Siambr · Member of the Senedd · Register of record
Darren Millar
Tenures
- Third Assembly Clwyd Welsh Conservative Party
- Fourth Assembly Clwyd Welsh Conservative Party
- Fifth Senedd Clwyd Welsh Conservative Party
- Sixth Senedd Clwyd Welsh Conservative Party
- Seventh Senedd Clwyd Welsh Conservative Party
Ministerial roles
No ministerial roles on record.
Contributions, by sitting day
86 contributions on record, newest first. Official verbatim record.
3
Open this sitting on the stage
2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language cy
1. Pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i wella deilliannau addysgol dysgwyr? OQ64729
Official English translation
1. What action is the Welsh Government taking to improve educational outcomes for learners? OQ64729
No broadcast timestamp published, so this contribution cannot be placed on the stage. Senedd TV Read this in the Record
2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language en
Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Minister, but there's a clear link also between attendance and educational outcomes, and we know we've got a huge attendance problem in Wales, with over 100,000 pupils every year missing at least 10 per cent of their lessons in the last year for which we have figures. In fact, the attendance records that have been provisionally published for 2025-26 suggest that this attendance problem is actually getting worse, not getting better. There's been a fall in the average attendance to just under 91 per cent in 2025-26. What action is your Welsh Government taking to address these appalling figures—which seem to be on the slide, not getting any better—and why is it that we have such a persistent attendance problem when other parts of the UK seem to be getting their act together and getting kids back into school?
8. Welsh Labour Debate: The M4 around Newport en
I think we're all interested in the fact that you didn't answer the question that was put to you, which is: why have you changed your mind? I know we're talking about a road to Newport, but it's more like the road to Damascus—[Laughter.]—frankly, today, because you're saying extraordinarily different things than all of you were saying when you were a party in Government not that long ago.
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Open this sitting on the stage
1. Questions to the First Minister en
Diolch, Lywydd. Can I also put on record that our thoughts are also with those affected by the devastating events in Aberfan 60 years ago this week? First Minister, it's vitally important that every single penny of taxpayers' money is well spent, and that includes on our national health service here in Wales. Unfortunately, more than £600 million has been paid out by the Welsh NHS in clinical negligence and personal injury claims over the past five years, £145 million of which was just in the last financial year alone. These are eye-watering figures, but they provide further evidence of the crisis engulfing the NHS here in Wales. Every single payout, of course—. Behind those payouts are families and individuals who've suffered loss or harm as a result of some tragic situation and failings in care. Now, our priority, I believe, has to be preventing these tragedies from happening in the first place, because every pound paid in compensation is a pound that could have been invested in delivering better care, better facilities for patients and better outcomes for them across the country. What action are you and your Government taking to get to grips with this issue?
1. Questions to the First Minister en
I asked you for specific things about what you would do to try and tackle this, and I appreciate the words about your desire to get on and deliver some improved sustainability, but you didn't tell me any specifics in terms of action that you would take, and, unfortunately, the situation with compensation payments looks as though it's going to get a whole lot worse. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine has warned today that our emergency departments in Wales are in a precarious position and facing the prospects of a very, very difficult winter, largely due to a lack of hospital beds. And the latest Welsh Risk Pool talks about the financial forecasts in the future, and buried on page 733 of a 1,100-page pack of papers for the Velindre University NHS Trust board, it suggests that the annual cost in the year 2028-29 of negligence claims is expected to rise to more than £310 million per year. So, within three years, the Welsh NHS could be shelling out the equivalent of salaries for more than 8,000 nurses in clinical negligence claims. I'd rather see that money spent on preventing people from coming to harm and dying than on compensation. So, can I ask you today, First Minister, to declare a health emergency? Everybody knows that we need to do that. Surge hospital numbers, recruit more doctors, nurses and paramedics, and then get on and deliver the safer care that people across Wales need.
4. Statement by the First Minister: 60th Anniversary of the Aberfan Disaster en
The Aberfan disaster was one of the greatest tragedies ever to befall Wales, and it was made all the more heartbreaking because so many of those who died were children. As a parent, I can't imagine anything worse than losing a child, and for a small, close-knit community to lose 116 children and 28 adults is a tragedy that almost defies words. I associate myself wholeheartedly with the First Minister's words and those of representatives from other political parties in this Chamber today, and I send my deepest sympathies to the bereaved families, the survivors and everyone else whose life was forever marked on that dreadful day 60 years ago. Llywydd, last week at the royal opening of the Senedd, I had the enormous privilege of meeting Gareth Jones, a survivor of the Aberfan disaster. At a time when our headlines are dominated all too often by conflict and violence, Gareth reminded me of the extraordinary goodness that exists in the world, of unsung heroes and simple human decency. We've already heard about Nansi and Hettie, and Gareth told me about Stephen—Stephen Andrew, a caretaker who dragged him out of the window at Ysgol Pantglas, and he would not be alive to tell the tale had it not been for that brave man. He shouted at him then to run, and it was those actions that saved Gareth's life. Tragically, Stephen lost two of his own children in the disaster. Gareth did run that day, but he has never run away from Aberfan in the memory that he has of what happened to him and to his schoolmates and to his community on that day. Instead, he has spent much of his life since ensuring that future generations never forget. A plea has been made that we must ensure that people's stories are remembered and communicated to children in our day through the national curriculum. I second those calls, because people like Gareth have a story that is powerful to tell and that can remind people of the milk of human goodness and the tragedy that befalls communities when we as politicians and regulators don't act as we should. During one of the school visits that Gareth did, he met Noah, the great-grandson of Stephen Andrew, the caretaker that rescued him. And last week, both Gareth and Noah were present at the royal opening of this Senedd, where they met Their Majesties the King and Queen and, of course, Gareth told me about his experience of meeting the late Duke of Edinburgh in the days following the Aberfan disaster. Also present, of course, was Len Moss, an off-duty nurse who rushed to help after the disaster and spent two whole days washing the faces and the hands of children recovered from the rubble so that their grieving families could identify them. Those stories, to me, demonstrate the extraordinary acts of humanity in the most dreadful of circumstances. None of us who didn't experience Aberfan can really comprehend the suffering that that community has endured. I was very moved by the accounts of surviving children who felt unable to play normally in the years after the event for fear that their laughter would upset neighbours who'd lost their own children. But the stories, First Minister, of survivors like Gareth, are incredibly important, especially as the years pass, and it's more vital than ever now, I think, that we ensure that those voices are preserved, and I do ask what action the Welsh Government is going to take in order to ensure that that is the case. I did see that very powerful play this morning, which has already been referred to, and I wish that that would be a play that everyone in Wales could watch, so powerful was its message, and I think it's a message that can be heard by people of all generations and ages, actually. I think that these are the sorts of issues that we need to take forward, really, as a Senedd, as a nation, to ensure that we foster the memory of what happened that day and that we take positive action in the future to prevent similar tragedies. We've already talked about the cross-party work that has been done on the Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Act. There's still work to do in terms of toxic land, contaminated land, which so recently has been in the news. We owe it to the people of Aberfan to make sure that we learn lessons from the past and that we do everything that we can to prevent a similar tragedy occurring in the future.
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Open this sitting on the stage
1. Questions to the First Minister en
Diolch, Lywydd. Look, Labour didn't fold, they collapsed. Isn't that the case? First Minister, people across Wales are facing a cost-of-living crisis, yet senior managers in the public sector and in publicly funded organisations are enjoying pay packets that people in our country could only dream of. And what's really galling is that the worse their organisations seem to perform, the better the pay packet seems to be. Let's take Transport for Wales, for example. Last year, it was one of the worst performing rail companies across the whole of the United Kingdom in terms of cancellations, yet its chief executive is earning nearly £0.25 million every single year. Then there's Cardiff Airport. It currently receives £20 million per year in annual subsidy from the Welsh Government just to stay afloat, yet its latest financial statements show that its highest paid director received a package of more than £275,000 per year. And in north Wales, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has the worst performing emergency departments and longest waiting times in the country, yet its chief executive is earning a salary of £262,500 per year. It's scandalous. So, do you agree with me, First Minister, that these salaries are now completely out of control, they bear no relationship to the performance of their organisations, and that no-one in the public sector or in a publicly funded organisation should be rewarded for failure?
1. Questions to the First Minister en
Look, we all know why you are not in favour of performance-related pay and that's because you'd all be skint, wouldn't you, frankly, if it was based on the performance of your Government so far. Let's look at a decision. You say that you want efficient and fair services for taxpayers, let's take a look at a decision that you took last week, as a Government, on your Government website. On 7 October, you approved a salary of more than £200,000 per year for a chief executive of Natural Resources Wales, and a package that would be worth more than that. That's another organisation that has faced serious criticism over its performance: failures to tackle illegal dumping; slow progress in delivering flood defences; and sewage discharges into Welsh waterways, which people have been protesting outside the Senedd about even today. Yet, your Government has decided to offer its next boss a salary that is much higher than even your own—
1. Questions to the First Minister en
These unacceptable salaries for public sector fat cats have gotten out of control and must stop. So, can I ask you today, First Minister: will you introduce a public sector pay restraint Bill to prevent excessive salaries for senior managers paid by the public purse, to make sure that there's fairness for taxpayers and to ensure that pay reflects performance and doesn't reward failure?
