10. Statement by the First Minister: Government priorities

– in the Senedd at 2:53 pm on 17 September 2024.

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Photo of David Rees David Rees Labour 2:53, 17 September 2024

(Translated)

Item 10 this afternoon is a statement by the First Minister on Government priorities, and I call on the First Minister, Eluned Morgan

Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour

Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. When I stood before you six weeks ago, I promised to be a First Minister who listens, but I made it clear that I want to listen not just to those with the loudest voices or those with the most power, but to everyone to ensure we focus on the issues that matter most to the people of Wales. And that is exactly what I and my colleagues have done. Over the summer, as First Minister, I’ve spoken with hundreds of people in every corner of Wales. Over 7,000 people responded to a Labour Party survey in terms of what they would like us to prioritise as a Welsh Government. So, before I go any further, I want to thank everyone who took the time to share their hopes, concerns and opinions with me and my colleagues, whether online or in person. We've had an incredible response.

Your voices have shaped the work of your new Welsh Labour Government. We’ve listened to people in our town centres, workers in Airbus, students in Bridgend, visitors to agricultural shows in Pembrokeshire, members of black, Asian and ethnic minority communities in Swansea, and we even had responses from a Men’s Shed in Maesteg. And you've given us in Government a clear message: health and social care, particularly addressing those long waiting times for treatment, are the top priorities. There’s also a strong desire for us to make faster progress on improving education standards, and in creating jobs and growing the economy over the next 18 months. There is also still real concern around the roll-out of the 20 mph speed limits and a desire to see changes on specific roads.

Across the whole of Wales, including in Pontypridd and in Wrexham, I heard from people who had positive personal experiences with the health service, but they were worried about overall pressure on the system and on waiting times. In Torfaen, young women told me that they wanted more support for mental health and women's health issues, like period pains and endometriosis.

The business community and housing developers in our capital city told me that they wanted to see us speed up the planning process. In Brecon, I was told that school standards need to be raised, and many across Wales told me how they were struggling to pay their rent. One man told me that his family was delaying having a second child due to worries over rising costs, and wanted better paid, quality jobs. In the Valleys, people called for better public transport links. In Connah's Quay, nearly every conversation was about the need to fix the roads.

Now, these conversations and many others like them, have helped define this Government's priorities. We are listening. Now, we can't do everything, so we are setting priorities. Having listened to people's concerns, ambitions and hopes, which chime with our values in Welsh Labour, we will move forward through the remainder of this Senedd term to drive progress in four key areas.

The first is to provide iechyd da, good health. We will cut NHS waiting times, including for mental health, we'll improve access to social care, and we'll improve services for women's health. Secondly, alongside the UK Government, we will focus on green jobs and growth. We'll create jobs that not only tackle the climate crisis, but help make families better off and restore nature. And we'll accelerate planning decisions to grow our Welsh economy.

One of the things that inspired me to enter politics was watching the wasted talents and abilities of those who were not being given a chance. So, we are going to ensure opportunities for every family. We will boost standards in our schools and colleges and provide more homes for social rent, ensuring that every family has the chance to succeed. And, we will be connecting communities. We will transform our railways and deliver a better bus network. We'll fix our roads and empower local communities to make choices on 20 mph. I'm proud to announce these priorities today, alongside a brilliant Cabinet team, who will be responsible for delivering on these priorities.

A lot has been done. There is a lot to do. But there's a heck of a lot to lose if we don't get this right. We are a Government that has a deep sense of service to you, the people of Wales. That's why we will keep listening but, more importantly, delivering. Delivery, accountability and improved productivity will be the watchwords of my Government—making things happen on the people's priorities. And this will include more transparency and visibility for the public, so that taxpayers know where things are going well and where there is room for improvement. This clear concentration on priorities, alongside a transformation in the way that we monitor delivery, will sharpen our focus.

Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 2:58, 17 September 2024

(Translated)

I have appointed a Minister for Delivery, who will help to drive this change. Over the next few weeks, we will develop a comprehensive list of what will be delivered, by when, and by whom, within the financial resources that we have available. Then, the Cabinet will meet monthly to monitor the progress of the most important missions and ambitions.

