Part of 3. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 2:58 pm on 26 September 2018.
No, I think we've been entirely consistent. What we have done, though, is from reserves had to fund the pay award for this year, and we will now have to absorb that additional cost in future years. These come on the back of very difficult choices this Welsh Labour Government continues to make, and in a climate of eight years of continuing austerity our choices get tighter and more difficult every year. We understand the value the public place on our national health service. We've all seen that in this seventieth year since the creation of our national health service. So, that's why we're continuing to make those difficult choices, but it comes at a cost; there is no consequence-free choice that this Government can make. That's why I say, not just to the Members behind me, but to all Members in this Chamber: if we really do want to continue to invest in our national health service, in the staff numbers, and in their rates of pay moving forward, there will continue to be even more difficult choices. Our values continue to guide us. I am pleased that we have made the right choice not just for the staff of our national health service, but the right choice for the people of Wales.