Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services – in the Senedd at 2:31 pm on 3 November 2021.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Llywydd. Good afternoon, Deputy Minister. Deputy Minister, we have a crisis in social care, don't we, and I think that's a fact—a crisis brought about by a lack of staff. We are simply unable to recruit sufficient numbers of people to work in the care sector, because quite frankly the pay and conditions aren't attractive. Deputy Minister, you know my views on care workers' pay and the fact that we should get on with the pay increase. However, things have changed since the last time we discussed this. The UK Government have introduced the social care fund and last week's budget will mean billions of pounds extra for Wales each year. When will care home workers see a real living wage, Deputy Minister? I know you've mentioned previously that it's £9.50, but the Welsh Conservatives and Plaid Cymru have been calling for a £10 minimum wage for care home workers and social care staff. So, is there any progress in that coming to fruition?