But, if we are to achieve our shared ambitions, we must be honest and we must be realistic. Tough decisions lie ahead. We must prioritise the Government's limited time and resources. I know that this won’t be easy, and I know the damage that 14 years of Conservative mismanagement has done to the UK's public finances. As Nye Bevan, the founder of the NHS, said, the language of priorities is the religion of socialism. That phrase doesn't quite work in Welsh.

Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 2:59, 17 September 2024

'The language of priorities is the religion of socialism.'

That's what Aneurin Bevan said. I believe in those words. That's what we're going to do in Government: determine what our priorities will be.

Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 3:00, 17 September 2024

(Translated)

Today, we have the best opportunity in more than 14 years to realise our ambitions for Wales. For too long, Conservative-led Westminster Governments have stifled our devolved powers and tried to temper our ambitions at every opportunity. But now we have change.

Just a few days ago, the agreement between Tata Steel and the UK Government showed how having a Labour Government in Westminster benefits the lives of people in Wales, and how those benefits will continue. Now in Government, the Labour Party has made a commitment to a national wealth fund worth £2.5 billion to rebuild the steel industry. The redundancy packages being offered to steelworkers are more generous than those offered under the Conservatives six months ago. I will be making a more detailed statement about the steel industry later today.

Now we have partnership in power: two Labour Governments working together for Wales. This is the moment for us to raise our ambitions, and we've already shown what we can do together. Because, last week, we announced pay offers for public sector workers that have risen more than the cost of living and inflation, fully accepting the pay recommendations from independent pay review bodies, and reflecting the views of the public who've told us on the streets over the summer that public services and the people who work in them matter. That means a 5.5 per cent pay award for teachers, 6 per cent for doctors and dentists, including GPs, with an additional £1,000 for junior doctors, and 5.5 per cent for NHS staff on 'Agenda for Change' terms and conditions.

Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 3:02, 17 September 2024

Inflation-busting increases in pay for public sector workers aren't just numbers. This is real, hard-earned money in the pockets of people who work tirelessly, day in and day out, in our precious public services, and they deserve our support. They are the backbone of the services that we rely on, and the public told us time and time again on the streets, 'Support our public services.'

By focusing on the priorities of the people of Wales, we will build a nation where everybody feels valued, respected and heard: a fairer, greener and more prosperous nation that gives people the confidence to start a family or grow a business, a Wales where every young person can feel happy and hopeful for the future. We've listened, we've learned and we will deliver. Diolch.

Photo of Andrew RT Davies Andrew RT Davies Conservative 3:03, 17 September 2024

First Minister, thank you for your statement this afternoon. I think this is the seventh legislative statement/First Minister priority statement/programme for government statement that we've had in the last 12 months from the Labour Party here in the Senedd. It's no wonder that, obviously, those charged with delivering this, the civil servants and the other public servants who work diligently across Wales, really don't know which way to turn when they're trying to implement some of this policy framework. Because, as the First Minister touched on in her statement, she said that people were telling her about 20 mph, they were telling her about fixing the roads. Well, it was the previous Labour Government that changed policy positions to take investment away from roads and into other transport models. Now, that's a perfect policy position to take, but it's your party that made that decision. And 20 mph, obviously, was your Government's, or the previous Government's, decision to implement that on a nationwide basis, and now local authorities are having to divert resources to unpick the spaghetti that they find of requests before them to try and put roads back to 30 mph, which constituents and the people of Wales are saying is the commonsense approach.

