The next item is the business statement and announcement, and I call on the Trefnydd to make the statement. Rebecca Evans.

Diolch. There are some changes to this week's business. The statement on tourism strategy has been withdrawn, and the statement on 'Apprenticeships: Investing in Skills for the Future', will be delivered by the Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport. Finally, as the last item of business today, the Business Committee has scheduled a motion to agree the reallocation of the Chair of the Petitions Committee to a different political group. Draft business for the next three weeks is set out on the business statement and announcement, which can be found amongst the meeting papers available to Members electronically.

Can I call for a statement from the Welsh Government to the Trefnydd in respect of sepsis management in the health service? Many of my constituents have been alarmed to read that over the past three years, or between 2016 and 2018, there's been a significant increase in north Wales in terms of the number of sepsis related deaths: up from 151 in 2016 to 238 in 2018. Now, I know that hospital staff are much better now in terms of identifying sepsis, and that's certainly one of the reasons why more cases have been identified, but the number of deaths is very concerning, and I think that we do need to understand precisely the action that's being taken by the Government in order to raise further awareness and to treat people quickly when sepsis is identified. I know that my colleague Angela Burns, if she were here, would be banging the drum about this issue, given her significant interest in having suffered sepsis herself in the past. One of the things that she has called for, of course, is mandatory sepsis awareness training amongst front-line NHS staff, and I think that that would go a long way to reassuring some of my constituents that a greater effort was being made by the NHS in order to capture this very life-threatening condition.

Thank you very much for raising this issue and also for recognising the work that your colleague Angela Burns has been doing on the issue of sepsis for some time now, because clearly we're all concerned about sepsis. The international community, however, has recognised the considerable efforts being made in Wales to improve prevention, diagnosis and early treatment. I know that there's lots of work going on through our 1000 Lives programme in particular. The health Minister informs me that rolling out sepsis training is a priority for Welsh Government. It's my understanding that some of the figures that might suggest that there has been an increase in rates of sepsis in recent times are actually a result of coding changes in 2017 in the health board area, but I can certainly provide the Member with more information on that.

Trefnydd, in a Brexit statement on 22 January, the Minister for local government stated that the Welsh Government were,

'continuing to work with local authorities to identify and plan for impacts across all services'  of a 'no deal' Brexit. We were told that the Welsh Government is funding the Welsh Local Government Association to support councils to prepare for Brexit. My understanding is that some local authorities are obviously at different stages in terms of their planning for Brexit, with some local authorities in Wales having undertaken next to no planning.

Given where we are today, with the continuing uncertainty as a result of the Prime Minister's latest attempt to get a deal across the line, I would call on the local government Minister to provide a further, more detailed statement on the progress—or not—of Brexit planning throughout local authorities in Wales. Questions around the impact on the workforce, finance and local economies remain, and I'm sure that the Minister for local government would want to provide clarity in terms of how far developed Welsh local authorities are in terms of their planning, so I'd be grateful for a statement.

Because, such is the concern about Brexit amongst ordinary members of the public, Trefnydd, for example, that they are taking some extreme actions. Ed Sides, from Killay in Swansea, set off from Swansea last Wednesday and is walking all the way to London, talking to people along the way of the concerns that many of us share around Brexit. He is fed up of the way that Brexit has been handled and of the disastrous impact that it will have on Wales, and I'm sure that you would join me in wishing him well on his journey.

Certainly I have huge sympathy for his view that he is absolutely fed up with the way that Brexit has been handled. I think that a large proportion of us in the Chamber would certainly share that concern, and the Prime Minister's recent announcement, in terms of the discussions that she's been having with our European neighbours recently, do nothing to move us forward. Absolutely nothing has really changed in terms of what she was able to bring back from her visit last night. 

In terms of support for local authorities, I believe that there'll be a further announcement tomorrow on our support for local authorities through the European Union transition fund, and, of course, we have a further statement on Brexit from the Brexit Minister next week, and I'll be sure to ask him to address the issues of support for local authorities and civil contingencies more widely. 

