Catherine Cullen

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1. 1. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy cy

   6. Pa gamau y mae'r Gweinidog Cabinet yn eu cymryd i sicrhau bod grantiau yn y sector amddiffyn yn cael eu cyflwyno mewn modd amserol? OQ64756

   Official English translation

   6. What action is the Cabinet Minister taking to ensure that grants in the defence sector are delivered in a timely manner? OQ64756

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2. 1. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy en

   Diolch. Earlier this year, I visited PMB Battery Technologies, a cutting-edge research and manufacturing company that operates facilities in Ebbw Vale and in Adelaide, Australia. This is a company specialising in advanced battery technology, and a great benefit to the local economy and the people it employs. That day, I met directly with apprentices at the company, young people from Ebbw Vale and the local area, fresh out of education, now in high-skilled and well-paid, meaningful employment. This is exactly the sort of industry we need to attract to deprived areas like Blaenau Gwent, which suffer with high levels of people, especially young people, classified as NEET, not in employment, education or training. Companies like this rely on Government grants to expand their operations in Wales and ensure that old and outdated facilities meet the needs of modern research and manufacturing. So, what steps is the Government taking to ensure that competitive modern industries are kept in Wales, grants are timely, and that they are not pushed to relocate elsewhere?

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3. 3. Questions to the Senedd Commission cy

   3. A yw'r Comisiwn wedi cael cyngor annibynnol ynghylch a yw ei bolisi darlledu yn deg, yn gymesur ac yn cael ei gymhwyso'n gyson? OQ64743

   Official English translation

   3. Has the Commission obtained independent advice on whether its broadcasting policy is fair, proportionate and consistently applied? OQ64743

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4. 3. Questions to the Senedd Commission en

   Diolch. GB News is still excluded from the Senedd's internal television screens, and the justification was that comments made were contrary to the Parliament's values. However, the very broadcasting protocol itself was developed by an unnamed independent adviser to the Senedd Commission. So, what are the values of this adviser and on what political spectrum do they lie? The fact is the inclusion of Sky News as a commercial broadcaster undercuts the rule of allowing only public service broadcasters on the internal Senedd television screens. GB News is also a licensed news and current affairs broadcaster like Sky News, and its programmes cover issues affecting people across Wales, including perspectives that challenge the Welsh Government's policies. So, while I recognise the Commission's responsibility to maintain appropriate standards, these standards must be applied fairly, consistently and proportionately. So, could we have discussions on this sooner rather than later, and can we all have an opinion on this, so that we can get GB News back where it belongs on our internal tv screens?

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1. 1. Questions to the First Minister cy

   3. Pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i wella'r cymorth a ddarperir i blant a phobl ifanc mabwysiedig a'r rhai sydd â phrofiad o fod mewn gofal? OQ64755

   Official English translation

   3. What action is the Welsh Government taking to improve the support provided to adopted and care-experienced children and young people? OQ64755

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2. 1. Questions to the First Minister en

   In the August 2026 report, Care Inspectorate Wales found that adoption support remained inconsistent, with waiting lists across almost every regional collaborative. The average number of days taken for children to move from the decision that they should be placed for adoption to actually being in place varied considerably across Wales, with the lowest figure of 248 days waiting in the Western Bay Adoption Service to a high of 450 days waiting in the Adoption Mid and West Wales collaborative. It is apparent that you want to build a united Wales, but in what modern nation is it acceptable for a child to wait an additional 202 days to get the outcome they need in one region compared to the other? This is not timely. Having experienced the care system myself, both as a child and as an adoptive parent, I know the struggle first-hand. So, my question is simple: what specifically is this Government going to do to close these gaps and ensure equitable support nationwide?