2. Business Statement and Announcement en
Can I call for two statements today, please? Can I have a statement in relation to the noise assessment work that needs to be done on the A55 in the Llanddulas area from the Deputy Minister for Transport? This is a priority area for noise reduction. Residents in that community have lived with lots of noise from the A55 for many years. We've been told that a noise assessment is going to be done, but there's no indication as to the timeline for that work or when any follow-up work might be completed, in terms of capital investment for noise barriers. So, I think it is something that I would like an update from the Minister on. Secondly, can I call for a statement from the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care in relation to medical speciality training for next year? I've been contacted by a group of doctors who are internationally trained, who have many years of experience in the Welsh NHS and want to go on to further their careers, but their experience in the NHS is not currently recognised within the framework as giving them priority access to that training. I do think this is something that the Welsh Government could take action on to address some of the gaps in our workforce in the NHS, and I'd be grateful for a statement.
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Well, you have parked the national park. I want to welcome that announcement. It's absolutely necessary, because whilst I support the principle of a national park in north-east Wales, I was not impressed with the proposals that were put forward by Natural Resources Wales, which seem to have gone bonkers with the felt-tip pen, drawing a huge area into the new proposed national park. I did not believe that that represented the opportunity for north-east Wales that it ought to have done. I have always believed that, had a national park been able to be established, it should have been established along the borders of the existing area of outstanding natural beauty in the Clwydian range and the Dee valley. Nor was I supportive of the establishment of a new national park authority, because we all know the democratic deficit that exists in national park authorities, with people who are appointed to them rather than people who are directly accountable to members of the public in those national park areas. That is something that I would hope the Government could reflect on for other national parks in Wales, and whether there may be an opportunity to undertake a piece of work on reform for national parks. I have to say, I heard the bleating from the Labour Party about this. They had five years to deliver a national park. It was one of the key commitments that they say their party made in advance of the Senedd elections in 2021. We know that they failed to fulfil many of their promises; this was on that long list of promises that they failed to fulfil. And if it was so important to them, perhaps you could have asked for this as part of the budget deal that you've just given to the Plaid Cymru Government. Because you could have extracted a much higher price, frankly, than the peanuts that you seem to have accepted in return for your votes on the supplementary budget when it comes in a few weeks' time. You've identified the timetable, which is good, because I don't think the uncertainty helps anybody in north Wales, particularly those who were fearful about the implications of a national park. Can you tell me this, though, Minister? You mentioned the cost of the establishment of the national park, the £11.6 million. That money has been provided for, if you like, within the budget, I would assume, over the next few years, has it not? [Interruption.] No. Okay. So, it's not in your thinking, not in your psyche, which seems a bit odd. [Interruption.] The reason I'm asking is because I would still like that investment to flow into the existing AONB, because I do think that protecting our designated landscapes is important. We know that there are issues with the capacity of car parks, the maintenance of footpaths, the need for rangers, if you like, to make sure that our designated landscapes, including AONBs, are properly managed. I do think that there is a need for further resources to be invested in north-east Wales in the Clwydian range and Dee valley AONB. Of course, you would expect me to argue that, as a person who represents that neck of the woods. But I do urge you, in making your final determination on this: don't shy away from making a brave decision to abandon the project altogether if necessary, because we've got to do what's right for the people in those communities that are affected by this. I heard the comments about impact on the Welsh language, and impact on house prices as well, of course, which has been raised by many people in response to the consultation. But what we've really got to do is make sure that the beauty that we're all able to enjoy in north-east Wales is something that we can continue to offer to people, to visitors, to take advantage of the economic benefits that those visitors can bring to our communities, but in a way that is well managed, in a way that supports appropriate development, that doesn't hinder responsible landowners from continuing to be able to manage their land in a way that protects the environment, and also in a way that is efficient for the taxpayer. That's why I would urge you, please, to consider looking at the reform of national parks to see whether there's a different way forward, and whether designated landscapes can be managed in a different way—rather than by national park authorities, whether they can be managed by local authorities in those areas, in the same way that the AONB is successfully managed in north Wales. Because I do think that's a more efficient way for the taxpayer to still get the benefits that these designations bring.
5
Open this sitting on the stage
1. Questions to the First Minister en
Can I put on record that the thoughts of my party are with the Jewish community in Wales and around the world as we mark the anniversary of the 7 October attacks this week? First Minister, Wales is in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. At a time when households are struggling with prices, last week the cost of alcohol in Wales went up, with a massive increase of 30 per cent in minimum alcohol pricing. And that doesn't affect just people who have alcohol problems, it affects everyone, including those people who are responsible drinkers, hitting them in their pockets too. What consideration has the Welsh Government given to the economic impact of the change in minimum alcohol pricing, especially on retailers close to the Welsh border, who are now seeing their customers nipping across into England in order to do their shopping to avoid these extra costs?
1. Questions to the First Minister en
Look, we all know that left-wing Governments make choices that drive people to drink. [Laughter.] But then, pushing the price of booze up isn't, I think, the right thing to do, particularly during a cost-of-living crisis. We've seen fuel prices go up, energy prices have just gone up and now the cost of booze in Wales is up. Now, people who enjoy a responsible tipple across Wales are absolutely furious by this decision. The evidence from the Welsh Government's own evaluation undertaken in January 2025 shows that, actually, this policy isn't working. Those people who are already alcohol dependent and problem drinkers are still alcohol dependent, still have problems with booze, and actually they're now even worse off because they're giving up food, they're not putting the heating on, in order to pay for more expensive alcohol. So, can I ask you, can I urge you, to look at that evidence? Instead of pushing up shopping bills, instead of punishing responsible drinkers, instead of retailers losing out because of this policy, why don't you scrap this policy altogether and get on instead with investing in support for problem drinkers, including better access to alcohol rehabilitation services in Wales?
2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution cy
7. Pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i ddatganoli gwneud penderfyniadau o fewn Cymru? OQ64636
Official English translation
7. What action is the Welsh Government taking to decentralise decision making within Wales? OQ64636
No broadcast timestamp published, so this contribution cannot be placed on the stage. Senedd TV Read this in the Record
2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution en
Thank you for that answer. Andy Burnham, the new Prime Minister, of course, has set out his ambition to rewire the state. It's quite clear to me and many people in Wales that we need to rewire Wales in order to make sure that people in their communities have a greater opportunity to shape the decisions that are made about those communities by politicians at all levels. One of the ways to do that is to make politicians more accountable to the citizens that they serve. What action is the Welsh Government going to take to address the accountability gap created by the new Senedd election system, which, I'm afraid, the way that it is at the moment, does not give an opportunity for individual members of the public to demonstrate their support for an individual candidate, rather than a political party?
3. Business Statement and Announcement en
Can I call for two statements today, please? The first is from the Cabinet Secretary for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy in relation to the mobile network. Action has been taken in Scotland and England, and they've announced this week in Scotland a consultation on changing permitted development rights in order to address mobile black spots. Given the essential nature of a decent mobile signal now, Wales is falling behind with this important digital infrastructure. We clearly need some action here, and I would be grateful if we could have an update on what action the Welsh Government is taking. Also, can I call for a statement from the Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary responsible for social justice and equality on the action being taken by the Welsh Government to address antisemitism in Wales? As we all know, tomorrow marks the third anniversary of those barbaric attacks by Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists against Israeli citizens. All of us have condemned those attacks, and what we need to make sure is that Wales is taking appropriate action to address the rise in antisemitism that we've seen in our country since. One positive action that the previous Welsh Government took, of course, was to recognise the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism, and I'd be grateful if the Welsh Government could reaffirm its commitment to that definition so that we can be sure that the same action will be taken by this new Welsh Government as the previous one in terms of providing some leadership on that issue.
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Open this sitting on the stage
6. Reform UK Debate: Default 20 mph speed limit en
Will you accept an intervention?
6. Reform UK Debate: Default 20 mph speed limit en
There's a thing called an opportunity cost: when you spend money on one thing, it means you're not spending money on another. If you accept that there are economic costs of the 20 mph default speed limit to the Welsh economy, and if you accept that the Welsh Government has spent £30 million-odd implementing the measure, and many millions more since reviewing the measure, how many lives could have been saved had that money been spent on our emergency departments, on beds in our hospitals, or on other matters like that? It's an interesting one to quantify, is it not?
7. Welsh Conservatives Debate: The defence sector en
Diolch, Lywydd. I move the motion on the order paper in the name of my colleague, Paul Davies. Those of us who remember the cold war remember living under the shadow of a potential nuclear conflict. I can vividly remember being glued to the telly as we watched the spectacle in our house of the Berlin wall coming down back in 1989, followed by the ripping back of the iron curtain as the communist regimes across eastern Europe began to collapse, the declarations of independence in the Baltic states and then the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It gave us all a great sense of hope, optimism for the future. The arms race was over and we all felt that it would be an end to the threat of war, particularly on the continent of Europe. But, as we all know now, unfortunately, it has not been so. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has brought war back onto our doorstep in Europe, and we know that there are hostile states across the world who threaten our national security. Only this weekend, we saw counter-terrorism police scrambling to RAF Fairford and making those arrests on the suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. That investigation, of course, is ongoing. And I know that everybody in this Chamber will join me in condemning any attempt to attack an RAF base or any other military base in Britain, in spite, actually, of the history of some political parties in this Chamber. In a few weeks, we are going to remember those heroes who sacrificed so much for the freedoms we all enjoy in our country today. But bravery alone cannot stop a missile, it can't protect a ship and it can't keep a pilot alive when an aircraft fails. Our armed forces need and deserve the very best equipment that we can provide them. And those who make that equipment and the technology that it requires are also just as critical to our national security as those on our front lines in the military. We saw on Anglesey last week, didn't we, the fact that two RAF crewmen survived after ejecting from a Hawk aircraft near RAF Valley. And behind that moment of survival was a Welsh defence manufacturing company, because the pilots owe their lives to the parachutes made by Bridgend-based IrvinGQ that were attached to the ejector seats that catapulted them out of that aircraft just before it crashed. So, our defence sector is vitally important. It is critical to our nation and our national security, especially at times like this. Now the previous Welsh Government estimated that the aerospace and defence sector across Wales employed around 16,000 people. I see that there's been a revision upwards in that figure, which obviously I really do welcome.
