The next item is the business statement and announcement, and I call on the Trefnydd to make the statement. Rebecca Evans.

Diolch, Llywydd. There is one change to this week's business. The debate on the four sets of climate change regulations has been postponed until next week. Draft business for the remaining two weeks of term is set out on the business statement and announcement, which can be found amongst the meeting papers available to Members electronically. 

I call for a single Welsh Government statement on support for Llangollen railway. The directors of this wonderful Welsh standard-gauge heritage railway announced last week that they've taken the reluctant step of inviting their bank to appoint a receiver. The trust board stated it will,

'need to take steps to negotiate with the receiver to try to secure the line and preserve rolling stock and infrastructure to the extent possible. It is intended to recommence operations in due course but this is dependent upon legal and regulatory approvals, including licensing, all of which will clearly take time.'

The impact this will have on their staff, volunteers, customers, suppliers, locomotive owners and their organisations, and anyone else with connections to the railway, is potentially serious, as is the potential wider impact on the visitor economy in Llangollen and throughout the Dee valley. I have therefore been asked to raise this in the Welsh Parliament and alert the First Minister and request a Welsh Government statement accordingly.

I'm grateful to Mark Isherwood for raising the Llangollen railway in the Chamber this afternoon, and it is absolutely, as he describes, a concerning situation. I will invite him to write to the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism in the first instance, who I know will discuss this matter with the Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales, to provide a written update on the situation to Mark Isherwood, bearing in mind that we now only have the two weeks of business in the Chamber that remain to us.

I'd like to ask for two statements today, Trefnydd, if I may. May I request a written statement from the education Minister on whether she would consider a Wales-wide extension on school consultations that have been taking place under pandemic circumstances? I know this is an issue for many communities in my region, in Powys particularly, and in Carmarthenshire. Following recent revision of Welsh Government guidelines to local authorities, Carmarthenshire County Council's executive board decided last week to extend consultations on four different proposals, including the proposals with regard to Ysgol Mynyddygarreg, until 16 July. I would appreciate an update from the Minister as to whether she feels that, given how difficult it has been for communities to organise and respond to consultations during the pandemic, it would be appropriate to have a national extension on these consultations.

I would further like to ask the Trefnydd for a statement on the situation at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in Swansea. The Trefnydd will be very aware, I'm sure, that workers are considering strike action because of working conditions there. They do not feel safe. Now, obviously, the DVLA itself is not devolved, but the Welsh Government does have responsibility for enforcing safe working practices. Could I ask the Trefnydd for a statement from the appropriate Welsh Minister to outline what further the Welsh Government can do to help those workers, many of whom, of course, live in Llanelli, in my region? And would she be prepared to join me today in sending a message of solidarity to those workers as they consider whether or not they must take industrial action, as I, as a Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd, am happy to do?

Again, I'm grateful to Helen Mary Jones for raising two important issues this afternoon. I know that the Minister for Education will have listened carefully to the request for a Wales-wide extension in respect of consultations and the examples that you've given about the extensions of three such consultations in Carmarthenshire. She'll give due consideration to that request, I'm very sure.

On the matter of the DVLA, clearly it is a matter of huge concern to us that people don't feel safe in the workplace, and you'll be aware of the representations that the Welsh Government has made in support of the workforce there at the DVLA in the period leading up to now, and of course we continue to support those workers. Welsh Government has put into law measures to keep people safe in the workplace, but, clearly, those measures do need to be implemented, then, by the employers. So, I'd be very happy to provide that update to the Senedd via my colleague the Minister for the economy, in terms of the support that we've been able to offer DVLA workers so far and the representations that we've been making on their behalf to ensure that they are safe in the workplace.FootnoteLink

Information further to Plenary

I just wondered if we could have some clarity over the relevance of the consultation by the Food Standards Agency on revising food inspection regulations, which they launched just before we knew about the thin EU transition deal. It does rather pose a question mark as to whether it is seeking to undermine the standard we have come to expect, rather than simply an adjustment of the code. And this, indeed, was flagged up as a concern by Professor Terry Marsden when he was giving evidence to the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee last week. So, I wondered if we could have a statement from Lesley Griffiths to give us the Government's view as to what this could mean for undermining the very high standards of Welsh food that we currently enjoy.