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3. 2. Questions to the Counsel General cy

   1. Pa gyngor cyfreithiol y mae'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol wedi'i roi i Lywodraeth Cymru ynghylch hawliau cyfreithiol plant mabwysiedig i geisio cymorth arbenigol os bydd eu hanghenion yn parhau i oedolaeth? OQ64742

   Official English translation

   1. What legal advice has the Counsel General provided to the Welsh Government regarding the legal rights of adopted children to seek specialist support when their needs continue into adulthood? OQ64742

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4. 2. Questions to the Counsel General en

   Counsel General, for many adopted young people, turning 18 does not mean their need for support disappears; in fact, it can be the point when they need it the most. Adopted young people can face complex challenges around identity, trauma, attachment and mental health, yet as they transition into adulthood, the support available to them can become fragmented, leaving them struggling to navigate adult services at the time they need it. We wouldn't expect a young person to suddenly overcome the impact of early childhood traumas just because they've reached a certain age. So, will the Counsel General clarify whether existing Welsh legislation provides sufficient protection for adopted young people into adulthood, and whether the Government is considering introducing a statutory duty to ensure continuing specialist support up until the age of 25?

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5. 2. Questions to the Counsel General cy

   6. Pa gyngor cyfreithiol y mae'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol wedi'i roi i Lywodraeth Cymru ynghylch a yw dileu hawl rhieni i dynnu eu plant yn ôl o addysg cydberthynas a rhywioldeb yn gyson â'r Confensiwn Ewropeaidd ar Hawliau Dynol? OQ64740

   Official English translation

   6. What legal advice has the Counsel General provided to the Welsh Government regarding whether removing parents' right to withdraw their children from relationships and sexuality education is consistent with the European Convention on Human Rights? OQ64740

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6. 2. Questions to the Counsel General en

   Relationships and sexuality education, as you say, has been a compulsory element of the Curriculum for Wales since 2022. In its own words, the framework covers relationships, rights, equality and diversity. What parents may not be aware of, however, is that education is compulsory and in force in Wales from the age of three, including in funded nursery education. Moreover, unlike previous sex education arrangements, RSE is mandatory until 16, and parents do not have the general right to withdraw. Now, whatever our views on the ECHR may be, we are as lawmakers in the Senedd totally bound by the European convention on human rights. Article 2 of protocol No. 1 plainly states that 'the State shall respect the right of parents to ensure such education and teaching is in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions.' So, quite simply, do parents in Wales actually still have the right to withdraw their children from RSE when it does not conform to their religious and philosophical convictions?

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7. 6. Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health: Update on the National Care Service Programme en

   Diolch, Deputy Llywydd. I welcome the Deputy Minister's statement today, but it seems that the statement is doubling down again on this Stronger Safeguarding for a Safer Wales. As you know, I have already expressed serious reservations about this, because while it looks fluffy on the outside, it is not so on the inside. We already know about the damage that overly burdensome safeguarding procedures can cause in the care and health services. At the moment, it is quite reactive. We only need to listen to some of the stories of people who have been under this to understand what it is like. So, we must ensure that social care does not suffer the same fate. Safeguarding must protect people without drowning front-line workers in paperwork and without placing front-line professionals' lives on hold while they are subject to safeguarding inquiries. How can we recruit and hope to retain in the care sector with these strict safeguarding measures in line? It does not go well. The statement says that success will not be measured by structures created or documents published, but how exactly, then, are you going to measure success? And what measurable targets, timescales and outcomes will be published to demonstrate improvements in care recruitment and retention? Diolch.

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1. 1. Questions to the Trefnydd, Chief Whip and Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport cy

   3. Pa gamau mae'r Gweinidog Cabinet yn eu cymryd i sicrhau nad yw'r gost a'r lleoliad yn atal pobl ifanc rhag cymryd rhan mewn chwaraeon? OQ64703

   Official English translation

   3. What action is the Cabinet Minister taking to ensure that cost and location do not prevent young people from participating in sport? OQ64703

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2. 1. Questions to the Trefnydd, Chief Whip and Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport en

   Diolch, Drefnydd. In Blaenau Gwent, 49 per cent of children experience income deprivation—that's the highest proportion of any local authority in Wales. Meanwhile, in Caerphilly borough, Cefn Fforest leisure centre has had its hours reduced, with local reports highlighting a massive decline in visits compared to before the change. Behind every lost visit, as we know, is a child disengaging from sport, a missed opportunity and potential left unfulfilled. Families in deprived communities can't always travel to the next leisure centre, particularly in areas with limited cross-valley transport links. We know that sport improves physical and mental well-being, builds confidence and opens doors for young people. So, what specific investment can Blaenau Gwent, Rhymney and Caerphilly expect, and will you prioritise maintaining vital existing facilities in the deprived communities, rather than directing further investment towards areas that are already better served? Diolch.

