The Budget's Impact on Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Trefnydd – in the Senedd at 2:12 pm on 8 January 2020.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Angela Burns Angela Burns Conservative 2:12, 8 January 2020

Thank you for that and, of course, the £25 million for Glangwili is extremely welcome. But, actually, I'm seeking clarity today from you regarding the budget allocation provided to maintain and update the NHS estate. It's not very clear in the overview where and how that capital funding could be deployed. I have a number of GP surgeries in my area that are not really fit for purpose anymore. We are asking general practice to provide more and more services to a greater number of people, many with comorbidities, and they need special access abilities and we need a raft of healthcare professionals that need premises to work from. We used to have a discrete fund of about £10 million that GPs could apply to to update their estate. That fund has disappeared over the last few years. I do note that there's £1.8 billion allocated to maintain and transform the NHS estate, but I'm not clear as to whether or not GPs will also be able to access that £1.8 billion or whether it is entirely for trusts and health boards.