Agenda and minutes

This meeting was held in a hybrid format, with some Members in the Senedd Chamber and others joining by video-conference.

The Presiding Officer will call party spokespeople to ask questions without notice to the Cabinet Secretary after Question 2.

View Questions

The item started at 13.30

The first 8 questions were asked. The Presiding Officer invited party spokespeople to ask questions to the Cabinet Secretary after question 2.

 

The Presiding Officer will call party spokespeople to ask questions without notice to the Cabinet Secretary after Question 2.

View Questions

The item started at 14.19

The first 8 questions were asked. The Presiding Officer invited party spokespeople to ask questions to the Cabinet Secretary after question 2.

To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Culture and Social Justice

Luke Fletcher (South Wales West): Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the issues highlighted at HM Prison Parc?

The item started at 15.18

Answered by the Cabinet Secretary for Culture and Social Justice

Luke Fletcher (South Wales West): Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the issues highlighted at HM Prison Parc?

 

The item started at 15.26

Jack Sargeant made a statement on - Mental Health Awareness Week (13-19 May).

Delyth Jewell made a statement on - Lauren Price wins the WBA, IBO and “The Ring” magazine world welterweight boxing titles (11 May).

Llyr Gruffydd made a statement on - 150 years of Ysgol Pentrecelyn, near Ruthin (11 May).

 

The item started at 15.31

The proposal under Standing Orders 12.24 and 12.40 to group the following motions for debate and for voting was agreed.

NNDM8583 Elin Jones (Ceredigion)

To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Order 17.14, elects Rhianon Passmore (Welsh Labour) in place of John Griffiths (Welsh Labour) as a member of the Petitions Committee.

NNDM8584 Elin Jones (Ceredigion)

To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Order 17.14, elects Sarah Murphy (Welsh Labour) in place of Jack Sargeant (Welsh Labour) as a member of the Local Government and Housing Committee.

NNDM8585 Elin Jones (Ceredigion)

To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Order 17.14, elects John Griffiths (Welsh Labour) in place of Sarah Murphy (Welsh Labour) as a member of the Health and Social Care Committee.

The motions were agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

NDM8571 Mabon ap Gwynfor (Dwyfor Meirionnydd)

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes that:

a) smoking kills 5,600 people a year in Wales and places a huge burden on the Welsh NHS of more than £300 million each year;

b) smoking is the leading cause of preventable ill health and premature death in Wales, causing 3,100 cases of cancer each year;

c) Wales is experiencing a marked increase in the reports of young people vaping, coupled with a sharp increase in the number of retailers selling nicotine products;

d) an increase in nicotine dependency among younger people will demand additional nicotine cessation support in Wales; and

e) the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 requires public bodies in Wales to think about the long-term impact of their decisions, to work better with people, communities and each other, and to prevent persistent problems such as poverty, health inequalities and climate change.

2. Calls on the Welsh Government to: 

a) commit to the full implementation of chapters 2, 3 and 4 of the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 which would enable the:

i) establishment of a national register of retailers of tobacco and nicotine products;

ii) adding of offences which contribute to a restricted premises order in Wales, enabling enforcement officers to prohibit a retailer from selling tobacco or nicotine products for up to a year; and

iii) prohibition of the handing over of tobacco and nicotine products to a person under the age of 18;

b) ensure that the Tobacco Control Strategic Board makes the implementation of a tobacco and nicotine retail register a priority action in the second phase of the tobacco control action plan for Wales 2024-2026;

c) commit to a fully-funded communications campaign to support the implementation and subsequent regulatory and legislative changes; and

d) establish a working group to;

i) oversee the timely implementation of the retail register;

ii) explore how the retail register could provide a pathway to a licensing scheme and/or tools for additional enforcement; and

iii) present the data gathered from the register to help target smoking cessation and public protection efforts.

Co-submitters

John Griffiths (Newport East)

Altaf Hussain (South Wales West)

Supporters

Carolyn Thomas (North Wales)

Delyth Jewell (South Wales East)

Heledd Fychan (South Wales Central)

Jack Sargeant (Alyn and Deeside)

Jane Dodds (Mid and West Wales)

Julie Morgan (Cardiff North)

Llyr Gruffydd (North Wales)

Mark Isherwood (North Wales)

Peredur Owen Griffiths (South Wales East)

Rhys ab Owen (South Wales Central)

Sioned Williams (South Wales West)

Vikki Howells (Cynon Valley)

The item started at 15.31

Voting on the motion under this item was deferred until Voting Time.

