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Eluned Morgan’s third session as first minister comes to a close.

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Llanciach Fawr is "a wonderful place" says the first minister but she adds "the money simply isn't there" for Cadw, the Welsh government’s historic environment service, to run it.

The Tudor mansion will be closed by Caerphilly county council later this year.

She was responding to Plaid Cymru's Delyth Jewell, who said the decision "has caused anger and sadness because Llancaiach Fawr is so much more than a building. It provides a living link with our area's past. It's a place of magic for children and a hub for a community that is bitterly used to having things taken away."

It will see 20 paid and 18 voluntary staff at Llancaiach Fawr living museum let go as part of the council's plan to save £45 million over the next two years.

Built in 1550, the property near Nelson, Caerphilly, is one of the area's most important gentry houses.

Image source, Google

Newport "used to feel pretty run down, if I'm honest, and it doesn't anymore, and I think that's something that should be celebrated," says the first minister.

She recalls meeting "a group of people who'd come all the way over from France in order to see the Newport transporter bridge. I thought it was a bit weird myself, but it was great that they were so excited by something which is a part of a really exciting industrial heritage".

The bridge opened in 1906 and has the largest span of its type left in the world.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund is giving £8.75m towards repairs and a new visitor centre at the landmark Grade I listed structure, and the first minister says the Welsh government has given £1.5 million.

Visitors will again be able to ride the gondola across the Usk, or cross the walkway at a height of 180ft (55m).

It is hoped the project will more than double visitor numbers to the site, which are currently between 16,000 and 20,000 people a year.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Newport City Council

Plaid Cymru's Heledd Fychan criticises Rhondda Cynon Taf council for consulting on the closure of two care homes.

She says, "according to the council's figures, only 156 of the 237 beds are currently being used across all of the council's care homes. Staff say, however, that the reason that they are empty is because there are not enough staff to take on more people, not because there is no demand for places."

She asks, "how is the Welsh government working with councils in my region to ensure that there are enough staff members available to meet care needs so that no beds in care homes remain empty, or people staying longer than is necessary in hospital?"

The first minister replies, "you’ll be aware that delayed transfers of care is one of the biggest issues that are confronting the NHS, and, very often, it is a shared responsibility between the health boards and the local authorities, and that’s why the care action committee was established about two or three years ago. I’m pleased to say that that met yesterday. What that committee is doing is really trying to focus in on what are the problems. We have very, very detailed data now on why people are in hospital, whose responsibility is it, and all of that is helping to ensure that at least people know that they shouldn’t be blaming each other: that patient is there because it’s your responsibility."

Labour MS Julie Morgan says the ban on smoking on hospital grounds is the "right policy" but asks whether the first minister is "aware of some of the consequences in secure mental health units, for example, where staff often have to deal with increased levels of anxiety, agitation, and sometimes aggression, when patients are told they’re no longer able to smoke".

The first minister replies, "I remember this was drawn to my attention on a visit to north Wales where they were explaining to me the stress that many mental health patients endured, and how having a cigarette was their release, and actually, not being able to do that close to the building meant that they had to release patients. So, I understood that that could create an unintended consequence, as you say, but I think you’re right, I think the policy is absolutely right. But while the law prevents smoking inside, a unit manager can put in place a designated smoking area for use by patients in the grounds of a mental health unit."

Image source, PA Media

Image source, Senedd Cymru

The day after the last blast furnace was shut down in Port Talbot steelworks, Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth accuses the Labour Welsh and UK governments of "giving up the fight" over jobs in Tata and the future of steel in Wales.

He says "in Mumbai in May, the previous first minister said he would fight tooth and nail to save Tata Steel jobs. At the Labour conference, business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds promised an industrial strategy to wrestle global investment away from rival nations. They’d given the impression that they had a different strategy to the Tories, hadn’t they? But, no. And yesterday’s ending of blast furnace steel production in Port Talbot is devastating, no less".

The controversial move at the UK’s largest steelworks is part of a restructure that will cut 2,800 jobs.

The first minister replies by claiming "the fact is that the Labour government came in and we have been able to negotiate a better deal than the Tories".

