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

Diolch, Llywydd. There is one change to this week's business: tomorrow's short debate on the importance of animal welfare to promote Wales's image has been withdrawn. Draft business for the next three weeks is set out in the business statement and announcement that can be found amongst the meeting papers available to Members electronically.

Can I call for two statements from the Welsh Government? The first one is from the Minister for Health and Social Services, and it's in relation to secondary breast cancer and awareness of secondary breast cancer. The thirteenth of October, last Sunday, marked Secondary Breast Cancer Awareness Day, and I don't know if you're familiar with details about secondary breast cancer, but the reality is that there are thousands of people in Wales who are living with secondary breast cancer and, unfortunately, many of those will have experienced significant delays in diagnosis. According to statistics, it suggests that about one in three patients have to visit their GP more than three times in order to secure a diagnosis; one in four have expressed concerns about access to treatment; and one in three are not allocated a clinical nurse specialist, even once they've been diagnosed. So, clearly there needs to be some action on this front, and it would be good to have a statement from the Welsh Government about what action is being taken in order to address those particular concerns.

Can I also call for a statement from the Minister for the Environment and Rural Affairs in relation to Old Colwyn's sea defences? I know that I've raised this matter on many occasions over the years in this Chamber, but you'll be aware that Conwy County Borough Council are trying to revisit the situation and to evaluate the current state of those sea defences. They have warned that the sea defences are at risk of catastrophic collapse. We know that those sea defences are right alongside the A55 and the north Wales railway line, and, in addition, they protect a significant part of the sewerage network in the Old Colwyn area. I think it's absolutely essential that we get to grips with the issue that is there in Old Colwyn, so that we can have those sea defences properly reinforced rather than the patch repairs that are done on an occasional basis by the local authority at the moment. I know that the budget round is coming up, and I think that may give scope for a big infrastructure project in places like Old Colwyn in order to protect that part of the coastline from collapse. I wonder whether we could have a statement on the readiness of the Welsh Government to address this particular problem in my constituency.

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

Thank you, Darren Millar, for raising those issues this afternoon. On the first, relating to secondary breast cancer and the particular concerns that have been raised in terms of delays in diagnosis, access to treatment and of course access to a clinical nurse specialist, I will ask the health Minister to write to you outlining the Welsh Government's action on each of those areas.FootnoteLink

The Old Colwyn sea defences—I know that you've raised this a number of times over the years. Can I ask you to write to the environment Minister with your specific concerns, particularly relating to the sewage line and so forth, so that she can consider that?

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The first matter I want to raise today concerns Barclays Bank's decision to take away the ability of its customers to use the Post Office to access their accounts. For people in some of the communities that I represent, this has caused great concern after the recent closure of Barclays Bank branches in the Rhondda. Indeed, the ability of customers to use the Post Office following the closure of the local Barclays branch was cited by senior management within the bank as a means of softening the blow when they closed those branches. Barclays are putting profit before the people who have stood loyally by them over many, many years. What happens when other banks follow suit and cut their ties with the Post Office network as well? This would jeopardise personal banking in isolated areas of the country, and it would jeopardise the sustainability of the Post Office branches. So can you tell me what representations have been made by this Government, or what representations can be made by the Welsh Government on this matter?

I want to express my deep concern at events in Catalonia. Nine Catalan leaders were sentenced to between nine and 13 years in prison for having the temerity to represent in a peaceful and democratic manner the wishes of the people who elected them. I can scarcely believe that this is happening in Europe and in 2019. It is shocking that a so-called modern democracy could act in such an authoritarian way. It is shocking that the international community, and especially fellow European Governments, have been largely silent on this matter, and it is shocking that the UK press coverage has been so unsympathetic to the Catalan politicians.

So I wish to express solidarity with the imprisoned politicians and others, and in particular the Speaker, Carme Forcadell, who has been incarcerated for 18 months without trial and now faces another 11 years in prison away from her children and her grandchildren. Her crime? As Llywydd, she just allowed the debate to be held. So I want to express solidarity with the Catalan people who remain steadfast in their determination to achieve independence. Their courage in the face of such horrific state brutality and violence remains an inspiration.

