8. Will the Minister provide an update on progress with the construction of the Grange University Hospital? OAQ54161

Yes. I'm happy to confirm that progress with the construction of the new Grange university hospital that I authorised is on track, on budget and due to open in the spring of 2021. It will provide a 470-bed hospital for the population of south-east Wales.

A very to-the-point answer there, Minister. Thank you for that. I've had a couple of visits to the hospital, one with you. It's an impressive building, and I'm pleased to hear that it's on track. A couple of questions: since the building was commissioned, the Welsh Government has declared the climate emergency. There is an obligation on all public buildings to keep their carbon footprints down as low as possible, so I wonder if you could tell us a little bit about the renewables side of the building and how it is meeting those obligations. Secondly, one feature of the hospital that makes it stand out amongst other similar buildings is its extensive and stunning landscaped grounds, which date back to the time of the Llanfrechfa Grange House. Those grounds are seen as integral to part of the rehabilitation of people who have been suffering from illnesses and operations at the hospital. Can you tell us how you plan to—I was going to say 'to build upon', but that's the wrong expression, isn't it? [Laughter.] How do you plan to make the most of those landscaped grounds in terms of keeping the building as renewable as possible? I think that there is an opportunity here for tree planting and to really make a statement with those grounds to make sure that the whole site operates not just as a rehabilitation centre for people but also as a carbon sink?

Well, I'm delighted to confirm not only the work being done on the nearby gardens—there's a voluntary group doing that work—but that it will be a much more efficient building than most of the NHS estate. Of course, much of the NHS estate was created several years ago, in the past. It's a building being built to the highest architectural standards, and there will be a significant saving in both energy efficiency as well as the modern heat and power plant on site as well.

When it comes to tree planting, funnily enough, it was a question that I asked on one of my visits, and there will be significant tree planting in and around the Grange university hospital. That's part of the view that people want to have as well as some of the well-noted challenges. I saw comrade Melding on the roof next to beehives in this place, and you can expect to see the deliberate planting of blossom and other trees and plants within the grounds to deal with exactly the point he mentioned.