Mark Drakeford: Diolch i Jane Dodds am y cwestiwn ychwanegol.
Mark Drakeford: The Minister set out in her oral statement here on the floor of the Senedd practical action that is being taken to increase the provision of NHS dentistry for children, including the pilot that the Minister set out in secondary schools—a pilot being carried out in north Wales in the first instance, and we hope, if it is successful, to be able to do more of that elsewhere. In Powys, to which...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, phase 1 of our programme for government commitment to palliative care has been completed. Phase 2 reported at the end of January. The full programme will conclude by January of next year, as part of our continuing investment in a high-quality service across Wales.
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, I absolutely echo what Sarah Murphy has said in congratulating Sandville hospice. It is a fine example of the work that hospices do in every part of Wales. It has always been an outstanding example of voluntary and committed effort that people make in improving services in the way that the Member has set out, and the fact that Sandville hospice has been able to offer that service to...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, the 'Welcome to Wales' strategy sets out our three key ambitions for the sector: to increase spend in the visitor economy, to spread benefits to all parts of Wales and to extend the tourism season, promoting Wales as a destination to be visited all year round.
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, I think the Minister has shown her willingness to listen to cases made in the industry by the way in which—and I know that Russell George welcomed it—she has provided an exemption for properties that can only be occupied for certain times in the year. But let's be clear about what the changes are there to do. They are there to make sure that proper businesses are able to...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, I thank Carolyn Thomas for that question. The UK Government’s budget contained almost nothing for public services. Following a decade of Tory austerity, the latest budget continues to let down the people, communities and businesses across Wales who rely on the essential services local authorities provide.
Mark Drakeford: I thank Carolyn Thomas for that very important supplementary question, because she puts her finger exactly on the flaw at the heart of the current UK Government's prospectus. The Chancellor said that his was a budget for growth, but he failed to do the most basic things on which growth depends. It tells us why, since 2010 and the current run of Conservative Governments, growth in the United...
Mark Drakeford: I thank the Member for that, Llywydd. Under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, the Welsh Government provides local authorities with guidance in the form of codes of practice and statutory guidance. Topics covered include autism services, prevention, assessment, eligibility and care planning, charging and financial assessment, children who are looked after, safeguarding and...
Mark Drakeford: I certainly agree that people who feel that decisions made in relation to their own care ought to have the right to challenge that decision, and that right of challenge ought to be available to them in a way that is real, that's accessible, and where they feel that their voice has been properly heard. So, in taking forward any recommendation, one of the ways in which we will want to make sure...
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, I thank Darren Millar for that. The Welsh Government has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism in full and without qualification. Our 'Anti-racist Wales Action Plan' provides the framework through which we will take concerted action to tackle antisemitism, including our ongoing support for victims of hate crime.
Mark Drakeford: Well, I share the Member’s view of the horror of antisemitism and there’s no doubt at all that there has been a rise in such incidents, and that we all have an obligation to play our part in resisting that. Universities, in the end, Llywydd, are autonomous bodies. The Welsh Government cannot instruct, but the Minister has made it clear in his dealings with universities that while he...
