2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:26 pm on 10 January 2023.

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Photo of Darren Millar Darren Millar Conservative 2:26, 10 January 2023

Trefnydd, can I call for a statement from your colleague, the Minister for Health and Social Services, in relation to the situation at the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board? Members will be aware that there was some discussion in the media about a £122 million fraud investigation that is being undertaken by NHS counter-fraud at the moment, alongside a review by Audit Wales—a high-level review—of board effectiveness. Now, clearly, these are matters of concern for a health board that we know was already struggling to perform and deliver its services at a standard that the people of north Wales deserve, and I do think that we need an opportunity to question in this Chamber the Minister on the action that is being taken, in order that we can be confident that it is appropriate.

Can I also call for a statement from an appropriate Minister in relation to the Welsh space industry? I was very pleased yesterday to see Wales’s first satellite launched into the air, at least. It didn’t quite get into space. [Laughter.] It didn’t quite get into space, but there was a successful launch from Cornwall of a rocket from the bottom of an aircraft, which got into the outer atmosphere. As I say, it wasn’t quite met with the success that we had all hoped for, in terms of ForgeStar-0 actually being released, but I do think that there is a growing interest in space as an opportunity for our economy here in Wales. We know that there are plans in Llanbedr in north Wales with Spaceport Snowdonia as well, and I think that this growing interest is something that Wales should capitalise on as soon as possible in order to make sure that our economy benefits from it. I do think that it’s time that we had, given the events of last night, an opportunity to consider it further in the Chamber. 

I should note that I saw a meteor in the sky last night as well, over Cardiff, which was quite exciting. I don’t know if anybody else noticed it, but if you get on to Twitter and put 'meteor Cardiff', you will see, on people’s ring doorbells and the like, that many people had been able to witness this ball of fire in the sky, which was quite exciting to witness on my way to Wetherspoon’s last night, at about 8 p.m. [Laughter.]