Trefnydd, can I ask for four statements? I don't often get up, so I'm going for four this time. [Laughter.] The first one is obviously on the Banksy work in Port Talbot. Clearly, we're still not clear where we are moving forward with the protection of that work and the location of where that work will be placed for the public to access. I've spoken to the local authority and, clearly, there are proposals being put forward, but there's the very strong question of long-term sustainability of those locations, and they're looking for Welsh Government support in that case, because it's easy to spend some money doing the gallery up, but you've got to make it sustainable for the long term, and you have to make sure that it's continuing after the time on which we've been guaranteed the Banksy to be there. So, it would be very helpful if the Welsh Government could actually give us a statement as to what their view of the contemporary art gallery is, and whether that could be used as one of those hubs being discussed. 

The second statement is on the ownership of the Rhondda tunnel in particular, because we know that this has been a continuing issue between the tunnel society and the Welsh Government as to who owns it. We know Highways England owns it at the moment, but some of the funding that they require to actually undertake further work will be dependent upon that ownership. So, can we have a statement on Welsh Government actions to date on the ownership of the tunnel, and when we might see some transfer from Highways England to the Welsh Government, or bodies linked into the Welsh Government?

The third one is—and the Member may know as she passes my constituency daily—there's a very large ship at the moment in Port Talbot docks—the Sertão. It's been placed there by the Admiralty Court because it has been seized because of  bankruptcy in terms of its ownership. If you know that ship, you will see that it's towering above the cranes in the docks and it's taken a berth. And from what I understand, it's there indefinitely at this point in time. Can we have a statement as to what discussions the Welsh Government is having with the Admiralty Court to seal the future of this ship because it does take up a berth? We might not use the berth—the unloading berth is on the other side—but when we have two ships there sometimes, they do berth on that side, and therefore it's taken a berth. So, what is the long-term situation regarding that ship in the Port Talbot docks?

And, finally, is a statement from the health Minister in relation to community mental health teams. This afternoon, I chaired the mental health cross-party group in the Assembly, and there was a report from both Care Inspectorate Wales and Healthcare Inspectorate Wales regarding community mental health teams, which I know they have published, and I understand the Welsh Government is responding to by, I think, the end of next week. But at that point, it would be very helpful and important for us in this Chamber to have a statement from the Minister for health regarding that report, and the actions that Welsh Government in relation to that. 

Thank you very much for raising those issues. Certainly, with regard to the long-term plan to ensure that the ship in Port Talbot docks issue is appropriately dealt with, I'll ask the economy Minister to provide you with an update on that. On Banksy, of course the Minister with responsibility for arts has heard what you've had to say, particularly with regard to the potential contemporary art gallery, and I know that he will give that full consideration. On the Rhondda tunnel, again, I will seek further information from the appropriate Minister as to the ownership there.FootnoteLink And the health Minister has confirmed that he will certainly provide an update to Members when we respond to the report by the end of next week. 

Information further to Plenary

May I ask for a statement from the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs on the closure of mountain biking trails around Cwmcarn forest? I've received a number of complaints from mountain bikers who use the Cwmcarn forest trails and are growing increasingly frustrated at the disruption caused by the tree felling in the area. Work to cut down diseased trees has resulted in logging debris being left blocking trails in the forest. A petition by Steve Harris to get these trails reopened has already attracted well over 800 signatures. Please, can we have a statement from the Minister on what action she will take to intervene to ensure that Natural Resources Wales and the contractors get these trails open, so that mountain bikers are able to continue to enjoy this wonderful asset and the beautiful landscape of Wales?

Thank you very much for raising that issue. And I completely understand and sympathise with the frustrations of the mountain bikers, as you've described. We're currently contributing to the Tree Council's ash dieback action plan, which outlines four key ways for local authorities to help manage that particular disease. And that plan is due to be launched in Wales on 28 March, at the National Botanic Garden of Wales.

I'd like to request a debate in Government time on staff shortages within the NHS. In the news today is the report about maternity services at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, and these services have now been centralised. A large number of angry and worried people from Maerdy in the Rhondda have also been in touch with me over the weekend about problems with their local surgery. At one minute to five last Friday, I received an e-mail from the senior manager at Cwm Taf health board that said: 

'The health board has made an urgent and unplanned decision to temporarily close Maerdy surgery for a period of four weeks, from Monday 11 March, for health and safety to investigate an exterior pest control issue in the grounds or near the surgery. During this time the surgery cannot provide any appointments or repeat prescriptions'.

All of this is driven, in my view, by staff shortages. Maerdy surgery has already cut its hours to 20 per week, putting an incredible amount of pressure on nearby Ferndale surgery. And I have received complaints since yesterday, from Maerdy people, describing the difficulties that they've had getting through to Ferndale surgery, by phone, to book an appointment.