Now, I'm not aware that the Welsh Government has issued a statement on this matter. It's not possible to be a bystander on a question like this. Will you therefore agree to allocate time this week for a Government-backed debate on this grave injustice that is happening so close to home?

Thank you very much. On the first issue, where you expressed concern over Barclays Bank not allowing their customers to use the Post Office for their banking needs, obviously we would share those concerns, because as you say, when banks decide to pull out of communities, we're regularly told that it won't have an impact on those individuals because they can use the local post office. And if the Minister hasn't yet made representations on that matter, I will ensure that we do so.FootnoteLink FootnoteLink

I think that the First Minister set out our approach in relation to the Catalan issue during his First Minister’s question time this afternoon. He said that as a general rule he is and Welsh Government is reluctant to be drawn into matters that aren't the responsibility of Welsh Government or of this institution, but took the opportunity to say that we are rightly concerned about the imprisonment of democratically elected representatives, and we would certainly be of the view that it is political dialogue and political discourse that should be the way forward.

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I wanted to raise the matter of constituents who are having difficulty getting their ears syringed without having to pay considerable sums of money. They've got blocked ears through a build-up of ear wax and when they have been to their GP surgeries, they've been told that this facility no longer exists at their GPs and they've been referred to private businesses who are charging them as much as £95.

This is not the first time that this matter has been raised in the Assembly, because nearly three years ago Vaughan Gething, the health Minister, issued a statement saying that ear syringing is provided through the NHS and no-one should expect to have to pay for this service. So, given that this has been happening in more than one surgery, I just wondered if we could have a further statement from the health Minister to clarify whether the Welsh Government has changed their policy, and if not, what action is going to be taken in discussion with the health boards to ensure that this very basic service—being able to hear—is available as part of the NHS.

Thank you very much to Jenny Rathbone for raising that issue and there's been no change in terms of Welsh Government’s approach. Wax management is provided through the NHS in Wales and nobody should be expected to have to pay for those services. It's not explicitly part of the GP contract and, as such, some GPs have traditionally provided services whereas others have simply referred all of their patients with ear wax symptoms to hospital ear, nose and throat departments. And if a GP practice doesn't provide a wax management service, the practice should refer the patient to the health board's ear care nurse specialist. I will ask the health Minister to consider how we can recommunicate that to health boards so that there’s no confusion among GPs about their responsibilities for wax management.

If I could endorse the sentiments raised by the Member for Cardiff Central, I too have come across this in the Vale of Glamorgan, where surgeries have not so much withdrawn the service, but when their equipment has become antiquated and dilapidated, they haven't replaced that equipment and therefore they say that they cannot perform the procedure at the surgery. And the point that the organiser made to the Assembly just now in her response, that you can get thrown into the system of the local health board making arrangements and referred to the hospital, surely this is the very thing that the First Minister was talking about, which was developing more community-based solutions so that people don't go into the acute sector to have these basic problems sorted. It has to be done and I would hope that that communication between you and the health Secretary will reinforce what the Government expects.

Two things if I could ask from you today, organiser: one is Tomlinsons Dairies Ltd, which has gone into administration. I'm speaking in my role as spokesperson on rural affairs for the Conservative group on this particular issue. Whilst it is deeply, deeply troubling for the workers, the farmer-suppliers and everyone involved with this major employer in the area and production facility that it has gone into administration, it is slightly disappointing that a statement hasn't been forthcoming to date from the Welsh Government over what support is being afforded to the facility, and importantly what the Welsh Government knew about the precarious situation this dairy found itself in.

