First Minister's Questions: As it happened on 27 June

1. Mark Drakeford takes questions from opposition leaders and backbench MSs.

Hwyl fawr

The twentieth 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.

Senedd Cymru

'Failing' to ensure equality of access to healthcare provision

BBC

Altaf Hussain

Conservative Altaf Hussain accuses the Welsh government of "failing" to ensure equality of access to healthcare provision to the BAME [Black, Asian and minority ethnic] community.

He says, "in the past week, we have had a report from the cross-party group on cancer, backed up by evidence from Cancer Research UK and Tenovus, which highlights the experience of the black, Asian and minority ethnic community in accessing care. Ethnicity data is not included in cancer stats, leading to assumptions being made about how patients will respond, despite there being clear differences in how certain cancers affect different racial groups.

"We also had the report from Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, showing clear evidence of black, Asian and minority ethnic women being treated differently at the University Hospital of Wales."

The first minister replies, "I want to assure him that the Welsh government takes those points very seriously indeed. I thought the report on maternity services in Cardiff was a genuinely distressing report, and I'm sure it will have been distressing for many of those people who work in that service, who don't come into work in the morning looking not to provide a service that is genuinely available to every woman who uses it.

"The anti-racism Wales action plan has a whole section in it devoted to healthcare, and that is because the plan was produced by people who reported their own experiences of using that service, and of working in it as well."

BBC

Mark Drakeford

NHS dentists

BBC

Jane Dodds

In response to Liberal Democrat Jane Dodds, the first minster says 1.3m courses of treatment were given to over 1 million patients with NHS dentists in 2022-23. Nearly 174,000 of these patients were new patients.

Ms Dodds says there is still a "real problem" with access to NHS dentistry. "Many people are saying to me that they still can’t access an NHS dentist, or indeed they’re being turned away from an NHS dentist, and they actually don’t know when they’re next going to get treatment."

BBC

A civic duty to vote?

Plaid Cymru’s Adam Price asks what assessment has the first minister made of the benefits of introducing a civic duty to vote in Welsh elections.

The first minister replies "we are committed to reducing the democratic deficit in Wales by reforming electoral administration, widening access to elections and encouraging participation in our democracy. In my opinion, before introducing a formal civic duty, the people of Wales would need to support that change through the manifesto process."

Tomorrow in the Senedd Mr Price will propose a Bill on the introduction of a civic duty to vote, with the purpose:

“a) to seek to emulate the success of other democracies that have introduced a civic duty to vote in increasing levels of voter turnout at elections and thereby improving the level of engagement and representativeness across all ages, classes and communities;

b) to introduce a civic duty for all those eligible to vote to participate in Senedd and county council elections;

c) to allow those wishing to indicate their dissatisfaction with a candidate, party or politics more broadly to so by means of a positive abstention option on the ballot paper;

d) to allow for the introduction of an appropriate sanction for non-compliance with the civic obligation to vote or positively abstain, with legitimate exemptions.”

Getty Images

Rail services by Transport for Wales 'unacceptable'

BBC

Rhun ap Iorwerth

In his second session of First Minister’s Questions as Plaid Cymru leader, Rhun ap Iorwerth says there are "serious issues" with rail services by Transport for Wales, "four in 10 trains in Wales delayed, and the latest 12-month figures showing a deteriorating picture".

He asks whether Mr Drakeford accepts that rail services are unacceptable and "when can passengers expect to see genuine and sustained improvements in the service?"

The first minister says "the challenges facing Transport for Wales mean that the service that has been provided in some parts of Wales has not been of a standard that passengers are entitled to expect".

He adds, "I don't want to say to the member that there will be an easy pathway to those improvements. As we've rehearsed on the floor of the Senedd here recently, Network Rail have published an investment prospectus that puts Wales at the very foot of the investment league, and which they themselves say will lead to greater cancellations and more delays in the future as a result of a plan that they have published. That is the essential context within which Transport for Wales also operates."

Transport for Wales

NHS waiting times

BBC

Andrew RT Davies

Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, raises the issue of NHS waiting times.

He says "an extra 6,000 people were added on the pathway list; now, nearly 750,000 people in Wales are on a pathway. We also saw a miniscule drop in those waiting two years or more; in excess of 30,000 people are waiting two years or more. One in five people who are on an NHS pathway here in Wales are waiting one year or more - one year or more to see themselves progress on those waiting lists. What hope can you give to those individuals who are waiting two years or one year, and who have also been added to the waiting lists?"

The first minister replies "the hope that we offer people is to recognise the enormous efforts that the health service is making and the success that the health service is seeing in those efforts. So, two-year waits did fall again last month for the thirteenth month in a row; fifty-two-week waits for out-patients fell again last month; emergency department performance improved last month."

Getty Images

Mortgage payments

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.

Peredur Owen Griffiths, Plaid Cymru MS for South Wales East, asks how is the government supporting homeowners who are facing increased mortgage payments.

It comes after after Thursday's decision by the Bank of England to raise interest rates to 5%, up from 4.5%, as it tries to tackle inflation. Mortgage rates have been rising for months. An average two-year fixed rate mortgage is currently at 6.19%, while the five-year rate is 5.82%, according to financial data firm Moneyfacts. In June last year those rates were closer to 3%.

Mr Drakeford replies "we're doing everything we can to support people through this cost-of-living crisis by providing targeted help to those who need it the most. Forty million pounds has been allocated to bring forward schemes to support people in mortgage difficulty at an early stage to enable them to stay in their homes".

BBC

Croeso

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the twentieth 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.