That brings us to our next item, and that is the business statement and announcement. I call on the Trefnydd to make that statement. Rebecca Evans.

Diolch, Llywydd. I have several changes to this week's business. The Minister for Health and Social Services will shortly make a statement on the COVID-19 vaccine strategy. To accommodate this, with Business Committee's agreement, I've reduced the time allocated to the debate on my draft budget statement to 60 minutes. Later this afternoon, the Government will seek a suspension of Standing Orders to enable us to debate the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2020, the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2020, the Health Protection (Coronavirus, South Africa) (Wales) Regulations 2020, and the LCM on the Trade Bill. Finally, Business Committee has agreed to postpone tomorrow's debate by the Independent Alliance for Reform group until next week. Draft business for the next three weeks is set out on the business statement and announcement, which can be found amongst the meeting papers available to Members electronically.

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Ann Jones) took the Chair.

I call for a Welsh Government statement regarding autistic adults being prioritised for the COVID vaccine. As a constituent wrote, 'My brother lives in north Wales and he has both a learning disability and autism. Recent research by Public Health England stated that the death rate from COVID is six times higher for people with a learning disability than the general population. We know from the cross-party autism group', they said, 'that there are many more individuals like my autistic brother in Wales, and receiving the COVID vaccine would be an enormous help to them and their families.'

I also call for a statement responding to the calls by the North Wales Police Federation for policing to be considered for some priority on the COVID-19 vaccination programme. As they told me, 'Day in, day out, police officers put their own safety, health and well-being at risk whilst protecting us all. Sadly, in north Wales we've seen many colleagues who've become unwell with COVID-19, some requiring hospital treatment and many more having to self-isolate.' I call for those statements accordingly.

Thank you to Mark Isherwood for raising both of those issues. As I set out in the business statement, we do have a statement from the Minister for Health and Social Services next on today's agenda and that does deal specifically with our approach to vaccination in Wales. I know that he will take that opportunity to say more about the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and the advice that it provides to Welsh Government in terms of the priority schedules. So, Llywydd, we do have that debate coming next this afternoon.

I want to press the case for a COVID vaccination centre for the Rhondda and also for vaccines to the wider community to be available on the basis of need. There remains a high prevalence of COVID within my constituency, and many of us now know families who have lost someone tragically to this. The health board have discussed with the local authority where to locate the centres in Rhondda Cynon Taf, and Aberdare has been chosen. It's not possible for many people from the Rhondda to get to Aberdare. We've got low car ownership and, of course, people are being discouraged from using public transport. Now, I welcome the news that GP surgeries are engaging in this and will be vaccinating the high-risk groups soon, and much of that work has started already. But it has been suggested that the Rhondda will not get our share of vaccines. Now, I'm not sure of the truth of this, but I want to put the case for that extra sense of urgency for my constituency, the Rhondda, given the high level of prevalence and need that we have here.

Thank you to Leanne Wood for raising that. We all feel that real sense of urgency on behalf of the people we represent here at the Senedd. Again, I'd point to the fact that we've got the statement from the Minister for health next this afternoon. I appreciate it's only just been added to the agenda today, so Members weren't aware that it would be forthcoming, but, as I say, any requests for statements regarding the vaccination process will be met with the statement by the Minister next this afternoon.

Minister, I wonder if I could have a statement from the Government on the roll-out of the drug fampridine in Wales. This is a drug available in respect of multiple sclerosis. A statement was issued by the health Minister a year ago that it would be available for free on the NHS. I have a constituent who has been paying £200 a month for the drug. He has raised this matter. I've certainly notified Welsh Government on this, but there is no indication yet from Cardiff and Vale health board that they are able to deliver this drug, which he continues to pay for, and it seems to me to be appropriate at this stage for there to be a proper assessment of the extent to which this drug is being rolled out and is freely available, rather than people still having to pay for it, if that is the case.

Thank you to Mick Antoniw for raising that. I know that he has had the opportunity to raise this directly with the health Minister on behalf of his constituent as well. I will say that I understand that it was the case that the recommendation by the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group to allow this drug for use in Wales was ratified by the Welsh Government on 12 December, and it has been made available in health boards. But I do understand that there is a specific delay in Cardiff and the Vale, and I understand that that is due to consultant vacancies. I can reassure Mick Antoniw that Dr Andrew Goodall has written to the chief executive of Cardiff and Vale University Health Board in December asking for an update on that latest position and what the health board is proposing to do to ensure that patients can access the drug without delay, and the health Minister will update Mick Antoniw as soon as we do have a response from the health board on that. 