NDM8571 Mabon ap Gwynfor (Dwyfor Meirionnydd)

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes that:

a) smoking kills 5,600 people a year in Wales and places a huge burden on the Welsh NHS of more than £300 million each year;

b) smoking is the leading cause of preventable ill health and premature death in Wales, causing 3,100 cases of cancer each year;

c) Wales is experiencing a marked increase in the reports of young people vaping, coupled with a sharp increase in the number of retailers selling nicotine products;

d) an increase in nicotine dependency among younger people will demand additional nicotine cessation support in Wales; and

e) the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 requires public bodies in Wales to think about the long-term impact of their decisions, to work better with people, communities and each other, and to prevent persistent problems such as poverty, health inequalities and climate change.

2. Calls on the Welsh Government to: 

a) commit to the full implementation of chapters 2, 3 and 4 of the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 which would enable the:

i) establishment of a national register of retailers of tobacco and nicotine products;

ii) adding of offences which contribute to a restricted premises order in Wales, enabling enforcement officers to prohibit a retailer from selling tobacco or nicotine products for up to a year; and

iii) prohibition of the handing over of tobacco and nicotine products to a person under the age of 18;

b) ensure that the Tobacco Control Strategic Board makes the implementation of a tobacco and nicotine retail register a priority action in the second phase of the tobacco control action plan for Wales 2024-2026;

c) commit to a fully-funded communications campaign to support the implementation and subsequent regulatory and legislative changes; and

d) establish a working group to;

i) oversee the timely implementation of the retail register;

ii) explore how the retail register could provide a pathway to a licensing scheme and/or tools for additional enforcement; and

iii) present the data gathered from the register to help target smoking cessation and public protection efforts.

Co-submitters

John Griffiths (Newport East)

Altaf Hussain (South Wales West)

Supporters

Carolyn Thomas (North Wales)

Delyth Jewell (South Wales East)

Heledd Fychan (South Wales Central)

Jack Sargeant (Alyn and Deeside)

Jane Dodds (Mid and West Wales)

Julie Morgan (Cardiff North)

Llyr Gruffydd (North Wales)

Mark Isherwood (North Wales)

Peredur Owen Griffiths (South Wales East)

Rhys ab Owen (South Wales Central)

Sioned Williams (South Wales West)

Vikki Howells (Cynon Valley)

The result was as follows:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
29	20	4	53

The motion was agreed.

NDM8581 Russell George (Montgomeryshire)

To propose that the Senedd:

Notes the Health and Social Care Committee report ‘Unheard: Women’s journey through gynaecological cancer’ that was laid on 6 December 2023.

Supporting documents

Welsh Government response to the committee report

Senedd blog (includes videos) - Gynaecological cancers: Are women being taken seriously?

The item started at 16.13

NDM8581 Russell George (Montgomeryshire)

To propose that the Senedd:

Notes the Health and Social Care Committee report ‘Unheard: Women’s journey through gynaecological cancer’ that was laid on 6 December 2023.

The motion was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

NDM8582 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes the Access to GP Practices in Wales report published by the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, which highlights the importance of GP practices in alleviating pressures on hospitals and supporting patients across Wales.

2. Regrets that in 2012 Wales had 473 GP practices, but as of December 2023, this has decreased to 374.

3. Further regrets that only 6.1 per cent of NHS Wales funding went towards general practice in the year 2020-21 and that less than 8 per cent of NHS Wales funding goes towards general practice at present, which is lower than in 2005-6.

4. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) take urgent action to ensure Wales doesn’t see it’s 100th GP practice closure in just over a decade;

b) adopt the BMA Cymru Wales Save Our Surgeries key campaign calls of 11 per cent of NHS Wales funding to be spent on general practice and produce a workforce strategy to ensure that Wales trains, recruits and retains enough GPs to move towards the OECD average number of GPs per 1000 people; and

c) ensure the full Barnett consequential arising from NHS spending by the UK Government is made available for the health service in Wales.

Older People’s Commissioner for Wales report Access to GP Practices in Wales

The following amendments were tabled:

Amendment 1 Jane Hutt (Vale of Glamorgan)

Delete all and replace with:

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Recognises the importance of general practice.

2. Welcomes progress with the Primary Care Model for Wales which supports care in local communities, closer to people’s homes.

