2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:07 pm on 14 May 2019.

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Photo of Llyr Gruffydd Llyr Gruffydd Plaid Cymru 3:07, 14 May 2019

Could I ask for a statement from the health Minister as well? I read with interest and welcomed the written statement last week in relation to cross-border healthcare arrangements and the agreement that has been reached in relation to the dispute with the Countess of Chester Hospital. There's nothing in the statement that tells us what the nature of that agreement or that compromise is. My understanding from a UK Government ministerial statement is that the UK Government will pay the disputed costs for this year, and that the Welsh Government will then step in and pay it in future years. I'd like to understand—this disputed 8 per cent, apparently, is relevant, of course, in this particular context, but it's relevant as well in every other particular context where we see health services being purchased from across the border. So, are we here running the risk of establishing a precedent where, if the Welsh Government agrees to pay the disputed 8 per cent for the Countess of Chester, then it's opening itself up to having to pay that to the 50 other health trusts and services that provide services to the NHS in Wales? So, it would be good to have an opportunity maybe for either an oral statement from the health Minister or some further information about the exact nature of that agreement, because the financial implications, of course, for our already beleaguered health boards could be very, very substantial.