National Assembly for Wales

Whilst marriage law is non-devolved, the Welsh Government believes all faith, or belief groups, should have equitable treatment under the law and that freedoms should only be constrained where there is a clear public good that arises. The proposals will mean the preferences of all groups, whether they be faith or non-faith based, can be accommodated. For these reasons, the Welsh Government supports the proposals to extend the locations available to couples.

In April emergency regulations were made to give local government the flexibility to continue to conduct business through virtual meetings during this unprecedented situation. Underpinning these regulations is the need to operate legally and safely.

These regulations were necessary because existing substantive legislation places requirements on local authorities to meet in person in specified offices, to make many meetings open to the public and to enable the public to inspect documents related to the meetings, in some cases, in the offices of local authorities. This ran counter to the measures in place for COVID-19. These measures are under constant review.

It is, of course the responsibility of each body to consider the regulations issued by Welsh Government, together with the published general guidance. To weigh these up in relation to their local and individual circumstances and to decide for themselves the safest and most practical way for them to meet.

In considering this matter it is important to remember it is not simply about the safety of members, it is also about the staff and the public. Caution must be exercised when coming to decisions, especially in light of the recent rise in Covid-19 cases across Wales and the rest of the UK.  

I would expect a comprehensive risk assessment to have been undertaken and considered prior to any decisions being made. This assessment must put safety first, safety for members, safety for staff and safety for individual members of the public.

The Welsh Government has no current powers to regulate the use of disposable barbeques in Wales. Disposable barbecues are one possible cause of accidental grass or moorland fires others include discarded cigarettes and camping stoves. Our approach is to educate people to respect the countryside and how to safely extinguish and dispose of barbecues after use.  

The Fire and Rescue Services (FRS), Natural Resources Wales (NRW), Keep Wales Tidy and National Parks provide advice to the public on the dangers posed by disposable barbecues, including advice on their safe use and disposal. Most moorland fires are started deliberately, not because of the negligent use of barbecues, and partnership work between the FRS, Police and NRW has led to a sustained decline in such incidents in Wales.  

The Welsh Government is committed through its Clean Air Plan for Wales to look at the practicalities, advantages and challenges of regulating outdoor appliances and fuels, which would include disposable barbecues.

This information is not collected centrally and health boards are not required to make it publicly available.

An all Wales pilot has been funded through the All Wales Diabetes Implementation group (AWDIG) to test the real world implementation of delivering a Total Diet Replacement (TDR) based intervention to aid people with Type 2 diabetes to achieve remission through weight loss.

Recruitment for the pilot commenced in January 2020. Four health boards (Cardiff & Vale, Hywel Dda, Betsi Cadwaladr and Aneurin Bevan) are delivering the service to a total of 90 participants across Wales, with individual health boards delivering to between 15-30 participants. Support was provided face to face for those who commenced the programme between January-March 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic support is now provided virtually via telephone or video consultations.

It is important to note that the total meal replacement being referred to in the media is only part of the intervention. It is important that people utilising this approach with the aim of putting their diabetes into remission have the support of a medical practitioner and dietitian to enable them to safely and successfully follow the plan, also during reintroduction of food and to reframe their eating habits and food choices.

This project is also reviewing two options, one which covers the full costs of the total meal replacement, the other with the patient making a 50% contribution to the cost.

We expect the pilot to conclude, and results to be evaluated in 2021.

In May, the Welsh Government issued essential service guidance for stroke and transient ischaemic attack (TIA) services for the population of Wales during Covid-19 in the face of overwhelming pressure on NHS services. This framework was designed to help organisations and services to deliver stroke services during the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent phases by maintaining the integrity of stroke services and patient outcomes alongside acute Covid-19 care.

Work on successor approaches for major health delivery plans had to be suspended in March due to Covid-19 and the life-span of the stroke delivery plan along with other major health condition delivery groups has been extended for another year. This will allow for: reflection on the lessons learned and new models of care utilised during the Covid-19 pandemic; to consider the recommendations of the Cross Party Group on Stroke Inquiry; and to allow for alignment with development of the National Clinical Framework.

In May, the Welsh Government issued essential service guidance for stroke and transient ischaemic attack (TIA) services for the population of Wales during Covid-19 in the face of overwhelming pressure on NHS services. This framework was designed to help organisations and services to deliver stroke services during the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent phases by maintaining the integrity of stroke services and patient outcomes alongside acute Covid-19 care.