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1. 7. The Child Minding and Day Care Exceptions (Revocation and Transitional Provision) (Wales) (Amendment) Order 2026 en

   Diolch, Deputy Llywydd. This is an administrative Order that seeks to update references across various pieces of legislation. There is no change to policy or practice, and Reform UK welcomes any effort to clarify legislation. The documents behind the motion suggest joint working between the UK Parliament, the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Government, and this collaboration is also welcomed by Reform UK. For these reasons, we will be supporting the motion. Diolch.

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1. 1. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care cy

   6. Pa gamau y mae'r Llywodraeth wedi'u cymryd i ddatgarboneiddio'r sector iechyd a gofal? OQ64662

   Official English translation

   6. What action has the Government taken to decarbonise the health and care sector? OQ64662

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2. 1. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care en

   Thank you for that answer. More than 540,000 patients are on NHS waiting lists in Wales. Behind those figures are people in pain, families living with uncertainty, and patients waiting desperately for the treatment that they need. The public sector decarbonisation programme is a staggering £38.7 million, plus £40 million targeted at the NHS. Based on average Welsh salaries, that money could employ nurses, doctors, surgeons and not forgetting those students coming out of university who still cannot get jobs. I'm not suggesting that we ignore the environment, but when our hospitals are struggling, waiting lists are growing and front-line staff are under immense pressure, we must ask whether taxpayers' money is being spent on the right priorities. Will the Government review its climate-related NHS spending and redirect funding, wherever possible, towards clearing waiting lists and recruiting more front-line staff that our health service desperately needs? Because patients waiting in pain deserve more than targets and promises; they deserve treatment and they deserve a health service that puts their needs first. Diolch.

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3. 4. 90-second Statements en

   Today, I stand to remember the victims of the horrific attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023. We remember the 1,200 people who lost their lives. We remember the families torn apart, the communities devastated and all those who were taken hostage. And today, I particularly want to remember two little boys, Ariel and Kfir Bibas. You may remember Ariel, a beautiful young boy in his Batman outfit running through the streets, and I wear my badge in memory of him today and anyone lost in this attack. Ariel was just four years old when he was taken, and Kfir was only nine months old. Their faces became known around the world as a heartbreaking symbol of innocent lives caught up in the horror of that day. We remember their mother, Shiri, too. We think of their father, Yarden, and the unimaginable loss endured by the Bibas family. Whatever our politics, there should always be space in this Chamber for humanity. There should be space to mourn innocent people, to condemn terrorism and to say clearly that deliberately targeting and taking civilian hostages can never be justified. So, today, from the Welsh Parliament, I, we, remember Ariel and Kfir and Shiri and Yarden and every innocent life taken on that day as a consequence. May their memories be a blessing and may all those who mourn find strength and peace.

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1. 5. Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health: Stronger Safeguarding for a Safer Wales en

   Diolch, Deputy Llywydd. To declare an interest, I've got a close family member working in the NHS. Deputy Minister, nobody disputes the importance of safeguarding. No-one disputes that children need to be safe from neglect, harm or abuse, and in that way, the statement's right. But we have to be realistic about what is happening on the ground in Wales. Across Wales, we have more than 7,000 looked-after children, around 4,800 living in foster placement, yet Wales needs 550 new foster carers every year. And at a time when the numbers of foster carers are declining, demands continue to rise. In Wales, more than 20 per cent of foster parents who left cited safeguarding allegations as the reason. We also hear of too many cases of individuals in fostering, education, care and other professions spending months or years under safeguarding investigations. They can't move on with their lives, despite no wrongdoing ever being proven. Doctors face triple jeopardy: investigated by the police, the General Medical Council and the trust all at the same time as trying to work, if they're not off with stress. Nearly one in three who experience fitness-to-practice investigations experience suicidal thoughts, and sometimes investigations go on for years. Does the Minister accept that safeguarding systems must protect the vulnerable, but must also be proportionate, timely and fair to those who are accused? As you say in the statement, we owe it to them to get this right.