Thank you. Russell George.

Diolch, Deputy Presiding Officer, and happy new year, Trefnydd. Could I ask for an oral statement, Trefnydd, on further financial support for Welsh businesses during the pandemic? I appreciate fully that the vaccination programme is a priority for Government, but also I'd suggest is the ongoing business support that is needed. There's a particular concern for more clarity and information about the support available for the hospitality sector, which was forced to close on 20 December and was under considerable restrictions before that date. I would be grateful if you could bring forward an oral statement so we can also, as Members, ask questions on the Government's progress. And particular areas that need to be addressed I'd suggest are the economic resilience fund and issues around eligibility for that fund. There's a suggestion of the 1 September date, which has been set by the Welsh Government to be signed up by for particular funding, which I think needs to be questioned. And I also think we do need a rolling programme of support for business payments on a monthly basis, and I would like that to be discussed as well during a Senedd statement. I would be grateful if you could consider a statement either from yourself or from the economy Minister. 

I'm grateful to Russell George for raising this issue, and I do share his view that the support for business absolutely has to be a top priority for Welsh Government, and I can provide the reassurance that it is. Russell George will remember that before Christmas the Welsh Government announced a package of £450 million of further support for businesses across Wales, maintaining our most generous package of business support anywhere in the UK. 

I can say that I have been having some meetings with my colleague the Minister for the economy to discuss what further support might be needed when we get beyond the end of this month in terms of support for business, depending, of course, on the picture in terms of the pandemic. And we would, obviously, provide that clarity to business as soon as we are able to do so. But I will, obviously, again make sure that he's aware of that request for an oral statement to accompany any further detail about support for business. 

I'd like to request, Trefnydd, a statement from the education Minister on a number of matters relating to how the system is responding to the current crisis. Firstly, there's a question of school deficits, school debts. Before COVID-19, Carmarthenshire County Council was working very hard with school leaders to bring down school deficits. However, since March 2020, schools and local authorities have been having to provide additional support for pupils, and we would like to ask Welsh Government for assurances around how that funding will be able to continue, and that there will be a sympathetic approach taken to those schools who have not been able to resolve their deficits. 

I'd like to be able to question the Minister about funding for school refurbishment. Carmarthenshire County Council tell me that they're unable to use twenty-first century schools funding to refurbish buildings, but they are able to build new ones. Obviously, the pandemic has had an effect on the ability to roll out new school buildings, and that's led to some issues, particularly, for example, in Ysgol Dewi Sant in Llanelli, where there's an urgent need for refurbishment and the local authority doesn't feel it has sufficient budgets. 

And finally, I'd like to be able to ask the Minister about the processes for consulting on school changes during the COVID period. A number of local authorities across the mid and west region are consulting on changes, many of those very positive changes that I'm sure most representatives would wish to support, but it has been put to me, for example, by parents from Ysgol Mynydd y Garreg near Kidwelly, that it's very difficult for communities to respond to proposed changes at a time of COVID, when people can't meet, it's very difficult to campaign, it's very difficult to have the discussions with your local representatives. So, I'd like to be able to ask the Minister whether she feels that, given the new restrictions, we need to review whether or not this is the right time for those consultations to proceed, in order to ensure that all voices can be heard where big changes are to be made that affect communities.

I thank Helen Mary Jones for raising those three particular areas of concern this afternoon. So, it was school deficits, school refurbishment within the context of twenty-first century schools, and the process for consulting on any changes during the current period of restrictions and the context of the pandemic. I will, on this occasion, ask Helen Mary to send that in a letter to the education Minister, so that she can respond to each of those concerns, because they are quite detailed and complex areas and perhaps it would be good to be able to point to the relevant guidance and so on on this occasion.

Sorry, I think I've returned. So sorry about that. That was an internet failure. It was the circle of doom that went round. Alun Davies.

