The Senedd will
once again be lit tonight in the blue and yellow colours of Ukraine’s flag as a
sign of solidarity with Ukraine and its people.
Senedd CymruCopyright: Senedd Cymru
NHS estate
Conservative Darren Millar accuses the Welsh Government of failing to ensure that Conwy and Denbighshire have an NHS estate that is "fit for purpose".
Mr Millar says, "when you were health minister back in 2013, you promised the people of north Denbighshire and, indeed, north-east Conwy, in my constituency, that there would be a new community hospital, which would be built in Rhyl, to replace the closed beds at the Royal Alexandra in Rhyl and, indeed, the Prestatyn community hospital. We're more than nine years on from your announcement, and we still don't have a north Denbighshire community hospital."
The first minister replies, "I was pleased to approve the strategic outline case that the health board put forward when I was health Minister. It said that the new facility could be provided at a cost of £22 million. By the time my colleague Vaughan Gething approved the outline business case in 2018, the cost had risen to £40 million. The Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board papers reporting the full business case say that it's now risen to £64 million pounds, and that was at the end of 2020, so we can be absolutely confident that it's well above £64 million. So, the cost of the scheme has gone up by more than three times the original cost estimate".
NHS screening programmes
The first minister says it is in the interests of employers, as well as the individuals, to allow staff time to attend NHS screening programmes across Wales.
He gives one illustration of the effectiveness of those programmes.
"If someone with bowel cancer has that cancer detected as a by-product of emergency intervention in their lives because of other things that have gone wrong, five out of 10 of those people will survive. If someone is diagnosed by their GP as having bowel cancer, seven out of 10 of those people will survive. If your bowel cancer is diagnosed as a result of screening, nine out of 10 people will survive".
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
A home test kit to help diagnose bowel cancer earlyImage caption: A home test kit to help diagnose bowel cancer early
Labour's tax plans
Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price criticises the UK Labour party for committing to stick to the Conservatives' tax plans.
And on political u-turns, Mr Price says "three weeks ago, Keir Starmer said Labour wouldn't reverse the cut to the basic rate of income tax, it would be the wrong thing to do. Now, this morning, the shadow chancellor said that Labour supported the policy to bin it. So, in supporting the Tory u-turn, Labour has performed its own."
The first minister says "the next Labour government will inherit the difficulties that have created in the last three weeks. The last three weeks have changed the context in which decisions have to be made".
He cites examples where he says Labour would be different, such as "a windfall tax on the excessive profits of energy companies" and acting "to deal with non-domiciliary taxpayers".
BBCCopyright: BBC
Ambulance waiting times
Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the
Senedd, refers to recent cases when "ambulances could not turn up to serious incidents".
Mr Davies raises two examples of long waits, including a story on Walesonline of a man who was stuck on a floor waiting 15 hours.
He reads out quotes from the man's daughter accusing Wales of having a health service like a "third world country" and that Aneurin Bevan, the Labour minister who oversaw the creation of the NHS, would be turning in his grave.
In response, Mr Drakeford accuses Mr Davies of being "partly responsible for the mess we're in" because he supported Liz Truss for the Conservative leadership.
The first minister acknowledges that "the system is under enormous pressure" but he warns that Conservative "cuts to the health service" will increase that pressure.
Mr Drakeford says it was "shocking that you think that you can turn up here this afternoon with the mess that your party has made, to the budgets of this country, to the reputation of this country around the world".
Angrily flipping the pages of his briefing notes, he tells Mr Davies: "You think you can turn up here this afternoon and claim some sort of moral high ground? What sort of world do you belong in?"
There are extraordinary scenes as the first minister and Andrew RT Davies shout angrily at each other, with the Llywydd Elin Jones calling for calm.
Video content
Video caption: Drakeford: First minister's fury with Welsh Tory leaderDrakeford: First minister's fury with Welsh Tory leader
BBCCopyright: BBC
BBCCopyright: BBC
Andrew RT Davies repeated accusations that Wales had a "third world" NHSImage caption: Andrew RT Davies repeated accusations that Wales had a "third world" NHS
'Failed ideas' of Prime Minister Liz Truss
The first minister criticises the "failed ideas" of Prime Minister Liz Truss.
He says one example of the "failed experiment" is that "here in Wales, this time next year, the average person with a mortgage will be paying £2,300 more in a year than they would be had interest rates stayed where they were in the current quarter".
He points out that the Institute for Fiscal Studies last week were saying that there would be a 15 per cent cut in public expenditure.
He says "this not after a decade of growth, but after a decade of austerity. Nobody can pretend that people in Wales can be sheltered from the full onslaught of that."
As finance minister, Rebecca Evans has dealt with six chief secretaries to the Treasury, he tells the Senedd.
Call for 'fast-track legislation on building safety'
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.
Conservative Janet Finch-Saunders calls on the first minister to “fast-track legislation on building safety in
Wales”.
First Minister Mark Drakeford says that reform of building safety regulations has already started, and he sets out the legislative process.
He says his government currently has a consultation focused on the rules and standards it will expect Building Control Bodies both in the public and private sector to comply with.
He also says that a number of provisions that apply to Wales were included within the UK Building Safety Act 2022.
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media
Seventy-two people died in the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, which spread due to inflammable claddingImage caption: Seventy-two people died in the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, which spread due to inflammable cladding
Croeso
Hello and welcome to our live
coverage of the twenty-seventh 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.