So, the worry from this statement is that it is so light on the way that these initiatives will be delivered. The First Minister took aim at the chief executives of the health service in her interview on BBC Wales on Sunday. Six of those seven chief executives have been appointed since 2021. The Minister's time as health Minister was the same window, so she actually appointed six of those seven chief executives that she said now need to step up the plate and deliver on waiting times. The Welsh Government set a blueprint of how they were going to reduce waiting times within the NHS, but have missed every target to get rid of those waiting times that have proved so stubbornly high, and, in fact, over the last couple of months, have started to go back up. So, what does the First Minister believe, in her role as First Minister, she can do to push those waiting times down that she couldn't do when she was health Minister? Because we've heard it all before, First Minister. Time and time again Labour Ministers have come to this Chamber to say that waiting lists are the priority. Well, the proof is in the pudding. The waiting lists are going up here in Wales, and, when we look at social care, 20 per cent of beds in Welsh hospitals are occupied by people who could be in the community, in their own homes, being looked after, and social care is as important a part of this equation as the health service itself, and I notice that it's very little talked of in this policy position paper that the Government have brought forward today.

When it comes to education, nothing on absenteeism, tackling absenteeism, which is stubbornly high in some of our poorest communities. Thirty-eight per cent in some of our communities have regular absenteeism in families that are missing life-chance opportunities through the education system. The statement is silent on that. It is silent on what you intend to do with university funding, where many of our universities find their backs against the wall. And I'd be grateful if the First Minister could highlight how the Government is going to address those two key components of absenteeism and investment in our universities.

And when it comes to the economy, there is a statement on Tata Steel later, so I'll leave the First Minister to address those issues around Tata Steel in that statement. But the sustainable farming scheme doesn't even get a mention in this statement, and it is our biggest employer, with the food processing sector and the agricultural community producing food for this country, but also for the export opportunities that exist around the globe. Nothing, no mention at all of that in the priority statement, despite all the rhetoric from the Deputy First Minister that he and you were listening as you went round Wales.

I'd also highlight the auditor general's recent report around housing targets, the Government's own social housing targets of 20,000 units to be built over the lifetime of this Senedd, and the auditor general pointing out that the Government were on track to miss that target. No reference as to how you're going to get yourself back on target and back building for Wales. We know in the commercial sector you are missing the goal of producing enough houses on a sustainable, regular, planned basis. You talk about reforming the planning system. Well, planning Ministers have come here time and time again from the Labour benches and have failed to bring forward a planning system that can meet the economic opportunities that exist with a responsive planning system that will get Wales building, creating quality jobs and homes for the future.

And I'd also like to try and understand, with the appointment of the finance Minister coming back into Government—. We saw the passion with which he spoke about reforming the school year. Is that back on the table now that the finance Minister is back within the Government? Was that extracted from you when he had his discussions about agreeing to serve and being the anchor in the Government? Because, equally, the other part of the Government programme that was jettisoned recently was council tax reforms. Is there any talk of bringing back the council tax reforms that were part and parcel of two, if not three, years of this Senedd term?

And you talk of delivery. Every First Minister since my time here that has come to this Chamber has talked of delivery units, setting up a Cabinet Office, and delivery is the heart of everything the Government does. Well, no First Minister is going to come here and say, ‘We're not going to deliver.’ But how are you actually going to be different in the way you will deliver over the next 20 months the priorities that you say are in this statement? I have to say—

Photo of David Rees David Rees Labour 3:09, 17 September 2024

Andrew, you need to conclude now, please.

Photo of Andrew RT Davies Andrew RT Davies Conservative

—it's the lightest First Minister's statement I've seen at an opening of a Senedd term. You do need to step up to the plate, your Ministers need to step up to the plate, and this statement won't change the direction, won't move the needle. And the sooner we get to 2026 and we have that chance to change direction here in Wales, the better for the people of Wales. 

Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour

Well, I've got to tell you, these are the priorities that come from the public, and, if you don't like them, you need to go out and speak to the public. Because this is important, to recognise that the things that we've stated here very clearly are the things that are of most importance to the public. Now, let's be clear that we still have a legal responsibility to deliver on a whole host of areas that we will, of course, carry out as we need to as a Government. But this is about focusing our attention. It's about making sure we hone in on the areas that people care most about. 

