The next item on our agenda is the business statement and announcement. I call on Jane Hutt.

Llywydd, I’ve no changes to report to this week’s business, and business for the next three weeks is as shown on the business statement and announcement found among the agenda papers available to Members electronically.

Last week, I asked the leader of the house for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for the economy on interventions to defend community assets, particularly those that enrich our heritage. Over the weekend, there were reports about the future of the old Tredegar General Hospital building, an important building in the history of the NHS and, sadly, a building that has been empty for several years. I think we undersell our health heritage in this country and we’ve got a unique place to sell as a destination in terms of health heritage. Can we have a statement from the Welsh Government on a feasibility study into opening an Aneurin Bevan memorial library and national health service museum in Tredegar?

Well, I think Steffan Lewis raises a very good opportunity to recognise that heritage, and particularly relevant, of course, in the Aneurin Bevan area, thinking back to the birth and the creation of the NHS, and I’m sure that this is something that will be looked at carefully.

I call for a single statement on cervical cancer, recognising that last week was Cervical Cancer Prevention Week. It was highlighting that, although cervical cancer is largely preventable, the number of women being diagnosed in Wales is worryingly high, and the number attending cervical screening at its lowest for 10 years. More than one in five women are now delaying or not attending this potentially life-saving test. We therefore need a statement outlining what steps are being taken to increase cervical screening coverage in Wales, what discussions have taken place about plans to increase cervical screening coverage amongst women from disadvantaged backgrounds, women with learning disabilities, and black and minority ethnic women; what steps are being taken to make cervical screening more accessible in order to increase coverage; whether cervical screening is available to all women at contraception and sexual health clinics; and whether the Welsh Government plans to roll out an awareness campaign to improve the cervical screening coverage. I hope the Welsh Government will respond favourably to this request.

I thank the Member for that question, and, of course, I’m sure the Member will welcome the announcement by the Minister for Social Services and Public Health that, in future, women will be screened for the main cause of cervical cancer instead—the high-risk human papilloma virus, HRHPV. Under those new arrangements, women will continue to receive what is commonly known as a smear test, but the sample will then be tested for HRHPV.

Yes, the number of women invited for screening has declined as a result of changes in the age range, and in frequency of invitation, which was introduced in 2013, when we stopped inviting women aged 20-25. But we, of course, now need to recognise that we’re going to be implementing better and more user-friendly testing for both cervical cancer screening and, indeed, for bowel cancer screening. The test for HPV is more sensitive and it will allow the NHS to identify those requiring treatment more effectively. So, a pilot programme reaching around 20 per cent of women will roll out across Wales from April of this year, and a full roll-out is expected to start next year, 2018-19.

Leader of the house, I would like to request that the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport makes a statement on the temporary overnight closure of Llandrindod Wells minor injuries unit. On Friday, I was informed by Powys Teaching Local Health Board that its minor injuries unit at Llandrindod Wells will temporarily have to shut between midnight and 7 a.m. for the whole month of February. And I do understand that that is due to a combination of staff absence and that the measure is the safest option for all concerned—patients and staff. However, that temporary overnight closure may cause some anxiety for some of the people who may wish to use this service, and Powys teaching health board are going, to be fair, to great length to inform patients, but it is likely that the message will not reach everyone. It would be most welcome if the Cabinet Secretary would reassure people in Powys who use the MIU that these changes are just temporary, especially as the nearest alternative is 24 miles away, in Brecon, in one direction, depending on your starting point.

Well, this is an operational matter for the health board—Powys teaching health board—and I’m very reassured, as I’m sure you were, that it was the health board that contacted Assembly Members, councillors and members of the public, making them aware of the closure as part of their communications. Of course, I’m sure it was shared with Joyce Watson that the health board is working hard to share information about alternative sources of advice and treatment during the temporary closure. I’m aware that the local community health council has also been fully engaged in this decision, and supportive. It is a temporary closure, as the Member said—it’s temporarily closed overnight between the hours of midnight and 7 a.m. from 1 February to 28 February, but available, of course, otherwise, as usual. It’s important to recognise that, actually, there are very low numbers attending the minor injuries unit at that time but this is, of course, a matter which will be handled by the Powys teaching health board.

