The next item is the business statement and announcement. I call on the Trefnydd to make the statement—Lesley Griffiths.

Diolch, Llywydd. I've added two statements to today's agenda. The Minister for Health and Social Services will make a statement update on coronavirus, and the Deputy Minister for Climate Change will make a statement: 'Roads review'. 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.

Minister, can you make a statement on when the restrictive regulations for private dentists and, no doubt, all other dentists in Wales will be eased to allow them to deal with the huge and growing need for dental services following the last difficult 15 months?

Thank you. Well, this is something where, obviously, the health Minister will be talking to the relevant dental associations. I know that some dentists are doing increasingly more work, but as we see how the delta variant continues to unfortunately spread in Wales, I think some dentists have had to take a step back. But, at the most appropriate time, obviously, guidance and more information will be given.

Trefnydd, on 25 June, we will mark Go Green Day, and the focus of the campaign is on tropical deforestation. That might sound like something that's far away, but the planet, as I'm sure you are aware, loses an area of forest every year equivalent to nine times the size of Wales because of our consumption of palm oil, soy, coffee, the paper that we write with, the timber that we build with. So, I'd like a Government statement please setting out what steps the Welsh Government is taking to make our nation deforestation-free, because our shopping habits depend on supply chains that choke the lungs of the world? I'd like the statement to address whether the Welsh Government's economic contract will require signatories to commit to deforestation-free supply chains, whether you'll press the UK Government to require companies to follow due diligence legislation around their supply chains. And, finally, but by no means least, Trefnydd, I'd like the statement to set out what support will be made available to producer nations—those forest communities in the Amazon and across the world—who've seen their cultures nearly destroyed because of our greed and our ambivalence.

Thank you. The Member raises a very important issue, and certainly, when I had responsibility for this in the previous term of Government, it was a piece of work that we were doing with the UK Government to see what more could be done. 

You'll be aware that the Minister for Climate Change, along with the Deputy Minister for Climate Change, are currently doing a deep dive around tree planting, which I know is a separate but obviously significant issue in relation to this. I'm not sure if this is an area that they are looking at, but, if they are, and they have further information, we can bring a statement forward. 

Trefnydd, please could we have a statement from Welsh Government on the action that's being taken to ensure period dignity, and in particular on when Ministers expect to be able to bring forward their period dignity strategic action plan? I welcome the £3.3 million that Welsh Government has again allocated to this issue, and also the commitment in the programme for government, but I'm keen to see publication of the action plan so that we can make sure we take a holistic approach to period dignity. 

Thank you very much. I think it's fair to say that progress on the plan has been slower than we initially hoped for, due to the impact of the COVID pandemic. But work is under way to ensure that we do have a draft period dignity strategic action plan refreshed, and that will be published again later this year.

There is a whole raft of cross-Welsh Government commitments in that plan, and that includes encouraging the use of eco-friendly period products, embedding period dignity in schools and in both further and higher education establishments—and that's through the provision of free products and appropriate learning resources—and also enabling provision in more health settings and setting out an ambition to progress provision of period products by employers, businesses and facilities to become the norm. And you'll be aware that, previously, the Welsh Government gave significant funding to local authorities, so that each local authority could do what was right for their local populace.

Business Minister, it's important that we now try to bring a sense of normality back to our country in terms of coronavirus restrictions and dealing with this pandemic. That sense of normality is particularly important for our young people, ensuring that they have as much in-school learning as possible, for all the benefits I've previously outlined in this Chamber. Yet, this week, in a whole school, in Greenhill School in Tenby, now the learners are being taught online due to COVID worries. We need a sustainable pathway, Business Minister, for dealing with coronavirus in our schools. So, can the education Minister make a statement on what new measures he'd be looking at, and Government are looking at, to ensure that children are in school learning for the maximum amount of time, as whole-school year groups going off and whole schools closing is not a sustainable way forward, due to the importance of in-school learning for learners and the disruption that being at home is causing parents? Thank you. 

Thank you. I absolutely agree that in-school learning is very important, and this is obviously the first time we've had a whole-school closure, unfortunately. I'm afraid, as this pandemic has gone on, I think, many times, the virus has been one step ahead, and, just when you think you are able to do things, we have not been able to do so. 

The Minister for education is obviously having a look at what lessons can be learned in relation to this school in Tenby, but I don't think it's the right time to bring forward a statement at the current time. 

Trefnydd, I'd like to ask for a statement on the significant fall in rape convictions in Wales. Compared to 2016-17, convictions for rape in 2020 were down by almost two thirds, bearing in mind that they were only successful by 5 per cent in the first place. That is with less than one in 60 rape cases recorded by police resulting in a suspect being charged. Now, I recognise this is a non-devolved area, but what is devolved is the consequence and the fall-out of that. There is never, of course, one person involved in an incident of rape. If that individual happens to be a parent, their children are affected. If they're children, their parents are affected, their siblings are affected. I remember reading an article, where one such case affects 47 different people. Of course, the other side of this, by lack of conviction, and also lack of access to justice that we've seen, through temporary and permanent court cases, does mean that, if you are unsuccessful in your conviction, you're very likely to be equally unsuccessful in the support that you and your family will need. So, I ask you, with respect, to bring something forward in the very near future, because this is a crisis, and it's a crisis that we need to take hold of.

