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

Diolch, Llywydd. There is one change to this week's business. Later this afternoon, the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs will make a statement on 'Sustainable Farming and Our Land'. Draft business for the next three weeks is set out in the business statement and announcement, which can be found amongst the meeting papers available to Members electronically.

Minister, please could I ask for a statement from the Welsh Government on what more can be done to assist our armed forces veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder back into employment? Last week, I was greatly saddened to read about the case of my constituent, Mr Anthony Lock from Newport. Mr Lock is a former soldier with the Royal Welsh who was injured in two blasts in Afghanistan, and suffered from PTSD. Mr Lock has a citation for exemplary leadership and bravery and yet remains unemployed in spite of submitting hundreds of applications for jobs. He believes he is being discriminated against because he suffers from PTSD.

Further, I am also concerned that staff at job centres appear to be unaware of the armed forces champions scheme in helping veterans into work. Please could we have a statement from the Welsh Government on what more can be done to help Anthony Lock and all veterans who find themselves in a similar situation so we can repay the debt we owe them for their service to our nation and great bravery and gallantry? Thank you. 

Mohammad Asghar raises a really important issue, because we know our armed servicemen and women leave the forces with a whole myriad of skills—the leadership skills, for example, that Mohammad Asghar spoke of, which would be absolutely invaluable in the workplace. I know the Minister with responsibility for local government, who has some oversight of the armed forces champions within local government, is really passionate about this area, and is interested in looking at the way in which military skills and civilian skills need to match up better so that the individuals on leaving the armed forces are able to use the skills and qualifications that they've gained in that setting in civilian life in order to enter more smoothly into the workplace. But if there is further information to share with you, I will make sure that the Minister does so. 

I have two important health matters I'd like to raise with you this afternoon. Last month, I raised my concerns that the Government had yet to open its promised gender clinic. It was expected in April of this year, following the budget agreement between Plaid Cymru and the Labour Government, and I was pleased to see the long-overdue announcement yesterday that the Welsh gender service will start seeing patients in September. This will be a major step in ensuring that our trans citizens are given access to high-standard and potentially life-saving healthcare in Wales. 

However, concerns have already been raised with me about the viability of this service, with the possibility that the service will deploy psychiatrists untrained as gender clinicians to plug the resource gap. With only a week to go until recess, and no opportunity before September to scrutinise the health Minister on the new service, we need urgent assurances from that Minister that the clinic will open with adequate resources and properly trained clinicians that can provide its patients with the healthcare that they need. So, could the health Minister therefore please bring forward a written or an oral statement, or could he write to me outlining how the Government will ensure that these concerns are addressed? 

I also want to raise a sensitive issue that has been brought to my attention over the weekend, from a woman in the Rhondda who lost a baby at 13 weeks into her pregnancy following a car accident. To say that this was a deeply distressing experience for her and her family would be a gross understatement. This women approached me because she has had to fight, amidst all-encompassing grief, for the right to take ownership of her baby's remains so that she could organise a funeral. After a series of errors in terms of her care, she says that persistent pressure was applied on her at the hospital for them to take responsibility for the baby's remains. She also said that neither counselling nor bereavement support was offered to her during her initial stay in hospital. She wasn't even sent home from Prince Charles Hospital with any leaflets. She has been offered these services subsequently, though she will have to travel to the Beresford clinic in Newport to receive those services, and that isn't straightforward. 

I'd like this Government to outline what policy and guidance there is for hospital trusts to ensure that would-be parents like the woman who has approached me are treated with full compassion and dignity at times of such tragedy. 

Thank you for raising both of these important issues. Clearly, the experiences of your constituent are extremely distressing, and nobody should leave hospital in that kind of situation without the kind of support wrapped around them that they would need at a time like that. The health Minister has heard your comments and he'd be grateful if you would write to him with further details about the particular case so that we can look at that. 

