The next item is thee business statement and announcement. I call on the Trefnydd to make the statement—Lesley Griffiths.

Diolch, Llywydd. There are two additions to today's agenda. Later this afternoon, the Deputy Minister for Climate Change will make a statement on bus reform. And secondly, I know you've now given permission for Stage 4 of the Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Bill to be moved after completion of Stage 3 later today. Draft business for the next three sitting weeks is set out on the business statement and announcement, which can be found amongst the meeting papers available to Members electronically.

Could I ask for an urgent statement from the Deputy Minister for Climate Change, with responsibility for transport, as to why many of my constituents, and the public of the north Wales coast, were left stranded at Chester railway station on Saturday night, as they couldn't access the 21:40 service from Chester to Holyhead, as the train only had two carriages? Now, in the run-up to Christmas, many people from north Wales enjoy a trip to Chester to go shopping, enjoy going out for dinner and drinks with friends and colleagues at this time of year. So, could I have a statement from the Deputy Minister for Climate Change as to why this happened and why there were only two carriages on the line that night, leaving my constituents stranded and needing to pay in excess of £100 for a taxi back to some of their communities in north Wales? So, can the Deputy Minister please reassure my constituents and the people of north Wales that adequate train services are in place for people to go about their daily business? Thank you.

The issue that you refer to really is an operational matter for Transport for Wales, and I would urge you to write to the chief executive.

I'd request a statement, please, outlining what extra support will be available to households that are really struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. We talk about the cost-of-living crisis so often I think the phrase has become normalised, but there will actually be thousands and thousands of people who genuinely don't know how they're going to get through the winter, if they're going to get through. And for some households, rising energy costs will be felt even more acutely—disabled people or people with complex needs require more heating and electricity, not just to be comfortable but as a basic function. If someone is incontinent, their household will need to use the washing machine and the tumble dryer sometimes multiple times a day. If someone has Alzheimer's, they'll get cold more quickly. Telling people in those situations that they just need to put on an extra layer just won't work. There are people living in our communities who won't just be facing the winter months with worry but with absolute and acute dread. I know that a lot of this is reserved to Westminster, so can a statement please set out if these issues are being raised with urgency with the UK Government? Thank you.

Thank you. I absolutely accept what you're saying about the phrase 'cost-of-living crisis' and how it's just become part of our language, really, over the past few months. I was speaking with the Minister for Social Justice this morning. I know she's making urgent representations to the UK Government, and I'm sure she'll be very happy to update Members when those discussions have—. Well, they're not going to conclude, are they; I think they will certainly carry on over the winter and into the new year. But I know one thing that she is very keen to do, and she's having meetings around this, is around the standing charges for energy. Particularly, one of the areas she's looking at—and it's something that Mike Hedges, who's in the Chamber, has certainly been lobbying her on, I know, very strongly—is around the standing charges if energy hasn't been used on that particular day, for instance. So, I'm sure when—. There are a lot of conversations going on bilaterally with the UK Government and the Minister for Social Justice. I'm sure she'll be very happy to update us in due course.

Trefnydd, could I ask for an urgent statement from the Minister for health regarding the situation concerning group A streptococcus, particularly in schools? The situation is very serious indeed and there are reports in the media now that antibiotics could be used as a preventative measure to protect children from more serious conditions, including scarlet fever and invasive group A streptococcus. Public Health Wales state that, in most cases, strep A causes scarlet fever. Scarlet fever is highly contagious, and parents are therefore advised to seek guidance from their GPs. There is a real risk that GPs could be overwhelmed at a very busy time of the year as it is. So, a statement, an urgent statement, from the Minister of health would be very welcome.

Can I also ask for a statement on the status of the advanced technology research centre? This is a project that Welsh Government has been working on for some five years. It would be the sibling facility for the advanced manufacturing research centre, which has been an incredible success. I understand the UK Government has allocated £10 million in capital towards the cost of establishing the ATRC. I'd be very grateful if we could have a statement on the status of that project and confirmation, if possible, in the budget next week that funding will be made available for it to be created in the next financial year. Diolch.

Diolch. The Minister for Health and Social Services will be making a statement as soon as possible around the strep A situation. We are certainly seeing a higher number of cases of strep A bacterial infection this year compared to recent years, and unfortunately we have seen the tragic outcomes in recent weeks, and our thoughts and condolences go out to all the families and all those impacted by these tragic deaths. You mentioned Public Health Wales, and they're leading the response here in Wales. They're working very closely with our health boards, our local authorities and schools and parents and GPs. As you say, there is information on their website, but the Minister for Health and Social Services will be making a statement, hopefully later on this afternoon. 