If press reports are to be believed, Welsh Government has been involved in a turn-around plan at this facility for 18 months, and yet, overnight, obviously supplies were withdrawn or suppliers were instructed not to send their supply in and employees were left in a very precarious situation with little or no information, as well as obviously substantial sums of money—I believe in excess of £5 million has been pumped in by the Welsh Government to support the expansion of the facility. So, it is very important on a number of fronts that a statement is forthcoming. In the immediacy that statement should deal with what support is there for the workers at the facility and the farmer-suppliers, but secondly, there should be clarification as to the level of involvement the Welsh Government had with this key facility in north-east Wales, which was a key supplier of Welsh milk. And as I understand it, in the short term, that milk now is going to be branded British milk, because, obviously, there aren't facilities to produce Welsh milk in the area at the moment, as Arla have indicated in the e-mail to Members today.

Secondly, I would hope that the organiser will make time available in Government time so that we can have a debate—a debate on the need for a general election, organiser. The First Minister said that we needed a general election in response to the first question today. You are very often organising debates so that this Assembly can speak with one voice. I would hope that Members around this Chamber want to speak with one voice and say that it's a matter of urgency that we have a general election and that you will commit to bringing forward a Government debate so that we can endorse the creation of an environment for a general election so that the Conservatives can endorse what we want to do for the country, with a manifesto that will be supported by the people the length and breadth of Wales and beyond.

I thank Andrew R.T. Davies for raising those issues. On the second, of course, I remind Andrew that he has an opportunity every Wednesday afternoon to bring forward debates of his liking.

But I will return to the wax management issue that he mentioned at the start of his contribution. A wax management task and finish group was set up in 2018, and that agreed a draft national integrated pathway for the safe and effective management of ear wax. The Welsh Government is currently working with key stakeholders to consider the draft pathway and ensure that it does provide for consistent patient outcomes across Wales. That pathway, then, will be considered by the Minister once the evidence has properly been analysed by policy officials, but, of course, if Members have experiences locally that they'd like to share with the Minister ahead of his consideration of that, I know he'd be keen to hear those experiences.

In relation to Tomlinsons Dairies Ltd, of course we are fully committed to the Welsh dairy industry and are very saddened by the news of the closure of Tomlinsons Dairies Ltd. It is the case that we've worked closely with the company and its stakeholders during the past 18 months to seek to resolve the ongoing business issues, and that support revolved around trade negotiations with the business and its stakeholders, and also supported the sale of an on-site packaging company to support the stability of the overall business. We've also worked very closely with the Development Bank of Wales by introducing additional support through the turnaround restructure options, which the Development Bank of Wales offers.

We are working with Wrexham local authority to help all staff who have been affected, and have set up an immediate taskforce to respond to the redundancy situation at the company. We're also fully supportive of all dairy farmers affected by the closure and we're in discussion with the farming unions and other stakeholders to consider the support that is required at this difficult time.

I want to ask for a statement on the future of the food processing sector more broadly in Wales. We’ve heard about the difficulties of Tomlinsons, of course, and the implications of that, and that comes barely 18 months after the loss of Arla in Llandyrnog too. There are issues, therefore, in terms of milk processing. But we heard last week, of course, about Randall Parker Foods in Llanidloes, which will now not be processing beef, and that is going to have serious implications for many producers in a sector that is already in a very difficult situation. So, there are questions about the role and the support available for the food processing sector more broadly in Wales. Because if we are serious about developing a viable food economy and a Welsh food brand that’s of value, then we have to have those processors in place in order to assist us to achieve that aim.

I, tomorrow, will be sponsoring a celebration of Welsh food and drink. It’s World Food Day tomorrow, and it’s an opportunity for us to celebrate what we have. But as we see the loss of processors like this, of course, it undermines the sector and undermines the opportunities that we have to build the rural economy on the back of that sector. So, I would expect the Government, hopefully, to have an opportunity to make a statement to outline how it sees the opportunities to grow, develop and support that sector in this difficult period.