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1. 1. Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice en

   We are all aware that Flying Start has some limitations. Its delivery can vary between local authorities and some families are left out, but the figures also show that the programme is one that families are using. So, in 2025-26, 98.5 per cent of eligible children were offered Flying Start childcare, with 85.4 per cent taking up that offer. The programme also delivered 211,000 health contacts to families across Wales. I'm concerned that, in moving towards a universal offer, we could lose sight of the targeted support that Flying Start provides to some of Wales's most disadvantaged families. Flying Start is more than childcare. It provides health visiting, parental support and help with speech, language and communication. So, will the Government give this Senedd a clear guarantee that, as the universal childcare offer expands, families currently benefiting from the wider Flying Start package will not lose vital services or see them diluted? Diolch.

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1. 7. Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women's Health: Improving Family-centred Neonatal Care in Wales: Progress Towards the Bliss Baby Charter en

   I need to declare an interest: I have a close relative who's a hospital consultant. I welcome the opportunity to respond to the Deputy Minister's statement today, and I acknowledge that the Minister, from previous speeches in the Chamber, values the sanctity of life and how important this is. And I want to begin by recognising the extraordinary work being carried out every day by neonatal doctors, nurses and support staff across Wales. When a baby is born premature or seriously ill, parents find themselves in a world they never expected to enter. Instead of taking the precious baby home, they spend days, weeks, months beside an incubator. For those families, neonatal care is not simply another NHS service, it just becomes their entire world. This is why the principles behind the Bliss baby charter are so important. Family-centred care means recognising that parents are not visitors to their own babies, they are parents, and, wherever clinically possible, they should be supported to participate in baby's care and contact. But we must make sure that today's statement represents measurable change for families rather than simply being another commitment. The Welsh Government announced funding for Bliss so that neonatal units across Wales could work towards bronze Bliss baby charter accreditation. So, my first set of questions: can you tell us exactly how many neonatal units in Wales have now achieved bronze accreditation? How many have yet to achieve it, and by what date does she expect every neonatal unit in Wales to have reached that standard? Moreover, why is it the case that out of the 14 accredited units throughout the UK, not one of top standard is located in Wales? These accredited centres elsewhere are rated gold and even platinum in some cases. For a Government that talks about ambition, where is the ambition for these little ones? Can the Minister pledge that at least one neonatal unit in Wales will become gold or above, and an accredited centre, within the term? Because families should not receive one standard of family-centred care in one part of Wales and a different standard elsewhere. And there is another issue I believe we need to urgently address, and that is keeping families together. Bliss has highlighted the difficulties parents can face in staying overnight to be close to their sick or premature babies. Imagine giving birth, leaving the hospital without your baby, and having to travel back and fore, sometimes hundreds of miles every day, simply to be with them. And for families living significant distances from specialised neonatal care, that means travel costs, parking costs, food costs, loss of earnings and early maternity leave at precisely the moment when their sole concern should be their child. You mentioned family-centred neonatal care, but it can't simply mean telling parents they are partners in their baby's care. We have to make it practically possible for them to be there. You say in the statement you are listening and responding. So, my next question is: what specific action will the Welsh Government take to increase overnight accommodation for parents on neonatal units? And will the Deputy Minister commit to a clear national minimum standard so that, wherever possible, a parent is not forced to leave their sick and newborn child because there is nowhere for them to stay? Finally, we need to talk about what parents experience emotionally. A neonatal admission is frightening and overwhelming. Parents need clear information. They need staff to listen to them and they need to understand what's happening to their baby and know how to participate in their care. And where they raise concerns, they need confidence that those concerns will be heard. Practices such as placing mothers on wards with mothers who've had their babies and not clearing corridors for bereaved parents have not changed since the 1960s. The Government’s recent introduction of Call for Concern into maternity and neonatal services is therefore welcome, but a system is only effective if families know it exists, staff understand it and parents genuinely feel able to use it. And psychological support cannot be an optional extra. You said in the statement that care should be compassionate. Supporting the baby means supporting the family around that baby. So, does the Welsh Government have sufficient neonatal and psychological workforce capacity to deliver these family-centred standards consistently, and what support is being provided to units where staffing pressures are preventing progress? And will the Deputy Minister guarantee that every neonatal family in Wales has access to proper psychological support, no matter where they live, and explain how the Government will measure whether families themselves believe that the Bliss charter is actually improving the experience of neonatal care? Diolch.

