Welcome back. The next item is a statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services, an update on COVID-19. I call on the Minister for Health and Social Services, Eluned Morgan.

Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. I would like to thank you for this opportunity to update Members about what continues to be a fast-moving and evolving public health situation.

Now, much has changed since the last Senedd, since we last met to discuss coronavirus in Wales before the summer recess. Wales has been at alert level 0 for seven weeks now and, as Members will know, this means that all businesses are able to open and that we have fewer legal restrictions in place than at any time since the pandemic started 18 months ago. But there are still some important protections in place to help keep us all safe, including the requirement for all businesses and employers to carry out a risk assessment.

Most of us have enjoyed this summer, meeting friends and family and holidaying in this beautiful country of ours. Coronavirus is, of course, a virus that thrives on human contact. And as we have gathered in greater numbers over the summer, cases of the virus have predictably increased. Further increases may be seen as the new term begins for schools, colleges and universities.

Wales is at alert level 0, but the pandemic is clearly not yet over. Our modelling would suggest that we are approaching the peak of the third wave of the pandemic, driven by the delta variant. We now have very high rates of coronavirus in all our communities. Our modelling scenarios, which have been carefully calculated by experts at Swansea University, predict that these are likely to get worse over the next few weeks as the wave begins to peak. If the virus continues to spread at its current rate, we can expect to see around 3,200 cases confirmed every day towards the end of the month.

Until now, this rise has been manageable because of our incredible vaccination programme, which has helped to weaken the link between infection and serious illness. But with the rapid spread of coronavirus in our communities, pandemic pressure on the NHS is increasing once again, and there are increasing reports that even people who've been double vaccinated are being admitted to hospital with COVID-19.

At the moment, there are around 40 COVID-19 hospital admissions a day. There are just over 480 confirmed cases in hospitals across Wales—the highest number since March. Now, our modelling suggests there could be 100 new COVID-19 hospital admissions every day as the delta wave peaks. The NHS is already under intense pressure as it responds to emergency healthcare demands, and provides more planned operations and treatment. And our health and care services are already experiencing staffing pressures through a combination of annual leave, staff working in other areas, sickness and isolation. Our health and care staff are exhausted after working so hard and so intensely over the last 18 months.

Now, this week there are two significant developments in relation to vaccination. Today, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has published its final advice for the autumn booster programme, and we will accept that advice that they have given. This is important in light of concerning emerging evidence about the waning effectiveness of vaccines. We will start sending out invitations from 20 September, and our NHS has worked hard to make sure it is ready to start the programme and invite those who had their vaccinations at the earliest point.

At the same time, the four UK chief medical officers have been discussing and taking expert evidence about whether the vaccine should be available to 12 to 15-year-olds. They have now recommended that, due to the likely benefits of reducing educational disruption and the impact this has on children and young people's welfare and mental health, Ministers extend the offer of universal vaccination to these children. This will mean a first dose offer of Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to all children and young people aged to 12 to 15 not already covered by existing JCVI advice.

Now, in considering all the advice, I agree with the CMOs that there is a benefit in offering the vaccine to 12 to 15-year-olds, and we will begin to offer vaccination appointments from next week with the aim of vaccinating all those who wish to come forward by October half term.

Llywydd, if our modelling is correct—and it has been so far—we will be facing a peak in COVID-19 hospital admissions and cases just as the NHS winter period starts. This will put further pressure on our health and care system, a system that, as you know, is already stretched. In some parts of the UK, elective surgery has already been postponed to enable the NHS trusts to cope with pandemic pressures and with the other emergency pressures that we face.

High levels of COVID infection potentially increase the number of people who will suffer from long COVID. We don't know exactly how many people have long COVID and the evidence base is still emerging. High levels of infection also increase the risk of new variants emerging. We all remember the pain and suffering caused by the alpha, or Kent, variant during the winter, and we're now dealing with the delta variant.