3. Notes that:

a) the number of GPs in Wales has remained stable;

b) the reduction in overall practice numbers reflects a trend towards larger practices as GPs seek to reduce costs and maximise resources for patient-facing activity;

c) the current recruitment target of 160 new GP trainees each year is consistently being exceeded; and

d) the Welsh Government is working with the GP profession on a programme of contract reform to reduce bureaucracy for GPs and improve patient experience.

4. Recognises the Welsh Budget 2024-25 increased funding for the Welsh NHS by more than 4 per cent compared to less than 1 per cent in England.

If amendment 1 is agreed, amendments 2 and 3 will be de-selected.

Amendment 2 Heledd Fychan (South Wales Central)

Delete sub-point 4 (b) and replace with:

adopt the key campaign demands of BMA Cymru Wales's Save Our Surgeries to restore the proportion of the Welsh NHS budget spent in general practice to 8.7 per cent with an aspiration to increase to be closer to 11 per cent and to create a workforce strategy to ensure that Wales trains, recruits and retains enough GPs to move towards the OECD average number of GPs per 1000 people;

Amendment 3 Heledd Fychan (South Wales Central)

Delete sub-point 4 (c) and replace with:

make a formal request to the UK Government for a comprehensive review of the Barnett formula to ensure fair funding for all budget areas in Wales, including health and social care;

The item started at 17.19

Voting on the motion and amendments under this item was deferred until Voting Time.

A vote was taken on the motion without amendment:

NDM8582 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes the Access to GP Practices in Wales report published by the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, which highlights the importance of GP practices in alleviating pressures on hospitals and supporting patients across Wales.

2. Regrets that in 2012 Wales had 473 GP practices, but as of December 2023, this has decreased to 374.

3. Further regrets that only 6.1 per cent of NHS Wales funding went towards general practice in the year 2020-21 and that less than 8 per cent of NHS Wales funding goes towards general practice at present, which is lower than in 2005-6.

4. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) take urgent action to ensure Wales doesn’t see it’s 100th GP practice closure in just over a decade;

b) adopt the BMA Cymru Wales Save Our Surgeries key campaign calls of 11 per cent of NHS Wales funding to be spent on general practice and produce a workforce strategy to ensure that Wales trains, recruits and retains enough GPs to move towards the OECD average number of GPs per 1000 people; and

c) ensure the full Barnett consequential arising from NHS spending by the UK Government is made available for the health service in Wales.

Older People’s Commissioner for Wales report Access to GP Practices in Wales

For	Abstain	Against	Total
16	0	37	53

The motion without amendment was not agreed.

The following amendments were tabled:

Amendment 1 Jane Hutt (Vale of Glamorgan)

Delete all and replace with:

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Recognises the importance of general practice.

2. Welcomes progress with the Primary Care Model for Wales which supports care in local communities, closer to people’s homes.

3. Notes that:

a) the number of GPs in Wales has remained stable;

b) the reduction in overall practice numbers reflects a trend towards larger practices as GPs seek to reduce costs and maximise resources for patient-facing activity;

c) the current recruitment target of 160 new GP trainees each year is consistently being exceeded; and

d) the Welsh Government is working with the GP profession on a programme of contract reform to reduce bureaucracy for GPs and improve patient experience.

4. Recognises the Welsh Budget 2024-25 increased funding for the Welsh NHS by more than 4 per cent compared to less than 1 per cent in England.

A vote was taken on amendment 1:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
27	0	26	53

Amendment 1 was agreed.

As amendment 1 was agreed, amendments 2 and 3 were de-selected.

A vote was taken on the motion as amended:

NDM8582 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Recognises the importance of general practice.

2. Welcomes progress with the Primary Care Model for Wales which supports care in local communities, closer to people’s homes.

3. Notes that:

a) the number of GPs in Wales has remained stable;

b) the reduction in overall practice numbers reflects a trend towards larger practices as GPs seek to reduce costs and maximise resources for patient-facing activity;

c) the current recruitment target of 160 new GP trainees each year is consistently being exceeded; and

d) the Welsh Government is working with the GP profession on a programme of contract reform to reduce bureaucracy for GPs and improve patient experience.

4. Recognises the Welsh Budget 2024-25 increased funding for the Welsh NHS by more than 4 per cent compared to less than 1 per cent in England.

For	Abstain	Against	Total
27	0	26	53

The motion as amended was agreed.

The item started at 18.30

NDM8577 Cefin Campbell (Mid and West Wales)

A rural poverty strategy for Wales

The item started at 18.34

NDM8577 Cefin Campbell (Mid and West Wales)

A rural poverty strategy for Wales