Now, if you just take the issue of some of the things that he talked about, about ensuring that we deliver. What is going to be different, for example, compared to when I was health Minister? Well, first of all, I was never the person who appointed the chief executives; I appoint the chairs, and it's the chairs who hold the chief executives to account. And I was getting them in on a monthly basis to really quiz them on what is happening within their health boards. And we will be doing a lot more of that in future, but also really looking at the transparency of that, because I do think the public have a right to know how their health board is performing compared to others. We will have to work out exactly to what level of granularity we go into that, but that is something that will change in future. But, obviously, taking that forward now will be the responsibility of the new health Minister, and I know that he is going to be absolutely focused on this. 

But let me tell you something else that's going to change is that we have a delivery Minister, and the delivery Minister will be responsible for making sure that, actually, everyone across Government is a part of this process, that we're all held to account—we're all held to account. And we will be having a monthly Cabinet meeting that will be solely focused on delivery, where everybody will have to contribute their skills, their abilities, their knowledge to the issues that are of most importance to the public. 

Of course, we are very keen to see things like reform of the planning system, but there's a huge number of people in different departments across Government who will be able to contribute to that debate, and that's why getting the whole of Government involved in this will be important. So, it is clear that we will carry on doing the kind of day in, day out work that Government has to do, but this is about focusing on the issues that are of most importance to the public in Wales. That's what we will do. We've set it out here. We will not be diverted from those priorities and, of course, we know that we're going to be judged on it within 18 months.  

Photo of Rhun ap Iorwerth Rhun ap Iorwerth Plaid Cymru 3:12, 17 September 2024

(Translated)

May I thank the First Minister for the statement? And, at the beginning of the parliamentary term, I wish her very well in her work. I will encourage her to show real ambition every day, but, unfortunately, the evidence presented through this statement doesn't give one much confidence. A practical question at the outset, if I may. I was under the impression that it was a Government consultation that was being staged this summer. I'm quite sure that the First Minister used public money to do that work, but then she said it that it was a survey by the Labour Party that was held, and data gathered by the Labour Party. So, perhaps the First Minister could explain what exactly the nature of that relationship was. There's something that isn't quite right there, but, certainly, it confirms—and that's important—that this was a piece of work to calm the waters within the Labour Party, rather than something for the benefit of the people of Wales. 

Photo of Rhun ap Iorwerth Rhun ap Iorwerth Plaid Cymru 3:13, 17 September 2024

The First Minister calls what happened this summer a consultation; I call it a public relations exercise. What I saw was a summer of silence. The First Minister didn't even think it worthwhile to immediately appoint a permanent Government, waiting until last week to do that. I'd suggest that, politically, that was time wasted on her behalf, but if you're a patient on a waiting list or a parent worried about your child's education, or looking for employment opportunities and worried about a stagnant economy, then certainly that has been a wasted six weeks. And the result of the exercise, as we've been told today—surprise, surprise—was that health and education and the economy were the top priorities. Goodness me, if a party that's been leading Welsh Government for 25 years hadn't realised that those were the priorities, then we're in deeper trouble with Labour than I thought. 

And, of course, on health and on education and economic development, and, yes, on roads, the other priority outlined in this very, very thin statement today, and, in fact, all those other elements that weren't even mentioned—agriculture being one of those—all of this is a legacy of 25 years of Governments led by Labour. Now, they can be proud that people trusted them to lead our Governments in this first quarter century of devolution, but they also have to own the state of public services after those 25 years. To lead and to govern means taking responsibility. And, if I might say, if Eluned Morgan is adamant that we shouldn't reference Keir Starmer—and I presume she means any other UK Prime Minister—in our questions to her, as she said earlier, she must therefore acknowledge that outcomes are those for Labour in Wales, and wholly for Labour in Wales to justify.

Photo of Rhun ap Iorwerth Rhun ap Iorwerth Plaid Cymru 3:15, 17 September 2024

(Translated)

Now, the legacy of the longest ever waiting lists, the fall in school standards, low wages, all show us that Labour Governments have had their opportunity and have failed. I know what people tell me, not just in a few weeks of consultation to calm the waters, but consistently. What they tell me is that they need hope for a sustainable NHS, for an education system that is strengthening. And do you know what, that hope has become very scarce under Labour Governments now, and that's why we need a fresh start, and we are offering that. That was true before the last general election; now, Labour's allegiance to their masters in Westminster is developing to be more of a problem than I'd even feared—that unwillingness to fight Wales's corner properly, lest that they muddy the waters. We cannot afford to have such a Government.

