4. Will the Minister make a statement on how the vaccination programme is progressing in Alyn and Deeside? OQ56298

Thank you. We met our first milestone to offer vaccination to those in JCVI priority groups 1 to 4 by mid February. We are in the fortunate position of being the first UK country to do so. We are making good progress towards the next milestone, which is, subject to supply, to offer vaccination to groups 5 to 9 by the middle of April. Within Alyn and Deeside, I'm pleased to say that all GP practices are helping to deliver our successful vaccination programme.

Thank you for that answer, Minister, and the important information within it. I'm sure you'll agree with me that Members of the Senedd have a responsibility to act as leaders in their community, and since the start of the vaccination programme I have sought, through my 'let's vaccinate Flintshire' campaign, to work with the health board and to work with the Welsh Government to assist and support the roll-out where I can. Now, other Members of this Chamber had a lot to say in the first few days, almost demanding to know why the population hadn't been vaccinated immediately. Now, for some time, under the brilliant leadership of our First Minister, Mark Drakeford, Wales has led the way in the United Kingdom and across Europe, and these critics in the early days have gone silent. Minister, do you agree with me that we all have a role to play in publicly congratulating and encouraging everyone involved in the vaccination programme?

Yes, I do. I think it's really important that everyone, regardless of their politics, recognises the fantastic success that Wales's vaccination programme represents. The hard work, the dedication, the skill and the expertise of our staff, partners in the military, local government and the voluntary sector have demonstrated that the first few weeks, when we did have a slower rate of delivery than other UK nations, were well used to plan for our ability to go at a much quicker rate. That's why we are at the top of the four-nations table at this point in time for the overall percentage of the population who have had their vaccine and for the numbers of adults who have had their vaccine as well, and I look forward to a further successful roll-out in groups 5 to 9, and then for the rest of the adult population. I hope that those people who were critical will now give their full support and recognise the credit for this Government and our fantastic national health service for the amazing success that the vaccination programme represents for Wales.

The national vaccination strategy to 14 February included care home staff, but Care Forum Wales stated last week that the decision by Flintshire County Council to base care home fees on paying half the staff the minimum wage is an affront to care workers who put their own lives on the line and have heroically done their utmost to protect their residents from the deadly coronavirus pandemic. Responding, Flintshire council told me, 'This is not a local issue and we work to regional funding formulas in the allocation of funding, and we mutually agreed the annual uplifts with commissioning providers.' Responding to this, however, Care Forum Wales told me, 'I don't believe you'll find a single independent care home provider who would agree that Flintshire's 2021-22 fees uplift has been mutually agreed with providers.' How do you therefore respond to their question why, when every shred of evidence shows that the dependency of residents in care homes during the last 20 years, and particularly the last year, has increased significantly, north Wales fees have gone from the top of the league and now occupy the relegation zone?

Well, I'm robustly confident that follow-up question has nothing to do with the success of the vaccination programme in Alyn and Deeside, but, as you'll know, this Government is committed to a longer term future to revise not just the way the social care sector is organised but how we fund it, how we reward our staff. I look forward to all parties putting forward their alternative ways to properly fund social care in the future within the next manifestos we will all put before the people of Wales. I look forward to returning to this Chamber before the end of the term to give an update on the work of the inter-ministerial group on paying for care, and I look forward to Conservative Members finding new ways to put extra resources into our social care system as opposed to demanding extra resource without ever identifying where that money should come from.