Part of 1. 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:04 pm on 2 May 2017.
Leanne Wood
Plaid Cymru
2:04,
2 May 2017
In my Constituency, we’ve experienced big problems with GP retention and recruitment, and it’s of particular concern in the Rhondda because we have an ageing population and an ageing GP population to match. Last year, we saw the closure of Tŷ Horeb surgery in Treorchy, and, less than a fortnight ago, Maerdy surgery patients were told to go to Ferndale surgery because GP cover could not be arranged for that particular day. This caused a lot of concern in an area where appointments are difficult to come by at the best of times. With all the problems in the NHS in England, why is recruitment such a problem in Wales? Doctors should be falling over themselves to come and work in Wales, but you’ve failed to capitalise on that situation. Do you also regret that, after 18 years of Labour running the NHS in Wales, we still have one of the worst patient-to-doctor numbers in the whole of the EU?
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
In a general election, each Constituency chooses an MP to represent them. MPs have a responsibility to represnt the views of the Constituency in the House of Commons. There are 650 Constituencies, and thus 650 MPs. A citizen of a Constituency is known as a Constituent