As we look further ahead to the winter, there are also threats from other respiratory infections, such as RSV and seasonal flu. If we are to be successful in controlling both coronavirus and other respiratory infections this autumn and winter, we must continue to focus on improving the take-up of COVID vaccination, especially amongst those groups and communities where take-up of the vaccine is relatively low.

Currently, there are around 373,000 unvaccinated people in Wales who could have had the vaccine, and the majority of those are under 50 years of age. We're particularly worried about the low take-up of the vaccine amongst pregnant women. Unfortunately, over the past three weeks, there's been an increase in COVID-related hospital admissions amongst unvaccinated pregnant women. Just as important, we will be making sure everyone who is eligible receives the booster jab. We'll also be working hard to encourage people to receive the flu jab, to build on last year's take-up numbers—the record numbers last year.

Finally, Dirprwy Lywydd, I want to end this statement by reminding everyone about the things that we can all do to protect ourselves and our loved ones. If you're feeling unwell and you have symptoms of COVID, you must stay at home and have a PCR test. If the test is positive, you must self-isolate. This will help to prevent the spread of this awful virus. Please think about who you meet and when. If we can all cut down on the number of people we meet face to face and the time we spend with them, this will help to keep us all safe. Wherever possible, you should meet people outdoors, but if you are indoors, do open the doors and the windows. Wear a face covering in crowded and indoor public spaces, and wash your hands regularly. And, please, continue to work from home when you can. We have all worked together before, and we have changed the course of this pandemic. We can do so again now, and together we will keep Wales safe. Thank you.

Conservative spokesperson, Russell George.

Diolch, Deputy Llywydd. Minister, can I thank you for your statement this afternoon and also for your raft of statements earlier today as well? I very much appreciated that those statements and that information came to us as Members and Members of this Senedd first, before any media outlets. That's very much appreciated.

Can I say, first of all, with regard to the JCVI vaccination advice—? Today I accept that you've made the right decision there. I believe that that's the correct approach that you've taken in following their advice in regard to the booster advice this autumn. Also, I'm very pleased that the chief medical officers of the four UK nations gave united advice together, and that's very much welcome as well. I think you've taken the right approach in that regard and the right decision in that regard of following the CMOs' advice as well.

What I am concerned about, and I'm asking for your feedback on this, is that this group of people, the 12 to 15-year-olds, and the vaccination booster programme will be running roughly round about the same time, I think I'm right to say. So, I'm concerned about the impact that that will have on running those two programmes at the same time, together, of course, with the fact that you've said yourself that the Welsh NHS is under extreme pressure at the moment. So, those three combinations together, I'd appreciate your assessment on that and how you are helping the Welsh NHS and the health boards to cope with delivering those vaccination boosters and the first dose to 12 to 15-year-olds at the same time.

Also, any useful information, as well, would be appreciated with regard to how that's going to be rolled out for 12 to 15-year-olds. Will this take place in mass vaccination centres or within schools? There are various challenges around all of those issues, but I think people will want to know how that is going to work. It certainly is a challenge to get that programme completed by October half term for all those children and parents who want to take that first dose. So, I'd appreciate any information in that regard.

You've said in your statement that, in some parts of the UK, elective surgery has already been postponed. That's happening in Wales, as I understand it, but perhaps I can ask for some confirmation on that. As I understand it, Hywel Dda health board has been postponing elective operations at the Prince Philip and Withybush hospitals to cope with a number of multiple challenges—high demand, COVID-19, staff shortages. Is that correct? Perhaps you could confirm that. Are you aware of any other health boards that are in that same position as well? Any further information on that would be appreciated.

