3. Will the First Minister provide an update on the north Denbighshire community hospital in Rhyl? OQ61001

Yes, thank you. The health board is currently reviewing its proposals for the Royal Alexandra Hospital site in partnership with local stakeholders. The proposals are expected to include a minor injuries unit, intermediate care beds and integrated care. The business case should be submitted to the Welsh Government for consideration when ready.

Thank you very much for your update this afternoon, First Minister. I think the perceived progress and the actual tangible progress being felt by my constituents are somewhat not parallel here, because the fact of the matter is that my constituents have been waiting over 10 years for this community hospital to be built within Rhyl, which has long been seen as the remedy for treating some of the most acute issues in Glan Clwyd's accident and emergency department, which is the worst performing hospital in the worst performing health board.

You were the health Minister when you first announced £40 million to go towards the north Denbighshire community hospital, and while I can appreciate the fact that costs have gone up significantly since then, I think you can go two ways with this, First Minister. You can either be the latest First Minister in an ever-increasing line of First Ministers to fail to deliver this project, which your direct predecessor said was a regret that, in his time in office, this hospital wasn't delivered, or you could be the First Minister to finally get this project over the line. Which will it be? If it somehow is the latter, then what would your message be to my constituents in the Vale of Clwyd who have been waiting too long for this to happen?

The Deputy Presiding Officer (David Rees) took the Chair.

It is, of course, a matter of regret that the proposal to use the Royal Alexandra site, which has widespread support, has not come to fruition yet. When I approved proposals some years ago, the initial price tag was thought to be around £40 million. That then increased to £100 million. And it's just worth reflecting not just the significant increase in the cost of the project, but actually all of that took place against a backdrop where our capital ability within the Welsh Government and within the Welsh NHS has reduced successively. We've actually done worse on capital than we have done on revenue in the last few budget rounds, so we're really, really squeezed.

What has now taken place is the scheme has been prioritised by the regional planning board, with other partners—the health service, working with other local partners—to look at a design that should work. It is a matter for those partners to come up with a full business case that can come to the Government for approval. I would very much like us to be able to have a business case we can invest in and see delivery in as well. That will make a real difference for different stakeholders and constituents not just in the Member's Constituency but in the wider region. But we do need to have the business case robustly provided to us, with detailed costings around it, and I then want to be able to give the go-ahead for that. The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services actually recently wrote to Councillor Joan Butterfield, the chair of the partnerships scrutiny committee, giving an update along those lines.