In relation to the ATRC, we are currently progressing with the design and the master planning of the ATRC site. We've identified an appropriate operator and currently estimating planning submissions to be made in the summer of next year, so 2023, shows that the facility would be operational in spring 2025.FootnoteLink We very much welcome the £10 million commitment that the Chancellor announced in the autumn statement to support its development.

Correspondence from the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd

Minister, please may I request a statement from the Minister of health in relation to the fracture liaison service here in Wales? Osteoporosis—we often hear about it here in Chamber—which can cause bones to break from a cough or even so much as a hug from the grandchildren, affects more than 180,000 people in Wales and costs the UK health service a huge £4.6 billion a year. Tragically, as many people die from fracture-related causes as from lung cancer or, in fact, diabetes. However, a fracture liaison service can help transform the quality of life for older people in Wales and unlock some serious savings for our NHS. As it stands, only 66 per cent of people in Wales aged over 50 have access to a FLS, compared to 100 per cent of people in Scotland and Northern Ireland. This means that thousands of people in areas without coverage are having fractures fixed up and forgotten about without their underlying osteoporosis being diagnosed and treated, and I'd like to know, obviously—. Where FLSs are already in place, there is widespread underperformance with patient identification, monitoring and follow-ups. Extending services and raising the quality can free up 73,000 acute hospital beds and 16,500 rehabilitation bed days, estimated to be taken up by hip fracture patients over the next five years, as well as deliver huge savings, which I mentioned. So, a modest £2 million annual investment in raising the number and quality of fracture liaison services to cover everyone over 50 would deliver a £36 million return over five years. We have a real opportunity, Minister, here to improve the lives of thousands of people across Wales, and such savings, I'm sure, will be welcomed by the Welsh Government. Therefore, a statement from the health Minister about investing in this particular service would be greatly appreciated. 

Thank you. I think you raise a really important point. Osteoporosis affects many of us and many of our constituents, and I will certainly ask the Minister for Health and Social Services to come forward with a written statement. 

Trefnydd, I want to highlight the need for a Government statement by raising the matter of the nursery at Caerphilly Children's Centre, which is left on the brink due to a lack of financial commitment and engagement from the Labour-run Caerphilly County Borough Council. The centre has been providing an incredible service for children with disabilities, developmental delay and additional needs for three decades. To continue to operate, the nursery needs a service level agreement from the local authority, as they cannot apply for larger long-term grant funding without such a financial commitment in place. The centre has been requesting an agreement for the last five years. I've also heard that requests for a meeting on this matter have not been answered or acknowledged by the council in the last year. The situation is now critical, and they face issuing redundancy notices to staff at the end of December unless something changes. Are you disappointed that your party colleagues in Caerphilly are jeopardising the health and mental well-being of the most vulnerable with a lack of engagement and lack of financial commitment? But, for this Government, can we have a statement on the provision for children with disabilities, developmental delay and additional needs in Wales and the need to protect these services?   

Well, I'm not aware of the issue you raise around the nursery. I do think it would be better to correspond directly with Caerphilly County Borough Council on this occasion. 

Minister, there is now a growing campaign in Wales, led by five animal welfare charities, calling for a ban on greyhound racing. Dogs Trust, Blue Cross, Greyhound Rescue Wales, Hope Rescue and the RSPCA collectively believe that greyhound racing causes cruelty and appalling suffering to the dogs. Can the Minister ensure a written statement confirming the position of the Welsh Government on greyhound racing, whether they have met with these five organisations, and what steps they might take to address this vital issue of animal welfare? Thank you. 

Thank you. Well, obviously, this falls within my portfolio, and I am very keen to address the many concerns that have been raised with me around greyhound racing. As you will be aware, the Petitions Committee has had a significant petition, and I'm awaiting the outcome of that, as well as obviously having this as part of our animal welfare plan—that is a five-year plan that I published, which will cover the whole five years of this term of government—but this is something obviously within the programme for government commitment. I have met with some of the organisations that you refer to, and I've certainly received a significant amount of correspondence on the issue. But I think the next thing will be to look at the petition, if that comes forward, obviously, for a debate here in the Senedd, and also my officials are working on looking at whether a consultation is required, which I think it would be, to look at the future of greyhound racing. 

Tempting as it would be to follow up that question from Altaf Hussain—thank you so much—I'm focusing on something else today, and good afternoon, Trefnydd. Can I request a statement, please, from the Minister for Health and Social Services with regard to the strike ballot by Welsh ambulance service workers? We know that nobody takes strike action lightly, least of all those who are in our health service, and it just shows how desperate health workers are. They have voted to strike in December, which does also coincide with the nurses' strike as well in December. So, could I ask for a statement from the Minister about what urgent action the Welsh Government will be taking to ensure that workers are supported, that negotiations are in place and that emergency cover is sufficient during what we know will be one of the NHS's busiest period? Diolch yn fawr iawn.