At the end of February, it is Eating Disorders Awareness Week, and I was wondering whether you would be able to table a debate from the Government on the work that’s being done in Wales on eating disorders. I know and appreciate that we’ve agreed some more funding for eating disorders via the discussions between Plaid Cymru and Labour during the budget negotiations, and there still needs to be clarity around where that funding is going. So, I would welcome a debate on that.

I’d also like a debate or a statement on the progress that you’re making towards speeding up diagnosis of ovarian cancer. It seems to be one of those cancers that is diagnosed quite late and it can spread further if it’s not identified sooner. You said in 2013, as a Government, that you’d be looking to speed up diagnosis, and so I wondered whether we could have an update on that in the Chamber.

Bethan Jenkins has consistently raised issues and championed the need for appropriate action and treatment for eating disorders, and, of course, more money has been allocated as a result of our agreement. I’m sure there will be an update in due course on how that will be implemented. On your second point, in terms of ovarian cancer, yes, this is an issue that is regularly brought, I’m sure, by Assembly Members’ constituents to our attention. Of course, this is where we have to rely on the evidence and developments in terms of screening opportunities to detect ovarian cancer.

Could I ask once again for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary on the local government settlement for Newport please? I have been inundated with concerns from taxi drivers in Newport about recent acts of vandalism, particularly in the Ringland and Alway areas. Stones, eggs and bricks have been thrown at cars, including emergency vehicles, which is really a shame, causing considerable damage and actually is a danger to public health. It seems the police are under-resourced there. The recent poor local government settlement for Newport is bound to put pressure on budgets aimed at tackling the social problems in these districts that can lead to such anti-social behaviour. There are certain areas, Cabinet Secretary, that, in the night time, are really no-go areas in Newport, which is really not good in this century. Could we have statement on this matter urgently, please?

Well, of course, this is a matter for Newport City Council and, indeed, I answered a question last week, when I reminded the Member of the difficult, very challenging settlement—that continuing austerity, financial, arranged settlement—for the Welsh Government. But I would also say that Newport council is ensuring that it is working with local partners in terms of safer Newport measures, and that is something which, of course, I’m sure will address the point you raised.

I’ve been contacted by constituents concerned that the military covenant is not being implemented in Wales due to front-line staff not being aware of it. I’m asking for the Government to commission a study to see how it is being implemented across Wales because the evidence I have got is only anecdotal, and I’m asking the Government to provide an oral statement on the results.

Mike Hedges, we’re very committed—and, of course it was raised earlier on this afternoon—as a Welsh Government to supporting the armed forces covenant. We’ve got a refreshed package of support and ‘Welcome to Wales’ documents, and, in fact, I think David Melding reflected on the fact that we’re ahead in Wales in terms of the way in which, as a Welsh Government, we’re trying to take this forward to ensure that the armed forces community in Wales does have the support and services it needs. I am aware that the Forces in Mind Trust, on behalf of the Ministry of Defence, has undertaken research recently on how we can improve local delivery, which is your question, of the armed forces covenant, and we are now getting a clearer picture of some of the findings of the research. Our armed forces expert group will discuss the findings of that research and the ways we can take it forward.

There are three things. First of all, I wonder if you can provide a Government statement on, ideally, supporting a new train station at Mynachdy. There’s no bus service to the station, in relation to the metro. The location would be by the coal sidings.

The second one is a statement about Anaya Aid, a charity run totally by volunteers; it is a real charity. I think it’s the only charity in Wales taking supplies over to Syria. They’ve no funding whatsoever, and there is a strong interest there to provide medical supplies. But, unfortunately, because of the bureaucracy, lots of medicines are thrown out unopened in many circumstances. That charity could transport those badly needed drugs to Syria.

The third one is that—I did ask you this two weeks ago, and you didn’t reply; I thought I’d wait a week. I haven’t seen a statement, but it’s about the alleged use of the ministerial car by David Goldstone. So, could you possibly update us with a statement on the use or not the use—whatever happened with the car, if it went up to Mayfair and picked him up and came back to Cardiff, or if it didn’t. I think it would be nice for us to know here in this Chamber. Thank you.