May I also ask for a statement from the First Minister on the claims that the rural affairs Minister has broken the ministerial code by intervening, in her ministerial role, in a case related to a constituent, although that was beyond her portfolio responsibilities as Minister? They are claims, of course, but I am concerned that there isn’t sufficient transparency here. I don’t know whether the First Minister has carried out an inquiry or not. We need to know that. And once again, it does raise a question as to how appropriate it is that the First Minister should lead on processes such as this. Isn’t it now time, as many of us have suggested in the past, that there should be an external body or individual outwith Government inquiring into these issues—still bringing a report to the First Minister so that the First Minister should make the final decision, but we need that arm’s-length element in cases such as this that would bring greater transparency? I don’t think it’s right that the First Minister is judge, jury and executioner, and I would call for a statement, for clarity on this particular case, but also on any intention that the Government has to reform the process.

Well, Llyr Gruffydd is right that the food and drink industry is very much one of the jewels in the crown of our economy here in Wales, and I know that the Minister works extremely hard to provide the best possible support for the food and drink sector and that the importance of food processing is very much understood, especially with the challenges we face with Brexit. Of course, the Minister is here to hear your comments, and she will certainly take that into consideration in terms of considering when and how to best update the Assembly on the work that is being done in the food and drink sector here in Wales.

The second point in relation to the ministerial code—of course, the Member will be aware that there is a process that is set out, and the process is under way, and I wouldn't be able to say any more at this point today.

Can I add Swansea East as one of those places where people are getting referred to private practices to get their ears syringed—and Port Talbot? It's an all-Wales problem and, perhaps, one that needs addressing fairly rapidly.

I've got two requests for statements. The first one is: teachers in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot did not get their pay award at the end of September. I have chased this around lots of different places, including the councils, ERW and the Minister for Education. I am told that this is because the Welsh Government have not released the money for the award and not confirmed that the award, which has been made in England, is going to be paid in Wales. I don't know whether that's right or not, but that's what I've been told, so there is obviously confusion out there. So, can I request an urgent Government statement providing an update on the paying of this year's—2019-20—teachers' pay award?

The second statement I'm requesting is a statement to be made on the health delivery plans, such as the diabetes delivery plan and the cancer delivery plan. Again, I am told that the current plans finish in 2020 and there are concerns that they're going to end. I have no belief for a moment that they're going to end and that we'll have no continuation of the plan, but there's nervousness amongst some of the people involved that could be put to bed, as it were, if the Welsh Government can start making statements on those that are coming to an end in 2020.

Thank you to Mike Hedges for that contribution. I can confirm that there will be a statement very, very shortly regarding the teachers' pay award 2019. Of course, once implemented, any changes to teachers' pay for 2019-20 will be backdated to 1 September. So, I would expect that there will be a statement, either today or tomorrow, in respect of that.

Again, Mike Hedges is right that most major health condition delivery plans come to an end in December 2020, and we are currently developing the approach and the proposals for the successor arrangements to improve the quality of care for major conditions, such as cancer and diabetes. And the Minister for Health and Social Services does expect to make a written statement outlining the future approach before the end of the year.

May I ask for a statement from the Minister for Housing and Local Government on the links between poor housing and poor physical and mental health? A recent joint report by Public Health Wales, Community Housing Cymru and the Building Research Establishment states that poor-quality housing costs the NHS in Wales more than £95 million a year in treatment costs. Please, could we have a statement from the Minister on what action she is taking, in conjunction with the Minister for Health and Social Services, to improve the quality of existing homes in Wales in view of the findings contained in this report, please?

I know that there's a great deal of work going on in this area across Government, where we do recognise that housing does play a very important role in terms of people's physical and mental health. One example would be the additional funding that is going through the regional partnership boards, and that is about taking a housing-led approach to social services and health issues, and I think that's a really exciting piece of work. Of course, the Minister has recently said a bit more about the work that we would do in terms of retrofitting, because we know the importance of retrofitting homes not only for carbon reasons, but also in terms of ensuring people have warm and safe homes to live in. But I know that the Minister will write to you with an update on what we're doing in the wider context.