The second issue you raised related to the gender clinic. The health Minister did provide a written statement yesterday on the gender clinic, which is due to open in the autumn, but the specialist is already in place and working in the community. And the health Minister is very aware of the importance of getting the balance right between general psychology and specialist support. But if I can refer you to the statement of yesterday, and, if there are further issues following from that, I'm sure that the Minister would be happy to answer any of your questions.FootnoteLink

Information further to Plenary 

Trefnydd, last week, obviously, we're fully aware of the tragic circumstances in the rail incident in Margam in my constituency and the loss of life of two individuals. I appreciate the Deputy Minister made a statement last Wednesday on that, and I understand fully that the investigation has to take place and we will be awaiting those results. But I've been contacted by Network Rail to indicate that, tomorrow, they will be holding a minute's silence at 10 a.m. in respect of the loss of life of those two individuals, and perhaps the Welsh Government could join in that minute's silence tomorrow to mark the loss of life and the incident, and ensure that we get as much out of this to ensure that no-one who goes to work on a railway in the morning has to lose their life simply because they're doing their job. 

On a second point—the steel sector; we had a presentation today on the future of the steel sector, which John Griffiths hosted. And, clearly, there's a question mark over the global implications on steel. We've also seen recently the change of Tata leadership in Tata Europe, and we also understand the global changes in steel very much. So, when we have a new incoming Prime Minister, whichever one it is, it will be a new Prime Minister, and probably a new Secretary of State. So, can I ask the Welsh Government for a statement from the Minister for Economy and Transport? And, hopefully, he will have met the new incoming Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in the summer to talk about the future of steel. Steel is crucial to the Welsh economy. It is important in my constituency, as you fully well know. And the loss of the British Steel business, or the uncertainty of the British Steel business, doesn't help the UK steel sector as we move forward. Brexit is another example of who knows what's going to happen. So, I hope that the Minister will actually have discussions during the summer recess—and I'm more than happy to have a statement during the summer recess—to discuss how the Welsh Government will be working with the UK Government to ensure that our steel sector, our steel industry, remains strong and competitive in the years ahead. 

Thank you to David Rees for raising those issues. On the first, you know that we were deeply shocked by the news that the two Network Rail team members had lost their lives in a tragic accident. As David says, nobody goes to work and expects to lose their life in that way. It's extremely tragic. I know that there are investigations ongoing at the moment, but I will certainly speak to the Llywydd about how Welsh Government and the Assembly might most appropriately join in with that minute's silence at 10 o'clock tomorrow.

In terms of steel, there'll be, no doubt, some incoming Ministers now in the new UK Government when the new Prime Minister is in place. And it's certainly Welsh Government's intention to ensure that issues affecting Wales, and issues of importance to Wales, are very much high on the agenda, and brought very much into sharp focus for the UK Government incoming Ministers. I'll ensure that the economy Minister, as I think he naturally would, will highlight the importance of the steel industry to us. 

Could I ask for a statement, please, on the massive funding cuts that your Government have imposed on our national parks? The oldest national park in Wales is now under threat. Snowdonia is home to over 26,000, attracting 6 million people annually to enjoy its breathtaking scenery and world-leading attractions. Our unique landscape is a global attraction, and requires careful management to ensure a sustainable future. However, due to the year-on-year funding cuts imposed—they had well over £5.5 million—the budget now, they're looking to cut the authority's budget to just £4.4 million. So, this is going to result in, without a doubt, paths on Snowdon not being repaired; closure of all three information centres; the end of the Sherpa bus, which creates an invaluable link between the six main routes that travel up Snowdon, as well as the main car parks, villages and tourist attractions; closure of public toilets; loss of staff; and serious questions about the financial robustness of the authority. As should already be clear to you, the Welsh Government's financial plan is one of the greatest threats Snowdonia national park has ever seen, and the damage that's going to be imposed is to tourism, and, indeed, the Welsh language. Will you, or the relevant Minister, make a statement on funding to Snowdonia National Park Authority? Will you commit to investigating the devastating impact that these year-on-year cuts are having? And will you also explain how the Welsh Government will actually help our national parks financially to deliver on their own priorities? Thank you.

I'm aware of the pressure that the national parks are under, I'm aware of the pressure education is under, I'm aware of the pressure health is under, I'm aware of the pressure local government is under. And, if we want to talk about massive cuts, we can, because, on a like-for-like basis, the Welsh Government's budget is 5 per cent lower in real terms in 2019-20 than it was in 2010-11, equivalent to £800 million less to spend on public services, such as those with which Janet Finch-Saunders is concerned. Our revenue budget is 7 per cent lower per person than in 2010-11, so that's £350 less to spend on front-line services for each and every person in Wales. And, if our budget had grown in line with the UK economy since 2010, we'd have £4 billion more to invest in public services in 2019-20 than was available to us in our last budget. Now, the Member might sigh, but the blame for this lies entirely at the door of the UK Government and its austerity agenda. If Members don't like austerity, then they need to take it up with their party.

