing contact tracing capacity following publication of the Welsh Government's strategy for lifting the current restrictions? TQ434
Delyth Jewell: Minister, a leaked internal Treasury report contains reference to freezing public sector pay for two years as one measure that's being considered as a response to coronavirus expenditure. That would be a betrayal of the sacrifices made by dedicated public servants during the crisis—a point that was made by the chair of the Police Federation today. And if there's one lesson that we should...
Delyth Jewell: Research published this week from the Office for National Statistics shows that people living in poverty are more susceptible to catching COVID-19, no doubt for a variety of reasons relating to poor housing and the likelihood of them being in jobs where social distancing is not possible. People living in poverty are also more likely to have medical conditions that make the virus more severe....
Delyth Jewell: Thank you for that, Minister. I am sure that I'm not alone in sensing a growing fatigue amongst some members of the public with the current restrictions, so as much as I fully appreciate that the focus of your work is going to be on wider policy issues, it would be really helpful if you could also consider how there could be a road map of how we are coming out of the lockdown. Some of the...
Delyth Jewell: I want to thank the Minister for his statement and to wish him my best wishes as he starts this new role. Repairing the damage our economy and our society is going to face is likely to be the most significant challenge that the Welsh Government has faced since it was first established, so I'm really pleased to see the creation of this new role in co-ordinating the recovery. I agree with what...
Delyth Jewell: Minister, it was quietly announced in a notice to the press this week that the Welsh Government has joined the Wellbeing Economy Governments network alongside New Zealand, Iceland and Scotland. Now, Plaid Cymru has been calling for months for the Welsh Government to join this network, so we're delighted that you've listened to us on this. I'm sure you'll agree that making well-being the...
Delyth Jewell: The UK Government is piloting a contact tracing app that asks users if they have any symptoms, and, if they do, for them and anyone they've come into contact with to self-isolate for 14 days. Now, testing, tracing and isolating are together surely the key to stopping the spread of the virus, and, for the app to be effective, 60 per cent of the population have to download it. But, as has...
Delyth Jewell: Thank you for that, Minister. Turning to local government, local authorities have reported that it's difficult for them to plan how they're going to be distributing PPE because they don't know in advance how much they're going to be getting, so could you tell us when the Welsh Government will be in a position to tell them in advance how much stock they'll be able to distribute to care homes...
Delyth Jewell: I also thank you, Minister, for how constructive you're being and welcoming of scrutiny in this crisis. I'd like to associate myself with what David Melding said about homelessness. I think this crisis is showing that many of the daily injustices that we are so used to aren't inevitable. So, on the point that you just made at the end of answering David Melding, could you confirm that the...
Delyth Jewell: Minister, I wanted to ask about the higher education sector, please. The main emphasis has been on ensuring continuation of education in our school sector, particularly the need to prioritise what year 12 students will do for A-levels, but can I ask you what consideration has been given in forward planning for the future to ensuring that we reduce as much as possible the interruption to...
Delyth Jewell: Minister, ONS data suggests that COVID-19 deaths in care homes are substantially higher than is being recorded, and I've looked at the Aneurin Bevan data and it shows that there's an increase in deaths of non-COVID deaths in care homes this year. Now, that isn't what we'd expect moving from the winter into spring. Surely, the only explanation that's reasonable for that is that COVID-19 deaths...
Delyth Jewell: First Minister, last Thursday your Government announced a change in policy relating to testing people moving from hospital back into care homes. Until the end of last week, care home residents were routinely moving between hospital and care homes without being tested, but that's been rectified now. But I've spoken to one care home manager who thinks it's very likely that the virus entered the...
Delyth Jewell: Before starting, I'd like to put my thanks to the Minister and the Government on record, and to express my support for the action that you've taken in extending the lockdown. On this piece of legislation, the Minister and her team have done a great deal of work already, and I'd associate myself with the comments made by John Griffiths, as a member of his committee. When the Bill was first...
Delyth Jewell: First Minister, we heard yesterday that several members of staff in the Aneurin Bevan health board had received the wrong test results. Could you please indicate whether they've been re-tested and how long it'll take for all NHS and care staff to be tested with accurate results? And related to that, the level of anxiety and trauma suffered by these members of staff and all front-line staff is...
Delyth Jewell: Thank you for your statement, Minister. I've got a number of questions I'd like to ask to help put people's minds at rest. Now, it's been pointed out that crisis situations can bring out the best in humanity, and one of the most inspiring things that we've all seen across Wales is the amazing community support efforts that are being put into helping people who are having to self-isolate. Can...
Delyth Jewell: I would agree entirely. With the point, absolutely. Now, I know from personal experience how long waiting times in A&E already are in Prince Charles. The staff do an excellent job under tremendous strain, but patients are routinely left waiting for hours and there aren't enough beds. My grandmother passed away last year after a number of years of ill health. During her final year, she...
Delyth Jewell: Thank you, Diprwy Lywydd. I'm speaking in this debate, because I'm concerned that if the A&E and the Royal Glamorgan Hospital is not kept open as it is, that will have a negative impact on many other hospitals, including the Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr, which is in my region. In response to an FOI, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board acknowledged that, in 2017, there were 60,072...
Delyth Jewell: Two months ago, I asked for a Government statement about health workforce planning, because I was concerned that a number of GP surgeries in my region were at risk of closure. Local councillors who also raised the issue were accused of scaremongering, but last week we received confirmation that three surgeries are to close in Gilfach, Lansbury Park and Penyrheol, all managed by Aneurin Bevan...
Delyth Jewell: I'd like to ask the First Minister what plans the Welsh Government has to spread prosperity across the country through the development of public services. I think we need to listen to those who feel that we're at risk of imitating England's mistake in overconcentrating power and economic development in one part of the country. Now, one of the ideas that Plaid Cymru has put forward, which I'm...
Delyth Jewell: I accept that in some instances, that will be the case, but there will be many instances where this is needed. Again, I come back to the fact that this was a budget commitment, and this was something that was agreed between the two parties. I accept what you are saying in some instances. Another mother said that she went from being really happy to having a baby to not really knowing where...
