Senedd Reporter
Minister hits out at North Wales health board over ‘indefensible’ data delay
Wales’ health secretary Jeremy Miles has rebuked Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board for “indefensible” delays to official NHS Wales performance statistics.
Mr Miles criticised a lack of urgency from the health board, pledging to launch a formal investigation into data standards and governance if issues are not resolved in 24 hours.
During Wednesday’s (November 26) topical questions, Plaid Cymru’s Mabon ap Gwynfor warned of a “fundamental failure” with latest NHS statistics which were partially published last week.
Mr Miles told the Senedd the latest stats were postponed due to data quality issues, relating to referral to treatment waiting time data at the north Wales health board.
The health secretary pointed out that a partial statistical release, which covered areas usually published other than referral to treatment, was issued the next day.
‘Tip of the iceberg’
“We are working with the health board to urgently address the issues,” he said.
Mr ap Gwynfor warned the delay was “just the tip of the iceberg” when it comes to shortcomings in the quality, consistency and transparency of health data in Wales.
He said: “It’s disappointing that instead of being upfront from the outset about the precise cause of this problem, we’ve had to put forward this topical question to try to get transparency and understand what on earth is going on.”
Plaid Cymru’s shadow health secretary pointed to comments from Iona Collins, chair of the British Medical Association Cymru, who warned long waiting lists are being “obscured”.
Mr ap Gwynfor explained waiting times in Wales only reflect the period after a hospital’s receipt of a referral, unlike in England, rather than when GPs make a referral. He also warned statistics may be “downplaying” pressures on specialisms such as orthopedics.
“We deserve transparency and clear, unambiguous answers,” he said.
‘Indefensible’
Calling for a comprehensive audit, Mr ap Gwynfor asked whether a contentious decision to publish provisional NHS data ahead of official statistical releases contributed to the problem.
The health secretary replied: “The situation to which the member refers is indefensible and I don’t seek to defend it – we’re all entitled to rely on the timely reporting of accurate data.”
Mr Miles held a public meeting with the health board last week and questioned the delay. “There’s been no attempt whatsoever not to address the question,” he said.
He said the NHS Wales chief executive and his officials have been in constant contact with the health board to seek to understand the cause of the issue.
He stressed: “Official statistics are produced independently, free from political influence or ministerial decision, and they adhere to a range of codes of practice…
“What I will say is that less progress has been made than I expected and was assured would have occurred by close of business yesterday.
“I am not at all happy with the level of urgency which the executive team is bringing to resolving this matter.”
‘Investigation’
Mr Miles, who was meeting the health board’s chief executive later that day, told Senedd members he expects the issue to be resolved within the next 24 hours.
“If it is not, I will launch a formal investigation into data standards and governance,” he said.
James Evans, the Conservatives’ shadow health secretary, pressed his opposite number about the precise cause of the data debacle.
The Brecon and Radnorshire Senedd member raised concerns about a ministerial statement on waiting times being postponed until January as a consequence.
Mr Miles was unable to give a categorical answer to the question of what went wrong but he said: “The incident which triggered the concern originally was around the numbers of people appearing on lists when they had been treated.”
He reiterated that he would launch a formal investigation if the issue is not resolved quickly, committing to publishing a written ministerial update later in the week.
Unpaid carers left to “pick up the pieces” of a broken system in Wales
Unpaid carers are being left to “pick up the pieces” of a broken system due to a lack of respite, unsafe hospital discharges and carer’s assessments that result in “nothing at all”.
The warning came as the Senedd’s health scrutiny committee began taking evidence for an inquiry on access to support for more than 310,000 unpaid carers across Wales.
Chris Kemp-Philp, from Newport, who has been a carer for 33 years, gave up her career to become a full-time carer after her husband medically retired from the civil service in 1990.
Ms Kemp-Philp, whose husband died in April, told today’s (December 4) meeting: “I thought he’d been really badly treated… The last four months of his life were dreadful for both of us.”
She was only offered an updated carer’s needs assessment – a right under the 2014 Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act – the day after her husband died.
‘It’s your problem now’
Ms Kemp-Philp did not realise she had become a carer at first. “But, of course, having lost two incomes and to survive on a half civil service pension wasn’t great,” she said.
She told the committee how the couple “shielded” during the pandemic, saying: “For the past five years, basically, apart from going to a hospital or… a medical facility – I didn’t leave the house because if I’d have gone out, I could have brought something home.
“So, we spent five years literally avoiding people. The experience was unpleasant, I had two great-grandchildren born in that time and I only saw them on video.”
Ms Kemp-Philp said her husband was “pingponged” back and forth after unsafe discharges from hospitals in Gwent. He was put in a car by two nurses then she had to get him out on her own at the other end, with clinicians effectively telling her: it’s your problem now.
