That was a really comprehensive statement and I think that we all know, following an unexpectedly glorious summer, the weather in Wales, particularly over the winter, can be quite unpredictable. You have rightly pointed out the issues that we have had with the flooding and with the snow in April.
This appears to be an annual statement of assurance, and it is only when we experience such problems that you know how well your systems are working or otherwise. It is quite reassuring that the current salt reserves are around the 250,000 tonnes mark, and I just hope that we have enough. It is quite reassuring to see the additional storage facilities that you have in north and mid Wales, in addition to those around major trunk roads. I have concerns about rural communities when things go wrong, because they can often feel quite isolated when the main arterial roads can be affected.
Going back to the issues in April as regards the farms where we had the devastation and the problems with the fallen stock, many farmers found it very chaotic and found there to be a lack of leadership from the Welsh Government with regard to this. You said that you have put plans in place. What discussions have you had with the Minister for Natural Resources and Food to ensure that that kind of situation never happens again?
I am very pleased with the work that is going on with the winter wellness campaign through community pharmacies to raise awareness among older people and other vulnerable groups about winter preparedness. However, like other Members here, I am worried, when we hear about cancelled operations, about emergency planning as regards cancelled operations with hospitals. What discussions have you had with the Minister to minimise any effects on our patients?
I know that, through the buy oil early campaign, you are encouraging consumers to stock up and to join collective schemes. There is one in my own constituency. I am aware of residents in very isolated rural communities who have got together and managed to do a deal with companies where they can reduce the price per litre of fuel. Do you have a plan in place, or a network of where these groups are operating, or are these not on the radar yet?
That is it really. I just hope that all agencies work together. Could you confirm, once and for all in this Chamber, that every local authority and health board, and all of the agencies, now have their plans well and truly in place?
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you for those questions, Janet Finch-Saunders. It is important that we learn lessons from previous winters. As you say, this is something on which, as a Welsh Government, we bring forward a statement at this time of year before winter really begins—I am not quite sure when
You raised questions about the farming community and I do not accept that there was a lack of leadership from the Minister. That was in the spring, was it not, if you think about March and April? Certainly, my recollection is of seeing the Minister at kitchen tables in farmhouses, talking to farmers; that is the impression that I and many people in this Chamber got.
As a result of that severe weather and the impact that it had on a number of farm businesses, the Minister for Natural Resources and Food commissioned Kevin Roberts, director general of the National Farmers Union in England and Wales, to carry out an independent review that looked, in a wide context, at the resilience of farming in Wales. I mentioned in my opening statement that that full report would be submitted to the Minister at the end of this month.
However, there was an interim report submitted to the Minister in July. That comprised two main recommendations for the development of a contingency management plan and improving the wider resilience of farming in Wales, focusing on an appropriate integrated package of measures for the uplands in the next rural development plan to help improve farming and environmental performance. The Minister is taking those forward.
You mentioned specifically about health and local authorities and health boards having plans in place. Obviously, the Minister for Health and Social Services will have a debate this afternoon regarding the preparedness of the health service in Wales. I should say that, over the autumn term, the Minister for Health and Social Services and Gwenda Thomas, the Deputy Minister for Social Services, and I have held regular meetings with local authorities and health boards—local authorities and the health boards in their areas—to ensure that their winter plans are in place. Those meetings have reassured us that that is the case.
You mentioned the buy oil early campaign and I do not know the details of all the different groups, but it is a very good scheme, and as you say, it brings people together and they are able to buy fuel cheaper.