Thank you. As you recognise, the criminal justice system is not devolved to Wales, but of course we work very closely with all police forces in Wales and with our criminal justice partners here in Wales. You'll be aware of the significant support that has been provided by the Welsh Government over the past decade at least, and if not before. And we won't be bystanders to abuse, and we have our violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence strategy, as you know. That's been informed by global and national evidence that women and girls are disproportionately affected by all forms of abuse. Everyone has the right to be safe, and we have our Live Fear Free line, and anyone experiencing violence or abuse at home can obviously access that free, confidential help, 24/7, via the Live Fear Free helpline, either by chat, by call, by e-mail or by text. And I would urge all Members to ensure their constituents are aware of that.

The visitor season is fast approaching, and there will be many people visiting our communities over the next few weeks. Already, the coastguard, the mountain rescue teams, paramedics and other emergency services have been very busy indeed. The demand for these services, particularly health services, increases substantially during the summer months, and this year is likely to be busier than usual, and we are on the verge of a third wave of coronavirus. We therefore need to consider how we fund health services in areas that see great increases in population—up to 10 times—during the holiday season. Can we have an urgent statement from the Government as to how they expect emergency services and health services to cope during this holiday period that we are facing? Thank you.

Diolch. I think the visitor season is well under way here in Wales. This has always been something that has been talked about and thought about when conversations are held around budgeting. So, I don't think there's a need for a statement, and I don't think there's a need for a specific budget—it is part of the overall budgets that are received by our health boards and by our services.

Minister, with the increase of people using our road network as we start to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic, speeding is becoming one of the biggest issues in my constituency of Brecon and Radnorshire. So, Minister, will you ask the Deputy Minister for Climate Change to make a statement on the work of the GoSafe partnership and if more money can be provided to fund average speed check cameras in hotspot areas for speeding across our communities to help save lives and to keep people safe and also to reduce emissions? Diolch, Llywydd.

Thank you. The GoSafe service is certainly something that is very valued. I'm not aware of any ongoing discussions around further funding being required, or how the Welsh Government would support that. But I will certainly ask the Minister if there is anything specific, and, if he has any further information, I'll ask him to write to the Member.FootnoteLink

Information further to Plenary

Trefnydd, this is Children's Hospice Week, so could we have a Welsh Government statement on support for our two children's hospices in Wales: the excellent Tŷ Hafan and Tŷ Gobaith, which together provide respite and palliative care for more than 400 families with children with life-limiting conditions? And they want to be able to assure those children and families, and others in future, that they can guarantee, with Welsh Government support, a fair and sustainable future where they can offer more support and care for children with life-limiting conditions in Wales. And a statement of this sort would enable Welsh Government also to expand upon the welcome commitment to fund regional residential services for children with complex needs, ensuring that their needs are met as close to home as possible and in Wales wherever practicable. And the Government could outline, then, how it will work with Tŷ Hafan and Tŷ Gobaith to ensure this additional funding and services reach those most in need of support. So, I'm sure we'd all welcome a statement in this timely moment. 

Thank you, Huw Irranca-Davies, for highlighting the wonderful work that our hospices do, and they do provide incredibly important services, and they provide enormous support for patients and families and carers. You may have heard the leader of the opposition raise this issue with the First Minister and the First Minister's answer. And we do continue to invest more than £8.4 million every year to support specialist palliative care services across Wales, and much of this does go to our adult and children's hospices across Wales. We've also allocated £12.3 million of emergency funding to support our hospices since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that funding has been used to support clinical services and strengthen our hospice bereavement support. I'm sure the Member is also aware of our programme for government commitment to review the patient pathway planning and hospice funding, and we will continue to work with the end-of-life-care board so that we can review the way in which that specific funding is allocated to both health boards and our voluntary hospices. 

And, finally, Altaf Hussain. 

Thank you, Presiding Officer. Minister, I have two suggestions. According to the Wales Governance Centre, the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution is delivering a speech on 5 July to outline plans for a national conversation on our constitutional future. Could the business Minister schedule a statement here, before his speech, so that he may share his plans with us first?

Number 2: during the pandemic the public have rightly recognised the work of the NHS and key sectors in doing all possible to keep people safe. However, it is the leadership and delivery of local government that has been largely overlooked during the past 15 months—a sector that has demonstrated innovation, local solutions and leadership in delivering for the communities they serve. Can you schedule a debate in Government time for the Minister for Finance and Local Government to outline her vision for local government as we build out of the pandemic? Thank you. 

Thank you very, very much. And I'm sure—. I hear what you say about the Counsel General's speech, and I'm sure he will share his speech with us at the most appropriate time, but we won't be able to bring forward an oral statement ahead of the speech, but I will—and he's sitting in the Chamber with me—I will make sure he shares his speech with you.

In relation to your comments around local government and public services and their response to the pandemic, I absolutely agree with you, and I do think that people recognise the amazing work they've done, if you think how they've supported with the test, trace, protect, for instance, and with delivering of food parcels. And certainly the Welsh Government is very appreciative of all the work that local authorities have done, and we've worked very closely with our partners in local authorities throughout the whole of the pandemic. 

Thank you, Trefnydd. That concludes that item. We will now take a short break to allow changeovers in the Chamber. And the bell will be rung two minutes before we reconvene. Thank you. 

Plenary was suspended at 14:44. 

The Senedd reconvened at 14:55, with the Deputy Presiding Officer (David Rees) in the Chair.