Now, people in Maerdy fear that this is the thin end of the wedge, and that their local surgery is going to be run down, and eventually closed down. Does it really take a month to sort out a rat infestation, and why weren't other premises considered? There are plenty of other empty and underused buildings in the community—austerity has made sure of that. The people of Maerdy are seeking guarantees that your NHS staffing crisis won't result in threatening the future viability of their surgery. This is a community at the top of the Rhondda Fach, which is already isolated as a result of poor transport and roads, and people are sick and tired of having services taken from them. We'll be gathering at the surgery this Saturday morning, at 10 a.m., and I hope people there will turn out to show the strength of feeling on this. But a debate about wider staffing questions, with an opportunity for the Minister to give assurances and guarantees to this community, would be more than welcome.

I would also like to congratulate and welcome the announcement made on International Women's Day by the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, Sophie Howe, that she is providing for time off for staff experiencing domestic abuse. This follows on from groundbreaking policy developments in New Zealand, where Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern got such a policy through Parliament in July of last year. This is already party policy for Labour at a UK level. When the policy was announced by Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities, Dawn Butler, she said:

'On average two women a week are murdered by their current or former abusive partner. These 10 days could literally help save the lives of those women.'

Having worked closely with Welsh Women's Aid, I know that Dawn Butler is not exaggerating here.

Given that this Senedd is the only national institution in the UK that is run by Labour, and Labour here is in a position to actually do something about this and show leadership that will mean that, hopefully, others will follow, when can we expect an announcement from Welsh Ministers for all Welsh public sector workers to be given the right to time off to deal with domestic abuse? Otherwise, how can you hope to be what has been called a feminist Government, striving to make Wales the safest place for women?

Thank you very much for raising both of those issues. And, of course, I hope that you will take the opportunity at the rally on Saturday to confirm that there are no plans to run down and close down Maerdy surgery, because I do think that linking an infestation and staffing shortages is a bit of a stretch, to say the very least.

I will have a discussion with the relevant Minister regarding the issue of Welsh public sector workers, and how we support those people who are experiencing domestic abuse, and best supporting them to get out of those abusive relationships. And I'll ask the Minister to respond to you on that.

Last week's important Barbican report around the poor state of music access across the UK describes fully the evidence on growing elitism in young people's access both to music as a curriculum subject and as a career pathway, in particular for working class children, and it highlights a chronic lack of opportunity in accessing music provision and tuition for the poorest in society. The Professor Carr of South Wales University report 'Land of Song', which was launched at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and the Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee inquiry 'Hitting the Right Note', and various debates and statements of opinion to this place also, have scoped the very real issues facing Wales as a nation, and describe fully a growing lack of ability in Wales in accessing music, tuition, music support services and the opportunity pathways it provides. So, as a country solidly rooted in our musical history, heritage and legacy, and enjoying an international reputation exporting our music success, and international artists both popular and classical, the loss of systemic foundational teaching services is a loss to us all, and a loss of social diversity in our elite musical ensembles is also very worrying at many levels.

So, further to the various Welsh Government initiatives, I wish to ask for a full statement to this place that outlines to me and the likes of Owain Arwel Hughes CBE, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Welsh National Opera, the Musicians' Union, the association of music services of Wales, CAGAC, the Wales conservatoire, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, the Incorporated Society of Musicians and others a full evaluation. Can I ask for the status and health of our current, non-statutory music education performance provision across Wales, after now nearly a decade of austerity and the inevitable shrinkage of Welsh local government non-statutory services; an analysis of what mitigations are in place and are being strategically planned to counter and stop the loss of non-statutory music education provision across Wales; the status of the development of a national music educational performance strategy or plan; an analysis of the efficacy of legislating for statutory music support services; and, finally, the state of development of a Welsh Government-supported funding mechanism for local government to provide and/or commission a music teaching support service for Wales as part of a holistic national strategy for Wales? Thank you.

Thank you very much for raising this issue. We certainly recognise the current pressures facing music services and the need to take action, and positive action, as soon as possible. This is one of the reasons why an additional £3 million of funding has been provided over 2018-19 and 2019-20 for music provision across Wales. Since the Minister for Education's response to 'Hitting the Right Note', I can confirm that officials have been working on taking those accepted recommendations forward and an element of that work is to carry out a feasibility study to explore suitable options for the future delivery of music services in Wales. I understand that officials have undertaken a consultation with stakeholders and with key partners to seek their views on various aspects of that study, and following consideration of all information received, and the options available, the Minister has approved the procurement of the feasibility study. The invitation to commission a contractor to undertake that study has been published on Sell2Wales and is currently open to tenders.

