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

Diolch, Llywydd. There are two changes to this week's business. Following yesterday's announcement, the Minister for Economy and Transport will make a statement today on Tata Steel. Additionally, tomorrow's short debate has been postponed to 8 January. Draft business for the next three sitting weeks is set out in the business statement and announcement, which can be found amongst the meeting papers available to Members electronically. 

Trefnydd, I have two issues that I'd like to bring before you today. I note, from the written statement from Vaughan Gething, the Minister for Health and Social Services, issued today, that he intends to issue a further statement on the governance arrangements in Cwm Taf health board and on the maternity services early next year. I would urge the Government to turn this into a proper debate. We have not had the real opportunity to debate the never-ending saga of the issues that are happening at Cwm Taf. This is like a piece of tumbleweed: as it spins along the plain, it gets bigger and bigger and sucks in more and more, and the Assembly Members here have the right to discuss this and to discuss this in Government time.

And just to put this in context, may I remind you that, in 2018, only last year, we had a consultant midwife on secondment who wrote a report that was ignored. We had a substantial report from the Human Tissue Authority that raised massive concerns over the storage and use of tissue within that health board. The Wales Audit Office last year reported on quality and governance arrangements. This year, we had the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Midwives issuing a report. We also have, of course, the report that's come out today and, on top of that, there are five separate reports being assessed and currently analysed ongoing in Cwm Taf, including the independent maternity services oversight panel, one from the delivery unit, one from the Welsh Risk Pool, and there are David Jenkins's views, who's the independent adviser. I would urge the Welsh Government to actually give us the time to discuss this properly, rather than just turning it into a written statement, where we have no ability to forensically look at this and to see what needs to be done and whether or not changes are being truly made in that health board. 

The second issue I'd like to raise with you is that, in January 2018, the parliamentary review on health and social care was issued. Now, as you will recall, this was given the air cover of being a joint parliamentary review, with the Welsh Conservatives joining with Plaid Cymru and I think it was UKIP at the time, and Labour, to produce air cover and a report to talk about where health and social care services should be going on. That's going to be almost two years ago—in January of 2020, it will be two years ago. Despite this joint working that we all undertook in immensely good faith and despite the vision for health that the Government subsequently produced, we have not had any real feedback on how successfully that report is being implemented. We've had very little feedback on whether or not it's achieved some of the goals and the ambitions that we all signed up to. We've had very little feedback on how well it's going down with the public, patients and, of course, the staff. We've had very little feedback on whether the transformation that was promised is really beginning to happen. And I would also ask you, therefore, to give us the courtesy, as we all engaged in this report, to have a Government debate here so that we can actually understand, after two years, where that review has gone, how successful it's been and what else needs to be done, because I fear that it's just on a shelf quietly gathering dust. 

Thank you to Angela Burns for raising both of those issues today. Of course, the health Minister has today issued the written statement on Cwm Taf, and he did have the opportunity to address some questions during First Minister's question time this afternoon. I will make sure that he hears the request for the opportunity to discuss the issues on the floor. I recall there was a statement made on Cwm Taf on the floor of the Assembly in recent months, but I appreciate this is a long-term and ongoing issue and that Members will wish to remain informed and to have the dialogue with the health Minister on this issue. 

And on the second issue, Angela Burns is quite right to say that the parliamentary review work was undertaken in good faith, and it was a genuinely, I think, cross-party piece of work. I understand completely the interest in ensuring that that important and good piece of work is bearing fruit. The health Minister will be making an oral statement to the Assembly on 'A Healthier Wales' insofar as it relates to the impact of the 'Train. Work. Live.' campaign, which was part of that piece of work, on 3 December, and I know that he will consider the request to update on other parts of that important piece of work in due course as well.

Today is International Men's Day, and there are a number of events on the Senedd estate today, including the Men's Sheds initiative. These projects are helping people to open up about their own mental health, which reduces stigma, which is vital when we know that suicide rates among men have been described as a national emergency. Suicide has been cited as the biggest killer of men under 45. Almost every community has been affected by the loss of men long before their time to die due to suicide, and I have personal experience of losing someone in this way and I can testify to the devastation that it causes. So, on International Men's Day I want to reinforce the importance of talking. If you can't talk to someone close, are there others, like the Men's Sheds, that you can reach out to? Investment in talking therapies and good mental health support services is essential too, because not everyone has someone close to them that they can open up to. So, can we have a statement from the Minister, or a debate in Government time, outlining what talking therapies are available and what other strategies the Government are deploying to reverse these appalling suicide statistics?