With regard to my first issue, you may have seen a very good article on WalesOnline in the last few days about the fact that Gwent Police were accused of covering up for a police officer who was domineering, controlling and physically abusive to several women who were also police officers. He was only given a warning, he wasn't arrested, the system protected him and not the women, and normal procedures were not followed. In fact, the women said that it was a boys' club and they closed ranks around themselves. Of course, the women are taking legal action now, but, unfortunately, they have to crowdfund because they're not rich enough to be able to fight the system. I'm wondering if we can have a debate in Government time on the Government's priorities in relation to domestic abuse, but also in relation to how you're dealing with the police in this regard, because of course you can't comment on legal action, but you can of course comment on the wider issue of how we can encourage the police and the police and crime commissioners to take these complaints seriously when they come to their attention.

My second request is for a statement from the Welsh Government on your support for asylum seekers in Wales. I've got two cases I'm sure you're aware of as well, Trefnydd, with regard to Otis Bolamu and also Michael Gebredikan—I hope I've said that right. One is from Congo, and you will know that he was detained over Christmas, who's having an appeal hearing tomorrow, and the other is from Eritrea, and if he's deported to Germany, where his family is, he may be then deported back to Eritrea. The UK don't currently deport there because they don't know what the situation is with regard to the support for asylum seekers there when they do arrive back, but we're continually seeing these propositions coming to us, with very vulnerable people being potentially sent back to terrifying situations. I would hope that the First Minister's comments earlier would echo how we in this Chamber should be supporting those people who need our support, and not vilifying them and pitting them against poor people in our society. At the end of the day, they need our support, and I would urge Welsh Government to bring forward a debate so that we can ensure that Wales is the nation of sanctuary that we purport to be.

Thank you, Bethan, for raising these issues. I will certainly discuss with the Minister responsible, actually, for both of these issues in terms of when we can best provide an update on the work that Welsh Government is doing in terms of domestic abuse, but specifically, really, how we're working with the police forces in order to do that. I know that work is ongoing, for example, in terms of training for trauma-informed approaches and so on, which are so important when dealing with people who have been through very, very difficult experiences.

And, again, I'll have the same conversation about the support that we are giving to asylum seekers, because it is important that we are that nation of sanctuary that we purport to be. I know Welsh Government, for its part, is doing a huge amount to try and make that a reality, and make people feel that they are welcomed here when they come here. We recognise again, very similarly, that lots of people who have sought sanctuary with us have been through extremely difficult circumstances, which many of us couldn't even begin to imagine. And I'm familiar with the cases that you described; I saw Otis just a couple of weekends ago, as I know you did as well. I know that he is particularly grateful for the support that he's had from the community in Swansea and beyond.

Over the summer, my office was inundated by residents who were upset by Stagecoach's decision to scrap the no. 25 bus service from Caerphilly to Cardiff via Thornhill crematorium and the University Hospital Wales, and merge it into an existing much longer and much more inconvenient route for residents in Caerphilly. Despite a number of residents' petitions, Stagecoach scrapped the service in September, and we held meetings with Stagecoach throughout September and October, and eventually persuaded them to reintroduce an hourly service from Caerphilly to the Heath, and also to the Thornhill crematorium, which mirrored the old no. 25 route, but it was an hourly not a two-hourly service. It's going to be trialled from January for six months, and we urge residents to use that service as much as possible, but the key issue here is that Stagecoach were able to make these unpopular decisions because they were commercial decisions. With that in mind, would the Trefnydd consider a statement or a debate in Government time on reforming bus services to make them more user-friendly to residents who need these services, and not just use them on a commercial basis?

Thank you, Hefin David, for that question. I know that your constituents will be particularly grateful for the work that you've done in terms of getting that replacement service. Even though it doesn't return the service to an hourly service, it certainly, I think, would be very welcome that you've made that effort on their behalf.