7. Welsh Conservatives Debate: The defence sector en
And my message and our message as a Senedd to those individuals, those workers, in those industries today should be very straightforward. It should be that we value what you do. We will champion your role in our defence and security as a nation, and we value your role in our economic security too. My party seeks to support opportunities to attract further defence-related investment to Wales, and I had hoped that all political parties in this Senedd could be united and agree on these particular issues. But I have to say, having seen some of the announcements and actions of the Welsh Government in recent weeks, and the unnecessary amendment to our debate today, I'm now not so sure as to where the Welsh Government stands on this issue, particularly that announcement on pausing investment in our defence industry in order that you can undertake this ethical defence review. I think that that is a recipe for disaster. It sends absolutely the wrong signal to those businesses that are getting ready to invest in different parts of the UK as the spending taps come on, because we need to make sure that we spend more on defence as a nation. And yet, at the very same time that those businesses are trying to make decisions about where to invest, the Welsh Government puts on the brakes and says, 'Stop. We're going to do a review.' It couldn't have come at a worse time. It couldn't have come at a worse time. You seem happy, Cabinet Minister, for that investment to go elsewhere, and I'm looking forward to your contribution to this debate today, because you need to put on record that Wales is open for this investment in order that we can secure those important jobs in our defence industry and create new, highly paid, well-skilled jobs in the future as well. And I think what you need to tell us is how long is this pause on investment going to be. How long are companies going to have to wait before they get a signal from you that Wales is still open for business? How many projects have been affected by that pause so far? How many millions have been set to one side as a result of this pause? What new tests are you expecting to apply to firms that are already operating under an ethical framework effectively within the UK, and legally operating and producing things, some of which are being exported? Are you going to be judging, as a Government, whether an ejector seat or a parachute that's going to be strapped to an RAF jet is an ethical choice or not? I think it's very bizarre. It's baffling, and I'm concerned about it. Investors need certainty. Workers need certainty. But you're creating uncertainty, and that's bad for business. It's not good for business at all. You say, or appear to say, that you value defence jobs, and yet you are deferring decisions that could be supporting those defence jobs and making sure that we attract them. Just last year, prior to the Senedd elections, I challenged the Development Bank of Wales on a restriction on arms manufacturing investment in this Chamber. It's only after I pressed them on that issue that the bank publicly clarified that that exclusion had been removed. Defence firms need plain answers. They don't need uncertainty. And I'm afraid that your amendment replaces our very clear call for a Welsh defence industrial strategy with just warm words about jobs and a request for us to endorse an ethical framework that hasn't even been published. We don't know who is undertaking the review. You haven't told us which individuals you're going to be listening to, and whether there's any involvement of the defence sector itself in that review or any engagement with them. These are important things, and I think we need to know as a Chamber—the nation needs to know—where you stand on this issue of defence. What are you going to do to help grow the industry here in Wales? In July, the economy and enterprise Minister, to be fair, went to the Farnborough airshow—very pleased to see you go there, and I know that you met with some defence companies while there. I commend you for doing that, but I was really disappointed that, when those businesses came to Newport, when they came to Newport, just down the road, you chose not to meet them. Even though you were down to be a speaker at that event, you didn't turn up. What sort of message does that send to these big multinational corporations that might want to invest in Wales? I'll tell you what message it sends. It sends the message, 'We don't want you here,' and I'm afraid that's absolutely the wrong message that you should be sending, especially given the value of the defence industry to our country and the value of it to our economic and, obviously, national security. So, businesses deserve an answer. We don't need more stalling. We don't need you holding up the creation of well-paid jobs and investment. Instead of sending out these mixed signals and these mixed messages to those businesses that are waiting to make decisions on where they invest, I think everybody in this Chamber should reflect, you should back our motion, you should demonstrate to those businesses and those workers in the defence industry across our country, who do so much to contribute to our national security, that you are on their side. You should make sure that we express, as a Senedd, a welcome for the increased defence spending by the UK Government, and every one of us in this Chamber should be fighting for Wales to get our fair share. You often talk about the fair share of investment in rail, right? And I'm all for that as well. But let's get our fair share of defence investment into Wales as well. That's why you need to get behind this motion. Let's develop that strategy to grow our defence sector. Let's try to boost the opportunities that that brings to our economy, our advanced manufacturing centre, our education providers, and the opportunities for research and development right at the cutting edge, which, of course, can help to transform other parts of our economy too. It's the duty of every single Government, including every single Government in the United Kingdom, to keep our citizens safe and secure. Wales should play its full part in ensuring that we have an armed forces that are equipped with the modern capabilities that they need to be able to do just that. So, let's back them, back our defence sector. I urge Members to support the motion.
7. Welsh Conservatives Debate: The defence sector en
Will you take an intervention?
7. Welsh Conservatives Debate: The defence sector en
Will you give way?
7. Welsh Conservatives Debate: The defence sector en
I've sat here and obviously listened to your contribution for six and a half minutes. Can you just answer the questions about how long this pause in investment is going to take? If I accept what you're saying, and I do accept what you're saying, that you want to attract more of the MOD procurement to Wales so that we get our fair share, don't you accept that by pushing companies away with this pause, you're sending absolutely the wrong message in terms of trying to attract that money into Wales at this critical time, when businesses are making investment decisions? Don't you accept that that's a problem? And if you do, how long is this review going to take? How long is this pause? Who's undertaking the review? Which individuals are involved? Are you engaging the industry? Answer those questions.
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Open this sitting on the stage
2. Questions to the First Minister en
Diolch, Lywydd. First Minister, I hope you enjoyed your visit to Aberystwyth over the weekend. How do you feel to have recruited Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to your campaign to break up the United Kingdom? As you know, he's been gleefully speaking about the prospects of referendums on the future of the UK, especially following your meeting with Sinn Féin and the Scottish National Party two weeks ago, which I believe was all over Russian tv. Are you pleased to have Putin's Russia cheerleading on this independence mission that you've set yourself on, or do you finally realise the folly of focusing on that issue and the constitutional navel-gazing, rather than cracking on with improving our sliding educational standards, getting to grips with the crisis in our NHS and trying to fire up the Welsh economy?
2. Questions to the First Minister en
First Minister, before the last election to the Senedd, you told the people of Wales that the election was not going to be about independence. Yet since that election, you have done everything to make this Senedd about the issue of independence. You either clearly didn't get the memo that you wrote yourself, or you deliberately misled the people of Wales and tried to get them to vote for Plaid by seeking to dampen down your aspirations for an independent Wales. Prior to going to those polls in May, back in March, this Senedd—the previous Senedd rather, but the Welsh Parliament—passed legislation. We passed legislation to prevent people lying during election periods. I would remind you that you and your party voted in support of that legislation, and yet still went on to say, 'It's nothing to do with independence, this election', and bark on about it ever since you've arrived back in this place. When I looked at the scenes on the tv over the weekend, I saw YesCymru claiming that 8,000 people were in attendance at the rally in Aberystwyth—that's a figure, by the way, that I take with a large dose of Halen Môn salt; I'm not really sure it was true. But even if I were to accept that number, do you know the figures that are in my mind? The figures that are in my mind are the 709,000 on an NHS waiting list and the 1 million people in Wales who don't have an NHS dentist. When will you show the same passion and drive to get to grips with those issues as you do for this matter of independence?
3. Business Statement and Announcement en
Can I call for two statements today, please, Trefnydd? The first is from the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care in relation to Martha's law. As you will know, following the tragic death of Martha Mills, a 13-year-old in England who died of sepsis in 2021, the English NHS is benefiting from the roll-out of Martha's law in emergency departments, in maternity settings, in all in-patient settings. We have a similar approach in Wales, but people are less familiar with it, because it isn't called Martha's law or Martha's rule. And I wonder to what extent the Welsh Government could look at just adopting it lock, stock and barrel to make sure that patients here have the benefit of being able to call for that immediate clinical review of their patients, if they're concerned about patient safety. Secondly, can I call on the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy on the rising costs of fuel, particularly in relation to home-to-school transport operators, many of whom now are really struggling to make ends meet with the viability of some of the routes that they are supporting, getting kids to and from school? Conwy, Denbighshire and Flintshire councils have all been approached for support by home-to-school operators in the constituency that I represent, but, unfortunately, they do need that national direction from either the Welsh Government or the UK Government in order that they can get the resources that they need to make sure that these routes are still viable.
