As Members will know, the recent change in the cervical screening arrangements in Wales has been of significant public interest. This petition to the Senedd, titled 'Reinstate cervical screening to every 3 years' gathered 30,133 signatures in just three days, and a similar petition on the change.org platform has so far received over 1.2 million signatures. Llywydd, to put this into perspective, that is over 100,000 more people than who voted in the Senedd elections last May. This is utterly remarkable and it demonstrates the strength of feeling and concern about women's health in Wales.

I don't pretend to be a medical expert, but what is clear to me is that women right across Wales want and deserve answers. The petitioner, Joanne Stroud, is passionate about the importance of regular screening and is pleased that the Senedd's petitions process has ensured that her voice will be heard on the floor of this Chamber today. Her petition represents thousands of women's fears, disappointment and dismay about how and why this change happened. Therefore, Llywydd, we asked the petitioner to close the petition after just three days, so that it could come forward to the Petitions Committee last week, and they agreed to request it be considered for debate immediately. I'm grateful to the Llywydd and members of the Business Committee for enabling this debate to take place today, and I'm also grateful of the Welsh Conservatives for offering some of their time in today's proceedings. I'd also like to extend my thanks, on behalf of the committee, to Gareth and Mared and the wider clerking team for all their work on this important petition.

At the start of January, Cervical Screening Wales extended the routine screening for 25 to 49-year-olds from three to five years. The change was recommended by the UK National Screening Committee in 2019 due to the success of the human papillomavirus vaccine roll-out and the use of, and I quote, 'more accurate' cervical screening. This was announced on 4 January and a social media storm erupted—challenging, questioning and seeking clarification about why there would be a longer interval between life-saving cervical screenings. Such an important decision and change should have been carefully and fully explained and effectively communicated to all women in Wales. Social media is excellent for many things, but it should not have been used as the way to announce such an important issue.

I do hope that this debate today will provide an opportunity to listen to the concerns women in Wales have, and to hear facts about why the changes to the screening framework have been made. Many women will not have been offered the highly effective HPV vaccine, which was introduced in 2008. For them, the key question is whether it is possible to come into contact with HPV and for problems to develop in the five-year gap between screenings. I know many of you will have read similar concerned e-mails to the ones I have received from women in my constituency who feel they are bearing the brunt of cost-cutting and time-saving measures during a period of extreme pressure on our NHS.

Llywydd, in her petition Joanne states her concerns that these important changes have been made without public consultation, stating that the response to the announcement on 4 January was, and I quote, 

'met with anger, sadness and serious concern for the cervical health of Welsh women.'

She shares the concerns and questions of thousands of people in Wales about whether this change would result in later detection of cancers resulting in, and, again, I quote,

'more aggressive, lengthy and costly treatments', and is it ultimately a risk to life.

These concerns have been widely reported in the media and on social media platforms following the announcement at the beginning of the month. And as I mentioned at the start of my contribution, over a million people have signed a similar petition on change.org, emphasising the genuine concerns, the genuine anxiety and the genuine distress resulting from the announcement, made without sufficient clarity or explanation regarding why the change was made.

I'm glad to see that Public Health Wales apologised on social media, acknowledging that they didn't do enough to explain the changes, which created so much confusion and so much anxiety. They have since provided more information to explain the decision and tried to reassure women. Their communication strategy was clearly flawed to say the least, and I would call on them to carefully reflect and review their policy for the future. Clear, high-quality information is vital when sharing such important information and messages. When communicating with residents, you should do so. Isn't it in everyone's next appointment? Wouldn't that have been much easier, and wouldn't that have been the time to raise this important message?

I must say I was also disappointed that such a significant change in our public health approach was not announced by the Minister for Health and Social Services on the floor of our Parliament in advance of the changes.

All their adult life, women have been told about the dangers of delaying their smear tests, that a quick trip to the doctor every three years could make all the difference. It should come as no surprise that the announcement of a two-year delay via Twitter caused such extreme outrage. We, as Members of the Senedd, as their representatives, should have been given the chance to raise their fears and concerns openly, and for the Minister to explain the reasons behind the change in full.

Gweinidog, I did read with interest the reports this morning from medical professionals, pointing to the vaccine as a crucial development, and I accept this. I would welcome you using your response to update the Chamber on the percentage of women in Wales who have been vaccinated. I would also urge you to use your response to address the information vacuum that was left by the way this was announced, and in that vacuum, I'm aware of young women throughout Wales who have been targeted by Facebook ads encouraging them to pay £500 for the vaccine. This has really troubled me. 

Llywydd, before I conclude, I would like to thank Joanne for petitioning the Senedd so that these important concerns about women's health are discussed here in our Parliament today. There are around 166 new cervical cancer cases in Wales every year according to Cancer Research UK. Screening to identify those at risk or who have cancer is essential. It can save lives, ensuring women or people with a cervix receive the treatment they need.

Coincidentally, this debate is taking place during Cervical Cancer Prevention Week, and I hope it will contribute to raise awareness of the importance and benefits of cervical screening. There are many who don't take up screening opportunities for various reasons. We all need to support that campaign to raise awareness and aim to increase the take-up to protect lives.

Llywydd, I look forward to hearing the Members' contributions this afternoon, and I look forward to the Minister's response, and I trust she will answer the questions of the many women who signed this petition, and those similar petitions out there. Diolch yn fawr.