Photo of Rhun ap Iorwerth Rhun ap Iorwerth Plaid Cymru 3:16, 17 September 2024

Now, on reforming the Barnett formula, on HS2 consequentials, on devolving the Crown Estate, on justice and policing, Labour's message to Wales is 'no', it's 'no', it's 'no'. So, let me ask the First Minister to take action on these areas of priority. Firstly, issue a genuine public reprimand to the Prime Minister for cutting winter fuel payments to pensioners, and maintaining the two-child cap too. It would be at least a signal that the well of clear red water that was once mentioned isn't running completely dry. She had an opportunity to do so earlier; she chose loyalty to Keir Starmer and to Rachel Reeves.

Secondly, set out to the Chancellor the impact that further austerity will have on public services in Wales. The First Minister must stay true, I think, to what she said in her 2018 leadership campaign. She said that:

'Ending austerity...is unlikely to happen unless we get a Labour [UK] government.'

Well, look how that's turned out.

And thirdly, own up to the crisis in the NHS and start rebuilding properly. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results seldom works.

Photo of Rhun ap Iorwerth Rhun ap Iorwerth Plaid Cymru 3:17, 17 September 2024

(Translated)

Wales needs a Government that doesn't fear challenging Westminster, whoever holds the keys to No. 10 Downing Street. It's only then can we seek fairness for our nation, fair funding, constitutional fairness, a new approach to tackling poverty, the need for strategic investment in preventative healthcare, a focus on raising standards in education, on creating wealth, developing skills, increasing wages, supporting not punishing small businesses, supporting agriculture and rural Wales, and trying to retain and attract young talent. Those will be Plaid Cymru's priorities, and I look forward to giving you more detail on our vision over the next 18 months, while holding this Labour Government to account on behalf of the people of Wales. So, I'll pose this question to close: when will we have targets on health, education, on mending our roads and economic growth? Because, otherwise, this really is a thin statement this afternoon.

Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 3:18, 17 September 2024

Well, thanks very much. I think it's expected that we've had this cynical and negative reaction from Plaid Cymru. The fact is that, in that exercise, where, genuinely, hundreds of people were engaged, unfiltered, unplanned, where they told us face to face what they wanted to happen, they didn't think it was cynical. They thought it was really refreshing to have people out there, on the streets, listening to what they are concerned about. So, yes, of course I expect that kind of negative response. In fact, it was something that came up. They kept on talking about how negative some of the opposition parties were.

But I don't accept that was a summer of silence; I think the fact that we have engaged with thousands of people across Wales was important. And let's be clear, of course this was a Government exercise, but lots of other people got engaged with that listening exercise. So, the Labour Party got involved—you were welcome to get involved as well, but maybe you chose not to. But I can tell you that the people across Wales were really happy to contribute, and I don't accept that it was a summer of silence. 

The public sector inflation-busting pay award: it was not a summer of silence for the 200,000 people who have benefited from those pay rises that will underpin the fact that we will be able to cut down on those waiting lists, because before that there were issues about how much money we were able to give them, and they weren't happy with what was offered before, because we didn't have the money from the UK Government. That's the difference a UK Government has made. That's the difference: money in people's pockets, people who are helping our public services.

The same thing with Tata: the deal that's on the table now, which I'll talk about in more detail later, is better than the deal that was on the table earlier. The fact that we were able to discuss with the police and local communities about the disturbances that happened in other parts of the country, that wasn't a summer of silence for them, and we were very pleased that those disturbances didn't break out within our communities.

I am more than happy for you to hold me to account for what Labour decisions are here in the Welsh Government, but you will not hold me to account for what they're doing in Westminster. That is not my responsibility, and I think it is important that if you wanted to do that, go to Westminster. You wanted to go there—[Interruption.] I think it's really important that we make this clear right from the beginning.

