– in the Senedd at 2:34 pm on 25 January 2022.
Thank you very much, First Minister. The next item is the business statement and announcement. I call on the Trefnydd to make that statement.
Diolch, Llywydd. I have one change to today's Plenary agenda. The motion to suspend Standing Orders and the debate on the legislative consent motion on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill have been withdrawn. Draft business for the next three sitting weeks is set out on the business statement and announcement, which can be found amongst the meeting papers available to Members electronically.
Business Minister, I'd like to call for a statement by the Minister for Economy, please, reacting to the news that one of our major cities, Newport city centre, has more empty retail units now than any other city centre in Britain. Llywydd, in its heyday, Newport was the beating heart of retail in Wales—people flocked to the city centre to do their shopping from far and wide. We now see a bleak picture, after years of neglect by this Welsh Government treating Newport as Cardiff's poor cousin, and bad management from the local Labour council in Newport. One in three retail units stand empty. Even before this pandemic, Newport was reported to be one of the worst-performing cities in the UK in terms of shop vacancy rates, but this of course now has been exacerbated by the pandemic, moving Newport's future into a worrying place. Little has been done to attempt to bring new anchor stores into the Friars Walk development to attempt to combat the devastating departure of Debenhams, the key anchor store in the Friars Walk development, coupled with the cinema complex. I would be grateful if the Minister could outline in his statement whether he and the Welsh Government intend to step in to help Newport City Council tackle the increasingly worrying issues that Newport businesses are facing, and of course the adverse knock-on effect that that has on everyone across my region, and, indeed, Wales. Thank you, business Minister.
Thank you. I don't think this is a problem that's unique to Newport, or indeed unique to Wales. I think all our town centres, unfortunately, have seen a decline in the number of shops; I know certainly, in my own constituency, Wrexham has. So, I really don't think this is an issue that you can lay at the door of Newport local authority. I think it is really important that the Welsh Government continues to work with our local authorities. You'll be aware of the many schemes we have to support our town centres; certainly, the Transforming Towns scheme is one of great importance. I recently visited Bangor, in my capacity as Minister with responsibility for north Wales, to see what actions they were taking to reinvent, if you like, our town centres.
I'd like a statement about ensuring women's safety on public transport, please. My colleague Peredur Owen Griffiths and I have been dealing with the case of a woman in her late 70s who tried to get on a Stagecoach bus in Hay in late November. She was refused entry by an instructor, who told her that the service was only meant for students, even though the timetable didn't say that, and the woman in question had caught the same bus on countless previous occasions. The instructor slammed the door and drove off, leaving her on her own in the dark, in Hay, 30 miles from home. There is no taxi rank in Hay, and so she felt isolated and close to tears. The answers we've received from Stagecoach haven't been satisfactory. But this seems to speak to a wider issue. There have been cases related on social media recently of women across the UK being left stranded at bus stops, after running to get the last bus, within full sight of the driver, who's then driven off. So, I'd like a statement, please, from the Welsh Government, indicating what mandatory training could be made available as a requirement for those working on public transport about the vital role they have in helping secure women's safety.
Thank you. I think you raise a very important point. You'll be aware that the Minister for Social Justice brought forward a statement last week on women's safety in public places in Wales. Obviously, you are asking specifically about public transport, and I do think this is something that we could look at, to see what support we are able to give. I think, from what you were saying, it wasn't just a matter of being left behind; it was being treated rudely as well. Clearly, that is an issue that needs to be taken up with the company. I do hope you get a response in the very near future. But I do think that that wider issue around training is something that we could look at.
I call for a Welsh Government statement on ovarian cancer awareness in Wales. Last Wednesday, I hosted, opened and chaired the online Wales ovarian cancer awareness meeting, organised by Target Ovarian Cancer and the National Federation of Women's Institutes Wales, which discussed the subtle signs of ovarian cancer and the need for a public awareness campaign in Wales. We heard that over 300 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year in Wales, that the earlier ovarian cancer is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat, and that, prior to the coronavirus pandemic, only 37 per cent of women with ovarian cancer in Wales were diagnosed at an early stage. We also heard that 'it's vital that women are aware of the symptoms if ovarian cancer is to be diagnosed early.' In Wales, only 15 per cent of women would make an urgent GP appointment if they were to experience the symptom of persistent bloating, and this needs to change.
We, therefore, need to hear from the Welsh Government what steps are being taken by the Welsh Government to improve recognition of symptoms of ovarian cancer among general practitioners, and increase the number of referrals; what steps the Welsh Government are taking to encourage women who have symptoms of ovarian cancer to contact their GP following the easing of coronavirus restrictions; whether the Minister has considered the need for an ovarian cancer national symptom awareness campaign in Wales; and, without a viable screening process to detect ovarian cancer, what steps are being taken by the Welsh Government to address the lack of symptom awareness in Wales. I call for a statement accordingly.
Thank you. I was aware that you held the ovarian cancer awareness meeting last week. I think it's really important that such days are held and supported by Members of the Senedd. My understanding is that a lot of the symptoms are silent. I think it is important that we do hear from the Minister for Health and Social Services, and I will ask her to bring forward a written statement.
I thank the Trefnydd for those responses.