Oral Answers to Questions Debate

Full Debate: Read Full Debate
Department: Wales Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Jerome Mayhew Excerpts
Wednesday 13th March 2024

(1 month, 2 weeks ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Watch Debate Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
David T C Davies Portrait David T. C. Davies
- View Speech - Hansard - - - Excerpts

There may be a small electricity saving, but it is very disappointing that the Welsh Labour Government are preventing a perfectly legitimate viewpoint from being heard by Members of the Senedd, who would do well to listen to people who do not always agree with everything they say.

Jerome Mayhew Portrait Jerome Mayhew (Broadland) (Con)
- Hansard - -

6. What discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on the adequacy of healthcare services in Wales.

David T C Davies Portrait The Secretary of State for Wales (David T. C. Davies)
- View Speech - Hansard - - - Excerpts

As my hon. Friend knows, healthcare is devolved to the Welsh Government, who have received record funding to deliver on their devolved responsibilities. They receive 20% more funding per person than is received for comparable services in England. Despite that extra money, more than 24,000 patients in Wales have been waiting more than two years for treatment. The number of people waiting more than two years for treatment in England, which has roughly 20 times the population, is around 200.

Jerome Mayhew Portrait Jerome Mayhew
- View Speech - Hansard - -

Last month, fewer than half of red calls were answered by the ambulance service in Labour’s Wales within the necessary eight minutes. That is the Leader of the Opposition’s blueprint for government. Does my right hon. Friend agree that, instead of campaigning for more politicians in Wales, Labour should focus on delivering the health services that the people of Wales thoroughly deserve?

David T C Davies Portrait David T. C. Davies
- View Speech - Hansard - - - Excerpts

I completely agree with my hon. Friend. I had to make a 999 call for an ambulance for my father-in-law at 11 o’clock one morning, and it arrived at 4 o’clock the following morning. My father-in-law then had to wait for another six hours in the back of an ambulance outside an accident and emergency unit. The Welsh Labour Government had built industrial fans in the ambulance bays to waft away the diesel fumes. That is totally unacceptable. They are cutting the NHS budget in Wales by around £65 million, yet they can find £120 million extra for more politicians in Cardiff Bay.