In terms of the problems you describe, they're very much the result of the failed deregulation of the bus industry, which has made it very difficult to have a service in Wales that meets the needs of people in Wales, which is one of the reasons why the proposals in the upcoming legislation that the Minister with responsibility for transport is leading on will be so important and I know that, in due course, he will be updating Members of the Assembly on those proposals within the legislation.

Minister, I note with great concern the UK Government's decision to increase the Public Works Loan Board interest rate by a full 1 per cent—in fact, moving from 1.8 per cent to 2.8 per cent with immediate effect. This has the effect to take away the ability of local councils to borrow at a lower rate than that provided by private lenders and will inevitably lead to councils having to reassess their business plans, with possible cancellation of projects in order to continue funding current projects, as well as giving grave concern for delivering infrastructure and front-line projects at all. Would you, Minister, or the First Minister, make a statement on the Welsh Government's position in regard to this announcement?

Well, our position is that this is a retrograde move and it makes things even more difficult for local authorities and is particularly concerning now because business cases for all kinds of things that local authorities have been planning on—for example, regeneration activities, social housing and other investment—will now need to be reassessed again in light of this development, in terms of trying to explore what is affordable locally and what they're able to plan for. But these are concerns that I will certainly be raising. 

Minister, I'm sure you would have been delighted on Saturday night to receive the news that the Cory brass band have again become the national champions of Great Britain, that they've now completed a grand slam of major brass band titles held in the same year, a feat achieved on only two previous occasions, one of which was theirs, and that this confirms their position now as the No. 1 brass band for the thirteenth consecutive year. I wonder if you think it would be appropriate for the Government to host an event in this Assembly to commemorate these incredible world champion ambassadors for Wales.

And the second point, Minister, is this: they are shortly off to America, to be followed by South Korea. I wonder if there could be a statement from Welsh Government to outline the way in which these cultural ambassadors for Wales can be connected with the Welsh Government's own ambitions in terms of promoting Welsh economic interests abroad, in countries like America and South Korea. And perhaps my final request is that I think it would be great if Welsh Government wrote on behalf of this entire Chamber to congratulate the entire brass band and all those from across south Wales who actually work and support the band on this stunning success.

Thank you, Mick Antoniw. Welsh Government will certainly join you in congratulating the Cory Band for being the best in the world for 13 years, which is a heck of an achievement, isn't it? I know that the Minister and I—the Minister with responsibility for music and I—will have a discussion about how we can best mark that incredible achievement here in the Assembly and also explore how we can better use these amazing cultural ambassadors that we have. 

Wales is a community of communities, and one community in Wales is the Catalan community. I welcome the comments made earlier by the First Minister expressing concern about what is happening in Barcelona and also what happened in Madrid in locking up democratically elected politicians. I support the call for a debate on what is happening in Catalunya and I'd like the Government to seriously consider this. But I'd like you to go further and express support for the Catalan community living in Wales and the people of Catalunya at this present time, because politicians out there have been jailed for keeping their democratically elected promises. There were 113 civilians injured yesterday at Barcelona airport, where they were fired upon by police and Guardia Civil, I believe. So, could we have a Government statement on these matters, please?

I certainly join others in putting on record Welsh Government support for the Catalan community here in Wales, because we have a long history of close relationships with Catalonia and obviously we want to see that continue. We enjoy some really positive international links through the European networks that we share, and around a third of Spanish-owned companies in Wales are headquartered in Catalonia. So, we do have these close important cultural links but also close and important economic links as well.

Can I call for two statements? Firstly, on the INTERREG Ireland-Wales 2014-20 programme, which, as you know, encourages regions to work together to address common economic, environmental and social challenges. In Wales, the two INTERREG regions are north Wales, with a population of just over 696,000, and west Wales, with 630,000—so, not dissimilar populations. But I've been given a freedom of information response from the Welsh European Funding Office, which says that there were 62 projects submitted but only 19 of these involved a north Wales partner, and only 12 were led by an organisation based in Wales. And, of 18 projects approved, only five had a north Wales partner—sorry, included a north Wales partner—and only two were led by a north Wales partner. So, only 28 per cent of projects approved included a partner in north Wales; only 11 per cent led by a north Wales partner. I call for a statement to reflect concern raised with me—it isn't my concern, although I do have concern if the answer is the wrong answer—that potential INTERREG projects have not necessarily received the support and engagement in north Wales that they have elsewhere, because I know that demand in north Wales, potentially, should be equal at least to that in west Wales.