Well, Welsh Government absolutely shares the concerns that Jenny Rathbone has been raising for a long period of time about the impact of a thin deal on the standards that we have in respect of food, and also wider standards in respect of the environment and workers' rights, and so forth. I will ask Lesley Griffiths to provide that update to Jenny Rathbone on what the implications are of the particular consultation that the FSA is currently undertaking.

Trefnydd, as you know, yesterday was International Women's Day and, along with other Members, I was happy to show my support and commitment to developing a more equal Wales. I supported the Welsh Cakes for Welsh Women's Aid campaign by hosting a virtual coffee morning with my staff to discuss the work of Welsh Women's Aid, and to remind ourselves of the support services they offer and how to access them. In light of that, could I request an up-to-date statement from the Welsh Government in relation to its efforts to tackle domestic abuse? You may be aware that, in August last year, Dyfed Powys Police received 900 reports of domestic abuse, compared with 350 incidents a month in 2017, and that shows the need to urgently tackle domestic abuse in communities right across Wales.

Secondly, could I ask for a statement from the Welsh Government in relation to the resumption of elective surgery across Wales? I've received representations from people in Pembrokeshire who are waiting for treatment in considerable discomfort and pain, and they're calling for support and assurances that they will receive treatment. The health Minister has made it clear that it could take the Welsh NHS five years to tackle the backlog in treatments, and I appreciate that there will be a debate on this issue tomorrow, but I believe that it is critical that we have a statement from the Minister on his specific plans to resume all NHS treatments and surgeries across Wales, and how he plans to expedite those services so that people waiting for treatment across Wales can be assured that the Welsh Government has a plan in place to ensure that non-COVID treatments can be delivered sooner rather than later.

I'd be very pleased to ask my colleague the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip to provide that update to colleagues on Welsh Government efforts to tackle domestic abuse in Wales. It's been a continuing concern for us throughout lockdown and the fact that, for many people, home isn't a safe place. And I'm sure that the Deputy Minister will be very pleased to provide the latest on Welsh Government action in this respect.

And, as you say, there is a debate tomorrow afternoon on the resumption of elective surgery, but I do know that my colleague the health Minister is working on a plan for the next steps for the NHS and that he does intend to publish something by the end of this month that will encapsulate, I hope, the kind of vision that Paul Davies is seeking this afternoon.

Concerns have been raised by charities working with people with cancer that many people throughout this country may have missed a cancer diagnosis. Now, people leaving it too late to get concerning and persistent symptoms checked out was a problem in the Rhondda before the COVID crisis. Too many people were getting a cancer diagnosis at a late stage, often when they turned up for treatment at the accident and emergency department. As we move beyond COVID, the Rhondda needs to see a concerted effort to tackle this cancer diagnosis backlog. Can we have a statement from the Government so that we can understand how the Government is planning specifically to do that, especially in an area like ours with greater health inequalities? Could you include in that statement support for a specialist, accessible cancer diagnosis centre in the Rhondda?

Will you also agree to light up all Welsh Government public buildings to remember all of those that we have lost to COVID on the memory day of 23 March?

Thank you for raising two really important issues. On the first, I just want to reinforce what Leanne Wood has said this afternoon about how important it is to go to your GP should you have any concerns about symptoms that might be related to cancer. The message really is that your NHS is still there for you in these difficult times. Our cancer recovery guidance has been part of the NHS framework planning system since quarter 2 of last year. Health boards are already planning their treatment capacity for cancer care on a quarterly basis, and also responding on a day-to-day basis to deliver as much cancer treatment as they possibly can in the context of the pressures on their services. As we start to emerge now from this second wave, we are looking specifically at how we can move permanently to recover cancer services, and feeding that into our border recovery plans for the NHS, which I have just referred to in an answer to Paul Davies. I can also add that, in February, my colleague the Minister for health held a national meeting with NHS Wales to discuss the recovery of cancer services specifically. Proposals are currently being developed to support that recovery, again as part of that broader recovery approach that I described. So, there will be further information coming forth in due course—as I say, by the end of the month—in respect of the recovery of the NHS.