We are seeing ambulances in long queues outside A&E units, and at the Grange, the Government's flagship hospital, at least 15 ambulances were waiting and A&E waiting times there were reportedly up to 18 hours. The Minister probably heard the comments today and questions and examples during the business statement. We're very concerned about this. In July, as I understand it, 400 patients in Wales were waiting more than 12 hours for an ambulance—that is pretty staggering; that is hugely concerning, and I think saying that is an understatement. I would go as far as to say that the ambulance service is in crisis. Does the Minister agree with that assessment? I should put on record that I pay huge tribute to the ambulance staff who are working under great, great pressure, as well.

I've raised with you on a number of occasions that we need COVID-lite surgical hubs to reduce the backlog in the Welsh NHS. We know that one in four patient pathways are now waiting over a year for treatment. The Department for Health and Social Care announced just last week that they were investing in surgical hubs to treat around 30 per cent more elective patients by 2024 and accelerate England's backlog reduction. Given the extra funding that the UK Government is providing to Wales, are you now able to confirm that you are ensuring that initiatives such as this are urgently being brought forward to help the NHS recover?

And lastly, with regard to vaccination passports, Edinburgh has a position, London has a position, Cardiff doesn't. I've heard the First Minister's response to the leader of the opposition today, and I know that you are discussing this in Cabinet this week—that was confirmed by the First Minister this morning. Can I just ask what plans you are making for vaccination passports? I'm somebody who, as a Welsh Conservative, does not agree that vaccination passports are the correct approach for ethical, legal and operational issues—I should put that firmly on the record. But if this is something that the Welsh Government are exploring and investigating, can you confirm what plans and contingencies the Welsh Government have been discussing, if any, with regard to vaccination passports? Finally, will you be bringing this to a vote to the Senedd, Minister, with regard to this important issue of vaccination passports? Diolch, Llywydd.

I'm very pleased that you agree with our position in relation to the booster vaccination. The fact is that we've been ready to roll out the booster vaccination for a long time in Wales. We've been waiting for that JCVI advice for a very long time, which is why we are able, now, to press the button. Those invitations will be going out at the beginning of next week, and hopefully, the first people will be coming through in the following week. So, we're all ready to run. You're quite right; it's going to be a real challenge to get that done at the same time as the vaccination for the 12 to 15-year-olds. But we have been planning for this; we've got all of the plans in place. We've been working with health boards for a very long time and they're all ready to roll. So, I'm very confident that that is not going to be a problem to run both of those in parallel.

In terms of the practicalities of how that's going to happen, most of it in relation to 12 to 15-year-olds will probably take place via mass vaccination centres, but there will be some examples where this is done, in particular, in some of the larger schools. So, that will be available to them. There will be an opportunity, therefore, in the mass vaccination centres for the children to be accompanied by their parents. Obviously, they will then have the opportunity to hear the pros and cons of this situation. Of course, it is a voluntary situation that we are talking about. We are not talking about compulsory vaccinations.

In relation to elective surgery, you are quite right to point out that, already, some elective surgery has been postponed in Hywel Dda. That is also true in Betsi Cadwaladr. I was speaking to some of the health workers in Glan Clwyd and Ysbyty Gwynedd last week. They are under incredible pressure. As you know, they have now stopped visiting into those hospitals and others around Wales because of the community spread of COVID.

You are quite right; waiting times are extremely difficult at the moment. Actually, a lot of the pressure on the NHS at the moment is because we are unable to get patients from hospital who are ready to be discharged. There are over 1,000 patients in hospital at the moment who could be discharged, but because of the brittle state of the care sector, they are unable to be discharged. So, we are spending a lot of time at the moment really focused on this, having weekly meetings with representatives of the Welsh Local Government Association and with health boards, to make sure that we can address what is actually a short-term issue before we address the longer term plan, now that we have got a better sense of what the future looks like, certainly in terms of financing from the UK Government. 

The same is true for accident and emergency. There is a very active team within the Welsh Government just keeping the pressure on. There is a plan in place to address these issues, so that is being acted upon. But, it is very difficult if there are no beds. That's the bottom line. You can't offload people if there are no beds, so that's something that we are trying to address urgently.

