Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:25 pm on 9 May 2017.
Three important questions from David Rees, and, in response to your first question, yes, the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children did issue a statement last week following a number of very serious grass fires, and I think we need to firstly start by thanking the firefighters for their courage and bravery particularly, and not just in terms of the most recent fire that, unfortunately, occurred, but across Wales, affecting so many of our constituencies. It is a difficult one in terms of fire and rescue services—fully engaged, as you could see from the statement by the Cabinet Secretary, in addressing the way forward in terms of prevention as well as control.
I think your second point is very important in terms of part of the announcement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport of a major new recruitment campaign, launched to increase the number of nurses in the Welsh NHS, which everyone would welcome, I'm sure, across this Chamber. But, of course, this is a recruitment campaign led by this Welsh Government. And, of course, that will have to seek the recruitment of nurses across the board in terms of general, specialist, and also, I would say, primary care as well, because we have to recognise the increasingly important role played by the practice nurse and the nurse specialists that we see at primary as well as secondary and specialist level. But also the most important announcement of the arrangements for the NHS bursary scheme—. He made it clear that Wales is open to business, and we are supporting our nurses, we're interested in how we can support their education and training programmes in Wales, and also looking at how they can ensure that those arrangements that are now put in place for the coming financial year—and then, as his statement says, looking towards further considering longer-term arrangements in light of the outcomes of the Diamond review, with full consultation. A very good news story for our nurses and for those young people and mature students who are considering going into nursing.