Photo of David Rees David Rees Labour 3:21, 17 September 2024

I would like to listen to the response from the First Minister. That's for all Members, please, so please give her the chance to speak.

Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour

What we know is there was a £22 billion black hole. That has had a consequence for us here in Wales. It's had a direct consequence for us, and what we know—[Interruption.]

Photo of David Rees David Rees Labour

First Minister, let's wait a second now. I asked for quiet so that I could hear the response, and as soon as the First Minister spoke, I heard voices again disturbing her. Let the First Minister respond, please.

Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 3:22, 17 September 2024

What I will offer is hope for the future, hope to the people of Wales who have been through a really tough time. They've been through Brexit; they've been through austerity; they've been through COVID. They want to see a new chapter in the history of this nation, a new chapter that we will be able to see now, because of the engagement with that UK Labour Government. I'll take responsibility for my part; they will take responsibility for their part. But let me tell you, that co-operation already is transforming the way Wales is changing.

Photo of Rhianon Passmore Rhianon Passmore Labour

Firstly, may I welcome you as Wales's first female First Minister as well as the clear articulation of your Government's priority today? On behalf of the communities of Islwyn, may I thank you for spending your first weeks listening to the people?

In Islwyn, it's clear that we need our Welsh Labour Government to act decisively. Fourteen years of Tory austerity or cuts have wreaked havoc on our public services and stretched our communities to breaking point. My Islwyn constituents want to see NHS waiting times cut; they want to see living standards improved and local government financially supported, and they also want improved GP access, and in Islwyn safeguarding of loved arts organisations and venues such as Blackwood Miners' Institute, Welsh National Opera, or the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. First Minister, what can your Government do to ensure that local government is enabled, and that Welsh Government and the UK Government work collaboratively to improve the daily lives of the people of Wales, and that we work together across this Chamber to secure fairer, just funding for the people of Wales?

(Translated)

The Llywydd took the Chair.

Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 3:24, 17 September 2024

Thank you very much. Well, the major difference now is partnership in power, and that's what we've got under a Labour Government. The fact that we have had so many interactions already with Ministers in the UK Labour Government demonstrates the sea change that has happened as a result of Labour now winning the general election in the UK. We know how important local government is in terms of delivering our services, so that partnership, of course, needs to be transposed not just from here in terms of us and the UK Government working together, but us working with local government, and that's particularly true when it comes to social care and schools. That's why those two things are prioritised by the public, and those will be reflected in terms of what we do and, of course, we will be setting out some targets in terms of how we do that, and that's what we'll be doing as a Government. I've asked all of the Ministers to come up with their ideas of what can be delivered within the next 18 months, and we will be making sure that those are delivered.

Photo of Gareth Davies Gareth Davies Conservative 3:25, 17 September 2024

I would like to welcome you to the role of First Minister, and I'm pleased to hear that you intend it to be a listening Government. I just wish that your predecessors had had the same outlook in that regard. We've seen, time after time, Government priorities being completely out of sync with what the Welsh people are concerned about and what they are asking for. Your listening exercise, in your words, has highlighted concerns about 20 mph, which was introduced a year ago today and people still have strong feelings about. We are not seeing the desired exemptions being made. Despite Welsh Government leading people to believe it has rowed back on 20 mph, there has been no substantive change in policy, and people are still angry about the fallout from this policy.

You said that health and social care were raised frequently in your listening exercise, but again we've seen the health service neglected for years by the Welsh Government. My constituents in the Vale of Clwyd have been waiting over 10 years for a community hospital to be built in north Denbighshire to take pressure off Glan Clwyd Hospital, which has some of the worst accident and emergency department waiting times in the worst performing health board in Wales.

Improving education standards also came up. We know Wales’s PISA results were the worst in the UK. None of these issues brought to your attention are a surprise, but have been raised endlessly. I'm glad that you are finally listening, but I now expect to see these areas being the Welsh Government's top priorities, as opposed to vanity projects such as Senedd reform, which shamefully has directed funding away from these priority areas that the public have brought to your attention. A constituent has never told me on the doorstep that they want a larger Senedd or that they want universal basic income trials or that their ability to travel in their car has been curtailed. I hope that you intend to follow through on the issues that the Welsh people have raised with you directly and ignore the pressure from special interest groups and idealogues who indulge in wasteful vanity schemes that do not serve the interests of this county. Thank you.

Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 3:27, 17 September 2024

Thanks very much, Gareth, and it was great to spend quite a lot of time in north Wales, listening to the people in north Wales about what their concerns were, and they're not that different, frankly, from the concerns we heard across the rest of Wales, but it was important to engage with them, as I say, in a very unfiltered way, making sure we just rocked up without people knowing we were coming, so it was very raw, and I think people really appreciated that.

There were strong feelings, and you're quite right, the 20 mph is still an issue—I don't think we can duck that fact—but there has also been a drop in accidents, and that should also be recognised on this anniversary. In relation to that, I think what's important is that we listen, we learn, and then we ensure that there is local delivery so that we get the right speeds on the right roads. I'd like to thank all those thousands of people who've written in to their local authorities, who've told them which roads they think should be exempted under the new guidance, and I know that the transport Minister will be following that in real detail, making sure that, actually, local government is responding to the voices of those local communities, but making sure that, of course, safety is an important factor in all of this.

Photo of Mabon ap Gwynfor Mabon ap Gwynfor Plaid Cymru 3:28, 17 September 2024

(Translated)

Despite all the talk about a reset and re-enlivening this Government, having spent nine months putting the Labour Party's priorities before governing Wales, there was a very familiar tone to hear in the priorities on health and care, because what we’ve heard today, and in recent weeks, is shockingly similar to what her predecessor said back in April. Or what his predecessor said. And indeed what his predecessor said. Look at any one of the mission statements of any of the six Labour Members here today who have held the health portfolio and you will see similar statements. And, yes, that's a shocking statistic, isn't it? There are six of you now in this Chamber who have held the health portfolio and you continue to fail. Consistency, of course, is no bad thing, but in order to have any credibility, then you have to prove that doing and saying the same thing over and over actually bears fruit. And that’s where this Government has failed, time and time again. Rather than improving standards, what we have seen is the normalisation of failure, and falling standards under Labour failures in Wales.

Photo of Mabon ap Gwynfor Mabon ap Gwynfor Plaid Cymru 3:30, 17 September 2024

When the First Minister was appointed as the health Minister three and a half years ago, she effectively blamed her predecessor, saying that she didn’t realise that things were so bad. Well, things are now even worse. Waiting times have hit record highs for six consecutive months during the first half of this year, despite two First Ministers apparently putting this issue at the very top of their to-do lists. That’s only the tip of the iceberg. Barely 50 per cent of cancer patients in Wales are receiving the necessary treatment within the optimal time frame, and emergency response times are significantly slower than those in the rest of Great Britain. These issues are once again compounded and making things worse for the Government. What action is the Government going to take to improve the health service and make sure that primary care, and secondary care specifically, will be improved over the coming months?

Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 3:31, 17 September 2024

Thanks very much. Our focus will be on the bread-and-butter issues that matter to the public in Wales. What we know is that there is immense pressure on the health service. It’s not a situation that’s unique to Wales, and it’s clear we’re not going to fix the NHS in the next 18 months. I think it’s very important that we manage expectation around that.

We recognise that the demand is enormous—2 million contacts every month in a population of 3.1 million people. That’s a lot of activity and a lot of people. What was very interesting is hearing how many people said, ‘With the NHS, my personal experience is very good, but I know that there is huge pressure on the system’. That came up time and time again. When you challenged them on ‘What’s your personal experience?’ then many, many said, ‘Mine is a good one’.

But what I can tell you is that within all of the things that we need to do within the NHS, we will be focusing on bringing those waiting lists down. But also, the other issue that came up quite often was women’s health. And it may be because you’ve now got a First Minister who’s a woman that they were more ready to talk about that. But it was an issue that came up, and that’s why we will have a particular focus on that as well in our priorities.

