Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:50 pm on 6 December 2022.
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.