By Mark Isherwood, MS for North Wales

Speaking in the Welsh Parliament, I called for a Welsh Government Statement responding to the call by North Wales Police Federation for Policing to "be considered for some priority on the Covid-19 vaccination programme".

As they told me: "day in, day out, police officers put their own safety, health and wellbeing at risk whilst protecting us all. Sadly, in North Wales, we have seen many colleagues who have become unwell with Covid-19, some requiring hospital treatment, and many more having to self-isolate".

I also emphasised the need for autistic adults with a learning disability to be prioritised for the Covid-19 vaccine, quoting a constituent who stated "My brother has a learning disability and Autism. Recent research by Public Health England stated that the death rate from Covid-19 is six times higher for people with a learning disability than the general population".

Questioning the Education Minister, I asked what steps the Welsh Government is taking to ensure consistency in relation to remote learning in schools across Wales, after being contacted by a Flintshire parent stating that her children have not been taught effectively.

The Future Generations Commissioner for Wales has described online education in Wales whilst schools are closed as 'patchy and inconsistent' and said that 'the Welsh Government should do more to ensure consistency of learning by schools across Wales', emphasising the need for 'real leadership from the top'.

I called on the First Minister to respond to calls from the Bevan Foundation, Citizens Advice Cymru and Community Housing Cymru for the Welsh Government to establish a single point of access for benefits and support schemes administered in Wales.

I attended and took part in the online meeting of the Welsh Parliament's Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee, which included scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2021-22, and consideration of the draft report for our inquiry into Covid-19 and its impact on the voluntary sector.

Other engagements included a meeting with Family Fund, the UK's largest charity providing grants to low-income families raising disabled or seriously ill children. We discussed the massive cuts in their Welsh Government funding since 2016, pushing these families into crisis, worsened by the pandemic's impact upon them. Administrations in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland have all maintained their financial support for the Family Fund, but the cuts in Wales have meant that that support here had to be reduced from over 5,000 families in 2015-16 to fewer than 1,000 since.

Stay safe. If you need my help, email Mark.Isherwood@senedd.wales or call 0300 200 7219.