Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:49 pm on 3 March 2020.
Diolch, Llywydd. Can I take this opportunity to thank you, First Minister, for your briefing on the coronavirus outbreak this morning? I'm pleased to see Governments and agencies working together to tackle this virus, and I'm sure you'll agree with me that it's vitally important that agencies and Governments continue to work together in the public interest.
Now, it's critical, of course, that our primary care services are able to cope with any new demand as a result of this development, and as you know, services across Wales are somewhat stretched, with a Wales Audit Office report showing that plans to address pressure in primary care have been patchy and slow. In responding to the 2020-21 Welsh Government draft budget debate, the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee has also made it clear that greater clarity about the funding for primary care and community activity is needed in future budget rounds so we can ensure that the level of resources reaching front-line primary care services is sufficient. As the first case of coronavirus in Wales has now been confirmed, can you tell us how the Welsh Government is monitoring the developments around the spread of coronavirus to ensure that the people of Wales are as informed as possible? Can you also tell us whether you are confident that the Welsh primary care sector has the capacity and resources needed in the event that the number of cases substantially increases, and whether there is any flexibility in the Welsh Government's budget so that additional resources could be allocated efficiently should coronavirus spread and become much more of a wider public health issue in the future?