In relation to surgical hubs, you will have heard over the summer that we have announced an extra £140 million to address the situation in relation to the backlog, on top of the £100 million that's already been announced. I was fortunate enough to have a conversation yesterday with representatives from the Royal College of Surgeons, who were giving me their ideas in terms of how we should be addressing this issue. Regional centres are certainly something that we are considering, and we are just working through the proposals that have come from health boards at the moment.

In relation to vaccine passports, we have already been deliberating on this issue. There are, as you say, a lot of practical and ethical issues for us to consider, which is why we haven't come to a conclusion on this yet. What I can tell you is that, if we were to go down this route, it is not something that you can just switch on—make a decision one day, and see it enacted the next. So, that's why you will need to think about putting, possibly, some legislation in place. So, there are lots of things to consider in this space. That is something that is still under consideration. So, I can't give you a final answer on that, but hopefully, by the end of this week, the First Minister will be able to make an announcement on that.    

Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Rhun ap Iorwerth.

Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd. Yes, there are things that haven't been decided yet. Vaccine passports are one of those things. I think that the Welsh Government is correct to keep the option open. I note that Sajid Javid in Westminster today has confirmed that the Conservative UK Government will keep this as an option for plan B for the winter. So, a difference of opinion between the Welsh Conservatives and the Conservatives in the UK Government in that regard.

But, if I can turn to the things that have been announced today and over the past few days, I welcome the announcement with regard to the boosters. I welcome the decision too in terms of vaccination, and offering the vaccine to children between 12 and 15 years of age. I note, in particular, the warm welcome of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health for this as a step to safeguard the wellbeing of children and young people. May I ask this question on that: what resources and support will be given to parents and families and children to enable them to make a decision regarding vaccination?

This will take time now, of course. I look forward to seeing more detail on the vaccination process for this cohort. But, we know in the meantime, of course, that the number of cases is still increasing. There are two counties today that have placed schools in the highest risk category—Neath Port Talbot and Swansea—with a number of restrictions expected to be introduced in schools in those counties. Do you expect this to become a common step to be taken in all parts of Wales?

And also, as we are still seeking the emergency protections for schools, I am pleased that the Government has made a u-turn on the announcement on ozone machines. I raised concerns, as did many other people, regarding this strange choice of that technology. I ask you, as Minister, to look at the other technologies that we have more experience of using. I’ve talked to the Minister before about UV light; I’ve been reading and taking an interest in air filtration machines, which are used very widely now, including in New York, where they’re used very widely. Is the Minister willing to look at that and willing to listen to and read information that I could provide to the Minister, in terms of potential providers of those kinds of machines?

A few other issues. I welcome the reference to long COVID and I still press the Government to ensure that Wales is in the vanguard in trying to understand more about this condition and the steps that need to be taken to safeguard people who have suffered for a very long time, some of them, and very intensely, some of them, as a result of contracting this virus.

But I want to conclude by looking at the wider pressure on the NHS. My thanks to everyone are so great, to everyone within the health services and care. We heard earlier reference to the ambulance service, which is under huge pressure at the moment, but across all of the health services and care services, our thanks are great, and there are questions about the steps that need to be taken as a matter of urgency to protect our health services.

One thing that I would like to hear more about is a commitment to provide much better data to understand what is happening in hospitals, particularly the relationship between the number of people in hospitals, in intensive care units, who lose their lives even, who’ve received the vaccine and those who haven’t. I think that would be useful for us to get a better picture and a more informed picture in terms of what’s happening with regard to the virus at the moment.

In terms of the pressure on our hospitals, I understand that Abergele Hospital has decided to close because of pressure in general hospitals. Perhaps the Minister could confirm that, along with the fact that elective orthopaedic surgeries there have again been postponed. We can’t afford to lose more time in treating non-COVID cases because we already have a crisis in that regard. I appeal here for a plan that safeguards that element of our health provision, because as we face the winter, where we always have a problem, there is a danger now that the problems will become even more intensive, and that’s why it’s high time to ensure that non-COVID activity can continue without more barriers than are needed.