Work on successor approaches for major health delivery plans had to be suspended in March due to Covid-19 and the life-span of the stroke delivery plan along with other major health condition delivery groups has been extended for another year. This will allow for: reflection on the lessons learned and new models of care utilised during the Covid-19 pandemic; to consider the recommendations of the Cross Party Group on Stroke Inquiry; and to allow for alignment with development of the National Clinical Framework.

Endoscopy services have been significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. During the first wave, nearly all non-emergency endoscopy procedures were suspended in line with guidance from the British Society of Gastroenterology. Following the introduction of new infection prevention and control guidance, services have resumed but at a lower level of productivity.

In March it was agreed to relax targets and monitoring arrangements across the health and social care system to allow staff to be redeployed. The Welsh Government stopped collecting some performance information, including the numbers waiting for diagnostic tests. We have recently restarted collecting this information and have received management information that shows the number of people waiting for a diagnostic endoscopy has increased from around 11,900 at the end of March to around 15,700 at the end of July. This is similar to the position across the rest of the United Kingdom.

The National Endoscopy Programme (NEP) is supporting health boards to maximise activity and is developing proposals to procure significant additional capacity. The Welsh Government’s overall approach to improving endoscopy capacity in Wales is set out in the Endoscopy Action Plan for Wales, which can be found at:

https://gov.wales/national-endoscopy-programme-action-plan-2019-2023

Endoscopy services have been significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. During the first wave, nearly all non-emergency endoscopy procedures were suspended in line with guidance from the British Society of Gastroenterology. Following the introduction of new infection prevention and control guidance, services have resumed but at a lower level of productivity.

In March it was agreed to relax targets and monitoring arrangements across the health and social care system to allow staff to be redeployed. The Welsh Government stopped collecting some performance information, including the numbers waiting for diagnostic tests. We have recently restarted collecting this information and have received management information that shows the number of people waiting for a diagnostic endoscopy has increased from around 11,900 at the end of March to around 15,700 at the end of July. This is similar to the position across the rest of the United Kingdom.

The National Endoscopy Programme (NEP) is supporting health boards to maximise activity and is developing proposals to procure significant additional capacity. The Welsh Government’s overall approach to improving endoscopy capacity in Wales is set out in the Endoscopy Action Plan for Wales, which can be found at:

https://gov.wales/national-endoscopy-programme-action-plan-2019-2023

Endoscopy services have been significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. During the first wave, nearly all non-emergency endoscopy procedures were suspended in line with guidance from the British Society of Gastroenterology. Following the introduction of new infection prevention and control guidance, services have resumed but at a lower level of productivity.

In March it was agreed to relax targets and monitoring arrangements across the health and social care system to allow staff to be redeployed. The Welsh Government stopped collecting some performance information, including the numbers waiting for diagnostic tests. We have recently restarted collecting this information and have received management information that shows the number of people waiting for a diagnostic endoscopy has increased from around 11,900 at the end of March to around 15,700 at the end of July. This is similar to the position across the rest of the United Kingdom.

The National Endoscopy Programme (NEP) is supporting health boards to maximise activity and is developing proposals to procure significant additional capacity. The Welsh Government’s overall approach to improving endoscopy capacity in Wales is set out in the Endoscopy Action Plan for Wales, which can be found at:

https://gov.wales/national-endoscopy-programme-action-plan-2019-2023

There has been a great deal of discussion around electronic prescribing in recent months, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for a whole system approach.  This is an issue I want to see resolved quickly but importantly in a way which best meets our needs.   Recently I agreed to an independent review of potential future solutions for electronic prescribing and the electronic transfer of prescriptions in Wales. 

An expert review panel has been established to support the independent review which will meet for the first time in October.  The outcome of the review will be discussed and assured by the new NHS Wales’ digital governance arrangements, which are being put in place.

In March advice was provided to GPs and pharmacies confirming that the NHS Wales email network is secure for the transfer of any information, including urgent prescription information, within NHS Wales.

 I can confirm that we have not recommended routine temperature checks as a stand-alone intervention to identify COVID-19 infection for staff, outpatients or visitors on entry to NHS hospitals in Wales. This is following review of the evidence, observation of the experience of other healthcare providers and advice from colleagues including those in Public Health Wales.