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Diolch. Just a couple of questions, if I may. Can I thank you for your statement today? I fully appreciate the ambition that the Welsh Government's got to make sure that all of the centres that we have meet the Bliss standards. One of the challenges we have in north Wales is that we don't have a level 3 neonatal service; we have a sub-regional neonatal intensive care centre. It does some phenomenal work, but we're still having to transfer babies over the border, generally to Arrowe Park Hospital. What work will the Welsh Government do to review the status of that sub-regional neonatal intensive care centre, with a view to potentially raising the standard to make it a level 3 provision for north Wales and, indeed, get people transferred in from over the border rather than the opposite way out? And I would say that it's got some excellent accommodation on site as well at Dawn Elizabeth House, Tŷ Croeso at Glan Clwyd Hospital—a fantastic service. And secondly, Minister, one of the issues that you and I have visited many times in this Chamber in the past is this issue of baby loss certificates. We know the trauma that people face when they lose a baby and, sadly, at the moment, Wales is the only nation within the UK where these certificates are not available. That's causing a huge amount of unnecessary trauma, and Sands and Bliss and a whole host of other organisations are calling for us to get these things sorted as soon as we can. Can you give us an update?
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7. Reform UK Debate: Wales and the United Kingdom en
I'm a proud Conservative and I'm a proud unionist, because the United Kingdom is more than a political arrangement; we are a shared family of nations, which for centuries have had people in Wales living and working alongside and trading with other parts of the United Kingdom. We built industries together, we went through the industrial revolution together, we fought tyranny together, we created wealth, improved living standards and built communities together, and our history is Welsh and British. And those identities are not in conflict with one another; they strengthen who and what we are. The union means that someone born in Wales can study, work, establish a business, raise a family and retire anywhere they want in the whole of the United Kingdom. And, most importantly, it means that when adversity strikes, whether that's war, economic crisis, natural disaster, pandemics, or even attempted AI takeovers of the planet, the strength and resources of the whole of the United Kingdom stand behind every single citizen across Britain. As part of the UK, Wales is one of the world's six largest economies. We're protected by one of its finest armed forces. Llywydd, when people across Wales have been crying out for an NHS that works, for better education standards for our children, and for greater prosperity in our country, that's what this Government should be focused on. Prior to the election, that is what our First Minister—who can't even be bothered to turn up to this debate, by the way—promised the people of Wales. [Interruption.] Yes, I know it's embarrassing that he's missing. He's got his human shield here, Dafydd Trystan, to represent him, but he is missing from the debate, which I think is an important thing to note. The First Minister has very different priorities, because, instead of rolling his sleeves up and getting on with that day job, delivering on those issues, the First Minister's very first act after the summer recess and his holidays was to cosy up to Sinn Féin and the SNP to issue bold predictions, like Mystic Meg staring into the crystal ball, saying that Westminster is coming to an end and that Andy Burnham's going to be the last British Prime Minister. And then, of course, he signed a pact deliberately attempting to promote the break-up of the United Kingdom. That was his priority and it is shameful. But, in spite of the grandstanding, the First Minister, Plaid Cymru, and all those who support the break-up of the United Kingdom cannot even answer the most basic of questions about what would happen if Wales was ripped from the rest of the UK. What currency would an independent Wales use? There's no answer. Would it be the pound—would it be the currency of the UK they just left, or would it be a new Welsh currency that was practically worthless, or the euro? Would Welsh citizens—? I'll happily take an intervention.
7. Reform UK Debate: Wales and the United Kingdom en
Let's get back to the questions, which you didn't answer, by the way, okay. So, what currency would we use? No answer. Would Welsh citizens retain the right, the automatic right that they currently have today, to live, work and study elsewhere in the UK? They can't tell us. Would Welsh businesses retain unfettered access to our most important market in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland? They have absolutely no idea. Would the so-called party of Wales seek to rejoin the European Union that was rejected—[Interruption.]—that was rejected by the people of Wales? And I know—[Interruption.] And I know it's an inconvenient truth for you to hear, but the people of Wales voted to leave the EU. Who would be our head of state? Who would be our head of state? They have no answer whatsoever. I know they want to abolish the monarchy, but who's going to be the president? No answer. Would taxes rise, spending fall, or borrowing go through the roof because you can't afford to pay for the unaffordable promises that you have made to the people of Wales because of that huge fiscal gap that would cost every single taxpayer, by the way, in the whole of our country, about £14,000 each and every single year? That's the reality. Would Wales have its own armed forces? Would you join NATO? Would you join NATO? You cannot answer these things. And they're not technicalities; these concern people's jobs, savings, mortgages, pensions, national security and our clout on the international stage. I'm not prepared to take that risk. I firmly believe that Wales is better off in the United Kingdom and that the United Kingdom is better off with Wales right at the very centre of everything that it does. I'm proud to be a member of the Welsh Conservatives and the Conservative and Unionist Party.
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1. Questions to the First Minister en
Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, last week, the UK Government published the inflation figures. They showed that inflation was up, with prices rising by 3.1 per cent in the year to August, and of course economists forecast that that increase in inflation will continue to rise to above 4 per cent around the end of this year, in the coming months. And that's going to be as a result of the energy price cap going up, the increase in fuel prices eventually coming through. Now, many households in Wales are facing the pinch in their pockets, and they desperately need help. One thing that your Government could do to help people here in Wales is to take action on council tax. Can I ask you, First Minister, instead of making yet more demands for more power, why don't you help people with their council tax demands? Why don't you initiate a cap on council tax and legislate, with the powers that you already have, so that people require a referendum in order to give local residents a say for any increase above that cap?
1. Questions to the First Minister en
You know, I was listening to the radio this morning and I heard one of the commentators talking about it being a bad week for NATS; I thought they were talking about the Welsh nats, but actually, they were talking about the National Air Traffic Services, as it happens, and the chaos at our airports. [Laughter.] One of the things that I want to see is fairness for council tax payers in Wales. You often talk about the need for fair funding between the England and Wales settlement—I get that, I completely get that and we support you on fair funding—but we need fair funding in Wales and we need fairness in council tax bills for people who have to struggle to pay them each and every year. The average band D council tax bill in Wales has risen by more than £600 over the past five years, and some residents have faced hikes of over 50 per cent over that period. It's totally unacceptable. We need urgent action to protect people from the sorts of excessive rises that some people have been having. So, can I urge you again: introduce a cap, legislate so that people have to have referendums for anything above that cap and do one more thing too—let's have a review, an independent review, truly independent of the local government funding formula, to make sure that there's fair funding to all parts of Wales, not just places favoured by the previous Labour Government.
3. Business Statement and Announcement en
Trefnydd, can I call for a statement from the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy on access to banking services in Wales? I appreciate that banking is not a devolved matter, but banking services really do matter to people across the country, particularly in communities that don't have access to a bank. I've been blessed in my own constituency to have two banking hubs, which are serving the communities of Abergele and Prestatyn, but there are other communities, places like Llangollen that lost its last bank a couple of years ago, that don't have a bank present. At the moment, the FCA, the Financial Conduct Authority, simply do assessments of access to cash, rather than access to banking services. Shortly after the election, the UK Government did announce a review of access to banking services. That consultation finished over the summer. I wonder whether the Welsh Government has made a submission to that about the particular circumstances in Wales, particularly given our rurality, to make sure that people have access to these vital services. If it hasn't, is there any way we can work together to make sure that we make a call and a demand for legislation in this area, to ensure that banking services are available?