Organiser, could I draw your attention to the tweet that was put out by Trade and Invest Wales? I appreciate it was touched on by the First Minister in questions that were put to him by various Members here this afternoon, and reading the website, it does say it is the official Welsh Government foreign direct investment marketing initiative for Wales portal, an arm of the Wels Government, so actually saying that non-Welsh Government did this, or it was done without Welsh Government Minister sanction, is really not good enough, to be honest with you. When you build that tweet last night on the evidence that the external affairs committee brought to this Chamber with their report that said our offer had been patchy and incoherent when it came to inward investment, and then you also see the Welsh Government response to that report that does identify weaknesses in the offer that is out there to try and bring inward investment, I think it would be timely to have a statement from the Minister to this Chamber—an oral statement, so that she can be questioned on it. That might be beneficial for Members to understand how such tweets, shall we say, slip through the system, which promote the benefit of having wages that are 30 per cent lower than any other part of the United Kingdom. I would say that's a failure of economic policy, not something to be celebrated. And so I call on the Government to bring a statement forward so that we might be able to question the Minister on her potential new strategy and how she might seek to implement that with all due haste.

Thank you very much for raising that, and I think that the First Minister was more than clear during First Minister's question time that that tweet in no way represented Welsh Government's approach to trade because, obviously, we are a Government that supports business, we're welcoming of business, Wales is a fantastic place to do business. We work very closely with academia to ensure that businesses have that pipeline of skills that they require, and, of course, Wales is a wonderful place in which to live as well as work. So, we have a very strong marketing strategy, I think, in terms of selling our message to the world, but the Minister has indicated that she would be happy to bring forward a statement on our approach to trade.

We've heard in the news recently that there are strong suggestions that, during the miner's strike, the police, via the special demonstration squad—the same SDS that infiltrated the lives of many women here in Wales in campaign groups—in fact infiltrated the National Union of Mineworkers during the miner's strike and thus were breaking the law. And I'm sure that Members on your own benches will be equally as concerned about these covert operations and will want to know more about it. Every time we scratch the surface of this spy cops scandal, we expose another layer, and I've said in this Chamber many times how we do not know the extent to which this has affected Welsh life, be it in the groups that were infiltrated, how they were infiltrated, or the implications on our society now. So, I would call for and urge a debate in Government time on this, because people in our society need to be aware that, if they were involved in demonstrations, they were not infiltrated and not subjected to this type of operation, although we cannot be sure until we have more answers from the public inquiry, and therefore a debate coming up with a collective response from this Assembly would be welcomed. 

My second request is for a debate on asylum seekers. I would like for you, as a Government, to join me in condemning the deliberate policy of the UK Government in forcing refugees who come here for a better life into poverty. Once again, I've been made aware of a very difficult issue in my area, in Swansea, whereby a Somali woman, who is 24 weeks pregnant, has been made destitute. She can't claim for section 4 or make a fresh claim until she is 34 weeks pregnant. So, she's now living with somebody in Swansea, she has no money, she has no housing, and she's not able to work. It is absolutely appalling that a pregnant woman is being treated in this way. Can I urge you to look into this particular case as a Government, but also initiate another fresh debate on this particular issue? There is a mass campaign calling for asylum seekers to be able to work while they're here, so that we can ensure that Wales is making a statement of support, in principle, morally, for them, even if the UK Government is not.

Thank you for raising that, and we share completely your concerns about the way in which asylum seekers and refugees are treated when they do come to the UK seeking asylum. For our part, we've tried to open up the discretionary assistance fund, for example, to ensure that asylum seekers and refugees who are facing real destitution are able to access support through that. However, we have deep concerns, as I know you do, about the UK Government's approach to the provision of housing, for example. The standards the UK Government requires for housing are much, much lower than those which we would like to see and those which we would be satisfied to provide for people who live in Wales. So, we would expect no worse standards for people who are asylum seekers and refugee. So, it's a huge concern to us.

We did, very recently, have a debate on Wales as a nation of sanctuary in the Chamber, but I know that the Minister will be keen to address any questions that people might have. If you want to send me further information about that specific case, I would be happy to explore what representations we might be able to make there. 