I think your first point, in terms of the possible options and the feasibility of a station in Mynachdy, will of course be considered as part of the metro plans, which are developing, also recognising that this is something where we’ve progressed in terms of our powers and opportunities and responsibilities in terms of the rail infrastructure.

On your second point, I think it’s important that we recognise the work of the voluntary charity that you mentioned, particularly in relation to the need to get appropriately—and, of course, this is critical in terms of clinical guidance and evidence—drugs to those who need them, particularly through this charity, and recognise the voluntary work.

I have no comment to make on the third question.

As the leader of the house may know, today is the first day of the latest capacity market auction, by which the National Grid buys back-up capacity for the grid. In the latest auction, at the end of 2016, a proportion of that market was won by diesel farms, which was a smaller proportion than previous years, but still significant. Diesel farms are noisy, they are polluting and they can be in place for 10 to 15 years. Will the Government bring forward a statement on the prevalence of those farms in Wales, what contribution they make to poor air quality and obstacle they present to the Government to achieve its environmental targets, and whether, as has happened in England, public bodies in Wales have been approached by the grid to make use of their diesel generators to provide back-up capacity?

Jeremy Miles brings to the attention of this Chamber a development that is of great concern. I understand that the Welsh Government is currently consulting jointly with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on proposals to introduce new legislation that would impose controls on emissions from diesel generators in order to protect human health and the environment.

Can I first of all thank the Minister? I think, a fortnight ago, I asked her for a debate on tidal power, and with particular reference to the Hendry review and the Swansea lagoon. That debate is coming forward in Government time, so I’d like to thank the Government for listening there. I think it will, and I hope, allow the whole Assembly to unite in support of that proposal and then really put pressure on the UK Government to come forward with a positive decision—positive for energy in Wales, but positive for job creation and skills as well. I hope that I’ll be as successful with my request today, however I doubt it. But I would like to support the request that’s already been made around a statement on the closure of the Llandrindod Wells minor injuries unit overnight just in February. I actually want to use that as a request to have a wider policy statement from the Welsh Government about the use of minor injuries units, because there’s a lot of confusion out there amongst people about what minor injuries units are for. We have a proposal in Tenby for a walk-in service, and I don’t know what the difference is between a walk-in service and a minor injuries unit, what’s the difference between something that’s associated with the hospital and simply where the GP is present. And it’s this confusion that actually drives people to ignore the Choose Well message from the Welsh Government and to simply go to A&E. I suggest that the reason that so many people present in A&E with, perhaps, injuries that could be dealt with in a different context is they don’t know if the units are open, they don’t know if they deal with the condition they have and they don’t self-diagnose in that sense. They need a consistent and reliable service that they can depend upon. Closing overnight in February—I understand why it’s happening, but that doesn’t help get that message across. The delay in Tenby on establishing that walk-in service after the minor injuries unit closed suddenly, overnight, for emergency reasons and was never reinstated, again, does not build that public confidence.

So, I think a statement from the Welsh Government, which, before the last election was criticising some parties here—both my party and the Conservatives, actually—for talking about minor injuries units and saying they undermined A&E—. There’s a confusion in Welsh Government itself about the relationship between A&E, minor injuries units and late opening, if you like, for GPs. Let’s have a consistent message. Surely a statement, a policy statement, or even a debate around these things would help clarify some of these messages.

I thank Simon Thomas for recognising the importance of the business statement and the fact that I do take back requests not only for debates and statements but also questions, which often can be answered by Cabinet Secretaries and Ministers. But it is important that we have the debate on the Swansea bay tidal lagoon in Government time. Now it’s scheduled, and I’m sure all will want to take part, because of the cross-party support for this in discussion earlier during First Minister’s questions.

Your second point, I think, is important in terms of the whole picture of how we can support people to access minor injuries units as opposed to the accident and emergency services. There is a variation on how those minor injuries units are provided in terms of timing and staffing across Wales, and they are the responsibility of the health boards. But I will certainly draw this, as I’m sure you will, to the attention of the Cabinet Secretary for health.

I thank the Minister.