I'm pleased that we have another opportunity to raise the issue of keeping a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week accident and emergency department at Withybush hospital in Haverfordwest. I'm grateful to the Chair and the Petitions Committee for bringing this forward.

May I begin my contribution by paying tribute to the efforts of local Pembrokeshire people, who have co-ordinated and organised this latest petition, which has brought this subject yet again to the floor of the Senedd? Under several guises, the local campaign has been running for a number of years and has managed to co-ordinate support to maintain services at Withybush. We've seen petitions signed, rallies taking place outside of this Chamber, and marches through Pembrokeshire towns, all of which I've attended and all to draw attention to the threats to local health services. I'm pleased to see several campaigners in the public gallery this afternoon. I also want to pay tribute to the staff, who, despite the decade-long threat of downgrading and removal of services, continue to fulfil their roles with consummate professionalism. And it would be remiss of me not to thank Paul Davies, my constituency neighbour and good friend, for everything he has done on this matter. The Member is a true champion for this hospital.

I have to say that in my near 14 months as a Member of this place, not a week goes by without me being contacted by a constituent regarding their concerns over the removal of A&E from their local hospital. Whilst Withybush is not housed in my constituency, many of my constituents are patients there and rightly hold it in very high esteem. But despite all the platitudes and campaigns, we are still in the position that we have been in for the last decade, with the future of A&E services at Withybush and Glangwili under threat. Withybush, let's not forget, has lost a number of services over the years, thanks to decisions taken by this Labour Government. But, for the sake of clarity, it is worth me reiterating again that today's debate is focused solely on the retention of A&E at Withybush. I urge the Minister, in her response, not to fall into the trap of talking about wider plans for reorganisation, as that does nothing to diminish the anxiety of local people specifically relating to A&E provision.

I'm not going to repeat all of the arguments as to the importance of vital services in west Wales, especially to the local people who rely on a good-quality, fully operational A&E service at both Withybush and Glangwili, but we must also consider the influx of visitors who see the population of west Wales swell over the summer months, enjoying all the excellent attractions and beautiful countryside and coastline that the county has to offer. Some Pembrokeshire communities are already at least 45 minutes away from Withybush, and with potential sites for a new hospital finally being announced, there is no prospect of these services getting closer. But let me take you back to the tactics that those who want to see the removal of A&E are using.

Organisations will often send me a briefing paper before debates. Imagine my surprise when Hywel Dda's arrived in my inbox earlier this week. I had to read it a few times to ensure that the information that they were giving was relevant to this debate, as it ignored the petition title and skirted over the issue of A&E closures in a way that, no wonder, causes local people to be concerned and anxious over the future of their A&E department. Instead, the brief focused on the wider health board reorganisation, selling the dream of a new superhospital for west Wales—the same dream that they've been selling for the last decade and that will not be, in their words, 'realised' until the end of this decade at the earliest.

Minister, I absolutely appreciate that the way healthcare provision is provided needs to change, but we are always going to need an A&E department. There will always be patients needing emergency care close to home, from heart attacks and strokes through to broken legs and head injuries. To move that service further away from communities is foolhardy to say the least, and callous at worst. If promises are upheld and the hospital remains on the Withybush site once the new hospital is built, then why can't it house an A&E department? Why can't the new hospital and the retention of A&E services at Withybush coexist? The five preferred sites of the new hospital exist along a 12-mile stretch of the A40, a road that is often a single carriageway, suffering from heavy traffic and many accidents, and I've not even touched on the pressures our ambulance services are currently under.

Minister, I could go on, but for too long and too often, west Wales is forgotten in the policies of your Government. Local people deserve better and they feel their voices are not being heard. I run a poll on my website and social media giving local people a voice, a way to air their views on where they would like to see a new hospital located. Whilst not hugely scientific, less so than the heat map that the Chair of the Petitions Committee mentioned earlier, it is overwhelming: 82 per cent have voted to maintain A&E services on the current site.