“Every time he was sent home, nobody came to help at all,” she said, explaining how she struggled to cope and her husband’s death brought a tragic sense of relief.
‘Very, very little help’
Judith Russell, who moved back to Wales to care for her mother 23 years ago, told Senedd members the responsibility grew greater over the years.
Ms Russell, whose mother died last Saturday on the eve of her 102nd birthday, told the committee: “It’s been my privilege to care for her but I wish other people—I wish there had been more actual care for her. That’s it.”
Ms Russell also cares for her husband who has Alzheimer’s disease, acts as guardian for her disabled sister and cooks every week for her sister-in-law.
“It’s quite a responsibility,” she said. “My life is taken up with caring. I didn’t actually know I was a carer, I cared for my mother because she was my mother – I looked after her, of course I did – and it wasn’t until about three years ago that I identified as a carer.”
Ms Russell warned: “All through this last 23 years, I’ve had to fight and struggle to find things out… there’s very, very little help out there.”
She said she was given a carer’s assessment earlier this year but “there was nothing they could offer me, quite frankly – nothing at all”.
‘Society is not there’
Ms Russell told Senedd members: “We had a diagnosis [but] there’s no offer of help, there are no directions to find help, somebody to point you – you should be doing this, this is available, that’s available – nothing, you’re on your own completely.”
She joined the Bridgend carers’ group which opened a door to other people grappling with the same weight of responsibility and helped navigate the system. Ms Kemp-Philp added that joining a similar peer support group saved her life.
Ann Soley, who is originally from France and has been living in Wales for eight years, described how life was turned upside down when her British husband had a stroke.
She said: “We are stressed, we are lost. A lot of carers have lost their friends, that is just unbelievable for me because I realised society is not there – there is no compassion.”
Kaye Williams, who works at Bridgend carers’ centre and is herself a carer, warned the witnesses’ experiences are commonplace across the country.
‘It’s just very wearing’
Sue Rendell, from Caernarfon, has cared for her husband who has vascular parkinsonism for nearly 14 years and was waiting for a doctor to call as she gave evidence remotely.
She told the committee: “You go in in the morning to see if he’s still breathing to be honest. We’re at the later stages of his disease and it’s physically demanding, it’s mentally demanding and it’s administratively difficult as well… it’s just very wearing.”
Ms Rendell, who was shattered after a late night caring, said she has tried to get respite but has been told there’s nothing available in Gwynedd nor Anglesey for her loved one’s needs.
She told the committee unpaid carers in Wales are “expected to pick up the pieces” but “nothing much happens” after an assessment. “Fine words butter no parsnips,” she said.
Ms Russell added: “As carers, we save the government millions… and I asked for some help this week actually. I’m 258th on the list for a hip replacement… and I asked the doctor: as a carer, couldn’t I possibly go up the list a little bit? ‘No, we’re not allowed to do that.’
“It’s the only thing I’ve ever asked for.”
Senedd warned it could run out of money by January 2027
This article is old – Published: Wednesday,The Senedd could face a £22m funding gap and run out of money to pay staff, politicians and contractors by January 2027, the Welsh Parliament’s speaker has revealed.
Elin Jones, the presiding officer or Llywydd, warned of dire knock-on effects for the Senedd of a failure to agree the Welsh Government’s 2026/27 budget.
Labour lacks a majority and needs opposition support to pass its spending plans. If the deadlock is not broken, the Senedd – like the government – would be forced to operate on 75%, and subsequently 95%, of this year’s budget in the next financial year from April.
Ms Jones said such a scenario would present a significant financial challenge, resulting in the Senedd effectively running out of cash after only nine months in January 2027.
She told the Senedd’s finance committee that expansion from 60 politicians to 96 at the May 2026 election will cost about an extra £13m in pay and allowances.
‘Inability to pay staff’
Ms Jones, who chairs the Senedd commission, which manages the estate and support services, wrote: “This represents the principal factor behind a potential funding gap of around £22m.
“Such a shortfall could not be managed by simply reallocating resources, as the majority of the commission’s budget is committed to staff costs and contractual payments.
“Any reduction in these areas would likely incur further costs, such as redundancy payments or early termination penalties, thus intensifying budgetary pressures and significantly limiting the resources available to support the parliament at the outset of the new Senedd.
“If the Senedd were in this position, the budget would run out after month nine. This would mean an inability to pay staff, contractors, members and their support staff from this point.”
Ms Jones, who will stand down after two terms as Llywydd next year, suggested the Senedd would try to bridge the gap through a supplementary budget motion following the election.
The finance committee, chaired by Plaid Cymru’s Peredur Owen Griffiths, was concerned by a lack of contingency planning being undertaken by the commission.