4. Statement by the First Minister: 'New Ambition for Wales: Programme for Government 2026-2030' en
It's always interesting watching a messy divorce—[Laughter.]—and, my goodness, has it been an untidy one. Can I thank you, First Minister, for advance notice of your statement, although not quite as in advance as the Western Mail's notice of your statement today, which seemed to have more detail than any Member of this Senedd prior to the release of it at 9.34 a.m. this morning? I'm afraid to say, again, a bit of a sense of déjà vu, a lot of recutting and rehashing of your manifesto, recutting and rehashing of your 100-day plan, and there's only so much rehashing that you can do with the same sorry document so many times to try and polish what many people would describe as something that I won't refer to. Because that, I'm afraid, is what many people will see it as. I have to say that I was listening carefully to the radio this morning, as you found out in First Minister's questions today, and Laura McAllister referred to your 100-day plan as a 'gimmick'—I agree with her, and it's not always that I agree with Laura McAllister, but I agree with her on that. And now, of course, the rubber needs to hit the road in terms of getting some delivery for the people of Wales. And it's not going very well so far, is it? Waiting times up, PISA scores down, your grandstanding on independence really not making much of a difference, no matter how loud you scream. Now, I will say that, look, there is a lot of ambition in this document that we on the Conservative benches share—we want to see a more prosperous Wales, we want to see a better educated Wales, we want to see a healthier Wales; we want to see all of those things—but I'm afraid that it's lighter on detail than I would like in terms of the availability to deliver on those things. Let me just turn to the NHS for a second, because I'm very concerned about the NHS, as are you, and I know that it's something that is close to your heart. You referenced the climate emergency and the nature emergency; you didn't seem to reference a crisis in the NHS, which I'm afraid it is, and many people perceive it as such. One thing that we do know is that that crisis is largely caused, according to the clinicians themselves, and according to the royal colleges, including the Royal College of Nursing, which was here last week in the Senedd, as a result of the beds situation in our NHS. There simply aren't enough beds. The Labour Party was disastrous in terms of its management of the NHS; I agree with you on that. They cut the number of beds too far, too fast, and people now are paying the consequences. Just over the last three years, I am told by the Royal College of Nursing, 21 per cent of acute surgical beds have gone in the Welsh NHS, a fifth of our capacity. Thirteen per cent of acute medical beds have gone. It's no wonder that our emergency departments can't find the beds in those hospitals when patients need them. You didn't reference that situation. I want to know what are you going to do to surge those beds in the short term to fix that issue. Because let me tell you: you create surgical hubs, you need beds for people to go into after they're recovering from surgery, particularly if something goes wrong. So, I want to know what are you doing on that front. You also suggested that there's going to be a switch in the way that the NHS is funded, with more going to primary care. Now, I want more money to go into our primary care services, but I don't want it to be to the detriment of hospital care. What assurances can you give me today, First Minister, and the people of Wales, that you won't be cutting funding to our hospitals in Wales in order to compensate for that extra investment in primary care? Because we need to know. You referenced the cost of living. I agree with you that we need action on that. That's why I raised the need to do something on council tax today in First Minister's questions. We need action to extend free childcare. We had a free childcare plan as well, and we'll support you to be able to try to deliver some more free childcare. Ours was slightly different; we wanted more parental choice so that grandparents could look after their children too, and that was better for the taxpayer in terms of cost. But I want to know what you're doing to cut taxes. Can you cut some taxes for us? A penny off income tax. Is it not possible to shave some money off the budget where we've got waste, where we've got largesse, so that we can put money back into people's pockets so that they can decide how to spend it in the economy themselves? You referenced in your document—. By the way, when the statement came through, I clicked on the well-being link. It didn't work. I hope that's not an omen for the future in terms of whether you'll be able to deliver things. I eventually got around to finding the right link. You talked in there about the desire to allow people to buy their own community assets. I support that; we'll support you with that. I want people to be able to buy their own home. I want stamp duty gone. I want the right to buy back. I want to bring empty homes back into use. There's insufficient detail on those things in your plan. I've got all sorts of other things that I'd like to discuss, but the clock's against me. Let me say this: if you're able to deliver on your ambitions, many of them which we support, we will try to work collaboratively with you. It might be difficult. There may be some stumbles along the way, but we're prepared to reach out on a cross-party basis, and it was good to hear the same message coming from Reform as well, to try to make Wales a better place. But be under no illusions: we want to see a Wales where there are lower taxes, where there's an end to wasteful spending, where there's less emphasis on the grandstanding and more emphasis on the day-to-day jobs and using those powers and resources that you already have in your armoury to deliver a better future for our country.
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5. Reform UK Debate: Grooming gangs en
Diolch, Lywydd. I welcome the motion that's been tabled today by Reform, and I move the amendment tabled in the name of my colleague Paul Davies. I want to thank Paul Marr for the measured way in which he opened this debate and spoke so powerfully about his daughter's personal experience of sexual abuse. This is an issue that should cut completely across party political barriers. We shouldn't shy away from discussing it, no matter how difficult it might be or how uncomfortable the subject matter is, because there should be no division amongst any of us in this Chamber when it comes to protecting children from rape and sexual exploitation. There shouldn't be any division when it comes to supporting victims who've been robbed of their innocence, and there should be no division on the need to investigate why authorities fail to protect some of the vulnerable children in our society from horrific abuse by paedophiles, no matter what the ethnicity of the perpetrators might be. Now, grooming gang activity has been a serious problem in the UK, and that includes here in Wales. As many people will know, I first raised this matter here in this Senedd Chamber back in January of 2025, and I called at that time for the then First Minister to support a UK inquiry into grooming gangs. She didn't support one. So, I then called on her, as the First Minister of the Welsh Government, to establish a Wales-wide inquiry. She didn't support one. In response, I was told by the then First Minister that there was no widespread evidence of grooming gang activity here in Wales, and that I should substantiate the serious claims that I had made about brave Welsh victims who'd spoken about their experiences—young girls who'd already spoken out publicly about what had happened to them and the failure of the authorities to protect them; individuals like Emily Vaughn, recruited by a grooming gang here in Wales, trafficked to other parts of the UK. She'd spoken out about being strangled, threatened with a knife, the perpetrators of those crimes then threatening to conduct an arson attack on her home to harm members of her family. She was raped over a thousand times. She lost count of the number of men who abused her and her body. And it's not just Emily, that brave individual who has spoken powerfully about her experiences. As has been said, there's been evidence of exploitation by grooming gangs of children in Swansea, and there's been the recent series of convictions in Rhyl, my own constituency, a case on my own doorstep. Absolutely appalling abuse. Teenagers, young children in our communities given drugs, enticed and abused by men. Now, the ongoing Operation Oak, of course, has led to some further arrests in Gwent, where there have been 34 offences that people have been charged with, including multiple counts of rapes. And let me tell you, it was speaking to Emily Vaughn and it was reading the accounts of victims that made me all the more determined to make sure that we do everything we can to ensure that these things are not happening in our communities. Every single one of us in this Chamber has a moral obligation to leave no stone unturned in trying to tackle these heinous crimes. That is why I fully support the motion before the Chamber today. It's also why we have tabled an amendment to that motion, calling for the Welsh Government to conduct its own inquiry, for there to be an inquiry commissioned into the areas of devolved competence too. Because I'm afraid that, just like the COVID inquiry that we've seen at a UK level, we don't want Wales to be a footnote. We want to make sure that young children here can be assured that the protections are in place as far as our social service departments are concerned, those family departments are concerned, the community safety aspects, some of which are completely devolved to Wales and the Welsh Government—that every single one of those services is acting in unison and sharing information properly, to ensure that we protect vulnerable young children. That's the motivation behind the amendment that we have tabled. And I would say this to the Deputy Minister today: I know that she shares our passion about wanting to protect children and particularly young girls from this horrific abuse. What I would urge you to do is to consider the response of your party to the UK COVID inquiry: you still called for a Wales-specific inquiry into COVID, to ensure that a proper spotlight was shone on the situation here in Wales. I would urge you as a Government to please do the same to protect these innocent victims in our country and to hold those perpetrators to account for their actions.
5. Reform UK Debate: Grooming gangs en
I'm very grateful to you for taking the intervention. There's a direct parallel here, isn't there? Your party stood alongside my party calling for a Wales-specific COVID inquiry, because even though the UK COVID inquiry was charged with investigating matters in Wales, we did not believe that it was going to pay sufficient regard to the decision-making processes in Wales and those devolved areas of competence. Exactly the same applies here. You've already said that you've had communications with Baroness Longfield about the local inquiries. She has replied the same to me as she has to correspondence from others in this Chamber to say that there may be further future local inquiries where the evidence leads. We already know there have been problems in Wales, so the evidence is already there, and yet we've seen at the moment no local inquiries initiated. Surely you must see the challenge in the argument that you present now versus the argument you presented when the COVID inquiry decisions were being made, because we know that there are safeguarding issues in health, in social care, in housing, in all sorts of areas of devolved competence that we need to make sure are properly examined. That's why I would urge you—really seriously urge you—just to consider the position on this, and not give an outright 'No'. Even if you say, 'We'll keep an open mind on this', I'd be grateful.
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1. Questions to the First Minister en
First Minister, yesterday, while you were plotting the break-up of the United Kingdom with your friends in Sinn Féin and the Scottish National Party, there were people waiting for ambulances for too long, people in our emergency departments for too long on trolleys and not getting the treatment that they need in time, because of a lack of hospital beds around the country. Just last week, Healthcare Inspectorate Wales published a damning report into the emergency department at the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board's Glan Clwyd Hospital. It cited patients being left in corridors without food or drink or pain relief, out-of-date medicines and equipment not working, and the paediatric area being left unattended while child patients were present. So, instead of hatching plans to break apart the UK, isn't it time that you focused on your day job and showed some urgency to fix our NHS instead?
1. Questions to the First Minister en
You say that it's your No. 1 priority, and you say that you want to co-operate with others in order to improve the NHS. I looked very carefully at the declaration that you signed yesterday alongside those other nationalist leaders, and let me tell you, there was no mention of the health service. There was no mention of the national health service in any way, shape or form whatsoever. There was no mention, either, of our education system, and as has already been pointed out, it's hardly surprising, given that we've got the worst education system in the whole of the United Kingdom, and that Scotland's education system is also tumbling down the PISA scores, as is Northern Ireland’s. Why don't you co-operate on the things for which you're absolutely already responsible instead of having these pie-in-the-sky discussions, grandstanding over the constitution of the United Kingdom rather than pulling your finger out and doing the job that the people of Wales elected you to do? Let me tell you this, First Minister: the honeymoon is well and truly over. While you were sunning yourself on a beach, presumably burying your head in the sand on it, on the 100-day anniversary of your Government, people in Wales were dying in our hospitals and young people were not getting the education they need. When will they see the change rather than the continuity Labour that we've seen so far?
