Leader of the house, I'd be grateful if you could ask the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services to bring forward an urgent statement regarding Hywel Dda health board's plans to reconfigure health services in west Wales. As you will be aware, last week, Hywel Dda health board launched its new service change plans, and in all three of the options published, Withybush hospital will be downgraded from a general hospital to a community hospital. Needless to say, the people that I represent in Pembrokeshire are furious, as this consultation makes it crystal clear that they have no choice but to face the downgrading of their local hospital, as there is no other option. Indeed, people are so upset that in the last 24 hours, over 8,500 people have already signed a petition led by my constituent, Myles Bamford Lewis, to reverse the decision to downgrade Withybush hospital.

Of course, the health board's decision means that, yet again, even more patients in Pembrokeshire will have to travel further for important health services. And just as the health board's consultation recognises, this will have an impact on communities across Pembrokeshire. These options are totally unacceptable to the people that I represent. Therefore, it's important that the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services brings forward a statement on the impact that this lack of choice and alternative will have on the people of Pembrokeshire, and at the same time, he can confirm, once and for all, for the record, that the Welsh Government will make funding available for each of these proposals. If the affordability of any or all of the proposals have not been signed off by the Welsh Government, then what is the purpose of consulting on any change in the first place?

Leader of the house, I believe that these catastrophic proposals by Hywel Dda university health board make it quite clear that it's time for the Welsh Government to intervene and to make sure that the health board brings forward much more sensible plans by being fair to the people of Pembrokeshire. Therefore, can you please impress upon the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services to bring forward a statement outlining the Welsh Government's position on the delivery of health services in west Wales?