‘Value for money’
In a letter, Ms Jones accepted all the committee’s recommendations following scrutiny of the commission’s £102m draft budget for 2026/27 – an £18m or 21% increase on 2025/26.
In an update on plans for the Pierhead in Cardiff Bay, Ms Jones said the grade one-listed building will primarily be retained for use by the Senedd.
But she confirmed the commission will explore commercial interests but the process is unlikely to conclude before May 2026.
She also offered an update on the “Bay 2032” project, which is looking at options for office space with the lease on Tŷ Hywel – the red-brick building behind the Senedd – set to expire.
The speaker wrote: “This process has demonstrated that simply rolling-over the existing lease would not necessarily satisfy the accommodation requirements of the commission nor provide best value for money to the taxpayer.
“There are, it is now clear, alternative options that may provide better value.”
Other options are thought to include buying Tŷ Hywel, taking up a nearby building, or building new offices but a final decision is expected to be pushed beyond the next election.
The Senedd will debate a motion on the commission budget on Wednesday (November 19) but pivotal votes on the Welsh Government’s spending plans will follow in the new year.
Senedd debate calls for ban on plastic fruit and vegetable packaging
This article is old – Published: Sunday, NovAlarming health warnings that microplastics are being found in human brains, blood and breastmilk sparked calls for a ban on single-use plastic on fresh fruit and vegetables.
Rhys ab Owen, who sits as an independent, brought forward a cross-party proposal to ban the use of “unnecessary” single-use plastic packaging for fruit and veg.
He told the Senedd: “Plastic packaging makes no difference whatsoever to the shelf life of over 20 fruits and vegetables… Simply put, plastic packaging, very often, is entirely wasteful, unnecessary and purposeless. We don’t need that packaging at all.”
Raising a 61% increase in foodbanks in Wales, Mr ab Owen pointed to research showing plastic packaging contributes to £2.1bn-worth of food waste in the UK every year.
Calling for fruit and veg to be sold in paper bags, he said food is becoming unaffordable for many and being able to buy smaller, rather than predetermined, amounts could help.
‘Health risks’
LIVEAn error occurred. Please try again laterTap to unmuteLearn moreAdvertisementMr ab Owen also warned of serious health risks, telling Senedd members: “When plastic breaks down into microplastics, it’s then absorbed into the human body and has now been found in all organs of the body, including our brains.”
He pointed to a study last year by the New England Journal of Medicine which identified increased risks of heart attack, stroke or death when micro or nano plastics were found.
The former barrister warned: “Despite this, the use of plastic continues to grow and has grown dramatically over the past few decades.”
Labour’s Jenny Rathbone raised a Cardiff University study at the Dŵr Cymru treatment plant in Newport which found significant levels of plastics in wastewater. She said treated water is spread on agricultural land, bringing plastics back into the whole food production system.
Ms Rathbone recommended not to drink water from plastic bottles, saying it can add around six times more microplastics into your system compared with tap water.
‘Why not Wales?’
Janet Finch-Saunders, the Conservatives’ shadow environment secretary, said she had “no hesitation whatsoever” when Mr ab Owen asked for her party’s support.
She told the Senedd: “We cannot forget that microplastic pollution has been detected in human blood, with scientists finding the tiny particles in almost 80% of people tested.
“The more we can do to reduce this unnecessary plastic use the better. A ban on the use of single-use plastic… for fruits and vegetables would be a step in the right direction.”
Labour’s Carolyn Thomas raised evidence from the Wrap Cymru charity which shows only 19% of fresh produce is sold loose compared with 50% in mainland Europe.
She said: “France has already gone further, passing legislation to ban plastic packaging on fresh produce altogether. If France can do it, why not Wales?”
Delyth Jewell, Plaid Cymru’s shadow environment secretary, described the proposed ban as a “no-brainer” and something young people feel passionately about.
‘Viscerally frightening’
“This is something that we have to guard against for their sake,” she said. “It’s something very young children feel passionately about as well because of how quite viscerally frightening it will be for them. It is so important that we change this.”
Huw Irranca-Davies, Wales’ deputy first minister, pointed to the Environmental Protection Act 2023, which has restricted often-littered products such as straws, cutlery and cotton buds.
But Mr Irranca-Davies cautioned of potential unintended consequences of extending restrictions to single-use packaging for fruit and veg.
“There is a ‘however’ in this,” he said. “There are several important aspects that we need to explore further before we consider bringing forward legislation.”
Mr ab Owen responded: “I’m very used to the deputy first minister’s – and other Welsh ministers’ – ‘howevers’. I’m used to, ‘Oh, I agree with the sentiment, however, we need to check this. We need to do other research, another commission’, or whatever…
“I think we need bolder governance here in Wales, where people are willing to make decisions, where they don’t wait and wait and wait until they know 100% that this is the right thing. Sometimes, we just need to get on and do it.”
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