Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:11 pm on 8 October 2019.
Thank you for that answer, First Minister. There are around 30 cases of legionnaire's disease in Wales each year, on average, but in the last 12 months there have been 11 in Barry. You're quite right that Public Health Wales has not yet been able to find a cause and does not consider it, yet, an official legionnaire's disease outbreak, but it's surely of great concern to residents. And they will remember the unfortunate deaths and serious illnesses in 1999 that occurred in the authority.
Members of the public, of course, can do many things to reduce their risk—basically to ensure standing water isn't left in taps, and draining water bowsers and garden hoses, and using commercial screen washes in their vehicles. Because I don't think many people realise that these are the vectors, often, and the way the disease is transmitted. Public Health Wales and their partner agencies, I understand, are advising employers to check their policies, because, unfortunately, the workplace has, in the past, also been a vector. Can you give us any specifics on what is being done to raise the public profile and, in particular, to ensure employers are doing what is their duty to do?