Hefin David MS talks Senedd return and Covid situation

Hefin David is the Labour Senedd Member for the Caerphilly constituency.

With the summer and recess over, I will be back in the Senedd this week. I will be asking the First Minister about the Welsh Government’s response to the UK Government’s new plans for funding social care, through a rise in National Insurance. I will also be asking the Minister for Finance and Local Government about the Local Government boundary reforms.

I can also take up relevant issues with the local authority, the health board, the police and other public agencies so if you have something you’d like me to raise on your behalf, do get in touch. 

In coronavirus related news, the Health Minister announced this week that a wider choice of test providers will be available for people returning to Wales from overseas when booking PCR tests. The change comes as new standards and spot checks are being introduced, which will help to address long-standing concerns and issues about the market for PCR tests for all travellers returning to the UK.

You can find out more about what you need to do if you’re travelling in to Wales here: gov.wales/travel-wales-covid-19-testing-and-isolation.

Vaccine uptake in Wales is looking very good. The latest figures show that 2,367,402 people have received their first dose; with 2,201,389 people having had both doses.

If you think you’ve been missed off the vaccine appointment list you can find more information about getting  your vaccine here: gov.wales/get-your-covid-19-vaccination-if-you-think-you-have-been-missed 

Over the summer my team and I have been working to get through a backlog of work – lots of which has reconvened with the easing of restrictions. 

The restrictions themselves haven’t changed a great deal over the summer and it is for this reason I haven’t run a Facebook live session recently. However, with lots of things going on in the community at the moment, I will be running a session this week. Please keep an eye on my Facebook page for more details.

I will also continue to update my page as I get new updates. You can follow me here: @HefinDavidMS

For now though, Wales will be focused on Covid recovery and how we will manage the virus over the coming winter period. Although things are improving the virus is still circulating, so please continue to be vigilant.

Hefin