Photo of Carolyn Thomas Carolyn Thomas Labour 3:32, 17 September 2024

May I also congratulate you on becoming First Minister? It was great to be with you in Connah’s Quay, and it was amazing when we were talking with people how many said they were actually quite happy with the way things are in Wales, which is great to hear. And when people did raise health as an issue, they actually did say that they had had good experiences with healthcare as well.

But can I confirm that the biggest issue raised by everybody was potholes and highway maintenance? An example of implementing legislation and policies in a more practical and timely way going forward would be to remove the onerous bidding and restrictions for highway grant funding. Applications can often be onerous, 20 pages long, technical and bureaucratic, and take up a lot of highway officer time, which could actually be used in contracting and delivering the work. So, would you agree with the Cabinet Secretary, who has previously indicated that highway and transport funding should be devolved to local authorities to get on with their own local priorities? Thank you.  

Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 3:33, 17 September 2024

Thanks very much. It was great to speak to so many people in Connah’s Quay. One of them was Jack Sargeant’s mum, who happened to be shopping at that particular time, so that was quite a welcome surprise. But you’re quite right; it was quite interesting that there were certain issues that came up in some areas more than others, and potholes was certainly the problem in Connah’s Quay. I think the Welsh Government was right to cut back on road building. That was a good policy. But we have to make sure that the roads that we do have are maintained. So, I’m absolutely secure in the fact that we do need to put more work into that, and I know that the Minister responsible is going to be focused on that as well.

Photo of Sioned Williams Sioned Williams Plaid Cymru 3:34, 17 September 2024

You said you wanted to listen to people who didn’t have power, didn’t have a loud voice. Do you know who don’t have power, and who don’t have a loud voice? Children, especially children in poverty.

Photo of Sioned Williams Sioned Williams Plaid Cymru

(Translated)

There was no mention made in your statement about child poverty. It’s very disappointing. I asked you when you became First Minister to put tackling child poverty at the top of your agenda and restore targets. That’s what provides delivery, First Minister—targets, targets to put an end to child poverty. When the child poverty target was dropped by the Welsh Government in 2016, we were told that this was because UK Government policy had made that target unreachable. One of those policies was the welfare reform programme, and the fact that the Welsh Governmnet didn't have the power to make the changes that are needed to, for example, the two-child cap and the benefits cap. So, what policy decisions will the Welsh Government ask the new UK Government to make that will help you to achieve the objectives of your child poverty strategy? And will targets to end child poverty be restored now that we have a Labour Government in London?

Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 3:35, 17 September 2024

Thanks very much. Dawn Bowden, of course, now will have responsibility for leading on the children's agenda; I'm very pleased she's taken up that role. I think one of the areas where we have been able to deliver on the issues in terms of the challenge on poverty with children is on free school meals, and the fact that, actually, there's been a roll-out of that in a really short space of time. Yes, it was part of the co-operation agreement, and I think that was a good example of working together, being focused, understanding where our abilities are as a devolved Government. We need to do what we are able to do. We have some levers, we don't have the big levers that the UK Government has. But, again, if you want to ask them for that support, ask your MPs to question Keir Starmer. That is the way this—[Interruption.] This is the way—[Interruption.] This is the way that it works: make sure that you ask your local MPs to ask Keir Starmer. Thank you very much.

Photo of Llyr Gruffydd Llyr Gruffydd Plaid Cymru 3:36, 17 September 2024

(Translated)

You call it a partnership of power, but, apparently, only you are allowed to talk about that partnership, it would seem.

Can I ask, on another issue, apart from the fact that you've already withdrawn the gender quotas Bill, are you as the First Minister still intending to deliver all Bills that were in your predecessor's legislative programme? 

Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 3:37, 17 September 2024

Thanks very much, Llyr. I haven't gone into the detail of the legislative programme. The quotas Bill is something that we have pulled back on, it's been paused for the time being. But that is the main thing. There will be some tweeks to one of the other Bills, in relation to the tourism and registration Bill, which you'll get more detail on in the very near future.

Photo of Elin Jones Elin Jones Plaid Cymru

(Translated)

I thank the First Minister.