Rebecca Evans: But I will return now to responding to the comments regarding the budget for next year. There was some interest particularly in the COVID funding and why we have only allocated £77 million at this point. Now, colleagues will be aware that we've had £776 million of COVID-related funding. The funding that we have allocated has been really important in terms of those areas where service...
Rebecca Evans: Diolch, Llywydd. Thank you to everybody for their contributions to the debate this afternoon. I'll try and respond to as much as I can during the time I have, but also would remind colleagues that my ministerial colleagues look forward to attending committee and providing that in-depth level of answers to scrutiny as well in the coming days. I do want to focus my response in large part on the...
Rebecca Evans: I am pleased to make a statement on the draft budget for 2021-22, which was laid on 21 December. Following a decade of austerity, this budget is set against the backdrop of the pandemic, which continues to have a profound impact on all our lives, with economically and socially vulnerable people the hardest hit. We've also faced the end of the EU transition and the ongoing climate emergency,...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you. The environment, energy and rural affairs Minister will obviously have heard your concerns this afternoon. I can say that Welsh Ministers are able to consider and approve the granting of emergency authorisations for Wales where there is a need for these products, should there be a perceived need for these products. But, I have to say that that just sets out where the law is, and...
Rebecca Evans: I thank Jenny Rathbone for raising this, this afternoon. I echo absolutely everything that the First Minister was saying regarding Mohamud and the fact that his family is very much in our thoughts today. We do urge that the death is fully investigated, and I think that what Jenny Rathbone has just outlined demonstrates why there is an absolute urgency about that. So, we would ask the services...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you to Lynne Neagle for raising this. I know that she has already taken the opportunity, on behalf of constituents, to raise it directly with the Deputy Minister for social care as well. I know, as a result, the Deputy Minister is really very alive to this particular issue and is looking to resolve it as soon as possible, and I know that she'll be keen to provide the clarity that Lynne...
Rebecca Evans: So, the Welsh Government was the first Government in the UK to publish a vaccination plan, so that occurred yesterday and might provide some of the information that is required. I was concerned to hear the comment about the helpline not necessarily being available, so I'll certainly make sure that we look into that. And then I'd also just highlight again that the next item of business this...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you for raising those issues. I will make sure that the education and local government Ministers are aware of that first request in terms of some clarity around the hub settings. My understanding is that there is an issue in terms of how many children are able to access those hub settings, but, of course, I will speak to both of those Ministers to try and get the kind of clarity that's...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you to Alun Davies for raising this issue this afternoon. I, and colleagues in Government, shared that sense of shock at the scenes that we saw unfolding last week, and clearly it's devastating that it did result in the loss of lives as well. I share his deep concern about misinformation and the impact that that may have on our democracy, so I will absolutely take it upon myself to have...
Rebecca Evans: I thank Helen Mary Jones for raising those three particular areas of concern this afternoon. So, it was school deficits, school refurbishment within the context of twenty-first century schools, and the process for consulting on any changes during the current period of restrictions and the context of the pandemic. I will, on this occasion, ask Helen Mary to send that in a letter to the...
Rebecca Evans: I'm grateful to Russell George for raising this issue, and I do share his view that the support for business absolutely has to be a top priority for Welsh Government, and I can provide the reassurance that it is. Russell George will remember that before Christmas the Welsh Government announced a package of £450 million of further support for businesses across Wales, maintaining our most...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you to Mick Antoniw for raising that. I know that he has had the opportunity to raise this directly with the health Minister on behalf of his constituent as well. I will say that I understand that it was the case that the recommendation by the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group to allow this drug for use in Wales was ratified by the Welsh Government on 12 December, and it has been made...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you to Leanne Wood for raising that. We all feel that real sense of urgency on behalf of the people we represent here at the Senedd. Again, I'd point to the fact that we've got the statement from the Minister for health next this afternoon. I appreciate it's only just been added to the agenda today, so Members weren't aware that it would be forthcoming, but, as I say, any requests for...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you to Mark Isherwood for raising both of those issues. As I set out in the business statement, we do have a statement from the Minister for Health and Social Services next on today's agenda and that does deal specifically with our approach to vaccination in Wales. I know that he will take that opportunity to say more about the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and the...
Rebecca Evans: Diolch, Llywydd. I have several changes to this week's business. The Minister for Health and Social Services will shortly make a statement on the COVID-19 vaccine strategy. To accommodate this, with Business Committee's agreement, I've reduced the time allocated to the debate on my draft budget statement to 60 minutes. Later this afternoon, the Government will seek a suspension of Standing...
Rebecca Evans: Yes, formally.
Rebecca Evans: Formally.
Rebecca Evans: I thank Huw Irranca-Davies for raising this important issue, and I do think that we should put on record our thanks to all the retailers who have been maintaining priority slots for shielding people at what is a really difficult time and, of course, there's a lot of pressure on those delivery slots at this time of year, but to see those slots prioritised still for shielding people and...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you to Jack Sargeant for raising this issue. On the Airbus-Boeing dispute, our understanding is that after the end of the transition period, the UK Government will suspend our retaliatory tariffs against the US, which were imposed in November as part of the EU-wide position. These tariffs were imposed in November as part of the award given to the EU by the World Trade Organization. We...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you to Mick Antoniw for that question. I was very pleased to be able to secure £31 million in-year from the UK Government reserve in order to help us respond to the impacts of flooding in Mick Antoniw's constituency and others. I'd like to take this opportunity to put on record my thanks to the Members of Parliament and also the Members of the Senedd, including Mick Antoniw, who have...