Thank you very much. I can confirm that, whatever the decision taken this week in Cabinet, I’m sure vaccine passports will remain on the table. If we don’t progress with them, they will remain an option for the future. We’ve yet to come to a decision. It is a difficult decision.

I’m pleased that you agree with us in terms of the decision on boosters and vaccinations for 12 to 15-year-olds. The CMOs have made it clear that they want to see information made available to parents, provided by experts, so that we get the right information out there, so that people can weigh up what needs to be considered before their child is vaccinated. I have also spoken to the children’s commissioner, who’s very eager to ensure that the way in which this is presented to children can be understood by them. That is certainly something we will be doing.

In terms of schools, of course, there is a framework in place, because we had anticipated that a situation similar to the one in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot would arise. So, I’m pleased that that has started even before the timetable that we had anticipated. I know that the Member has been eager to ensure that we do take steps to improve air quality in our schools. So, I'm pleased that you've seen that we made an announcement on how we're going to do that. I am willing to look at issues around air filtration, so if you do have any information, I'd be pleased if you'd send that to me.

In terms of long COVID, I am highly aware that there is a problem here. We don't quite know the extent of the problem, and one of the reasons that I was willing to accept guidance from the CMOs was because I had read that one in seven children could suffer long COVID. So, that was a factor in my decision making.

In terms of data, I'm sure we could provide more data in terms of how many of the people in our hospitals have been vaccinated and have not, and how many in our ITUs. From what I've seen, there's a great deal of comorbidity too. So, people who have been vaccinated, they also have other problems, and they seem to be the ones suffering from COVID and are entering our hospitals; they are suffering the most, perhaps. But I'll be happy to look at whether we could break that down. Because, of course, every health board works slightly differently in that regard.

It's true to say that hospitals across north Wales have started to postpone elective surgery now. This was a clear message that I received from the Royal College of Surgeons yesterday as to whether this would be something we would be willing to see, where we just ensure that there are beds retained so that we can continue with elective surgeries. So, certainly, after yesterday evening's discussion, it's something I'd be ready to discuss further with my officials.

Thank you for the statement, Minister. I'd firstly like to commend those who have been at the fore of rolling out the vaccine across Wales, and those staff working to keep us safe, as well, with the number, as you say, of COVID cases and hospitalisations continuing to rise.

I note that health boards in our region have spoken over the weekend about a perfect storm of COVID hospitalisations, sickness absence and staff vacancies. It is, as I'm sure you would agree, absolutely essential that staff and patients are clear on what the recovery plan looks like, not least for those 600,000 people who are still waiting for treatments. People in Wales have stuck to the rules to help to keep them, their families and their communities safe, but despite that, COVID cases and hospitalisations have continued to rise.

Minister, I just have this question: could you please comment on the working relationship with the UK Government with regard to public messaging around the prevalence of COVID in our communities? Thank you. Diolch yn fawr iawn.

Diolch yn fawr. Thank you, Jane, and lovely to see you back, as it is to see so many people back, and it's great to see a few more people in the Chamber.

I would like to extend my thanks, as you've extended yours, to the incredible vaccination teams we have, up and down the country, who have done a truly magnificent job, and I hope they're all ready to go at it again with the enthusiasm that they have in the past. It's been slightly frustrating, if I'm honest, to have been at the front of the pack, although we know it wasn't a race, but we were at the front of the pack and then having to wait for this decision from the JCVI. But we will get up and running as soon as we can.

