����ý

The thirty-third FMQs of 2023 comes to a close.

Thanks for following - join us again next week.

Because of the Israel-Gaza crisis, the lights in the Senedd continue to be dimmed each evening.

Llywydd Elin Jones says it is “to reflect the sentiment that such attacks represent another dark moment for humanity in the Middle East.

"It is a source of great sorrow for a democratic institution such as ours. As well as reflecting the sorrow, the darkness will also represent a statement of solidarity with all those suffering as a result of the attacks.”

Acknowledging pressures on GP practices, the first minister says the future of primary care is not "an unilinear focus on growth in GPs, it is about GPs as heads of that wider clinical team offering a wider range of services to their local communities.

"In that way, I think there is a very strong and very successful future for primary care in Wales—and in Wales, we have led that development, which is now being replicated in other parts of the United Kingdom".

The wider team, he says, includes physiotherapists, pharmacists, advanced practitioners as paramedics, and practice nurses.

Conservative Tom Giffard criticises the Welsh government's "toxic tourism tax" and "slew of damaging anti-tourism policies".

The first minister replies by focussing on investments in Mumbles, Swansea Bay, as an illustration of the government's support for the industry.

He points to "the £2 million that has been provided to create a high-quality services accommodation and restaurant in Mumbles itself, creating some 29 jobs; a further investment of £70,000 in the former micro and small business fund for the development of a five-star hotel nearby; £2.7 million for the creation of a Welsh whisky distilling and visitor centre at Hafod Morfa in Swansea.

"These are practical things; these are real investments; this is how you demonstrate your support for the tourism industry in Wales."

Image source, Getty Images

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth says "we can't do without our agricultural sector, in terms of food, the environment, rural communities, our language and so on and so forth. Rural Wales and agriculture need a government on their side. Now, the public agrees with me: 82 per cent of people said in a YouGov survey that they support providing financial support for farmers to produce food; 72 per cent said that supporting Welsh farmers was a good use of public funds."

He calls for "an assurance that the draft budget will not have a detrimental impact on agriculture".

Mr Drakeford replies "I can't say that for any aspect of the work that the government is doing.

"We are £1.3 billion short of what we need next year; that is the impact of inflation and the failure of the UK government to sustain the real worth of the budget they said we needed when the comprehensive spending review set our budgets for three years.

"If you have to find £1.3 billion-worth of activity to live within our means, then no single part of the Welsh government can regard itself as immune from that effort, and that includes agriculture, as it includes everything else we do."

Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, raises concerns about maternity services in the Swansea Bay University Health Board area.

He refers to claims from the family of three-year-old Gethin Channon that serious concerns around his maternity care, identified by one of the UK’s top medical investigators, were "covered up" by the health board.

Gethin Channon was born with significant brain damage after complications during his birth at Singleton Hospital in 2019.

Mr Davies asks, "is the health board up to NHS minimum staffing levels in maternity services, and if they're not, are maternity services in Swansea safe?"

First Minister Mark Drakeford replies, "I believe that services in maternity in Swansea Bay are very regularly overseen by those who have that responsibility.

"There is no doubt—I'm not suggesting otherwise—that there have been some difficult incidents in the services provided by the board.

"But the arrangements put in place as a result of the work that was done in Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board over the last few years, those lessons have been transferred to the service in Swansea Bay."

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.

Plaid Cymru’s Heledd Fychan asks what progress has been made to implement the 29 recommendations made by the Welsh government's ?

The Welsh government formed the group of 18 experts to advise on the impact of the cost of living crisis on the people in Wales and actions that should be taken to reduce the impact.

First Minister Mark Drakeford replies that "areas of recommendation where progress has been made include housing and homelessness, income maximisation, and reducing the cost of the school day".

But he warns, "the Welsh government does not have the funds to fulfil all 29 recommendations. Hard choices are being made, informed by the expert group report."

Heledd Fychan says some of the recommendations have "no cost attached to them, such as recommendations 4, 24 and 25 regarding the collection and publication of data, recommendation 10 about prioritising low-income families for the Food and Fun programme, and the first part of recommendation 23 on participating in more active marketing for the MyTravelPass for young people aged between 16 and 24."

Hello and welcome to our live coverage 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.