Trefnydd, as we heard earlier, you will be aware of recent events that have resulted in uncertainty with regard to the development of an adventure resort in the Afan valley by Northern Powerhouse Developments. This planned £200 million development, which received planning approval from Neath Port Talbot Council earlier this year, set out to create hundreds of jobs, and would clearly result in a significant boost to the local economy in South Wales West. However, media reports into the business affairs of Gavin Woodhouse, the lead developer, and legal proceedings, as we heard earlier, have meant that the High Court on Thursday decided that three of Gavin Woodhouse's businesses, including Afan Valley Limited, should be put into interim administration. I am aware that the Welsh Government has not, to date, provided any funds to the development of the resort, but the Minister for economy has publicly supported the concept, and indeed has previously visited the site to discuss the plans with Mr Woodhouse. Therefore, given the uncertainty around the development following the events of the past fortnight, will the Minister for the economy make a statement to the Chamber in terms of what action he has taken on this over the past two weeks, what discussions his officers have been having with the company, with the administrators—Duff and Phelps—with Neath Port Talbot Council and others? And what is his current view in terms of the deliverability of the scheme, going forward?

Officials and Welsh Government Ministers are aware of the investigation and we're clearly monitoring the situation very closely. So, at the moment, we wouldn't be in a position to set out the next steps, because the investigation is ongoing. But we haven't promised or provided any funding to Gavin Woodhouse or Northern Powerhouse Developments for the proposed development of the Afan valley adventure resort, as Dai Lloyd recognised. And the offer made to support the Caer Rhun Hall proposal was for a spa, restaurant and conference facilities, and that was subject to a full business plan and due diligence. Any release of Welsh Government funding is obviously subject to ongoing monitoring, but no money has been released for the project to date. And, should that situation change, I'll ensure that the Minister does provide that information to you.

Minister, I would like to ask for a statement and a debate. Could I ask for a statement on bus services? All of us are aware of the work that the Welsh Government have been doing in terms of consulting on legislation, which I hope will lead to the re-regulation of bus services in due course, but we're also very aware, of course, that this will take some time. And there's a very real crisis facing bus services, particularly in my constituency, in Blaenau Gwent, where people tell me that they can no longer reach key services, whether it's an optician's or a hospital appointment. They cannot reach the shops, they cannot reach local training or job opportunities, because the bus services simply do not exist that enable them to lead their lives. So, there is a very real crisis at the moment facing bus services, and I don't believe that we can simply wait for legislation. I believe we do need to find a response to that crisis immediately. So, I would appreciate a statement from Government on how the Government can support local people in accessing these services and support local bus services. 

The second debate that I'd like to ask for, Minister, is on abolishing the Wales Office. I think many of us have seen, over the years, how the Wales Office has blocked legitimate demands of Welsh Government. And we've read, this morning, that the sports Minister is having extreme difficulties ensuring that Wales is represented on the UK Sports Council. This is unacceptable, Minister. It is unacceptable that a Wales Office continues to create difficulties in the relationship between Welsh Ministers and UK Ministers. It is unacceptable that we have a Wales Office that sits somewhere in Whitehall issuing diktats preventing the good governance of the United Kingdom from taking place. And I hope that it is time now that we'll be able to debate this matter in Government time, pass a resolution and tell Theresa May, when she's reviewing devolution—how she does that without telling devolved Governments, I don't know, but tell her very clearly that the biggest problem facing devolution in Wales is sitting around her own Cabinet table. 

Thank you, Alun Davies, for raising both of those issues. In terms of the bus services, clearly, it's an important priority area for Welsh Government. We're coming to the end of this Assembly term now, so we'll be looking towards preparing our programme of statements and debates for the next term, taking us up through the autumn term, so I'll certainly ensure that colleagues consider both of those particular requests for inclusion potentially in a future debate or statement. 