While a fever is an important symptom of COVID-19 infection, a high temperature is not present in a significant number of those who contract the disease. One study of serious COVID-19 infection found that almost two thirds of people did not have a raised temperature.

The incubation period for COVID-19 is between two and 14 days and a person in the pre-symptomatic phase would not be identified by checking their temperature.

In addition to the difficulties presented by asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified that the action of so-called antipyretic drugs, such as paracetamol, in suppressing fever will enable an infected person to ‘pass’ a temperature check.

We know from countries such as Taiwan, where the checking of temperature has been employed at the front door of hospitals, that environmental factors like weather can affect the accuracy of temperature measurement significantly. This adverse effect would then need to be mitigated by further, time-consuming, checks once inside the hospital.

There would be a significant increase in the logistical and financial burden of carrying out temperature testing at hospital entrances, necessitating the purchase of and training in no-touch thermometers, to maintain 2m social distancing.

Rather than relying on a single intervention, we have instead employed a number of measures to maintain safety within our hospitals during the pandemic. These include providing detailed operational guidance on the estates and environmental measures required to achieve the legal duty on NHS Wales organisations to implement social distancing for employees, enforcement of tight restrictions on hospital visiting and attendance and guidance for patients on pre-hospital admission screening and antigen testing.

All factors to combat COVID-19 infection in hospitals, including the potential role of temperature checks, remain under review.

Substantive response

Substantive response

Substantive response

At approximately 11:15pm on Wednesday 26 August 2020, a freight train with 25 tank wagons, derailed near Llangennech, Carmarthenshire. The derailment and the subsequent damage to the wagons resulted in a significant spillage of diesel and a major fire. Six of the 25 wagons had derailed spilling approximately 330,000 litres of diesel and an estimated 116,000 litres of diesel was consumed by fire.

Within the first 33 hours of this incident, a 24 hour NRW incident room was opened to coordinate the operational response. NRW Environmental Duty Officers were deployed to site, including an oil spill response team. NRW officers provided advice on site at a safe distance, outside the fire cordon established by the Fire and Rescue Service and liaised with Network Rail and Operators to co-ordinate immediate containment and removal of diesel. 

NRW officers attended the Tactical Co-ordination Group (TCG) meeting chaired by Dyfed Powys Police to agree the key principles of a joint response and the Strategic Co-ordination Group meeting chaired by British Transport Police. NRW subsequently took over the chair of the TCG and is now chairing the Recovery Co-ordination Group.   

Due to the scale of the incident, NRW led on establishing an Environmental Co-ordination Group to focus multi agency resources on mitigating the impact of the oil spill and, monitor the overall impact and informing the public. A sub group of this group worked to establish a monitoring programme to map the extent of the oil lost to the environment.

On the morning of Friday 28 August, when the fire was extinguished and the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service allowed closer access to the site, every effort was made by NRW and agencies involved to prevent further pollution, with emphasis on recovery and containment of diesel as close to the scene as possible.

The incident is being investigated by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch and further detail can be found on Network Rail’s website.

The investigation into the oil spill is ongoing and we will continue to work with the local authority and partners to monitor the impact on local companies whose business may have been impacted by the spill and remain on standby to help in any way we can through our existing support mechanisms such as Business Wales. We have no current plans to introduce a specific fund for those impacted by the incident.

Amusement arcades and gaming centres where amusement – rather than, for example, gambling – is the predominant activity are eligible for the Welsh Government’s Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Rates Relief scheme.  

It is for each local authority to determine whether a particular business is eligible for relief, taking into account the published guidance and the authority’s knowledge of the local tax-base.

We continue to monitor the effectiveness of the package of our coronavirus support and other rates relief provided to businesses in Wales.  

We have previously announced £38 million to make Wales a safer place to cycle, scoot and walk. Together with the £15.4m funding for local sustainable transport measures in response to Covid 19, this is the largest ever investment in local active travel improvements in Wales.

We are also investigating ways to promote the use of e-bikes and e-cargo bikes in Wales and how such initiatives should be managed and funded. This includes assessing the scope for long term loans and public hire schemes for e-bikes and schemes for organisations and local authorities to promote the use of e-cargo bikes.