Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:25 pm on 28 February 2023.
Can I ask, Minister, what are your criteria for taking the health board back out of special measures? I ask that question in the context of—. You said in your statement today, Minister, that your predecessor took the health board out of special measures just before the Senedd election in 2020 because they were taking positive steps towards improvement. Well, I would suggest that the health board remains in special measures until it has demonstrated improvement. If you agree with that statement, therefore, do you disagree with your predecessor—that he was wrong to take the health board out of special measures back in 2020, before the Senedd elections?
Secondly, Minister, the chair and the independent members wrote to the First Minister, and they said, 'We have also previously and repeatedly escalated concerns to the Welsh Government.' They did not receive a response, let alone support, in reply to those escalations. Well, Darren Millar and Rhun ap Iorwerth asked you this question, and I think your response to them was, 'Well, actually, it wasn't sent directly to me or the Welsh Government'—it was for your information or you were copied in. [Interruption.] But, my question is: what you said, Minister, is that if you're copied into e-mails, or you're carbon copied into e-mails, you don't always reply. Well, I don't always reply, but if I was sent something of serious concern, I would certainly reply. So, can I understand why that e-mail was ignored?