I did note the comments of the chair of the Hywel Dda health board also, talking about the perfect storm, and I think she's correct to describe this storm that is hitting our NHS at the moment as the perfect storm, noting of course, some of the points that you've made, that there are real recruitment issues; that there are real staffing issues; that there are issues in terms of people who've been waiting a long time for surgery; people who have acute illnesses. So, there are all kinds of issues that are hitting our health boards currently, and, of course, we need to stand by them. And the best way we can stand by them is by making sure that the constituents that we represent actually do their very best to try and avoid going to A&E or to GP surgeries unless they have to, because the pressure is genuinely intense at the moment. Of course, those services do remain open always for emergencies, and I'd just like to underline that as well.

In terms of recovery plans, of course we do have a broad recovery plan that we had set out before the election. It's very difficult to get going with that recovery plan if you keep on getting battered by another wave, but, of course, we will keep an eye on those and we'll update those where necessary.

In terms of the working relationship with the UK Government, let's just say it ebbs and flows. So, I do have fairly regular meetings with the Minister of the four nations of the UK, in particular in relation to health. I think the messages, if I were honest, I think ours are slightly stricter, I hope, to the Welsh public, just to make sure that they do understand the very real dangers of the spread of COVID at the moment within our communities. But, ultimately, we've got to understand that we are very interconnected as a nation, and what happens in England is likely to have an impact on us here in Wales. So, we do need those rates in England to come down, as we do need them to come down in Wales.

Minister, I hear your comments around elective surgery and getting people out of hospital to free up beds, but my colleague Russell George asked you a question—do you agree that the Welsh ambulance service is in crisis—and I'd be really grateful if you could answer that comment.

But, Minister, even before the pandemic, we were seeing waiting list times increasing, with people right across Wales living with life-changing pain. Over the pandemic, people understood that there would be delays, but it comes to a point where we do need to start to treat people. I know first hand what this is like. Someone very close to me was a fit and health person no more than two years ago. They've been waiting for a hip operation, and now, they're on the strongest type of painkillers that doctors can prescribe, and they cannot even get out of bed in the morning without assistance from friends and family. I hear cases like this on a daily basis from my constituents, who are taking out loans and remortgaging their homes so they can access private treatment, so that they can live a pain-free life. After years of paying into the system, this simply cannot continue to happen. You told me months ago that people would need to be understanding, you've put extra money into the system and that we would need to manage expectations. But I think the time has now come to take urgent action, and I ask you: what steps can you take to address this issue before some people will be confined to a life of agony and suffering? Diolch, Deputy Llywydd.

Thanks very much, James. And I acknowledge that there is real pressure on the ambulance service at the moment, but, no, I wouldn't describe it as a crisis at the moment. I think it's really important for us to understand that the pressures are very much intense. The issue, of course—. I'm very understanding of the fact that there are 620,000 operations that need to be carried out in Wales. I'm acutely aware of that, let me tell you, as the health Minister. I know that every one of those people is an individual who, like your friend, is suffering in pain, and it's my responsibility to relieve them of that pain, and I don't want to be in a situation where you can only be relieved of that pain if you can access the private sector. That is not the place we want to be as a Government, and certainly we are determined to address this issue.

You will have heard that we have announced £240 million over this summer to address these issues, but, frankly, the biggest problem that we're confronting at the moment is the fact that there are no beds in the hospitals because we can't get them out of hospital because there is an issue within the care service. Although I wouldn't describe it as a crisis at the moment—the care service—it's coming pretty close, and therefore my attention at the moment, along with my colleague Julie Morgan, is absolutely to try and do what we can to get through this winter in relation to care. We've had a massive recruitment campaign over the past three weeks, trying to attract people to what is an incredibly rewarding job, trying to get more people into that sector, so that we can release the over 1,000 people who are in our hospitals at the moment who are ready to go home. So, we need to provide that support, and that's what we're focusing our attention on at the moment. We are having weekly meetings, as I say, with representatives of the Welsh Local Government Association and health boards to make sure that everybody understands where the responsibility lies, and the fact that this needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