She says, "there have been improved redundancy and skill packages, there has been retention for training, and there has been an assurance that the £500 million that is going to be invested by the UK government will be clawed back if jobs are not delivered. None of that was in the agreement that was negotiated by the Conservatives".

Tata Steel UK has consistently said that its blast furnace operations were losing £1m a day, and it will invest £1.25bn in an electric arc furnace which would reduce emissions and secure the future of steelmaking.

The UK government has committed £500m towards the cost of the new technology, with construction set to begin in August 2025.

In the meantime, imported steel slab will be milled in Port Talbot to continue supplying customers and Tata's downstream sites in Trostre, Llanwern and Shotton.

Image source, Getty Images

Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, refers to "a report by ITN news that highlighted the appalling state of reading skills within our schools. You have to go back to 2012, because that's the most recent data; at that time, it showed that 20 per cent of children were illiterate in the transfer from primary school to secondary schools".

He asks, "what is your government doing to improve those stats and give children the best possible start to enjoy and appreciate the joy of reading?"

The first minister replies, "I am very concerned that we need to make improvements in the quality and standards of reading in our country".

She elaborates, "I know this is absolutely a priority for the Cabinet Secretary for Education. She'll be making a statement on how she thinks things should be improving in the next couple of months. One of the issues is about how you teach reading, and there has been a discussion about how the best way to do that is. I think it's important that we follow evidence, and, if we follow evidence, my understanding is that there should be more concentration on phonics. My understanding is that that's the guidance that the education minister may be giving out soon, just to make sure that there's firmer guidance in terms of the methodology for teaching in our schools."

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Labour MS for Llanelli Lee Waters blames Hywel Dda University Health Board for breaking its promises of 24-hour care at the minor injuries unit at Prince Philip Hospital, and says that he and the people of Llanelli will fight the changes.

He says staff at the health board had not been making an active effort to recruit GPs and it was "poor management of the unit that is putting people off".

He adds, "If overnight police or fire cover was removed from one of Wales’s largest towns, I’d expect intervention, and I don’t see why healthcare should be any different".

The first minister replies, "I absolutely understand the frustration, and I know the efforts that the local community have made to try and support the services in the area. The health board has attempted, as I understand it, to recruit qualified doctors to support the unit, but has been unsuccessful, meaning that the unit has become an emergency nurse practitioner-led service."

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Llywydd Elin Jones conducts a ballot to determine the names of members who may table questions to the first minister.

Plaid Cymru’s Cefin Campbell begins by raising the issue of the controversial closure of the minor injuries unit at Llanelli’s Prince Philip Hospital between 8pm and 8am from November 1.

He says there is a "tangible sense of worry, anger and disbelief" over the changes, adding "west Wales’s largest town lost its valued A&E provision over 10 years ago, and this is another blow to health provision in tre’r sosban and the surrounding area".

First Minister Eluned Morgan replies that she is "very aware that there is a lot of local concern about the possible changes to services".

She adds, "the work of the Welsh government is to provide strategic direction, and it’s up to the health board to design and deliver safe services. That’s how the system works. Now, of course, any change to services has to follow the guidance of the national service, and they will need to discuss with Llais and the local community."

From April 2023 Llais replaced the seven Community Health Councils who had represented the interests of people in the NHS in Wales for almost 50 years.

Hywel Dda University Health Board has issued a statement saying the plan to have a temporary reduction in hours was due to “increasing operational and staffing pressures”. It was intended “to ensure the safety of patients presenting at the unit”.

The board’s statement said: “The temporary change will not affect the Acute Medical Assessment Unit and very unwell medical patients will still be taken to Prince Philip Hospital, 24-hours a day, for assessment and treatment as they are now.

“The proposal would mean that adults and children with a minor injury would also still be able to attend the Minor Injury Unit at the hospital between 8am and 8pm every day.

“The proposal to adjust the opening hours of the MIU is being presented due to patient safety concerns, raised both by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales seeking assurances following an inspection in June of last year, and from staff working at the unit. This is due to the frequent inability to find suitably qualified doctors to cover the GP-led service, particularly in evening and overnight sessions."

Image source, Google

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Eluned Morgan’s third session of First Minister's Questions.

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 from 1.30pm.