I'm grateful to see you back, Deputy Presiding Officer. I think we all are. I think also all of us were also appalled and shocked to see the scenes from Washington last week, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families, of course, who lost loved ones in that attempt to undermine America's democracy. Now, what we saw last week was no accident. It was a pre-planned attempt to undermine the democracy of the American election. It was clearly incited by Donald Trump, but it was more rooted in lies and misinformation over many, many months and years. And it is a warning, I think, Minister, Deputy Presiding Officer, to everyone who believes in democracy, and I'm concerned about the integrity of our own election, to be held in the next few months. We've already seen in Wales how the far right and their friends at the moment who are currently in the Abolish party are willing to undermine our own democracy with their use of misinformation and sometimes outright lies in order to reach people. It is important, therefore, that we are able to have a debate on how we conduct our elections and our politics in this country. Minister, I would like to see a debate in Government time on these matters. I would also like to ask the Government and the Senedd Commission to speak to Facebook, to Twitter, to regulators such as Ofcom, and the Electoral Commission, to ensure that our democracy is not undermined by those who cannot win an election.

Thank you to Alun Davies for raising this issue this afternoon. I, and colleagues in Government, shared that sense of shock at the scenes that we saw unfolding last week, and clearly it's devastating that it did result in the loss of lives as well. I share his deep concern about misinformation and the impact that that may have on our democracy, so I will absolutely take it upon myself to have those conversations appropriately within Government to explore how we can engage with the social media giants and others to ensure that they play their part in ensuring that misinformation is addressed. And I'd also point, within the context of the COVID pandemic, to the good work that Public Health Wales is doing in terms of addressing some of those concerning aspects of misinformation that are circulating regarding the virus and the vaccine and so forth, and so I'd be keen to encourage colleagues to share the dispelling of those myths and misinformation that Public Health Wales is working on.

Trefnydd—two statements that I'm looking for, please. The first is an urgent written joint statement from the Minister for Education and the Minister for local government about the real confusion being experienced by families about the school or hub settings that councils are providing during the period of school closures. The three local authorities in South Wales West are doing things completely differently, or at least I assume so, as, unfortunately, Swansea city council hasn't had the courtesy to respond to my enquiries. The information on the Welsh Government website is not resolving confusion about critical workers and key workers, the apparent ability of councils to pick and choose who counts as a critical or key worker, and the turning of a blind eye to the Welsh Government requirement that only one parent need be a critical worker in order for a child to be eligible to attend school or a hub. I would like some information about the actual education to be anticipated to be received at those hubs as well.

And then, secondly, just a brief statement from the Welsh Government to fully explain the confusion that occurred over the weekend regarding the vaccination for certain members of school staff who administer intimate care to children in special schools. It wasn't great communication at a time when we were all talking about vaccines anyway, but the short clarification that came out doesn't seem to cover the situation for teachers in mainstream schools, not just other staff, who find themselves having to administer a level of personal care to children who need that care. I think we could all do, actually, with further clarification on that. Thank you.

Thank you for raising those issues. I will make sure that the education and local government Ministers are aware of that first request in terms of some clarity around the hub settings. My understanding is that there is an issue in terms of how many children are able to access those hub settings, but, of course, I will speak to both of those Ministers to try and get the kind of clarity that's being sought there.  

And then, in terms of the JCVI advice, I know that, again, we have the statement from the health Minister this afternoon on vaccinations, so there may be an opportunity to clarify it there, but, if not, I will ask the Minister to write to colleagues with some more information on the advice that we are receiving from the JCVI.

I'd like a statement, please, from the Government explaining why so many people who are in their 80s and 90s and who are housebound have been invited to appointments for vaccinations in mass vaccination centres, when they were never going to be able to get to those appointments. I've been contacted by numerous constituents, primarily in Caerphilly, but I'd wager that it's probably happening in communities across Wales, whose family members have been sent invitations to appointments that they just can't make. Now, I've raised this with the health board, and I know that other Members have done this too, and I do feel reassured that mobile units will be making house visits to people who are housebound once the work of vaccinating residents of care homes is completed. Now, I understand that they're also considering working with district nurses to do this, but surely, Trefnydd, the Welsh Government should have ensured that no-one was sent those letters for appointments that they wouldn't be able to make. These letters have caused confusion and anxiety for many vulnerable people, and apparently a helpline that's dealing with this isn't always working. So, I'd like a statement, please, reiterating what the national plan is, as well as a timetable for people who are housebound and how you'll be working with health boards to ensure that people who aren't able to leave their houses but are in the priority groups are going to be vaccinated. I would also, finally, Trefnydd, like an explanation about why this wasn't communicated better from the start to avoid unnecessary confusion and distress for people.

