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
Artificial intelligence
The first minister says that Welsh government officials "have been in dialogue with counterparts in the UK government about AI regulation. I support the need for regulation in this area, alongside relevant standards, governance and assurance mechanisms that will help ensure that AI is used in responsible, ethical, inclusive and safe ways."
BBCCopyright: BBC
Mark DrakefordImage caption: Mark Drakeford
Clwydian range
On the designation of the Clwydian range and Dee valley area of outstanding natural beauty as a national park, the first minister says the project is on track to be completed during this Senedd term that ends in 2026.
"With a project team established and initial analysis complete, Natural Resources Wales has now moved on to gathering the detailed evidence needed, and engagement with residents, users and key stakeholders of that new national park," he says.
STEPHEN CRAVEN / GEOGRAPHCopyright: STEPHEN CRAVEN / GEOGRAPH
Plan for charge on visitors
Conservative Paul Davies expresses concerns about plans for a "tourism tax" on holidaymakers in Wales.
He says "the businesses that I speak to, right across Preseli Pembrokeshire, are overwhelmingly against the Welsh government's plans for a tourism tax and against changes to self-catering occupancy rates".
The first minister replies, "there is going to be a visitor levy in Wales, brought forward by the Welsh government, and if it gets supported on the floor of the Senedd then that will be the democratic will of the Senedd itself. Those proposals are coming forward. My advice to businesses in his community is, instead of complaining to him about what is going to be happening, to work with the Welsh government to design the levy in a way, as we believe it will do, to support the sector in his constituency and elsewhere."
MICHAEL ROBERTS | GETTY IMAGESCopyright: MICHAEL ROBERTS | GETTY IMAGES
The view over Whitesands Bay, St Davids, PembrokeshireImage caption: The view over Whitesands Bay, St Davids, Pembrokeshire
Oncology vacancy rate
If Rhun ap
Iorwerth becomes the new Plaid Cymru leader unopposed on Friday 16 June, this is Llyr Gruffydd’s third and final session of First
Minister’s Questions as interim leader of Plaid Cymru.
He says that recent figures from the
Royal College of Radiologists show that Wales currently has an oncology vacancy
rate of 11%, with 80% of these vacancies having remained unfilled for over six
months.
He says
the Welsh government has set a target for cancer diagnosis and
treatment but asks, "how on earth do you expect to achieve this target in light of these alarming figures around oncology staffing levels in Wales?"
The first minister says "since August 2021, we have had a five-year programme of expansion in the training of medical oncologists and clinical oncologists. Every year, more people will enter training in Wales, and more people will therefore emerge in order to provide the treatments that will be needed in the future.
"We will have seen a 34 per cent increase in diagnostic radiography between 2017 and 2023, and we will go on expanding the workforce to make sure that the additional demand for cancer services - which we know will be there in the future because of demography and other factors - that we will be as well prepared for that in Wales as we are able to be."
BBCCopyright: BBC
Llyr GruffyddImage caption: Llyr Gruffydd
Covid inquiry
On the first day of the public hearings into the Covid inquiry, Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives
in the Senedd, repeatedly asks whether it was right for people to have been discharged to care homes during the pandemic, without having been tested for Covid.
Mr Drakeford replies it was inappropriate to comment while the Covid inquiry was ongoing.
Mr Davies told the first minister that a pandemic preparedness exercise had identified in 2016 that discharging to care homes was a major risk and major concern.
“Do you agree that was a risk too far and that discharging patients from hospitals to care homes without testing should not have happened,” he asked.
Mr Drakeford welcomed the first day of full hearings at the inquiry but said “matters that the Leader of the Opposition raises are now matters for the inquiry”.
Mr Davies pressed again, asking: “if all of a sudden, all this is going to be taken off the table, what is the point of the Welsh parliament?”
The first minister repeated his point, and said it was “disrespectful to the inquiry to try to shift the responsibility that they have into questions to me here”.
Mr Davies asked the same question again: “Are you hiding from something first minister?”