Live Reporting
Alun Jones
All times stated are UK
Senedd CymruCopyright: Senedd Cymru 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images A home test kit to help diagnose bowel cancer earlyImage caption: A home test kit to help diagnose bowel cancer early 
BBCCopyright: BBC Video caption: Drakeford: First minister's fury with Welsh Tory leaderDrakeford: First minister's fury with Welsh Tory leader 
BBCCopyright: BBC 
BBCCopyright: BBC Andrew RT Davies repeated accusations that Wales had a "third world" NHSImage caption: Andrew RT Davies repeated accusations that Wales had a "third world" NHS 
PA MediaCopyright: PA Media Seventy-two people died in the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, which spread due to inflammable claddingImage caption: Seventy-two people died in the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, which spread due to inflammable cladding
Latest PostHwyl fawr
The twenty-seventh FMQs of 2022 comes to a close.
Thanks for following - join us again next week.
The Senedd will once again be lit tonight in the blue and yellow colours of Ukraine’s flag as a sign of solidarity with Ukraine and its people.
NHS estate
Conservative Darren Millar accuses the Welsh Government of failing to ensure that Conwy and Denbighshire have an NHS estate that is "fit for purpose".
Mr Millar says, "when you were health minister back in 2013, you promised the people of north Denbighshire and, indeed, north-east Conwy, in my constituency, that there would be a new community hospital, which would be built in Rhyl, to replace the closed beds at the Royal Alexandra in Rhyl and, indeed, the Prestatyn community hospital. We're more than nine years on from your announcement, and we still don't have a north Denbighshire community hospital."
The first minister replies, "I was pleased to approve the strategic outline case that the health board put forward when I was health Minister. It said that the new facility could be provided at a cost of £22 million. By the time my colleague Vaughan Gething approved the outline business case in 2018, the cost had risen to £40 million. The Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board papers reporting the full business case say that it's now risen to £64 million pounds, and that was at the end of 2020, so we can be absolutely confident that it's well above £64 million. So, the cost of the scheme has gone up by more than three times the original cost estimate".
NHS screening programmes
The first minister says it is in the interests of employers, as well as the individuals, to allow staff time to attend NHS screening programmes across Wales.
He gives one illustration of the effectiveness of those programmes.
"If someone with bowel cancer has that cancer detected as a by-product of emergency intervention in their lives because of other things that have gone wrong, five out of 10 of those people will survive. If someone is diagnosed by their GP as having bowel cancer, seven out of 10 of those people will survive. If your bowel cancer is diagnosed as a result of screening, nine out of 10 people will survive".
Labour's tax plans
Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price criticises the UK Labour party for committing to stick to the Conservatives' tax plans.
And on political u-turns, Mr Price says "three weeks ago, Keir Starmer said Labour wouldn't reverse the cut to the basic rate of income tax, it would be the wrong thing to do. Now, this morning, the shadow chancellor said that Labour supported the policy to bin it. So, in supporting the Tory u-turn, Labour has performed its own."
The first minister says "the next Labour government will inherit the difficulties that have created in the last three weeks. The last three weeks have changed the context in which decisions have to be made".
He cites examples where he says Labour would be different, such as "a windfall tax on the excessive profits of energy companies" and acting "to deal with non-domiciliary taxpayers".
Ambulance waiting times
Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, refers to recent cases when "ambulances could not turn up to serious incidents".
Mr Davies raises two examples of long waits, including a story on Walesonline of a man who was stuck on a floor waiting 15 hours.
He reads out quotes from the man's daughter accusing Wales of having a health service like a "third world country" and that Aneurin Bevan, the Labour minister who oversaw the creation of the NHS, would be turning in his grave.
In response, Mr Drakeford accuses Mr Davies of being "partly responsible for the mess we're in" because he supported Liz Truss for the Conservative leadership.
The first minister acknowledges that "the system is under enormous pressure" but he warns that Conservative "cuts to the health service" will increase that pressure.
Mr Drakeford says it was "shocking that you think that you can turn up here this afternoon with the mess that your party has made, to the budgets of this country, to the reputation of this country around the world".
Angrily flipping the pages of his briefing notes, he tells Mr Davies: "You think you can turn up here this afternoon and claim some sort of moral high ground? What sort of world do you belong in?"
There are extraordinary scenes as the first minister and Andrew RT Davies shout angrily at each other, with the Llywydd Elin Jones calling for calm.
Video content
'Failed ideas' of Prime Minister Liz Truss
The first minister criticises the "failed ideas" of Prime Minister Liz Truss.
He says one example of the "failed experiment" is that "here in Wales, this time next year, the average person with a mortgage will be paying £2,300 more in a year than they would be had interest rates stayed where they were in the current quarter".
He points out that the Institute for Fiscal Studies last week were saying that there would be a 15 per cent cut in public expenditure.
He says "this not after a decade of growth, but after a decade of austerity. Nobody can pretend that people in Wales can be sheltered from the full onslaught of that."
As finance minister, Rebecca Evans has dealt with six chief secretaries to the Treasury, he tells the Senedd.
Call for 'fast-track legislation on building safety'
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.
Conservative Janet Finch-Saunders calls on the first minister to “fast-track legislation on building safety in Wales”.
First Minister Mark Drakeford says that reform of building safety regulations has already started, and he sets out the legislative process.
He says his government currently has a consultation focused on the rules and standards it will expect Building Control Bodies both in the public and private sector to comply with.
He also says that a number of provisions that apply to Wales were included within the UK Building Safety Act 2022.
Croeso
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the twenty-seventh 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.