Secondly, could I call for a Welsh Government statement on its developing revised policy on fuel poverty in light of two new reports? A report on 3 October from the Auditor General for Wales said that the number of households in fuel poverty in Wales had fallen since 2008, but the Welsh Government had missed its targets. It said that the causes of fuel poverty are complex, that Welsh Government have spent £249 million on its Warm Homes programme to reduce fuel poverty, but identified tensions between trying to eradicate carbon emissions from domestic housing and prioritising efforts and funding on fuel-poor households, which tend to use less energy, and made a series of recommendations to the Welsh Government, including lessons learnt from the failure to meet the current targets set in 2010, linking fuel poverty schemes with other work to tackle the underlying cause of fuel poverty, and considering how fuel poverty schemes could prevent costs in other service areas and contribute to wider policy goals.

And, secondly, in this context, the report on 7 October from the Bevan Foundation, which said that, although the Welsh Government had made some progress in reducing fuel poverty over the last decade, it noted that the richest households had benefited most. In 2008, of the 70 per cent richest households, over 83,000 were estimated to be living in fuel poverty, and that that's now 75 per cent lower, whereas the bottom 10 tenth, poorest, households have only seen a drop of 25 per cent. So, we now have only 21,000 of the richest households and 92,000 of the poorest households, perhaps, as they said, providing

'an indication as to why the Welsh Government has failed in its target to eradicate fuel poverty', and proposing that, in future, the fuel poverty targets should instead be focused on the poorest households rather than simply across the piste. I call for a statement accordingly.

On the first issue, regarding the INTERREG projects and particularly the number of INTERREG projects that have been supported in north Wales, perhaps Mark Isherwood would write to me with the information that he was giving this afternoon in the Chamber and I'll be able to look at that and also perhaps then advise on work that has been done to support and promote projects in the north Wales region.

On the second issue of fuel poverty, Welsh Government is very familiar with the two reports that you have referred to, and we are considering those reports alongside the consideration that we're giving to the way forward in terms of our approach to tackling fuel poverty.

And, finally, David Rees.

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Trefnydd, last year, the Children, Young People and Education Committee produced a report on perinatal mental health. The excellent work that they produced had a very positive response from the Welsh Government, and I know the Welsh Government have taken action on some of those recommendations. However, one of those major recommendations was the introduction of a mother and baby unit, and we seem to have no actual progress on that particular recommendation. Now, last week, we all, across this Chamber, recognised World Mental Health Day on Thursday, but here we have a situation where we still need to take action to address the mother and baby unit in perinatal mental health. Can we have a statement from the Minister for health to actually see the progress being made on those recommendations, and particularly on a mother and baby mental health unit?

Thank you, David Rees. I will certainly ask the health Minister to write to you with an update, but I can confirm that we are committed and remain committed to establishing a unit as a matter of priority, and that work is being led by the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee.FootnoteLink The implementation of such a specialised service is complex, and it must take into account factors such as location, suitability of premises and workforce capacity. But the management group has been working with Swansea Bay University Health Board to develop a business case for a six-bedded mother and baby unit to be hosted in the region.

There is concern, I know, that there might be a length of time before that unit might be open; I think that the indicative planning set out by the health board indicates a timescale of being operational by summer 2021. So, as a result of that, Welsh Government officials are working with the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee and Swansea Bay to explore options for an interim solution or to see if there are ways that we can accelerate that planning, and those discussions are being taken forward as a matter of urgency.

Information further to Plenary

Thank you very much.