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1. 1. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy cy

   7. A wnaiff y Gweinidog Cabinet roi diweddariad am berfformiad Banc Datblygu Cymru? OQ64545

   Official English translation

   7. Will the Cabinet Minister provide an update on the performance of the Development Bank of Wales? OQ64545

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2. 1. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy en

   While of course I support ethical guidelines of conduct for the Development Bank of Wales, I worry about the politicisation of the bank and that investment decisions are based more off the whims of the Welsh Government rather than sensible financial criteria. For example, climate change is now a political priority that's been forced on the bank by the Government to meet mad net-zero targets. In the programme for government announced yesterday, we heard new economic criteria and possibly restrictions on defence investments for the bank. We have already had plenty of controversy with the bank in recent years, with concerns over political donations and alleged blacklisting of certain businesses. Can the Minister confirm whether the new defence ethical framework announced yesterday will apply to the Development Bank of Wales, and, if so, when? And will the Government publish a consolidated ethical and policy criteria that the development bank is expected to follow so that businesses and the Senedd can now understand how investment decisions are being made and scrutinise any further changes? Diolch.

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3. 3. Questions to the Senedd Commission cy

   9. Pa gamau y mae Comisiwn y Senedd yn eu cymryd i sicrhau bod amrywiaeth o blatfformau cyfryngau newyddion ar gael ar ystad y Senedd? OQ64544

   Official English translation

   9. What action is the Senedd Commission taking to ensure a range of news media platforms are available on the Senedd estate? OQ64544

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4. 3. Questions to the Senedd Commission en

   Thank you for that answer. I think we've been here before, haven't we? When the Commission considered this issue in July, it argued that Sky News alone provided proficient plurality on the Senedd's television system. I would respectfully suggest that, in the time since GB News was removed from the Senedd's system, the media landscape has changed. Since the departure of Laurence Fox, GB News has continued to grow its audience and broaden its reach. It now reaches over 1 million viewers per day and, in 2025, overtook Sky News as the UK's largest commercial news channel by average viewing figures. Whether Members agree with GB News or not is beside the point. It is an Ofcom-regulated broadcaster watched by millions of people across the United Kingdom. I'm sure that everybody on this side of the Chamber is a fan of GB News. Excluding it from the Senedd's internal television system risks creating the impression that some lawful viewpoints are more acceptable than others. In the interests of pluralism, free expression and informed democratic debate, will the Commission now review its policy and reconsider the inclusion of GB News on the Senedd estate? Diolch.

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1. 5. Reform UK Debate: Grooming gangs en