3. Statement by the First Minister: Weather, wildfires, drought and resilience en
Thank you, First Minister, for your statement today. I think it's absolutely right that we're discussing this on the first day back in the Senedd after what was a devastating summer for many people affected by these wildfires. I also want to put on record my thanks to those firefighters, other emergency responders, and indeed the farming community, that stepped up when they were needed to try and get to grips with the situation, which was, at one point, looking like it was getting completely out of control because of the exceptionally dry weather and wind that we were experiencing. I took a moment to have a look at the Wales resilience framework earlier on, last updated in 2025. It mentions flooding 21 times, the word 'pandemic' 17 times, but there's only one reference to wildfires, and that's in a foreword at the start of that document. So, it's quite clear that we haven't paid sufficient attention to the risk posed by wildfires in Wales in the past, neither the previous Government, nor, probably, the whole of the Senedd, if we're honest; I don't recall many debates or discussions on wildfires in the past, and, clearly, we need to focus on this issue more in the future. It's something that clearly requires an update, and I hope you'll commit to updating that resilience framework in response to me today. I'm glad that you've just registered the fact that you will. I was interested to hear your point about the test that is required to be met before you're able to request the military support to come in, because many people had a perception that the military should have been called in earlier and that there was no real explanation afforded to people because of that. You've suggested that someone has a test in place. I don't know what the thresholds are in terms of that test. You said it's where the civilian efforts can't go any further and there's a need to call in extra support. But I would just like to know a little bit more about that test, who deems whether it's been met or not, so that we can better understand and scrutinise the decision-making process. Clearly, it does seem that you acted pretty rapidly once you were told that that test had been met. But I personally would have liked to have seen the military's intervention much sooner, and I think we would have perhaps been able to get things under control much sooner. It was very alarming to hear that the capacity for air support is very limited across the United Kingdom. That's clearly something that needs to be addressed on a UK-wide basis, so that those resources can be called in very quickly where they are needed. And I'd be interested to know what discussions you've had with the UK Government about addressing that gap in the resilience infrastructure around the country, so that we can make sure that we have access to that air support—the choppers coming in and tipping the water where necessary. And if I can just refer to a few other points, if I may. Obviously, reference has been made to the way that we manage land in the countryside these days, and it seems to me that there is an increased risk as a result of allowing some of the scrub, bracken and other vegetation to build up, because that in itself then creates the fuel for wildfires. We know that, historically, farmers and other landowners have tried to manage that in a sustainable way, by creating those barriers to stop fire spreading when it starts. And I do think that we need to review land management practices. It's good to see the Cabinet Secretary here responsible for rural affairs, and I know that he understands these things, but I do think that if we managed our land in a different way, then we could perhaps help to reduce some of these risks. We've also seen, of course, a big fall in livestock numbers in Wales, and we are probably going to see a further fall in livestock numbers in Wales in the future. I don't know. But, certainly, if the previous Government's policy was being pursued, that's what we would see. Now, clearly, if animals are grazing, then there's less risk of that land being full of fuel for a wildfire to be able to spread. So, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts, First Minister, on what we can do to make sure that we protect our livestock numbers to make sure that they can help to manage these things. In addition to that, the National Farmers Union Cymru and other people working in the farming industry have called for funds to help the establishment of small reservoirs on farms, in order that there's more readily accessible water close to places that might combust. And I wonder whether that's something that you and your Government will consider. And finally, I did hear earlier on the exchange about the need for bilingual alerts to go out at the same time when national emergency alerts go out. I appreciate that it's a UK Government responsibility, but, obviously, there needs to be joined-up thinking across the UK on these matters. That did cause a lot of confusion, and I'd be grateful to know what assurances you've received from the UK Government that, in future, those alerts will go out at the same time to make sure that people have the best opportunity of being able to respond quickly. Thank you.
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8. Welsh Conservatives Debate: Deposit-return scheme en
Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. I think anybody watching this debate in this Chamber will be thinking to themselves, 'Look, I recycle already. This issue shouldn't really affect me.' But we all know, all of us here, that it will. It'll affect every single person who buys a drink in a glass bottle; it'll affect shops, supermarkets, convenience stores, online retailers, our high streets; and it will, of course, affect those independent businesses, like breweries, cider makers, and other food and drink manufacturers. But most importantly of all, this is going to affect people's pockets, and it's going to cause them inconvenience. I want to set out right now that the Welsh Conservatives support recycling. We want to thank the people of Wales for the efforts that they make to recycle. It's something pretty extraordinary that Wales is one of the best recycling nations in the world. That's something we can be really, really proud of. So, we don't object to recycling, but we do object to Wales going its own way on this particular issue because of the confusion, because of the extra cost, because of the unnecessary complexity that this might create. Our system at the moment isn't broken: 92 per cent of glass containers are currently recycled under the current arrangements, the kerbside arrangements. And this scheme makes recycling more complicated for the consumer and the household. Let's think about this, right? At the moment, you buy some bottles of beer or milkshake, or whatever your preferred beverage might be, or a bottle of HP sauce, and you consume it, and you generally pop that bottle into something that you leave at the end of your drive or outside your front door for the council to collect, very efficiently, in large, usually, very often, electric vehicles that they then take to a local recycling waste transfer centre. Under the new scheme, we're going to expect people to think about, first of all, where they bought that bottle of sauce, where they bought their milkshake—yes, because it's not going to work otherwise on a cross-border basis. You will get this issue of fraud that people have raised. So, they'll have to think, first of all, 'Where did I buy this bottle from? Which shop? Which side of the border do I need to return it to, or can I leave it at the kerbside for collection?' And then, if they bought it from a retailer in England and it's been delivered to Wales, they won't necessarily be able to get the credit for that return if they take it to a local shop. It's absolutely bonkers. And not only that, but they then, after they've worked out where they bought their product, have to jump into their car and drive, causing potential emissions into the environment, all the way to a shop, and that shopkeeper, then, has to find somewhere to store their bottle for another vehicle to come and pick it up, when it could have been picked up by the van passing the end of their road, or the end of their drive, sent by the local council. It's inefficient, it's not necessarily going to be good for the environment. So, it's bonkers. We don't need it. We need to change the approach. We need a consistent approach across the UK. And I have to say, you must listen to the voice of these retailers, you must listen to these consumers, and you must listen because we have made mistakes before by rushing in. We all remember the 20 mph fiasco in Wales. And I will say this, and it feels like a prophetic moment, you'll see a similar backlash across Wales as a result of introducing this system, Cabinet Minister, if you don't listen. Let these words ring in your ears over the next few months, as you contemplate these matters and decide on the future of a deposit-return scheme.
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1. Questions to the First Minister en
Diolch, Lywydd. If you'll indulge me, I'd like to pay tribute, on behalf of the Welsh Conservatives, to Bonnie Tyler. Tributes have poured in, of course, across Wales about the loss of this Welsh icon, a singer with global fame and impact, a unique artist with a unique voice, and we want to pay tribute to her and send our best wishes to her family and her loved ones. Of course, we're also in shock at the loss of Ann Widdecombe, a colourful political character, a precious character to people across the whole of the United Kingdom, but especially here in Wales for those who met her. First Minister, thanks to the members of the public right across Wales, our country now recycles more household waste than anywhere else in the United Kingdom, and our glass recycling rate is amongst the highest in Europe. Yet, in spite of this, your Plaid Cymru Government wants to follow the previous Labour Government's plans to diverge from the rest of the United Kingdom and insist on including glass in its deposit-return scheme from October. We know it's going to push costs on to businesses, manufacturers and consumers. What assessment has your Government made of the additional costs of this scheme and what are you going to do to mitigate them?
1. Questions to the First Minister en
Look, First Minister, we all agree that we need to get to grips with litter and improve even further our recycling rates, but we've already got a by-election this summer with a man dressed up as a bin; the last thing we need is another row about rubbish receptacles, if I can put it that way, here in Wales. Now, councils are actually cutting litter bins across the country because they can’t afford to provide them and can't afford to empty them. Fly-tipping is on the up. Ninety per cent of glass is already recycled in Wales because of the kerbside recycling system and the engagement of the public with it. Why does your Government think it's acceptable to impose extra costs on small shopkeepers and force householders to face the inconvenience of having to drive with their cars full of bottles back to the shops, rather than simply leaving those glass bottles at the kerbside for collection and recycling? Why don't you make it simple for manufacturers, simple for retailers and simple for the public and bin this unnecessary policy?