“I think the Leader of the Opposition let himself down,” Mr Drakeford said, claiming ministers in Holyrood and Westminster would have the same answer.
BBCCopyright: BBC
Andrew RT DaviesImage caption: Andrew RT Davies
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Eating disorder service
Conservative James Evans says "residents in my constituency and across Wales are having to leave the country to access specialist eating disorder services", and calls for a specialist eating disorder service in Wales.
The first minister replies, "it's always been the case that in Wales we sometimes think it is clinically better for people to access specialist services that are provided across the border. I'm not a nationalist in the way that the member appears to be."
He adds, "the Welsh government provided additional targeted service improvement funding of £2.5 million in the last financial year to recognise the priority of eating disorder services, and health boards have been identifying those local needs and seeing whether they aggregate into a case for a national service for some aspects of eating disorder services."
Research and innovation
The Llywydd 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.
Luke Fletcher, Plaid Cymru MS for South Wales West, asks what support does the Welsh government provide for research
and innovation.
The first minister says the
Welsh government is investing £30 million in new programmes that will help
Welsh organisations develop and embed new innovative products and services.
The Welsh
government’s innovation strategy is called Wales Innovates.
Mr Fletcher says, "according to UK Research and Innovation's most recently published figures, Research Councils UK and Innovate UK spent upwards of £5.2 billion across the UK in 2020-21. Only £126 million of that was spent in Wales".
The first minister replies "it is for UKRI to demonstrate that the initials 'UK' mean something in its title. The funds that it has at its disposal—and they are significant—need to be spent in all parts of the United Kingdom, matching the very many strengths that are to be found in research institutions in all parts of the UK."
Croeso
Hello and welcome
to our live coverage of the eighteenth session of First Minister's Questions in
2023.
The meeting is held
in a hybrid format, with some members in the Siambr (Senedd chamber) and others
joining by video-conference.
You
can click on the play button above to watch the proceedings.
Live Reporting
Alun Jones
All times stated are UK
Senedd CymruCopyright: Senedd Cymru 
BBCCopyright: BBC Mark DrakefordImage caption: Mark Drakeford 
STEPHEN CRAVEN / GEOGRAPHCopyright: STEPHEN CRAVEN / GEOGRAPH 
MICHAEL ROBERTS | GETTY IMAGESCopyright: MICHAEL ROBERTS | GETTY IMAGES The view over Whitesands Bay, St Davids, PembrokeshireImage caption: The view over Whitesands Bay, St Davids, Pembrokeshire 
BBCCopyright: BBC Llyr GruffyddImage caption: Llyr Gruffydd 
BBCCopyright: BBC Andrew RT DaviesImage caption: Andrew RT Davies 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Latest PostHwyl fawr
The eighteenth FMQs of 2023 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.
Artificial intelligence
The first minister says that Welsh government officials "have been in dialogue with counterparts in the UK government about AI regulation. I support the need for regulation in this area, alongside relevant standards, governance and assurance mechanisms that will help ensure that AI is used in responsible, ethical, inclusive and safe ways."
Clwydian range
On the designation of the Clwydian range and Dee valley area of outstanding natural beauty as a national park, the first minister says the project is on track to be completed during this Senedd term that ends in 2026.
"With a project team established and initial analysis complete, Natural Resources Wales has now moved on to gathering the detailed evidence needed, and engagement with residents, users and key stakeholders of that new national park," he says.
Plan for charge on visitors
Conservative Paul Davies expresses concerns about plans for a "tourism tax" on holidaymakers in Wales.
He says "the businesses that I speak to, right across Preseli Pembrokeshire, are overwhelmingly against the Welsh government's plans for a tourism tax and against changes to self-catering occupancy rates".
The first minister replies, "there is going to be a visitor levy in Wales, brought forward by the Welsh government, and if it gets supported on the floor of the Senedd then that will be the democratic will of the Senedd itself. Those proposals are coming forward. My advice to businesses in his community is, instead of complaining to him about what is going to be happening, to work with the Welsh government to design the levy in a way, as we believe it will do, to support the sector in his constituency and elsewhere."