   There are some words and some subjects that are uncomfortable to discuss. There are words that our politicians and institutions would rather avoid—words like 'grooming gang'—and therein lies the problem. When the safety of children is at stake, discomfort cannot be an excuse for silence. So, in this debate, I want to speak about the organised sexual exploitation of children, which has commonly become known as the 'grooming gang scandal'.  These words should never be abstract. They are real, and there are real victims of it. Behind every report, every investigation, every statistic, is a child: a child who should have been protected; a child who should have been listened to; far too often, a child who was failed by the very institutions that were designed to keep them safe.  The independent inquiry into child sex abuse examined organised sexual exploitation across England and Wales. Wales was not absent from its findings, and in the new statutory inquiry, it does not automatically guarantee that a particular Welsh town or local authority will receive a full investigation. In Swansea, the inquiry was initially told that there was no data suggesting sexual exploitation by networks of gang-related child abuse. In response to our freedom of information request in 2025, Gwent Police acknowledged that they only had the software available since 2017 to search the 6,683 sexual offences recorded, and they were not sure if ethnicity was recorded, and if it was, it would cost too much manpower and time to trawl through the data to search for grooming cases. Yet the inquiry found examples of exploitation by groups that should have been identified by the police. South Wales Police itself acknowledges the likelihood that organised criminal networks existed that had not been discovered. This is shameful. How do we protect our children from something that the authorities fail to identify? We cannot properly understand the threat if we refuse to collect the data to expose it. The independent inquiry, therefore, made an extremely important recommendation: police forces and local authorities should collect specific information on known and suspected child sexual exploitation networks, including data on sex, ethnicity and disability of victims and perpetrators. And that is not prejudice, it's evidence. If patterns exist, we need to know about them. If particular vulnerabilities are being exploited, we need to know of them. Wherever offenders come from, their ethnicity, religion, background and status, the response should be exactly the same. Protect the child, investigate the crime, prosecute the offender for a long time, and do not let them out early. No excuses, no political sensitivities, no fear of embarrassment, and no institution protecting its reputation ahead of a vulnerable child. We value children above protecting the very systems that let them down. And we should also remember something fundamental about grooming: children who are manipulated, coerced and exploited are the victims. They are not responsible for the crimes committed against them. A frightened teenager who has been groomed by adults does not need an institution finding reasons not to intervene. They need an adult to listen. They need professionals to recognise the warning signs, and they need the state to act. This means schools, social services, health professionals, local authorities and police sharing information effectively. Let's narrow this down to Wales. So, where are the Welsh authorities targeted for investigation in the statutory review? So far, there aren't any. Are we to be pushed back again, not listening in Wales again? Are the victims ever going to get the justice that they deserve in Wales? In short, we want data accuracy; we want transparency; Welsh voices to be heard; and they must not be silenced ever again.

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1. 6. Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language: The Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Plan en

   Diolch, Deputy Presiding Officer. I need to declare an interest: I was a teacher, and I have a close relative that is still one. I'd like to thank the Cabinet Minister today, and I agree with many of the things in this statement, including raising standards within schools, considering the PISA results recently. What concerns me about the plan, though, is that it does not address the underlying problems of the Curriculum for Wales, which partly generated the problem to begin with. The teaching profession in Wales is racked by teacher retention problems, with 24.9 per cent—almost a quarter—of new teachers from the 2021 cohort no longer registered after five years. The Curriculum for Wales places immense pressures on newly trained teachers to generate their own bespoke lesson plans, to divert their already squeezed time away from the fundamentals of literacy and numeracy to immeasurable and abstract themes. So, when teachers are already under immense pressure, staying afloat by working unpaid hours into the evening, how do you expect teachers to find the time to deliver the foundational literacy and numeracy plan without scrapping the unnecessary excesses of the Curriculum for Wales?

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1. 3. Topical Questions en

   As a former teacher, I know first-hand the challenges facing our schools and the immense commitment shown by teachers and school leaders across Wales, and I'd like to thank Lynne Neagle for bringing forward this question. Of course, supporting teachers is vital, and fair pay is an important part of that, but we must also recognise that the pressures facing the profession go far beyond pay alone. There is workload, recruitment and retention, additional learning needs provision and the increasing demands placed on schools all requiring attention. I note that the NAHT, the school leaders' union, and the Association of School and College Leaders have now written to the education Minister, herself a former leader of the NAHT, to formally register a dispute with the Welsh Government over the pay settlement, alongside concerns with ALN funding. What makes this particularly significant is that neither union has previously been in a formal dispute with the Welsh Government; these are unprecedented circumstances. Therefore, can the Minister outline how the Welsh Government intends to rebuild consensus with these unions, resolve the issues that have led to this dispute, and what further action can be taken to support teachers and school leaders across Wales?

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1. 5. Statement by the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality: Update on Early Years Childcare and Play en

   We have a statement on early years childcare and play, but I note in it that play is not mentioned once. When we look back to our own childhoods, play develops resilience, communication skills and emotional well-being. For many children, particularly those that are facing disadvantage, play can be the difference between isolation and inclusion, between struggling and thriving. In my constituency, I've had people complain—this is Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni—about play services there. So, I took the opportunity last week to go over to Torfaen, where they've got absolutely excellent play services. Torfaen Play are offering to young people of all ages—so, these are little ones as well—they support children with additional needs, care-experienced children, young carers and families across the community. What stood out for me was not only the breadth of work, but the life-changing impact. So, what we've got is, in Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni, we've got children that are really struggling through lack of play facilities, but, in Torfaen, it's the opposite way round. So, for a Government who talks persistently about equality, could I ask what measures they are taking to ensure that high-quality play opportunities are available for everybody, regardless of where they live, and is there funding specifically for play?

