1. Will the Minister provide an update on the new health board boundaries in South Wales West? OAQ54765

Thank you for the question. The only health board boundary change that has taken place since 2009 is to move the Bridgend county borough area from Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board to Cwm Taf University Health Board and to form the new Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board. The legislation making that change came into effect on 1 April 2019. 

Thank you very much, Minister. Two years ago, when we were discussing this, you told me that the change in the health board footprint in South Wales West wouldn't make any difference to services there. I recently had confirmation, though, from Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, that it's still thinking of closing the GP surgeries in Llanharan and Pencoed, and planning to replace them with a single new surgery in Llanharan, even though they're not able to say yet what those services might be. With the large increases in housing development planned—that's what I was told recently by Marcus Longley—it could mean that—. The main point of the question is that there's going to be quite a lot of housing development in that particular area, so I wonder if you could tell me, since the boundaries have changed, what update you have had from the new board about these particular issues on the very west of their boundary, and whether they're planning to do any new impact assessments rather than relying on those done previously by AMBU. Thank you.

I don't think this issue is affected at all in any adverse way by the change in boundaries. In fact, part of the challenge previously for this practice was having centres to operate in different health board areas. And in my conversation with the constituency Member, my understanding is different to the one you've set out. It may be worth you putting that in writing, then I can write to both the constituency Member, who's raised this with me directly, and you to get a clarified issue about it, because it's about planning to deliver the service and to take into account current and future need, and that is part of what we ought to see happening right across primary care.

As you said, the Bridgend area is now in Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board area. That means that Parc prison is now in Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board area. As you know, Parc prison is a private prison and the healthcare system, which is devolved, is operated privately under G4S in that private Parc prison and is meant to be under the overview of Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board. Now, evidence to the health committee last week from senior Cwm Taf representatives suggested they had little idea of the health situation going on within Parc prison. Is that acceptable?

Well, it's a consequence of the arrangements that have been put in place at a private prison, and that's not a matter that I can intervene on or actually undo. I would much prefer it if prisoner healthcare was run in a different way. I'd personally prefer it if there was an update to the formula to recognise the increase in prisoner population, and the needs that exist. I'd much prefer if we didn't have the private provision in Parc. That is not a matter that I'm in control of, although, obviously, come 13 December, I look forward to a significant change in the way that public services are funded and delivered.

I thank Suzy for raising this question, and I may be able to be some help, but I want to ask for some help from the Minister going forward as well. The changes to Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board have indeed been helpful on two significant issues that I know he's been involved in over the last couple of years as well.

One has indeed been the issue of the provision of surgeries for people in the Llanharan and Brynna area. I want to put on record my thanks, I have to say, to Pencoed Medical Centre, who have reintroduced their surgeries back into Llanharan and extended the provision to four and a half days now there. But it does raise the interesting thing of the longer term issue that Suzy raised. We are going to have thousands of new homes within that area, from Pencoed to Llanharan to Pontyclun. There are probably five GP practices around that area, including Talbot Green and Pontyclun, as well as two within Pencoed and so on. At some point, we are going to have to shift the dial here and actually go beyond outreach surgeries, which is great, and thanks to Pencoed Medical Centre for reintroducing that, and onto that. So, I ask him if he will continue to keep engaged with me and with Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board to explore that. Because they've done great provision in places like Mountain Ash where they've built new surgeries there. And I think they should be looking to the existing GPs to see which of those would want to be involved in this.

The second aspect that I'd ask him to continue his involvement with is Maesteg day hospital, and actually the wider facilities. It's great that, after a slightly scary consultation before under ABMU, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board have now gone out to actually co-deliver something on the basis of, 'How do we enhance the future of Maesteg hospital?' But the Minister has been integral to helping in this process, and I would simply ask him whether he's willing to keep an interest in this and to keep, where he can, giving gentle prods behind the scenes, so that we get the right solutions for people, whether they're in Llanharan in the east, in Maesteg in the Llynfi, or the Afan valley, I have to say, in the west.

I'm happy to confirm that, on the Pencoed issue, I remember not just the conversation with the Member but with local councillors and residents about the threat to the Llanharan centre being closed, and I'm pleased it's got a long-term future. And of course in thinking about the future, we need to think about where the need is and where the demand is, as well as the broader challenge that was set out in the primary care conference recently about how clusters work more effectively together so you have a greater partnership right across the primary care team. And I'm more than happy to stay engaged and involved with that. 

And the same with the future services to be based at the Maesteg day hospital site, because this is about where and how we deliver services in the future. And I'm sure, even if I wanted to no longer be engaged and involved in them, that the constituency Member would drag me back into doing my job and doing exactly that. 

Question 2, Janet Finch-Saunders.