Netball has been a fantastic success story in Wales, and the Rhondda in particular—825 women and girls are regularly playing netball in Rhondda Cynon Taf, and some of the biggest clubs in the country can be found there. This is great news as it not only provides girls and women with access to team sports, but it also forms an important feature in the fight against obesity and improving mental well-being. However, the success story has been achieved against a backdrop of significant barriers. Sports facilities are hard to access—in fact, there are grave gender inequalities when you consider that there are 35 rugby, cricket and football fields in the Rhondda, the vast majority of which are located outside of schools and therefore accessible on weekends, compared to the nine netball courts in the Rhondda, of which six are not available on weekends as they are located in school premises. Now, the Welsh Government has a role to play. While Welsh Netball has nearly 20 per cent more members than Netball Scotland, it receives significantly less funding than its sister organisation. So, I would like to see a Government statement outlining how this Welsh Government intends to address this gender inequality in sport and help meet the incredible demand that there is for netball in the Rhondda and beyond.

I thank Leanne Wood for raising the two issues, the first being the importance of International Men's Day and the importance of that day in terms of being a focal point for us to remind men that it is okay to talk about mental health problems that they might be experiencing, but also an important chance for us to signpost to all of those organisations that are out there for men to be able to access should they need to do so. So, I'm very happy to support and endorse everything that Leanne has said, particularly her enthusiasm for the Men's Sheds movement—I think that's one example of a movement that is proving to be particularly useful to men right across Wales. But it is important as well to recognise that not everybody will feel comfortable reaching out to talk to somebody, which is why those therapeutic services that Leanne Wood referred to are so important, and it's why the Minister for health has been refreshing the mental health delivery plan. And I know that he does intend to bring forward a statement on that plan in due course, and that would be an opportunity, I think, to discuss the importance of talking therapies within the context of the Chamber.

Again, I share Leanne's enthusiasm for netball and I've met myself with some of the women from Rhondda Netball, and they are inspirational young women. I think that the fact that the sport is growing so quickly is really, really exciting. But the point about facilities is one well made, and I'll ask the Minister with responsibility for sport perhaps to liaise with Sport Wales to explore the opportunities there are for investment in facilities across Wales.

Minister, I want to come back to an issue that we've raised on many occasions in this Chamber, and that's the Banksy. We're fast approaching a year since Banksy actually produced his latest, Season's Greetings, artwork in Port Talbot. Thanks to the Welsh Government, we protected that over the Christmas period, and the Welsh Government also funded the move of that from its location to a far safer location. However, that location now is closed to the public. The public can only see it through a window, and can't actually see it and access it and feel the full vibrancy of it.

Now, I know that we've raised the issue on many occasions with the Deputy Minister in relation to the contemporary art museum that the Welsh Government is talking about. We seem to have gone a bit quiet on that at this point in time. I would like a statement, possibly from the Government before the Christmas recess, as to where we are with that process and where we can be moving towards, because it is important that artworks such as we saw in Port Talbot, which—. It is preserved, it is there, and should be more accessible to the public. We need to make sure that we can deliver that and make it accessible to the public as soon as possible, and understanding where we are in the progress of producing such a museum across Wales is helpful in that agenda. 

Well, as David Rees says, the Welsh Government was really pleased to be able to support the cost of security and the move of the Banksy piece of art into its current location. The future of the artwork in Port Talbot is an issue for the owner and Neath Port Talbot county council to discuss in the first instance, but I can confirm that work is under way on taking forward the recommendations of the contemporary art gallery feasibility study. A steering group of Arts Council of Wales, Amgueddfa Cymru/the National Museum Wales and Welsh Government officials is currently considering the distributive model and we will be making a further announcement in due course.

Would the Minister make a statement on the Government's current position with regard to the wilding project in mid Wales known as O'r Mynydd i'r Môr, given that the other so-called wilding projects have often resulted in devastation to the upland areas? The removal of livestock from our hills, supposedly essential in this rewilding process, can have such detrimental effects as tick infestation, overdevelopment of gorse, an explosion in bracken coverage—the latter resulting in water pollution of our streams and rivers, as the run-off from the bracken is toxic.

Destocking of upland areas causing undergrazing has also resulted in huge infestations of unpalatable grasses, such as Molinia and Nardus, which smother all other important grass species. The removal of the habitat that is the result of farming practices that have been in place for hundreds if not thousands of years has resulted in the loss of 33 red and amber listed moorland bird species. We're losing one of our greatest assets, heather moorland—essential habitat for wintering bird species.

Local opposition to this project is growing, with many farmers now actively protesting against it. Would the Government give a definitive statement on whether it supports these wilding projects in principle? And, if so, is it giving financial backing to such projects, given, it would seem, that many such projects are being promoted by what one might call English urbanite groups?

Well, David Rowlands had the opportunity to put his concerns about that particular project on the record today, but I would invite him to write to the Minister for environment and rural affairs again with those concerns, so that she can set out the Welsh Government's position, as he's requested. 