Oncology vacancy rate
If Rhun ap Iorwerth becomes the new Plaid Cymru leader unopposed on Friday 16 June, this is Llyr Gruffydd’s third and final session of First Minister’s Questions as interim leader of Plaid Cymru.
He says that recent figures from the Royal College of Radiologists show that Wales currently has an oncology vacancy rate of 11%, with 80% of these vacancies having remained unfilled for over six months.
He says the Welsh government has set a target for cancer diagnosis and treatment but asks, "how on earth do you expect to achieve this target in light of these alarming figures around oncology staffing levels in Wales?"
The first minister says "since August 2021, we have had a five-year programme of expansion in the training of medical oncologists and clinical oncologists. Every year, more people will enter training in Wales, and more people will therefore emerge in order to provide the treatments that will be needed in the future.
"We will have seen a 34 per cent increase in diagnostic radiography between 2017 and 2023, and we will go on expanding the workforce to make sure that the additional demand for cancer services - which we know will be there in the future because of demography and other factors - that we will be as well prepared for that in Wales as we are able to be."
Covid inquiry
On the first day of the public hearings into the Covid inquiry, Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, repeatedly asks whether it was right for people to have been discharged to care homes during the pandemic, without having been tested for Covid.
Mr Drakeford replies it was inappropriate to comment while the Covid inquiry was ongoing.
Mr Davies told the first minister that a pandemic preparedness exercise had identified in 2016 that discharging to care homes was a major risk and major concern. “Do you agree that was a risk too far and that discharging patients from hospitals to care homes without testing should not have happened,” he asked.
Mr Drakeford welcomed the first day of full hearings at the inquiry but said “matters that the Leader of the Opposition raises are now matters for the inquiry”.
Mr Davies pressed again, asking: “if all of a sudden, all this is going to be taken off the table, what is the point of the Welsh parliament?”
The first minister repeated his point, and said it was “disrespectful to the inquiry to try to shift the responsibility that they have into questions to me here”.
Mr Davies asked the same question again: “Are you hiding from something first minister?”
“I think the Leader of the Opposition let himself down,” Mr Drakeford said, claiming ministers in Holyrood and Westminster would have the same answer.
Eating disorder service
Conservative James Evans says "residents in my constituency and across Wales are having to leave the country to access specialist eating disorder services", and calls for a specialist eating disorder service in Wales.
The first minister replies, "it's always been the case that in Wales we sometimes think it is clinically better for people to access specialist services that are provided across the border. I'm not a nationalist in the way that the member appears to be."
He adds, "the Welsh government provided additional targeted service improvement funding of £2.5 million in the last financial year to recognise the priority of eating disorder services, and health boards have been identifying those local needs and seeing whether they aggregate into a case for a national service for some aspects of eating disorder services."
Research and innovation
The Llywydd 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.
Luke Fletcher, Plaid Cymru MS for South Wales West, asks what support does the Welsh government provide for research and innovation.
The first minister says the Welsh government is investing £30 million in new programmes that will help Welsh organisations develop and embed new innovative products and services.
The Welsh government’s innovation strategy is called Wales Innovates.
Mr Fletcher says, "according to UK Research and Innovation's most recently published figures, Research Councils UK and Innovate UK spent upwards of £5.2 billion across the UK in 2020-21. Only £126 million of that was spent in Wales".
The first minister replies "it is for UKRI to demonstrate that the initials 'UK' mean something in its title. The funds that it has at its disposal—and they are significant—need to be spent in all parts of the United Kingdom, matching the very many strengths that are to be found in research institutions in all parts of the UK."
Croeso
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the eighteenth session of First Minister's Questions in 2023.
The meeting is held in a hybrid format, with some members in the Siambr (Senedd chamber) and others joining by video-conference.
You can click on the play button above to watch the proceedings.