Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:16 pm on 15 March 2022.
It's a pleasure to take part in this short debate, and I'll keep my comments relatively succinct. Just to reiterate the fact that myself and the Welsh Conservative group will be abstaining on today's motion. The Chair of the Finance Committee and the Member for South Wales East mentioned that a key word is 'tangibility', and any budgetary decision that's made has to be felt on the front line of the sectors, and it's mentioned within the supplementary budget about NHS training and workforce, so would the Minister be able to answer what specific training is being offered to the NHS workforce? Because, quite often, there are many sectors in the health and social care professions that are dying to know the details, and I think the health boards deserve to know and get specific direction on where they're going to train up these workforces, because a lot of professionals do actually feel sometimes disillusioned with the lack of training, and often that can be a key part of career development and also to expand a professional's knowledge.
And also, Social Care Wales and CAFCASS funding, and what will this do to support healthy patient flow and discharge to social care settings in particular, because we often see cases of bedblocking, ambulance waiting times because the fact of the matter is that people being discharged from the other side of the sector can't actually be discharged to somewhere safe in the social care sector. So, what specifically will that funding do to support that issue?
Just finally, in supporting children, you've previously said that you've wanted to abolish the private childcare provision that makes up, actually, 80 per cent of the sector. So, does that fund towards children support that ideation of an ideological vendetta against the private childcare providers, or does that actually defy it, Minister? I'd like you to answer those specific questions when you're closing the debate later on. Thank you.