Cross-border healthcare, rail, and Holyhead focus for Welsh Affairs Committee

The Welsh Affairs Committee will examine pressing issues over the coming weeks, including cross-border healthcare, rail infrastructure, and recovery efforts at Holyhead Port. A

series of evidence sessions will be held, beginning on Wednesday 22 January at 2.30pm in Committee Room 15 at the Palace of Westminster.

The first session will address healthcare challenges and opportunities across the England-Wales border.

 

Witnesses, including senior NHS leaders, will provide evidence on how institutions in both nations collaborate and whether improvements can be made.

The discussion is expected to cover how Welsh and English healthcare systems can learn from each other and the potential impact of a “new partnership” between the UK and Welsh governments aimed at reducing waiting lists on both sides of the border.

Among the witnesses for the cross-border healthcare session are Rachel Power, Chief Executive of the Patients Association; Dr David Bailey, former Chair of the Welsh Council at the British Medical Association (BMA); and Dr Stephen Kelly, Chair of the BMA’s Welsh Consultants Committee.

A second panel will feature Stacey Taylor, Interim Chief Commissioner of the NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee, and Simon Whitehouse, Chief Executive of the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board.

Following this, the committee will delve into Wales’s rail infrastructure. This follows the Secretary of State for Wales highlighting rail as her “number one priority” for the nation.

The focus is likely to include rail improvements, connectivity challenges, and the impact on Welsh communities.

The committee will also explore recovery efforts at Holyhead Port, which recently partially re-opened after suffering significant damage during Storm Darragh.

MPs are expected to assess how the Government can support local businesses impacted by the disruption.

These themes are anticipated to feature in future sessions, including the upcoming appearance of Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan before the committee.