Minister, may I ask for a statement from the Minister for Housing and Local Government on what guidelines are issued to local authorities in Wales regarding car parking charges? More than 300 letters have been delivered to Newport City Council objecting to new car parking charges at Tredegar Park, when it was previously free of charges. Drivers face a daily charge of between £1 and £5, depending on the length of their stay, which results in a significant cost to those who use the park on a regular basis, such as dog walkers. Please could we have a statement on what advice the Welsh Government provides to local authorities concerning the implementation and impact of car parking charges in Wales?

Welsh Government doesn't issue specific guidance to local authorities on the matter of car parking charges themselves, but if Mohammad Asghar does have particular concerns about the decisions taken by the local authority in his area relating to car parking charges, then I would encourage him to raise those concerns with the local authority itself. 

I'd like to ask for a statement on housing adaptations and an update on what Welsh Government are doing in this regard. I ask because I have a constituent who suffered from a very serious illness that has left her wheelchair bound, and she's only in her early 30s. She's recently been required to stay at a Holiday Inn—other hotels are available—but this has been paid for by the local authority due to the fact that they have zero places for her to live. The one place that is adapted is already housing somebody else.

She's gone to three different housing associations. One of them has kindly said that they will build a new house for her, but that is still going to take some time through the planning system. In the interim, she's vulnerable—she's in temporary accommodation without the right adaptations. So, please could we have an update from the housing Minister, who I know is here listening too, to understand what we're going to do with the issues with people who are having these issues locally when the housing simply just is not available to them, be it by the council or the housing association in question?

My second request is, again, groundhog day, I think, with regard to eating disorders—that will be my legacy, I'm sure. Last Friday, the health boards were given the termination of sending in their ideas and their programmes for future work in relation to the eating disorders framework review. I would like to request an oral statement on this—because we had a written statement on the actual review, which I was disappointed about—to understand how many health boards have submitted their plans, what do they look like, is there a national picture emerging, are the health boards are going to be working together more as a result of this eating disorders framework review. We need to see progress happening, considering we had such positive buy-in from patients and from carers. Please can we have an oral statement?

Thank you very much for the issues that you've raised. As you say, the housing Minister was here to hear your concerns specifically about housing adaptations. She's asked me to invite you to write to her with the details of the individual who you've talked about this afternoon, because, clearly, the situation that that person finds themselves in is not acceptable in terms of living accommodation, certainly in the long term, when a more appropriate home is being sourced for that individual. So, please do raise that case with the Minister.

I will—again, I'll speak to the Minister for health with regard to your request for an oral statement on the Welsh Government's approach to eating disorders. I know this is an issue that you've had a strong interest in for a long time. It is important to understand the status now of the responses from the health boards and what kind of picture is emerging in terms of how we take things forward, so I'll make him aware of that request.

Trefnydd, I welcome your comments earlier in this time regarding mental health and men's mental health and suicide prevention, and I welcome the Government's work on this. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to this solution, but we all in this Chamber and this institution have lost someone just two years ago in this way, so I would like to remind everyone as individuals, as well as the Government, that as individuals we can all play our part in preventing suicide as human beings. Unlike what some may say, we should never—we should never—stop trying to help others, especially when it could save lives.

Trefnydd, Parliament in New Zealand, led by the progressive Labour Government, passed a zero carbon Bill with the aim of reducing emissions to zero carbon by 2050. Now, this ambitious target recognises the perilous state that we find ourselves in. Will the Welsh Government bring forward a statement on how Wales can achieve a similar target for a radical climate strategy based on a green new deal? Now, this is a policy proposal that has been so ably put forward by young activists and our future generations around the globe, who are demanding action now—a proposal that is now being championed by the UK Labour Party in an election that may be our last chance to act on climate change before it is too late. Will the Trefnydd use all of her influence to encourage the Welsh Government and ministerial colleagues to meet with the Government of New Zealand to understand how they plan to achieve this target and how we can bring it over to Wales?

Thanks to Jack Sargeant, particularly for his opening remarks in terms of reminding us that, actually, this is an issue in which we can all play a part individually. Even if it's just something as simple as asking somebody if they're all right, and just being a listening ear and demonstrating to somebody that we care, that can make all the difference at the time when a person needs to hear that kind of thing.

On the point about New Zealand and the commitment that it's made in terms of playing its part in terms of keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees and helping respond to what is a global climate emergency, we really welcome the work that New Zealand is doing. And I can confirm that Welsh Government officials and New Zealand officials do have good dialogue across a wide range of matters. I know this myself in terms of setting budgets within the context of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, for example. But Welsh Government has accepted the latest advice from our statutory advisers, which is the UK Committee on Climate Change, and that suggests that Wales can achieve a 95 per cent cut in carbon emissions by 2050.