4. Statement by the First Minister: Legislation en
First Minister, you've had months to prepare for your legislative statement today, for this moment, in this Chamber, and I have to say, is this it? Is this all you've got to offer the people of Wales? You tried to present yourself as a Government in waiting before the previous election, yet it's quite clear that you don't have a very well-developed plan as to what you actually want to do and deliver for the people in Wales. Tribunal reform, tinkering about with the Welsh tax system—hardly the stuff that people on the doorsteps during the recent Senedd elections were concerned about. You had absolutely nothing to say about the Welsh NHS, which we know is on its knees, nothing to say about the Welsh education system, which is delivering the worst educational outcomes in the UK, very little to say on the Welsh economy, which is lagging behind other parts of the United Kingdom. And your statement, of course, was made in the sort of casual and presumptive way that we've become familiar with. It seems to make an assumption that your legislative programme will get the support across the Chamber that you want it to get. But if I can just remind you, you're a minority Government, right? You can't make assumptions without engagement with other political parties prior to making your statements. Not engaging with the media prior to making your statements, but engaging with other political parties and trying to seek a little bit of consensus. Now, we've made it clear, right from the outset of your term of office, that we're prepared to work with you, we're prepared to work with any political party in this Chamber, to support legislation that is in the interests of the people of Wales. But you've made no attempt whatsoever to reach out to my party, and, to my understanding, either Reform or the Labour Party, about this legislative programme that you've set out today. So, let me set out some alternative proposals on the things that are a matter of concern to the people of Wales. The NHS is in crisis. Some of that crisis is down to failing leadership. So, we need an NHS accountability and governance Bill to ensure that senior leaders in our health service are competent and can be held to account when things go wrong. We need to deliver that mobile phone ban in schools that you're, sluggishly, going to consult on, without giving a clear commitment as to how you're going to introduce it. We need a new additional learning needs and autism Bill to help young people to reach their full potential. And we need to protect those female-only spaces in schools, leisure centres and other buildings to keep women and girls safe and to make sure that that Supreme Court ruling on sex is fully implemented. We do need a national development agency, and this is one of the things that I hope we can work together on. But it needs to be a reformed development agency that will deliver true benefits for the people of Wales. And it's not just a national development agency. We also need to reform business rates here in our country so that we can revive our high streets, and help shops, pubs, cafes and post offices to be able to thrive and to prevent the further closure of buildings in our town centres. And while we do support the community right-to-buy plan, which we've been calling for for years, by the way, in this Chamber, because we do want to protect those community assets that are at risk of closure, what about legislating for another right to buy—housing? Why don't we restore the right to buy to help people get onto the housing ladder—a reformed right to buy that puts the proceeds back into developing more affordable housing? Why don't we legislate to bring empty homes back into use so that we're not having these terrible empty properties plaguing our towns and communities? Why don't we take some action on council tax to help people keep their council tax costs down, with referendums for excessive rises? Now, I heard what you had to say about this rural-proofing legislation that you want to bring forward, something that we welcome. But, in your 100-day plan, you specifically refer to funding in relation to that. You didn't mention funding at all today. And, of course, we all know that we actually need wider reform. It's not just rural areas. There are certain geographic parts of Wales that are missing out on fair funding. North Wales, mid Wales, west Wales—they've not been receiving a fair share of investment under successive Welsh Governments as a result of your budget deals with the Labour Party, and we need to change the law to make sure that they do. So, I am surprised at the lack of cross-party engagement in advance of your statement today. I don't think your statement is sufficiently ambitious, and, if you want some ideas, I'll send you a copy of our manifesto so that you can implement that instead. Thank you.
4. Statement by the First Minister: Legislation en
Most of Wales voted against yours too.
9. Debate: The First Supplementary Budget 2026-27 en
Well, Llywydd, former US President Lyndon B. Johnson once said that the first rule of politics is to be able to count. It's a simple rule, but it's one that the Cabinet Minister for Finance clearly didn't think about when she was putting her supplementary budget together. We were, of course, expecting Labour to capitulate, but the feud between the two left-wing parties in the Senedd appears to be continuing. But the political reality is this: the arithmetic—[Interruption.] I'll happily take an intervention. Give me one second. The political reality is this: the arithmetic in this Senedd means that Welsh Government budgets and Welsh Government legislation cannot be agreed without cross-party agreement. You have to secure a majority of the votes cast. That agreement has not been secured, and it's bonkers to bring something to the Senedd for a vote without securing it.
9. Debate: The First Supplementary Budget 2026-27 en
Mike, your comments are noted. So, that agreement—[Interruption.]
9. Debate: The First Supplementary Budget 2026-27 en
Budgets are about priorities, they're about choices, and I'm afraid that this supplementary budget gets those things wrong. As the Cabinet Minister herself said, this budget honours the previous Welsh budget to the decimal point. And that's the point. That's why we disagree with it, because we disagreed with the previous Welsh Government's budget as well, for the same fundamental reasons that we disagree with this one. You bleated on yet again today about the £300 million in-year pressures that you are facing as a Welsh Government. Well, that's because of the budget that you signed up to as a party in the last Senedd earlier this year. So you can't bleat about it when you fixed this previous budget from which you and the Welsh public and our Welsh public services are now facing the consequences. And I'm sorry, but it really does make me irate when I hear people complaining about decisions to invest in our defence industry to keep our country safe, which is what you implied earlier on about the decision being taken by the UK Government. I'm no friend of the UK Government, but I support investment in our defence industry because we need to make sure that we keep our country safe. And what we really need to do to pay for that is to cut welfare bills, get people back into work, and people off the benefits system. We all know that you've got over £400 million to spend, £327 million-worth of that is due to additional learning needs spend in England, yet not a single penny in your supplementary budget was being allocated to that spending line today. And I know there's been some discussion between you and the Labour Party, but not a single penny in your original supplementary budget proposals was being allocated to additional learning needs. I think that is appalling. I really do think that's appalling, especially when all of us in this Chamber, especially those who've been here for a long time, know full well the pressures that those schools are facing, know full well the pressures that parents are facing not getting the support for their children. It's not good enough, and we need to shift the dial. Patients need the dial shifting too, and we need some honesty from the Minister about the funding for the NHS. You've talked about the additional resources that are available for health in the supplementary budget, but the reality of this budget before us today is that the NHS budget is still being cut in real terms. That is shameful. You're cutting the NHS budget at a time when demand is rising and pressures are growing when compared to the previous financial year. It's a statement of fact, First Minister. Would you like to get your calculator out? I'm happy to lend you mine if you want. People in Wales want to be treated in a hospital bed, not a corridor. They want an ambulance to come on time if they pick up the phone and it's an emergency. They want to get an NHS dentist. They want to be able to get an appointment the same day that they phone their local GP. They can't at the moment, and that's why we need to invest in our NHS, not cut the NHS budget, which is what your supplementary budget is still allowing for, even though there's extra cash available that you could be allocating. There's also very little in this budget to help people with the rising cost of living. Where's the action to help people keep their council tax bills down, which have been spiralling out of control year in, year out? Where's the support for businesses in Wales, who are struggling with those sharp increases in their business rates? Where's the support for pubs? Where's the support for our high streets? Where's the extra finance for our hospice and palliative sector, which is crying out for sustainable funding? And where's the support for our farming industry as well? We need to make sure that supplementary budgets reflect the views and the wills of the people of Wales. But most of all, you've got that fundamental problem with the original budget, which you signed up to earlier in the year and you're now carping on about. We'll be voting against this supplementary budget today.
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1. Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice en
No society should tolerate child sexual exploitation in any way, shape or form, but, unfortunately, Cabinet Minister, we do know that grooming gangs have been operating in Wales. We know that from victims, brave victims, who've come forward, victims who often have been blamed for inviting abuse and being complicit in it. We know from the work of previous inquiries and independent investigations that Swansea, Rhyl and some places in mid Wales have been cited in evidence, and that people have been trafficked from Wales to other parts of the United Kingdom. And yet in spite of this, in spite of an England and Wales grooming gang inquiry now being under way, not a single location in Wales has been identified for a local investigation as of yet. That clearly is a matter of concern for people in Wales who want to hold people to account for their failures to protect vulnerable young people, particularly young girls. What discussions have you had with the chair of the inquiry about making sure that Wales features prominently in its work? And if necessary, will you commit to a Wales-wide grooming gang inquiry for those areas of devolved responsibility?
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1. Questions to the First Minister en
If I can just correct you on one thing, First Minister: the problems we have in Wales are not just down to 27 years of the Labour Party; they're down to Labour-Plaid budget deals in recent years, which have undermined our public services and ruined things here for many people. Can I turn to something that's not going to cost you a penny, First Minister? As we all know, mobile phones can be a huge distraction for young people and a disruption for them in the classroom. It can undermine their education and cause them challenges with their mental health as well. Now, as a result of that, in England, last week, the UK Government issued its statutory guidance and the effect of that is a ban on mobile phones during the school day in schools across the country. The situation, as you will know, here in Wales is very different. It's inconsistent from one school to the next, and one local authority to the next, in spite of the fact that 82 per cent of the education workforce want a statutory ban in place. Your Cabinet Secretary for Education and the Welsh Language recently announced that she's going to consult on guidance in September. That means that no guidance will be issued until beyond September, with no ban coming into place. We don't need words, we don't need waffle. Why are you dragging your feet and when are we going to get the ban that people in Wales want?
1. Questions to the First Minister en
You just need to get on with it, right. You set out a 100-day plan. You're over two thirds of the way through that and there's very little, apparently, that appears to be changing. As you know, your budget deals have undermined our education system. We have a very poor-quality education system, unfortunately, in Wales. Too many kids are leaving schools without the qualifications and the life skills that they need. We're at the bottom of the UK league table. Violence and absenteeism are on the rise in our schools, and pupils with additional learning needs, as we've already heard, are being denied the support that they need. As a result of this, many parents have lost confidence in the state sector, and they're making huge sacrifices to scrimp and save everything they can to send their children to schools that they have confidence in, in the independent sector. But we've seen independent schools undermined as a result of policy changes by the UK Government, with changes to value added tax on education tuition fees, and, of course, we've seen this problem with many of them losing their charitable status. That's causing problems in our communities—
1. Questions to the First Minister en
—and hundreds of jobs are being lost. Can I ask you, First Minister, what discussions are you having with the Independent Schools Council here in Wales about the challenges that they're facing? And will you now petition, as a Welsh Government, the UK Government, to reverse the damaging policies that are causing these closures, and the economic impact of that here in Wales?
