3. Will the First Minister make a statement on the progress of the vaccination roll-out in Alyn and Deeside? OQ56255

Llywydd, the vaccination roll-out in Alyn and Deeside continues to accelerate, thanks to the commitment and dedication of all those involved in delivering this outstanding programme throughout the constituency.

Thank you for that answer, First Minister. The vaccine roll-out in Wales continues to gain pace. Wales now has vaccinated more of its population than any other nation in the United Kingdom. Public sector workers once again showing that they can deliver and they do deliver when we need them. First Minister, how confident are you that we will meet the middle of February deadline, as promised? Secondly, how confident are you that we can continue to create more capacity going forward into the next stage of the vaccination programme? And finally, First Minister, I understand that professionals are working extremely hard to protect the NHS and the vulnerable, through a massive flu vaccination roll-out as well. Will you join me in congratulating everyone involved in both programmes?

Well, Dirprwy Lywydd, I thank Jack Sargeant for an opportunity for the Senedd to talk about what everybody else in Wales is talking about, and that is the astonishing success of our national health service and those other public sector workers, the local government officers, who have helped us to open up mass vaccination centres, who found the desks, who found the chairs, who found the rooms; those volunteers who welcomed people on arrival; those members of the armed forces in every part of Wales are part of that enormous vaccination effort.

And Dirprwy Lywydd, it's right to put on record this afternoon. Just think of the last weekend. On Friday, we went through the 0.5 million barrier in terms of the number of people vaccinated in Wales. On Friday and Saturday, we vaccinated 1 per cent of the whole of the population of Wales on both days. And on Monday, we went through 600,000 people who've now successfully been vaccinated. It is an enormous tribute, at a time, as Jack Sargeant said, Dirprwy Lywydd, when our health workers are doing all the other things that we ask of them, including that flu vaccination programme, which, by the way, has once again been an outstanding success in north Wales in particular, and in the Member's constituency, we have some of the best flu-uptake figures anywhere in Wales. To do all of that at the same time while responding to winter pressures, while doing all the other things that Andrew R.T. Davies talked to me about, it's a remarkable effort, and we owe those people an enormous debt of gratitude, and I'm very glad to have the chance to put that on the record here this afternoon.

And we will, Dirprwy Lywydd, be asking even more of them in the weeks to come, because very soon, not only will we be offering a first vaccination to everybody in groups 5 to 9 of the priority list, we'll be offering a second vaccine to everybody in groups 1 to 4. And the Member asked me if I'm confident that we will complete the vaccination of groups 1 to 4 within the time frame that we set out and promised and I'm very pleased to say to him that I am very confident that we will achieve that here in Wales.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board stated last Thursday that 'No vaccines will go to waste as we're using a standby list created in accordance with the national priority groups.' However, many Flintshire residents have contacted me concerned otherwise. One said, 'A neighbour had a knock on the door from a new resident who said every day there are spare vaccinations as many people were not turning up, and that if she was interested in a jab, her contact at Deeside vaccination centre would call her later in the day.' Another said, 'I've been made aware of a person employed on IT duties, aged 26 with no underlying health conditions, vaccinated at short notice. This is the third situation where I've heard of somebody outside of the roll-out criteria being vaccinated on short notice.' Another said, 'There are people who are not front-line NHS staff, over 80, et cetera, receiving appointments to have the vaccine. None had underlying health conditions.' They also copied me in on Deeside vaccination centre's online booking form, asking, 'Why is this being shared and used by everyone who shouldn't be eligible for the vaccine?' What, therefore, is going on, when surely any standby list should prioritise people like front-line police officers and teachers?

Well, Llywydd, now we've heard the only Conservative contribution to the astonishing success story that is vaccination here in Wales: a collection of random and unattributed anecdotes that really don't amount to a single piece of serious commentary. Let me tell the Member: the health service across Wales, and in Betsi Cadwaladr too, is working as hard as it possibly can to deliver vaccination in line with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advice. Of course health boards have reserve lists, so that when people are unable, for all sorts of reasons, to take up an appointment at short notice, there are other people who can be called upon, so that vaccine does not go to waste. What could possibly be objectionable in that? Would it not have been more fitting this afternoon if the Conservative Party could have found it in it to congratulate those people for everything that they are doing? Instead, when 628,000 people have successfully been vaccinated, he wants to talk to us about three people he has heard from who appear to have a complaint.