You will be aware that a number of health boards, including Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, have put measures in place once again to restrict visitors to their sites, which, of course, is understandable. But, once again, we've seen restrictions in terms of when a partner or another individual can be with a woman giving birth, and it's only during birth and immediately afterwards that can happen—during active labour, as it's described. There are no visitors to prenatal or postnatal wards either, and there's only one person in terms of paediatric and neonatal appointments. With over 20,000 people in the stadium last week watching Wales, and I was one of them, I have received phone calls and e-mails that are very emotional from mothers talking about the impact of this on their own mental health, fathers saying that this impacts that important bond between themselves and their children, and in terms of paediatrics, children wanting both parents there, and children in tears because that can't happen. Is there anything that we can do to provide those assurances and to ensure that people get the support when they are most vulnerable and in most need of that company and to have that bond with their children so that this doesn't become a responsibility for mothers alone?

Well, thank you very much. I'm aware that a number of the health boards have now restricted visitors. I'm very pleased to see that there are exceptions, and that people do have a right to attend the birth, and I have to say that that is already an exception. I think that, of course, is very important. And I understand too that people are looking at the stadium, but the stadium is an outdoor venue, and what we're talking about here is an indoor environment where there is a great deal of infection already, and part of our job is to protect people from this infection. So, I'm very aware that there are possibilities that you will stand up again next week and ask, 'Well, why are there so many infections in our hospitals? Why is there so much COVID around still in our hospitals?' So, this balance is really difficult to strike, and that's why I'm very pleased that there's an exception that at least people can attend to see their children being born. But I understand the sensitivity, that they want to be there post-birth as well, but we do have to allow the health boards to look at the situation in their communities and to make that call, because that call is a clinical decision, it's very important, and they have to consider that.

And finally, Laura Anne Jones.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Thank you for that statement, Minister. I welcome and support the decision that you've come to that 12 to 15-year-olds should have the opportunity now to be vaccinated, and it's also great to see the importance of keeping our children in schools and educated in schools as being a factor in making that decision. It is paramount, obviously, that we keep our children in school as much as possible, and it's also important that, as the child makes that final decision on whether to be vaccinated, parents and children work together on coming to that conclusion on whether they should have the vaccination. As we know, in some cases, that won't happen. Now, as the parent of an 11-year-old, a nearly 12-year-old, I'm a little concerned about him coming to a different conclusion than I would want for him, and my concerns are centred around the information that will be given to him and how that's presented to him as has already been outlined by Rhun and Russell. But it's how we are going to reach out to those children and how we are going to engage with them, and expanding on the children commissioner's concerns as well, we need to ensure that the quality of information is there and the impact of their decision is also included. Are we going to use videos? Because I can't see my child, for example, reading through reams of paper, or the equivalent online. So, I just wanted your reassurance on that, that we are going to actively engage children in a way that they will respond to—

The Member's had her time. I'm sorry, but we'll have to stop and ask the question there.

Diolch yn fawr, Laura. I'm delighted that we are going to, hopefully, be able to keep more of our children in school. We're intensely aware of the fact that for a child, if they lose six months of schooling, then they will, over the course of their lifetime, be likely to lose about £37,000 in terms of earnings. So, there's a direct impact on these children, and I just think it's really important we don't lose sight of that. That's why we are so keen to keep our children in school. 

In terms of the information that's given out, we'll be making sure we bounce off our ideas with the children's commissioner to make sure that we get feedback directly, perhaps, from children before we send things out. We have to send these things out pretty quickly, but a lot of that work has already been commissioned. I'm sure you'll be interested to know as well that, when you receive the Pfizer jab, you've got about 15 minutes to wait. And one of the things I'm very pleased that we're going to be able to do is to use that 15 minutes to give much broader health advice to people. The public health issue in Wales is something I'm absolutely determined to address. So, while people are waiting, hopefully they will have access to a lot of public health advice. Certainly, videos have been commissioned for that, but I will check to make sure that we have got those videos commissioned for children as well. 

Thank you, Minister.