Trefnydd, I hope you can help me with this. After several months of—during the Pinewood experience, if I can put it like that—waiting for replies to written Assembly questions and not getting them, I'm sorry to say that the situation has arisen again. On 24 May, my office tabled a question asking the First Minister for details of stress leave taken by Welsh Government staff, and, on 3 June, I received a reply saying that those are matters for the Permanent Secretary and that I would receive a full reply in due course. Obviously, time has moved on, and I wonder if you could take this opportunity to reassure me that I'll get a response by the end of the week—we're now in July—for a question asked in May, and whether we could consider at least some reassurance from Welsh Government that they will take no longer to answer written Assembly questions than freedom of information questions, otherwise you're going to be getting a lot of FOIs. And perhaps you could also assure us that the reason for the delay in this case isn't because a Welsh Government official is away with stress leave? Thank you. 

Thank you. I'll certainly make it a personal responsibility to ensure that you do get a response to your question about stress leave. Obviously, Welsh Government does endeavour to respond to written questions as quickly as we possibly can, but often the level of detail required in some of those requests is quite in-depth. But, if Members do have a problem such as the one that you describe in not having a timely response, I'm always happy to try and move things along. 

The Government in London is about to announce that schools in England will receive £3 billion in addition. Therefore, can we have a statement explaining what discussions your Government and the education Minister have been having with the Treasury in London on this issue—namely, from the point of view of the Barnett consequential? If schools in England are to receive more funding, then certainly we need more funding for schools in Wales, and they need to know that as soon as possible, too, in order to plan for the future. So, can we have an update in some form—a statement, a letter, whatever it is—demonstrating what discussions have taken place on this issue and what exactly the situation will be once that announcement is made by the Treasury?

Yes, we don't yet know the detail of any announcement or have any confidence that the announcement will be forthcoming, but when it does, we’ll be very keen to ensure that any additional funding is done in the proper way, through the Barnett formula, through the statement of funding policy, which we have agreed with the UK Government, because Siân Gwenllian will be aware, for example, of the statement I put out last week, which demonstrated that the UK Government, although it took a decision on public sector pensions, failed to fund the Welsh Government with the full amount of money it was going to cost us, leaving us with a £36 million gap, which we had to fill, and we did so by diverting money from other things that we would want to spend it on. So, certainly, if there is additional funding for education, we need to ensure that every penny we are due does come to Wales, and then we’ll be able to consider our response to that, in terms of how we allocate that funding. It can’t be another situation where the UK department manages to find extra funding down the side of the departmental sofa; it needs to be very clearly and transparently demonstrated where the funding is coming from, and Welsh Government needs to have its fair share. But as and when I have further information, I will, obviously, include the details in the normal way, in terms of the budget process.

We had a well-attended meeting by the Food Standards Agency in the Oriel this afternoon, and the chair, Heather Hancock, outlined some of the measures that the Food Standards Agency is taking to protect consumers and to ensure food safety in light of the threat of a ‘no deal’ Brexit. And I wondered if it’s possible to have a statement from the health Minister on the possible legislation that may be required, were we to leave the European Union, on how we can ensure that consumer confidence, food safety and, indeed, food security can be safeguarded as a result of this possible existential threat to our well-being.

Thank you, Jenny Rathbone. The health Minister tells me that a great deal of legislation has already been made to ensure that our law operates correctly on the day of a Brexit, be it a ‘no deal’ Brexit. I know that the FSA has been doing a great deal of work in order to prepare us for the potential of a ‘no deal’ Brexit and also to map out the challenges which do face us, but the health Minister has said that he would be happy to provide a further statement in the autumn.

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Ann Jones) took the Chair.

Organiser, can I seek some assurance from you? You’ve highlighted what the planning of the next Assembly term is going to be regarding Government statements and Government business. The Minister for rural affairs brought forward a consultation, which closed in May, around third-party sales of puppies and domestic animals. I’d be grateful to understand how the Government now is going to respond to that consultation, the time frame its working to, and will that be via some form of statement in the Chamber, or will it be some form of formal response that is posted on the Government website? I ask the question because there was a launch of a companion animals all-party group last week, and this was raised by many of the participants as to understand exactly how this important piece of work will be taken forward, given, obviously, that this has gone through the UK Parliament and is on the statute book in the UK Parliament.

Thank you. There’s a great deal of interest in this particular agenda, and I know that the Minister for environment will be able to say more about this before the end of term, I believe through a written statement next week.

Thank you very much, Trefnydd.