Thank you. Well, we do recognise why so many ambulance workers have voted the way they did, and the anger and the disappointment amongst so many of our public sector workers at the current time. We believe our emergency services should be fairly rewarded for their important work, but you'll appreciate our current financial settlement falls far short of what's needed to meet the significant challenges faced by public services and by public workers right across Wales. As a Government, we very much value social partnership, and I know the Minister continues to meet with trade unions to discuss a range of issues affecting the workforce.

Trefnydd, I'd be grateful if we could have a statement from the Deputy Minister for Social Partnership on action that the Welsh Government is taking to recruit and keep retained firefighters in the workforce in Wales. You may be aware that there are 125 vacancies in mid and west Wales, a situation that Roger Thomas, chief fire officer for mid and west Wales, is right to say is unsustainable, and so it's vital that we see support forthcoming, perhaps even a national review of pay and conditions for retained firefighters so that we see the situation improving. Given the importance of recruiting and retaining firefighters in constituencies and regions, especially in our rural areas, I would appreciate a statement from the Welsh Government as soon as possible, outlining what it's doing to encourage people to apply for roles within the fire service, and what it's doing to support the workforce in order to protect these vital emergency services.

Thank you. You will have heard me say in my answer to Jane Dodds that we absolutely value social partnership, so the Deputy Minister for Social Partnership is certainly working with the fire service at the moment to see what more can be done to try and attract people to the roles. I wasn't aware of the significant number that you refer to, but I know the Deputy Minister is.

May I ask for a debate in Government time on the state of the NHS? As we enter winter, staff are doing their very best, but the situation is impossible. I've heard of a series of incidents affecting constituents over the past few days: one woman in her 80s, concerned that she'd broken her hip, waiting 24 hours on the floor at home for an ambulance; another elderly woman waiting hours in the emergency department while ambulances were queueing outside; a young woman being treated in the corridor in the emergency department because of a shortage of beds. There's nothing new about that; we all hear these stories. But things aren't improving, and I do fear that debates and statements on health in Government time have been few and far between recently. In the light of that, I would appreciate an opportunity as a matter of urgency to discuss the crisis in the NHS before winter really starts to bite.

I know the Minister for Health and Social Services has been working very closely with all the health boards around winter preparedness, but we obviously recognise there are many challenges, and I know the Minister met with the ambulance service—I think it was two weeks ago, but it may have been last week—to discuss issues with the number of ambulances that aren't able to put patients into A&E as quickly as we would want. There will be another, obviously, health debate in Government time, and I will certainly look to see if this is a topic that we could cover in that.

I'd like to ask the Minister for Health, and repeat what our colleague Ken Skates said, for an urgent statement on the high number of cases of strep A and scarlet fever in Wales. I did submit an emergency question regarding this but, unfortunately, it was not accepted. Therefore, I'm using this business statement as the fastest means possible to make the Welsh Government aware of how many parents, families, grandparents and carers are really concerned. The ongoing cases of strep A and scarlet fever and other complications that it can cause have so far claimed, sadly, the lives of nine children in Wales. This is an appalling tragedy, and my heart goes out to each and every single grieving parent. It has left many families deeply worried as to what they should do next. I had a constituent of mine with two children infected, who were actually at the A&E department yesterday, and waiting nine and a half hours to be seen, and yet we're told speed is of the essence in making sure that we keep our children safe. The updated UK guidance on scarlet fever outbreaks says antibiotics can be used to help stop new cases of strep A in settings such as schools, but that a decision should be taken by local outbreak control teams on a case-by-case basis. I think it's really important that we have a joined-up approach across all parts of the UK so that parents and schools alike can receive the clearest advice possible about what to do.

Now, you did mention before that the Minister may put one out today, and certainly something later this week. We need something today, Trefnydd, and we really do—it's a pity that it wasn't raised by the Minister herself, because there are so many questions. I've been asked by one constituent who had to go around six places looking for antibiotics, so we need to make sure that we've got every single thing in place to combat this and that we don't have these parents and families so worried. So, we want an oral statement, where we can ask questions of the Minister. It's not good enough just to put a statement out outside this Chamber. Thank you. Diolch.

There will be a written statement issued this afternoon, but can I just—

Oral.

There will be a written statement this afternoon, and if I could just clarify as the Member, I think, said nine children had unfortunately died in Wales; it's in the UK. I absolutely agree with you, though, these are all really tragic cases.

Thank you, Trefnydd, for that item.