The Minister with responsibility for environment and rural affairs has committed to that target and is putting it into legislation next year, following further advice on how our revised target would then affect our interim targets. I think that that's a really appropriate way for Wales to respond, but I think it's even more important to demonstrate a level of ambition, which the Minister has done in terms of asking the committee to go back and give us some further advice on how we might achieve net zero. So, I think it's important that we should be doing that looking to the future, but not lose sight of all the things we can do at the moment through our carbon delivery plan, which was published in March and contains sector-by-sector lists of things that we can all be doing right now.

Can I call for a single oral Welsh Government statement on the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board improvement framework? We received a written statement last Thursday on this, referring to a number of matters that merit full and comprehensive scrutiny within this Chamber, if not in full debate. It states, for example, that GP out-of-hours have been stepped down as special measures, and that the Minister will be interested to hear the views from the next tripartite meeting on progress with the delivery of quality sustainable mental health services. It refers to the development of the clinical services strategy, and also says progress has been made since the recovery director started in post, despite the u-turn by the health board, allegedly on the recommendation from him, regarding nurse rotas last week.

During the summer, with a constituent, I met a professor in the health board's department of psychiatry. He told me, 'Where we never had an out-of-area patient and had the lowest bed usage in the UK, we now have wards full of patients in England—at great cost. All substantive consultants have left and the service is populated by locum doctors, nurses and social workers, with a good deal of evidence that management prefer locums as they can be dismissed should they speak out of turn. Several of my patients have died, in part because of difficulties in getting them input. The rot extends down to basics. Several years ago, a doctor who referred and a patient who saw me in a clinic would within 48 hours have copies of my letter on the concerns dealt with. Now they are unlikely to have a copy of the letter 48 days later and patients are missing follow-up appointments as a result.'

A consultant physician at one of the three general hospitals asked to meet me. She had resigned after the health board allegedly failed to comply with their own procedures following vexatious complaints and bullying against her and another consultant.

I was copied into a letter from a senior GP, detailing their concerns regarding out-of-hours cover, stating, 'The situation I have witnessed over the weekends during this summer I would consider barely satisfactory, let alone safe for patients.' They concluded that they didn't want me to make that letter public, but they have received a response from the health board that they're happy to be public because it was not confidential, and they said, 'In this response you will see that the times mentioned for waits in north Wales are an utter disgrace. Whilst the response was pleasant, I really cannot see that any real change will come about.'

Three examples very recently from senior clinicians within that health board, which belie the statement and require more thorough scrutiny in this Chamber. I hope the Welsh Government on this occasion respond in the affirmative.     

Mark Isherwood has taken the opportunity to put on record the response of the three clinicians from within the Betsi Cadwaladr health board, and I will be sure to make sure that the health Minister is aware of those concerns that you've put on the record this afternoon. I will also make him aware of the request for the oral statement in relation to the Betsi Cadwaladr improvement framework. 

May I request a debate in Government time to discuss the very real crisis that exists in terms of waiting times for orthopaedic surgery in Ysbyty Gwynedd, and the concern that that crisis has become something far worse? In May, which was the last time I asked for waiting time figures for orthopaedic surgery at Ysbyty Gwynedd, there were 2,200 people waiting at that point for 110 weeks. By the time I received the latest response from Betsi Cadwaladr health board in the past few weeks, that figure had gone up to 2,900 people with a waiting time of 115 weeks.

I don't need to say that that is unacceptable. The chief executive of the health board has apologised in a recent letter to me and has accepted that this is unacceptable, but we're not looking for apologies, but a system that allows patients in my constituency and nearby constituencies to receive treatment in a fair waiting time. There are two surgeons who are to be appointed from January, as I understand it. The truth is that this is too little, too late, and they are now dealing with a waiting list of 700 more people than if the decision had been taken six months ago to appoint when there was a real need for these surgeons. So, can we have an urgent debate on this, because, as I say, we were facing a crisis previously, but it has gone beyond crisis now?

Well, again, I'll make the health Minister aware of the concerns that have been expressed by Rhun ap Iorwerth this afternoon in terms of waiting times for orthopaedics at Ysbyty Gwynedd. The waiting times that he's described are clearly not the kind of waiting times that we would want to see. So, I'll, again, be sure to have that conversation with the health Minister. I know that he does plan on bringing forward a statement on 3 December, which relates to the impacts of the 'Train. Work. Live.' campaign and I'm sure that a good part of the problem facing Ysbyty Gwynedd is in relation to the recruitment and retention of staff, and that could potentially be part of the contribution that you might wish to make in the statement that the health Minister will be bringing forward on that issue shortly. 

Thank you, Trefnydd.