With regard to the issue of the spy cops matter and the wider implications of that, we do liaise, as you'd imagine, with the UK Government over policing matters, although we have no power to investigate complaints. It is important that the inquiry that is going on does identify past failings and makes some robust recommendations to ensure that unacceptable practices are not repeated. We've welcomed the inquiry, and we're pleased that it is independent of the Home Office, although I understand that it won't be due to report until 2023. We are pleased that the Home Office established an independent public inquiry to look at all of the operations that you have described. We'd certainly want to build on the positive relationship that we do have here with the police in Wales. We do meet very regularly with the chief constables, the police and crime commissioners, and the director for Wales from the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

I’d like to request three statements if possible. First of all, I’d like a statement from the Government to update us on the discussions with the Rehau company as a result of their decision recently to consult on the closure of their plant in Amlwch. I and other local representatives have met with the company more than once to try and ensure that everything possible is done to avoid the closure, and it’s encouraging to hear that many options are being considered. But I’d also like an assurance that all possible support is being provided to the workforce there in their negotiations with the company. The workforce is a strong one and they deserve all possible support. The plant is a good one, too, and it deserves every opportunity to have a future.

Secondly, I’d like a statement on how the Welsh Government can work with us on Anglesey to try and push to ensure that investment in the rail line across the island is included in the Network Rail investment programme in the next control period. There are two specific reasons why this is particularly important now. A rail bridge in Llangefni was recently lost because of a collision with a lorry. We need a bridge back there and Network Rail needs to make that investment. And because of economic blows to the north of the island, that rail line is an opportunity to make important economic links.

Thirdly, I’d like a statement from the Minister with responsibility for the Welsh language on her expectations in terms of what banks should offer customers in Wales in terms of online banking. I know, in my own constituency, as in the constituencies of so many Members here, that branches are being closed. I’m opposed to those closures and I make that point clearly and strongly. But as the banks encourage us to move towards online banking, what that means is that, unless that online banking is available in Welsh, then customers who have been dealing with their banks in the branch through the medium of Welsh lose that link and ability through the medium of Welsh. Now, I’ve discussed this with a number of banks and I do think that we should see significant pressure from Government, through the language commissioner possibly, to ensure that we do move towards bilingual online services. I remember, as a campaigner for Cymdeithas yr Iaith many years ago, discussing with one bank the provision of cashpoints through the medium of Welsh and they said it was technically impossible. But now, 25 years later, all our cashpoints are bilingual, and we need to move very soon towards having online banking services in Welsh too, and I’d like a statement on that.

Thank you very much. I'll certainly ask the economy Minister to write to you with the very latest in terms of the support that Welsh Government is able to offer Rehau, particularly how we would seek to support the workforce and ensure that there is a viable future for that plant. I'll also ask him to include in that correspondence more information about the plans for investment in the rail line on Anglesey, reflecting on the particular issues that you've described.

I know that the Minister with responsibility for the Welsh language will take forward your concerns regarding the importance of the provision of bilingual services online for banking customers. 

Trefnydd, it was a pleasure to celebrate Commonwealth Day with other Assembly Members and indeed the Llywydd herself, who I believe sponsored the event, upstairs in the Oriel at lunch time. There were a number of organisations present—from Future Leaders Connect, Young Women Empowered movement, Sub-Sahara Advisory Panel—loads of organisations and it was a pleasure to go around and chat to them. One organisation that wasn't present that I've had a lot to do with, and I know the Minister for international relations has as well, was Love Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe, of course, is a former member of the Commonwealth and sadly not present in the organisation at this time. However, as well as telling us what—. Can I ask for a statement, I should say, from the Minister for international relations on what is being done to increase relations between Wales and other Commonwealth countries? I know you have met one of my constituents, Martha Holman, not so long ago in the Assembly, from Zimbabwe. She has recently been granted her British citizenship and only heard about that last week and is over the moon about now having that dual passport. So, perhaps the Welsh Government could consider sending her congratulations at this very exciting time in her life so that we know we're doing things for individuals as well as on the more national and international basis. 

Thank you very much. I certainly would pass on those congratulations to your constituent and agree with you that the Commonwealth Day celebration was an absolutely lovely celebration of our relationships with our Commonwealth family. I enjoyed some fantastic music, and I think it's only right that we should be celebrating the day in that way. 

Thank you, Trefnydd.