Questions Without Notice from the Party Leaders

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:47 pm on 7 February 2023.

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Photo of Lesley Griffiths Lesley Griffiths Labour 1:47, 7 February 2023

Well, we're very pleased to announce that an enhanced pay offer was able to be made last week to the health trade unions, and that did call for several of the health unions to call off the strike action yesterday and today, and those discussions are obviously ongoing. We've had to prioritise money, we've had to look at reserves, we've had to look at underspends, and, obviously, as the year goes on, those underspends come to the fore, particularly this time of year. We're all, as Ministers, pressurising our officials to make sure what underspend there could be, and to make sure we use it to the very best of our ability. We've said all along we would have preferred a UK-wide conclusion, really, to this. We couldn't wait any longer for the UK Government to do this. We've managed to find a bit more money, and I think that money has been welcomed by the majority of people.