Summary

  • Mark Drakeford faces questions from MSs, on International Women’s Day.

  1. Hwyl fawrpublished at 14:36 Greenwich Mean Time 8 March 2022

    The eighth FMQs of 2022 comes to a close.

    Thanks for following - join us again next week.

    The Senedd will be lit purple this evening to mark International Women's Day, and then once again from tomorrow it will be lit in the blue and yellow colours of Ukraine’s flag as a sign of solidarity with Ukraine and its people.

    The Senedd lit in the blue and yellow colours of Ukraine’s flagImage source, Senedd Cymru
    Image caption,

    The Senedd lit in the blue and yellow colours of Ukraine’s flag

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  2. TikTok advertisementspublished at 14:34 Greenwich Mean Time 8 March 2022

    Conservative Tom Giffard says the Welsh Government spent £135,000 on TikTok advertisements in the last financial year.

    "When Andrew R. T. Davies asked what the total reach of the posts was in return for the money spent, he was told the Welsh Government didn't store that data. If that's true, it means the Welsh Government has no idea how many people that spending reached, whether it reached the right people, or whether the money was well spent."

    He says that "having no means whatsoever to judge whether that was effective or not is an incredibly poor way of spending taxpayers' money".

    The first minister does not address the point about advertising on TikTok, but says that "over the last two years there has been a 400 per cent increase in followers of the Welsh Government's different social media channels".

    TikTokImage source, Getty Images
  3. 'Abrupt cliff-edge ending to testing in England'published at 14:28 Greenwich Mean Time 8 March 2022

    The first minister says "we are moving from the emergency to the endemic state" of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

    He criticises the "abrupt cliff-edge ending to testing in England".

    He explains, "We have two major concerns at the way in which the UK Government is rushing to remove the protections that have been available to citizens over the last two years.

    "First of all, we have to have a sufficient capacity of surveillance so that we are able to spot whether there are new variants emerging here in Wales, new variants being imported from other parts of the world, or simply local outbreaks, where you need to have a more intensive public health response. Without adequate testing, having an adequate surveillance system becomes more difficult.

    "And secondly, I have a real concern about the way in which it will be possible in future to rebuild a system should we face an unexpected surprise."

    CovidImage source, Getty Images
  4. The number of practising dentists in the NHSpublished at 14:22 Greenwich Mean Time 8 March 2022

    The first minister says "a reduction in the number of NHS dentists in South Wales West is primarily due to the effect of boundary changes on data reporting. Brexit and the Covid pandemic have also reduced the overall level of dental activity and that too is reflected in these figures."

    Plaid Cymru's Sioned Williams says "the effect of the pandemic and boundary changes may partly be responsible for this situation, but the fall in NHS dentists is a long-standing trend, and the British Dental Association believes that unhappiness with NHS dental contracts is a key factor."

    Dentist
  5. Community empowermentpublished at 14:19 Greenwich Mean Time 8 March 2022

    There is laughter in the Siambr as the first minister refers to a former toilet block being bought for 1p [not one pee!].

    The community facilities programme of the Welsh Government then provided £225,000 so that the block in Llandaff, Cardiff that was in the ownership of the local authority can be turned into a centre for services for older people in the community.

    Senedd
  6. Ukraine war - 'Where is the humanity of the British government?'published at 14:05 Greenwich Mean Time 8 March 2022

    Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price criticises the UK government for its "inaction" and "bureaucratic hurdles" in the processing of visas for refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.

    Up until now people in Calais have been told to go to Paris to apply for their visa, with some Ukrainians telling the BBC they faced a wait of more than a week just for an appointment in the French capital.

    Almost 300 people have been turned away while trying to cross to the UK, French officials have told the BBC.

    "Where is the humanity of the British government when it does something as risibly cold hearted as that?" asks Mr Price.

    The first minister says "the accounts of what has happened in Calais have damaged the reputation of this country around the world".

    Refugees fleeing the war in UkraineImage source, Getty Images
  7. Impact of the war in Ukraine on food pricespublished at 13:56 Greenwich Mean Time 8 March 2022

    Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, asks about the impact of the war in Ukraine on food prices.

    First Minister Mark Drakeford warns that "global prices will rise". He says the key decisions to address the consequences will have to be made by the UK government.

    Mr Davies calls for the Welsh Government's agriculture Bill to reflect the changing circumstances, saying "the dynamics changed fundamentally two weeks ago when Putin invaded the bread basket of Europe".

    The first minister says "the agriculture Bill will, of course, support the production of food by Welsh farmers, and the changing nature of the marketplace".

    Andrew RT Davies
  8. 'Racial discrimination in the criminal justice system'published at 13:46 Greenwich Mean Time 8 March 2022

    Plaid Cymru's Rhys ab Owen raises concerns about "racial discrimination in the criminal justice system in Wales".

    Data gathered by Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre - covering all four Welsh police forces in 2020/21 - found people who are black are disproportionately targeted compared to those who are white.

    Of every 1,000 white people living in Wales, eight were stopped and searched. This compares to a rate of 56 per 1,000 black people, 16 per 1,000 Asian people, and 28 per 1,000 people who identify as being from a mixed ethnic background (the ethnicity categories are based on self-identification).

    Rhys ab Owen says an inquiry should be held and calls again for the devolution of justice and policing.

    First Minister Mark Drakeford says the figures revealed by the Wales Governance Centre are "very concerning indeed" and "shocking".

    He says the Welsh Government continues "to work closely with police and crime commissioners and justice partners through the criminal justice in Wales board to ensure our race equality action plans tackle discrimination in the justice system".

    Police say stop and search is an important crime-fighting weaponImage source, Reuters
  9. Digital connectivitypublished at 13:35 Greenwich Mean Time 8 March 2022

    The Llywydd (presiding officer) Elin Jones conducts a ballot to determine the names of members who may table questions to the first minister and Welsh ministers. Each member may enter their name into a ballot.

    With the pandemic having brought the importance of digital connectivity into sharp focus, Labour's Carolyn Thomas seeks an update on Welsh Government plans to improve digital connectivity in north Wales.

    First Minister Mark Drakeford replies that "full-fibre broadband connectivity has been provided to 9,200 homes and businesses across north Wales through our current £56 million investment," and refers to other interventions to improve connectivity that include the Access Broadband Cymru scheme and the Local Broadband Fund.

    Residents of Brithdir, near Dolgellau in Gwynedd, have said that download speeds are 1-3 megabits per second (Mbps) - among the slowest in the UK.

    According to Ofcom's latest internet speeds report, the average home broadband download speed, external in the UK in March 2021 was 79.1Mbps.

    Digital connectivityImage source, Getty Images
  10. Croesopublished at 13:05 Greenwich Mean Time 8 March 2022

    Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the eighth session of First Minister's Questions in 2022.

    The meeting is held in a hybrid format, with some members in the Siambr (Senedd chamber) and others joining by video-conference.

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