This investigation by the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee is, in my opinion, timely. Care homes play a major role in the provision of care to mainly older people, but not exclusively older people. It involves a large number of providers. Some are providers with more than one site, others have only one home, and there are some major providers, but each one of them is providing care to individuals. Each of these is important.

No-one has an ambition to end up in a care home, but many of us in this room today will end up in a care home, and even more of us will have a family member, either now or in the future, who will be in a care home. So, we've all got a personal interest in getting this right. The committee report was intended to highlight and examine the challenges faced in the complex area of care home commissioning for older people, with the aim of making the system more equitable for all. I think that 'equitable' is a word that we need to use more often, because everything should be equitable. The committee heard evidence about the accessibility and quality of care home provision in Wales, the variation and complexity associated with funding care, home placements, the difficulty faced in attracting and retaining staff to the industry, and the proposed policy reforms relevant to this field.

The committee recommended that the Welsh Government consider the voice of service users as part of their policy reform in this area. The committee would welcome further information from the Welsh Government on how they have consulted with service users and their families as part of the work of the expert group on social care. I support the call that the Welsh Government task and finish group developing the new national framework for social care should consult service users as part of its work, and I would say as a major part of its work. The Welsh Government needs to provide an update about how this will be achieved as part of its consultation in spring 2023. Too often, service users and their families have things done to them, have things done for them, have things people think will be good for them. Too often, this is based on 'professionals know best', rather than the individuals and their families. And it's not just in care; the same thing happens in health.

The committee recommended that the Welsh Government consider, as part of the development of a national care service, what more can be done to review the salaries and terms and conditions of care workers, to ensure parity with NHS staff and to be competitive with other industries such as the hospitality industry. Without parity of pay and conditions, the sector will continue to face problems recruiting and retaining staff. Health and care require many of the same skills. Health pays better, and it's seen as more important by politicians and the public. Care is really the poor relation of the health and care service, and that's something I know the Minister cares a lot about, so this is not me having a go at the Minister on this, because we've got a Minister who actually understands the importance of the care system and is committed to the care system. But, care home staff leave to work in the health service, creating a vacancy problem in care homes. And why wouldn't they? It's not always about pay, but why would people not leave for a better paid job? And, especially in the times we're in now when people are under financial pressure, moving into a better paid job has a lot to be said for it. It might mean that you put the heating on half an hour earlier, it might mean that you end up with three meals a day not two, or two meals a day not one. So, it is really important that pay is there. I know that the Deputy Minister has talked about this and I know the Deputy Minister's commitment to it is as great as mine, but it is something that we desperately need to ensure, that care is not the poor relation. The Deputy Minister has already accepted the need to increase pay, what is needed now is action on increasing pay for those working in care homes.

The Welsh Government needs to mandate a more proactive approach to sharing information across the care home sector, particularly information on service users' experience and satisfaction, linked with the seven well-being goals for Wales. The mandatory requirement to share information should be implemented on a national level to ensure that providers, service users and the Welsh Government have access to consistent and relevant information. Data also needs to be shared, and perhaps more importantly, between health, social care and care homes. Far too often, everybody has their own system, everybody says they're not allowed to share, and we get two answers on that: it either costs a lot or GDPR does not allow it. The Welsh Government should work with providers to proactively seek consent from service users and their families for the sharing of information; when people provide information, getting them to approve sharing with health and social care serving the care home. This would allow data to be shared, just like the way we all allow data to be shared by organisations that we deal with. We tick that box, 'Can we share data?' We need to have that box in there when people are in health and care areas.

I share the committee's concern about the charging of top-up fees and support the recommendation that the Welsh Government should issue binding restrictions to limit the areas where such fees are charged, which should be kept to a minimum and published. Mark Isherwood mentioned earlier charging for things such as using the care home garden; that is unfair and wrong. And, finally, I am very pleased that the auditor general has investigated the care home sector and that the committee has produced this report, and I know the Minister is listening to us.