On the matter of the memory day, I can confirm that we are currently giving very good thought to how best we can mark what will be very sober moment, I think, in terms of the journey that we have all been through in respect of coronavirus. I'm sure that we will be able to say more on that very shortly.

Trefnydd, I know that one of the Ministers who assiduously watches this is our tourism Minister. So, I wonder if, through you, I could ask for a statement or for some clarification on the latest move by Tripadvisor, which has worried many of the small to medium-sized tourism operators in my constituency. Tripadvisor already takes 15 per cent commission on any sales that come through its site. For a small operator, that's quite a significant chunk. But, interestingly, in the last couple of months, they've sent out an e-mail to all operators to say that, under their new terms and conditions, they're bringing in rights, in perpetuity, for them to have complete access to any pictures and other materials on the websites. Now, this could be completely normal practice. Who knows? But, they are worried that if they decline this kind offer from Tripadvisor to have in-perpetuity rights to all content from their websites—and some of the content on their websites, by the way, Trefnydd, includes Visit Wales content as well—then they will be kicked off Tripadvisor. No matter what you say about Tripadvisor, good or bad, they are a powerful generator of interest in small and medium-sized operators. I will write to the Minister on this as well, Trefnydd, but I wonder if, though your offices, I could seek a statement or some clarification on what guidance can be given to small and medium-sized operators on this assertive new move from Tripadvisor.

Thank you to Huw Irranca-Davies for raising this. I can see on the corner of the screen my colleague the Deputy Minister for tourism, and he's been listening intently to the situation that you have described this afternoon. I know that he will be keen to explore what support we can offer to the small businesses that are affected within the tourism sector and will look forward to your correspondence with further detail.

Trefnydd, can I call for two statements? The first is from the Minister with responsibility for mental health on the mental health and well-being benefits of angling in Wales. I've been contacted by many people who like to go fishing, often alone, in solitary places, who have found it really difficult to cope with life during the latest lockdown, because they've been unable to drive to local fishing spots. I do think that this is something that the Welsh Government does need to carefully consider in the forthcoming review of the coronavirus restrictions. Whether the review considers fishing or not, I do think that this important pastime for many thousands of people across Wales does merit some consideration by the Minister responsible for mental health in the future.

Can I also, Trefnydd, call for a statement from you with your finance Minister hat on to provide an update to the Senedd on the development of a procurement advice note on the public contract regulations for discretionary grounds for consideration of excluding businesses from public tenders? You'll be aware that we had some correspondence on this issue last year following your response to a written question that gave rise to concerns that the Welsh Government was planning on publishing a procurement advice note that would primarily impact the nation of Israel. I would be grateful if you could give us an update on this particular matter, because you did suggest in your last correspondence that you'd be making some final decisions on this in December. It's now March, and I think that people do deserve an update. Thank you.

On the first issue, which was the request for a statement on the mental health and well-being benefits of angling, I know that the Minister with responsibility for mental health will have listened very carefully to that request. Of course, when we're deliberating all matters relating to restrictions that we are putting on people's lives, we do understand how difficult things are for people. All of the things that normally support our well-being, whether it's angling or the gym or seeing family and friends—having those things removed from us clearly does have a strong and difficult impact on people's lives. We're very aware of that when taking those decisions. But as I say, the Minister will have heard that specific request.

As I said when we last discussed the procurement advice note, I have agreed to take further advice. We have had that advice now, which I'm still considering. But I will write to you shortly in terms of the way forward. Thank you.

