2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:45 pm on 17 November 2020.

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Photo of Rebecca Evans Rebecca Evans Labour 2:45, 17 November 2020

Well, it is indeed an incredibly difficult time for people who have loved ones in care homes and in nursing homes and, indeed, for those people in those settings who are not able to see the family and friends who they love, as well. So, that is absolutely well understood. And the need to balance people's rights and to support their well-being with a desire to protect people living in care homes from the risk of infection is absolutely a challenging one.

In response to a similar request from Lynne Neagle and others, the week before last the Minister provided a written statement that related to the work that is focusing on care homes, and particularly talked about the fact that we're considering a range of options to support providers to enable those risk-assessed visiting options, including, for example, visiting space through those visiting pods and so on, and also, of course, the piloting of the rapid testing for visitors. So, as I say, we've recently had the written statement, but I'm aware now that Lynne Neagle's very keen to have the opportunity to hear an oral statement and to ask questions on that, and, again, I'll ensure that that's given due consideration.