Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:43 pm on 2 July 2024.
Andrew RT Davies
Conservative
1:43,
2 July 2024
Thank you, Presiding Officer. As you were highlighting there, First Minister, there is something happening on Thursday—it's an election, and it'll offer the people of Wales the choice. But, what we have heard from the leader of the Labour Party is complete embarrassment about the Welsh Labour Government's record. He used to go on the record and say, 'For what we would do in Westminster, look to the Welsh Government—this is our blueprint', highlighting the fact that there are record waiting times here in Wales, with one in four people on a waiting list. There's a record number of people waiting for two years or more to have an operation—21,600, which has gone up by 1,600 people. We have seen the decline in education standards as marked by PISA, and we have a stagnant economy that pays the lowest wages in any part of the United Kingdom. Is it any wonder Keir Starmer will not highlight what the Welsh Government are doing, and that's why he's so embarrassed now in this current campaign about what Welsh Labour have delivered for Wales over the last 25 years?
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.