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1. 3. Questions to the Senedd Commission cy

   5. A wnaiff y Comisiwn adolygu ei bolisi ar fynediad i GB News ar draws ystad y Senedd? OQ64298

   Official English translation

   5. Will the Commission review its policy on access to GB News across the Senedd estate? OQ64298

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2. 3. Questions to the Senedd Commission en

   I need to declare an interest; I'm a member of the Free Speech Union. As Members of the Senedd, there's an impetus to stay informed as events unfold. The decision to evict GB News, a major Ofcom-regulated British broadcaster, from our internal television system sets a dangerous precedent. It's simply not good enough to say that we can access it using our own personal devices. The Commission, in my opinion, should allow free and equal access to all major broadcasters across the Senedd estate. Freedom of the press and speech is not about agreeing with every opinion that is aired, but is about defending the principle that people should be free to access competing perspectives. There is also talk of media regulation devolved to Wales, yet if a regulated broadcaster can be shut out of the Senedd because of political preference, why should anyone trust a regulator to act impartially? So, could you please consider a fair and reflective approach to all news channels, for the sake of fairness, free speech and the free expression of the media?

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1. 2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution en

   Diolch, Llywydd. Congratulations on your new role.

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2. 2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution cy

   4. Pa drafodaethau mae'r Gweinidog Cabinet wedi'u cael gyda'r Gweinidog Cabinet dros Gyllid am oblygiadau ariannol datganoli plismona? OQ64137 [R]

   Official English translation

   4. What discussions has the Cabinet Minister had with the Cabinet Minister for Finance about the financial implications of devolving policing? OQ64137 [R]

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3. 2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution en

   Can I thank the Minister for his answer? Minister, across my constituency of Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni, and right across Wales, people want your Welsh Government to get on with the day job. They want to see NHS waiting lists reduced. They want better jobs and higher salaries, and they want to see a better Welsh education system. What they don't want to see is their taxes wasted on devolving more powers. Given the costs associated with preparing for and implementing further devolution, why does this Plaid Government think this should be a priority, when so many of the public services that people rely upon are already under considerable pressure?

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1. 1. Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality cy

   1. Sut y bydd y Gweinidog Cabinet yn gweithio gyda Gweinidog y Cabinet dros Addysg a'r Gymraeg i sicrhau bod canllawiau ar hunaniaeth rhywedd mewn ysgolion yn blaenoriaethu safonau diogelu gwrthrychol, sy'n seiliedig ar dystiolaeth, fel yr amlinellir yn adolygiad Cass Llywodraeth y DU, er mwyn gwarantu amgylchedd diogel a thryloyw i bob disgybl a rhiant? OQ64101

   Official English translation

   1. How will the Cabinet Minister work with the Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language to ensure that guidance on gender identity in schools prioritises objective, evidence-based safeguarding standards, as outlined in the UK Government's Cass review, to guarantee a safe and transparent environment for all pupils and parents? OQ64101

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2. 1. Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality en

   I'm sure you agree that we all need to treat children with compassion. We sit here today with one non-negotiable duty: the absolute safety of Welsh children in schools. When the Cass review explicitly warned that social transition—that is, changing a child's name, pronouns or uniform at school—is not a neutral act and carries severe psychological risks, Plaid Cymru voted against these recommendations. Their manifesto demands a demedicalised self-declaration system that actively pushes gender identity theories through the school system. In some GCSE English classes in Wales, some academic books, oral examination subjects and prose and poems have been removed and filled with those that deal with modern social constructs, including those with gender identity themes. In your own manifesto, you're keen to introduce a literacy and numeracy strategy. With our Programme for International Student Assessment rankings declining, and with only 17.8 per cent of Blaenau Gwent residents holding a level 4 qualification or above, my question is: why are we removing literacy and replacing it with gender theories and relationships and sexuality education material?

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