Part of 2. 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:38 pm on 4 July 2017.
Mr Simon Thomas
Plaid Cymru
1:38,
4 July 2017
Well, one of the specific challenges in rural areas is dealing with older people, and older people with dementia—well, not just older people, but others who have dementia. That’s a challenge that became very apparent during the recent General Election, of course. And this is encapsulated in the debate that is currently ongoing on the future of the Bodlondeb care home in Aberystwyth, which serves north Ceredigion, and mid Wales to an extent. I’m sure that the First Minister would join with me in saying that the consultation started on Monday, so everyone needs to express their views as part of that consultation. But will the Government, through the Minister, have discussions with Ceredigion County Council, particularly around some of the new possibilities that the Government is providing, through extra-care beds or extra-care homes, to see whether it would be possible to fit what happens with the future of Bodlondeb into the broader pattern serving mid Wales?
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 it by process of election. The party who wins the most seats in parliament is in power, with its leader becoming Prime Minister and its Ministers/Shadow Ministers making up the new Cabinet. If no party has a majority, this is known as a hung Parliament. The next general election will take place on or before 3rd June 2010.