Two issues, if I may, Trefnydd. Firstly, can I add my voice—including Darren Millar, actually, last week—to those calling for the reopening of garden centres across Wales? Now that COVID-19 cases appear to be below the number that originally triggered the lockdown, if we are going to look for businesses to reopen first in the shorter term, then garden centres, I think, should be at the top of that list. They are large areas, mainly open air, with plenty of opportunities for social distancing. So, I wonder if we can have an update from the Minister on any discussions with the garden centre sector on reopening them as swiftly as possible.

Secondly, the BBC documentary The Story of Welsh Art aired recently. I'm not sure how many Members saw it. That featured Abergavenny's world-renowned Jesse tree, a fifteenth-century sculpture at St Mary's priory church depicting the lineage of Christ from the Bible. Other Welsh treasures from across Wales were part of that programme. Wales is blessed with cultural treasures that have attracted tourists to Wales for many years and can do so again in the future. So, I wonder if we could have a framework or an update from the Minister, as we come out of lockdown, as to how Wales's cultural heritage can be used to kick start the tourism economy again across Wales, so that as we build back better and grow back greener, we also grow back culturally stronger and we put the treasures of Wales at the centre of that growing-back process.

Nick Ramsay will have heard the First Minister outlining the steps that we're taking as we move towards that three-weekly review on 12 March. He'll be considering all the representations that colleagues have made over the recent weeks, but then also, of course, taking the advice that we receive from our scientific and medical advisers in terms of determining where we are able to make those easements. I don't want to pre-empt anything that the First Minister might say on Friday. Discussions are still going on within Cabinet and advice is still being taken as we move towards that review point.

I completely agree that our cultural treasures have huge potential for us in terms of helping us with the recovery, both in terms of the kind of tourism that we would want to see from elsewhere within the UK, but also our own staycations and our own tourism that we will probably want to undertake within our own country over the course of the summer. Because I think if the coronavirus has taught us anything, it's about valuing those things that we have here on our doorstep. I think that those cultural treasures such as the Jesse tree at St Mary's, which Nick Ramsay has described, serve to be very good examples of that. I can see that the Minister is listening again carefully to the suggestion about the role that these treasures can play in our recovery.

Finally, Delyth Jewell.

As we approach the end of this Senedd term, Trefnydd, and as we mark National Intergenerational Week, I'd like a statement, please, from the Government on the importance of intergenerational solidarity. I'd like the statement to acknowledge the real loneliness that's been suffered by both younger and older members of our society, as well as the ageism that's been too present in our national discourse throughout the pandemic. Often, the young and old were pitted against one another in the context of lockdowns in the press, with some commentary focusing on young people's apparent selfishness and others insinuating that protecting older and more vulnerable people was in some ways too high a price to pay. Both of those narratives have been deeply damaging. Both young and older groups have been marginalised and both need support and a stronger voice in decision making to be central in our communities.

At the end of last year, Trefnydd, a number of us set up a cross-party group on intergenerational solidarity, and this week we'll publish our recommendations to mark intergenerational week. It's in response to these that I'd like to see a Government statement, please. Our group feels, with one voice, that plans for recovery from COVID should promote solidarity between generations, that a Minister should be tasked with overseeing this, that more funding should be given to community groups to promote intergenerational solidarity, and that it should be embedded in the curriculum. As we mark our way coming out of the pandemic, decisions over vaccine prioritisation, protecting the public and reopening society are current, they are layered and they are complicated. Reasserting intergenerational solidarity is vital in the context of each of those decisions, because relationships between generations enrich our society, they matter, and they should be strengthened.

I am really grateful for the way that Delyth Jewell has just framed the work that the cross-party group has undertaken. If a copy hasn't yet found its way to the Welsh Government, I'd be really keen for us to have a copy, so that we can consider and explore those recommendations that you've just described. Because I completely agree that the framing of some of the debate that we've had throughout the pandemic has sought to pit groups against each other. But, actually, we're all in this together, and some of the people who have been most damaged by the pandemic have been our oldest citizens and also our youngest citizens; both of those groups are paying the highest price in different ways. So, I'm very keen to see the piece of work and explore the ideas that Delyth and her colleagues will be bringing forward.

I thank the Trefnydd.