4. Debate on a Statement: Draft Budget 2020-21

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:22 pm on 7 January 2020.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Mike Hedges Mike Hedges Labour 4:22, 7 January 2020

I could give you an alternative. I'll give you an alternative: I'd take money out of the economy budget and I'd put it into the environment budget and I'd put it into the education budget. I'm only asking you to do top-line changes. But, I think, where you would take money off—. Because you have to take money off somewhere to put it in somewhere else.

Can I start off with a request that's very easy? Can we have the £1 million return for over-60s free swimming? I am told this followed an independent review that recommended it. Can the Government now accept the independent review into free over-60s swimming was wrong and reinstate the money? The belief in the infallibility of independent reviews and inspectors is to me incredibly worrying—that these people are not infallible. This is money that is really useful in that it gets people out and exercising—the over-60s—and keeps them out of hospital.

I welcome the real-terms growth in the health and social services budget, but I fear that if it's given to health boards, which vary from at best dysfunctional to at worst failing, then we'll see very little improvement in health performance despite the real-terms growth in expenditure. Some health problems are well known: an undervalued, underfunded, and in some cases underperforming primary healthcare service. A&E is a default rather than the GP far too often when people are taken ill, sometimes recommended by the GP, some of whom will not provide emergency appointments, including to very young children and babies. Unless primary care is adequately funded and all primary care provided to an acceptable standard, then A&E queues will continue to grow.