So, the Welsh Government was the first Government in the UK to publish a vaccination plan, so that occurred yesterday and might provide some of the information that is required. I was concerned to hear the comment about the helpline not necessarily being available, so I'll certainly make sure that we look into that. And then I'd also just highlight again that the next item of business this afternoon is the statement on vaccinations, so I'm sure that the Minister has been listening closely to all of the contributions during the business statement today and will obviously be listening closely again to contributions during his statement this afternoon.

I'd like to ask for a statement, please, on the operation of the childcare offer for Wales during these tier 4 arrangements. Parents in my constituency have been told that if they decide not to send their children into nursery, because they're trying to follow the Welsh Government's advice to stay home, they will either have to pay the money themselves or lose their place. And further to that, I'm very concerned about the impact that that would have on the viability of childcare provision, especially in areas like the Valleys. So, I think it's vital that we have urgent clarification on this and I'd be grateful if a statement could be brought forward. Thank you.

Thank you to Lynne Neagle for raising this. I know that she has already taken the opportunity, on behalf of constituents, to raise it directly with the Deputy Minister for social care as well. I know, as a result, the Deputy Minister is really very alive to this particular issue and is looking to resolve it as soon as possible, and I know that she'll be keen to provide the clarity that Lynne Neagle is seeking.

I just wanted to return to the tragic death of Mohamud Mohammed Hassan, who was one of my constituents. Obviously, I completely share the concerns expressed by the First Minister in response to questions from the leader of Plaid Cymru, but this could not have come at a worse time for the community, when everybody's in lockdown, when everybody's very tense about the virus as well as the impact that it disproportionately has on people living in very crowded accommodation. I just wondered if it's possible to have a statement from the Deputy Minister on how we can endeavour to reassure the community in the current situation, whilst we await the independent investigation into the issues surrounding this young man's death.

I thank Jenny Rathbone for raising this, this afternoon. I echo absolutely everything that the First Minister was saying regarding Mohamud and the fact that his family is very much in our thoughts today. We do urge that the death is fully investigated, and I think that what Jenny Rathbone has just outlined demonstrates why there is an absolute urgency about that. So, we would ask the services involved to expedite the case and, obviously, then to demonstrate that black lives really do matter.

So, we would be looking to the Independent Office for Police Conduct and those involved in undertaking the postmortem, and all of the other work that needs to go on, to do so as soon as possible to complete their work. But, that important point that Jenny was making about community cohesion and reassurance and so on will be something that the Deputy Minister will be considering how best to respond to.

Finally, Huw Irranca-Davies.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and a happy new year to you all.

Could I ask, Trefnydd, for a statement from the environment Minister on any implications for Wales of the decision by the UK Government over the weekend to allow a temporary licence for neonicotinoid use in parts of the UK? Within days of the end of the transition out of the EU, the UK Government has allowed a measure that smacks of that deregulatory approach that we were all fearful of. It's permitting the use, albeit limited at the moment to sugar beet in England, of neonics, when a 2019 report by the World Health Organization said that

'A rapidly growing body of evidence strongly suggests that the existing levels of environmental contamination'— by neonicotinoids—

'are causing large-scale adverse effects on bees and other beneficial insects'.

So, the concern, Trefnydd, shared by many, is that this is just the start of a deregulatory trend. So, a statement could help clarify how this Senedd, and how the Welsh Government, can protect Wales against threats of weakening of environmental protections imposed from Westminster, and also where the Welsh Government stands on proposals for a Welsh national pesticide action plan to properly translate the sustainable use of pesticides directives into Wales, and to live up, I have to say, to what is a really great aim by the environment Minister, of environmental standards in Wales being the same as, if not better than, other places in the UK. Thank you, Trefnydd.

Thank you. The environment, energy and rural affairs Minister will obviously have heard your concerns this afternoon. I can say that Welsh Ministers are able to consider and approve the granting of emergency authorisations for Wales where there is a need for these products, should there be a perceived need for these products. But, I have to say that that just sets out where the law is, and this is very much a devolved issue.

In this case, obviously, there was no decision for Welsh Ministers to take anyway because this was only an application in relation to England. But the most important thing, really, is to recognise that the Welsh Government has always taken a very cautious and precautionary approach in this area, and I wouldn't imagine that we would change from that particular strong commitment to the approach in future. But, as I say, the Minister will be aware of the concerns that you have raised and will want to have a further discussion, I'm sure.

Thank you very much, Trefnydd.