8. Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's immediate priorities for the health service in Pembrokeshire? OQ57816

I thank Paul Davies for the question, Llywydd. Immediate priorities for the health service in Pembrokeshire include delivery of the latest phase of the COVID vaccination programme and the continued restoration of wider, more routine services.

First Minister, earlier on today, in response to the leader of the opposition, you said that the new dental contract has been carefully negotiated, but like others, I've been contacted by local dentists in my constituency who are frustrated with changes to this contract and have warned that these changes could have a detrimental impact on the delivery of services in the Hywel Dda University Health Board area. Now, in a nutshell, the local health board is proposing to reduce practices' contract values to 25 per cent of the agreed existing levels, as well as targeting practices with additional targets and measures, and, of course, these changes will now come into force from 1 April. I listened very, very carefully to your earlier answers, but it's clear from the concerns I've received that dentists are worried about these changes that could have a negative impact on the delivery of services in Pembrokeshire. So, First Minister, what steps will you now take to alleviate these immediate concerns so that dentists in my constituency can provide much needed dental services?

Llywydd, I do take seriously the points that the Member has raised. As I explained earlier, the Welsh Government's role is to fund the service, and we are doing that with additional investment next year. It is then for local health boards to carry out the direct negotiations with the people who provide those services. There are choices that dentists will be able to make, as I explained in my answers to the leader of the opposition. My response to the points that Paul Davies has raised is that those people who have those concerns need to be around the table with their local health board to reach a resolution that maximises the impact that the investment the Welsh Government is making can have on the provision of dental services to make sure that people in the Pembrokeshire area have access to the service that they need.

I thank the First Minister.