7. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the impact of the measures it has introduced during the pandemic on the equal rights of people who have sight problems in Arfon? OQ57613

Thank you very much, Siân Gwenllian. During the pandemic the disability equality forum commissioned research on the impact on disabled people, including those with visual impairments. As a result, the disability rights taskforce has been established to address the impact of the pandemic, and one of its first priorities will be to tackle health inequalities.

Thank you for that response. Almost 5,000 people in Gwynedd live with visual impairments, and as the use of lateral flow tests becomes part of our lives, and is likely to be for some time yet, we need to ensure that there is support available to them in terms of taking these tests and also in understanding the results. I am aware of the plan to provide support through an app called Be My Eyes, but it hasn't been successful for everyone, with many having to rely on support from others, and, of course, not everyone has access to digital devices. So, can you give us an update on what other steps are being taken in light of the findings of this specific pilot?

Thank you very much for your important question.

It's really important that I draw this to the attention of my colleague, the health and social services Minister particularly, in relation to Be My Eyes as one example of how we can reach out to those people who are finding it difficult in terms of the use of lateral flow tests because they are inaccessible to them. I will want to take this up with our accessible communication group, which was set up in 2022 to discuss and overcome barriers stopping people from accessing information, particularly as a result of COVID-19. Can I finally say as well, last week we had the second meeting of our disability taskforce, which is responding to the very strong recommendations that came out of 'Locked Out: Liberating disabled people's lives and rights in Wales beyond Covid-19' as a result of evidence of the impact of the pandemic on disabled people? So, I'm fully committed to supporting visually impaired and blind people in Wales. I will take this back and come back to you, because this is crucial in terms of us delivering on the social model of disability, which is about removing barriers and understanding from lived experience people's lives.