2. Business Statement and Announcement en
Can I call for a statement on the future of independent schools in Wales? Just last week in Ruthin, in my own constituency, we saw the announcement of the closure of Ruthin School. It survived 700 years, including the civil war, but it couldn't survive two years of a vindictive Labour Government introducing VAT on fees and scrapping charitable status and ramping up the cost of employment. Hundreds of pupils have been affected, hundreds of staff, suppliers, and of course the whole community in Ruthin is shocked, and this will have a devastating economic impact. I think what people need to know is what the Welsh Government is going to do to lobby for sensible change from the UK Government. And I would like to know what specifically is being done to support people that have been affected by the situation in terms of the announcement in Ruthin. We need to be sure that the Welsh Government will be just as reactive to the needs of the local community when job losses are announced in independent schools as they are in steel and other sectors.
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Diolch, Lywydd. I move the amendment tabled in the name of Paul Davies. I'd like to make one thing absolutely clear at the outset of this debate, and that is that the Welsh Conservatives believe that Wales should get its fair share of funding. We believe that the Barnett formula is beyond its shelf life; it is out of date and we need a new funding mechanism for the United Kingdom. We've consistently argued that Wales should get consequentials as a result of HS2 investment, and we stand by that position, and we stood by that position even when there was a UK Conservative Government in Westminster. We maintained that position. And I find it, frankly, extraordinary that the Labour Party that was in Government just two months ago has now jumped and abandoned ship from making some of those calls. Now, it's for them to be able to defend their volte-face and their completely different position, but our position is consistent. But I think the big issue here is that, of course, there is a risk in asking for a review of the funding arrangements. We know that as a result of the action taken by the previous UK Conservative Government, we have a fiscal framework that is actually much more generous than the Barnett formula by itself would ever have been. And that formula gives us, as has already been said, around £1.20 per capita for every £1 spent per capita on a service that has been devolved to Wales. And, in fact, the Institute for Fiscal Studies have estimated that in the 2024-25 financial year, that figure was around £1.25 for every pound that was spent on a service that has been devolved to Wales. Now, that is quite significantly above any estimates that I have seen quantified by any independent analysis that's looked at the needs base in Wales and what should be an appropriate level of funding. So, there's an inherent risk in asking for more money constantly. And I appreciate the fact that it's good for Plaid's politics to show that it has lots of disagreements with the Government down the other end of the M4. That's convenient and you need to have a knockabout and you like to play that political game. But I'm more interested in the real needs of the people of Wales and making sure that we put the politics aside and come to the table, as our amendment does, with our eyes wide open, saying, 'Look, we'd love to have some consensus.' You clearly didn't seek it before the debate or else we would have had a unified motion before us that we could all agree on, right? But we don't have that, and that is why we felt it was needed for us to be able to table this amendment today. So, we're in a situation where we all agree in this Chamber that we need to see a change in the way that Wales is funded, but we have to do that in a way that doesn't disadvantage Wales. And in not having these conversations prior to today's debate, you will not then get the unified voice to Westminster that you need in order to take this agenda forward. And as has also been said, we do know that one of the big problems is that some parts of the United Kingdom do far better under the arrangements from the Barnett formula than Wales does. Your friends in Scotland absolutely have a great deal as a result of the Barnett formula, which enhances over and above their level of need the investment that they receive in terms of the Scottish block grant. So, I'm more than prepared to work with all parties in this Chamber to try and get the best possible deal for Wales, but let's do so in a way that brings people together and doesn't unnecessarily divide, which I'm afraid is what your party is seeking to do: to create this artificial, significant row with the UK Government in order to play your party politics. And we're just not prepared to do that. So, I urge everybody to support our amendment on the order paper today.
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I appreciate that. Just a very brief intervention. Look, we support the motion that's before us today. We want to see more money going into additional learning needs support. But do you accept some responsibility as a Labour Party for the mess that we're currently in, in terms of school budgets and in terms of the additional learning needs system, which isn't sustainable and isn't working properly?
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1. Questions to the First Minister en
Diolch, Llywydd. Will the First Minister outline what specific discussions the Welsh Government has had within the UK emissions trading scheme authority about the need to protect Welsh jobs and investment from the punitive impact of the carbon tax? We know from figures published just last week that industrial emissions fell by 25 per cent in 2024 due to the closure of Tata's coal-fired blast furnaces in Port Talbot. But, of course, it's nothing to celebrate, because not only has it wiped out, the carbon tax, our sovereign steel-making capacity here in Wales, we now are simply importing steel from overseas, from other more heavily polluting nations, and pushing our carbon-reduction plans into the bin. So, do you acknowledge that the current carbon tax framework is simply not working, that it's resulting in exporting emissions, exporting jobs and putting our national security at risk? And what are you and your Government now going to do within the UK emissions trading scheme authority to argue for a better and more sensible approach to net zero?
1. Questions to the First Minister en
Well, of course, you can make that case for a just transition from within the UK emissions trading scheme authority. That is the body that you have a seat on, and you are jointly responsible as a Government, along with the UK Government, the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, to make decisions that impact on the future of these arrangements here in Wales. And, of course, there has been a relentless and unrealistic focus on the race to net zero, which has not been just for many homes, for many businesses and many families that have lost jobs and lost their livelihoods as a result of this relentless pursuit. Now, I recently undertook a visit to Valero's Pembroke refinery. It's one of only four refineries left in the UK; some have already taken the decision to close as a result of the carbon tax. About 1,000 jobs rely on that facility, about 15 per cent of Welsh exports are accounted as a result of the business that goes through that facility, and it supplies 15 per cent of the UK's transport fuels. It's a vitally important part of our national infrastructure, and any closure of that facility would cause significant damage, not just to our economy, but to our energy security and transport fuel security as well, and put it at risk of the volatility of international markets. Do you accept that now is the time to take a very different approach on this issue to make sure that the future of Valero and other heavy industry in Wales is not jeopardised by this relentless pursuit of net zero, which, frankly, isn't working?
3. Business Statement and Announcement en
Trefnydd, can I call for a statement on NHS dentistry in Wales from the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care? As the Trefnydd will know, there are hundreds of thousands of individuals in Wales that are not currently registered with an NHS dentist, and many people are having to take matters into their own hands with pliers, or travelling outside of Wales for their treatment, sometimes even overseas. We've got thousands of people in my own constituency of Clwyd who have lost access to NHS dentistry in recent years, including the patients of two local clinics just in the Abergele area alone over the past 12 weeks. Now, we know that part of the problem is the NHS dental contract, which was foisted on the dentists of Wales by the previous Welsh Labour Government. That clearly needs looking at again in order to make it more attractive for people to join NHS dentistry and to keep their NHS contracts going. We need to know what action the Welsh Government is going to take to address this rising tide and exodus, and I'd be grateful to know what action is going to be taken, and if a statement could come forward.
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Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Can I also refer to my register of interests? My daughter's employed as an assistant psychologist by the health board. The Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board isn't functioning as it should. It's on life support. Its vital signs aren't good. We know that the performance is nowhere near where it should be, and that's taking its toll on patients and on staff. You've announced today more of the same medicine, effectively, for the patient, with yet more panels, yet more people from the outside giving support for people on the inside. And I have to say I've got a low level of confidence that it's going to deliver the turnaround results that we all want to see. The intensive support and recovery turnaround team, that's a national team. It's not just focused on Betsi—it's going to be responsible for the whole of Wales. The well-led review, you haven't said who's involved in that or named the individuals who are going to lead it. You've referred to the reference group, which is going to help guide its work. I want to know whether patients and staff are going to be on that reference group. But can I ask you two very quick questions? First of all, are we going to involve Donna Ockenden in this work? There was a high level of confidence in Donna with the two reviews she's already undertaken in north Wales and, very clearly, she has the expertise, she's used it elsewhere across the UK to help turnaround, and I'd be grateful to know if you're prepared to include her. And secondly, with reference specifically to emergency department performance, Abergele Hospital has some capacity to be used with in-patient beds and could be used as a minor injuries unit. Will you seriously look at that, with your officials and the health board, to determine whether that's a viable solution?
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5. Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Stillbirth and neonatal mortality en
I'm very grateful to you for taking an intervention. Deputy Minister, you referred earlier to bereavement care. No-one hasn't been moved this afternoon by the contributions we've heard from Members or, indeed, the e-mail communications and letters that we've had from our constituents about baby loss. One of the things that both you and I have campaigned for in the previous Senedd is for losses to be recognised through the provision of baby loss certificates. It's a great frustration of mine, and I know it's a frustration of yours, that those certificates are not available yet for parents in Wales who lose a baby. They're available in Scotland, they're available in England and, as of this week, they've become available in Northern Ireland. Can you give a commitment today that you will make sure that this is addressed in the future so that those people who suffer this experience of baby loss can have that recognition through the provision of an official document recognising that baby?
6. Welsh Conservatives Debate: Hospital services and hospital closures en
Well, well, well, Cabinet Minister, you've changed your tune, haven't you? Your tune before the last election was very clearly, 'Let's save our hospital services and let's save our hospitals from closure', but now you're giving a green light for hospital reconfiguration, centralisation of services, putting patients at risk and for closing hospitals across Wales, because otherwise you'd be backing our motion. You'd have backed this motion if it was before the election, but now, since the election, you've changed your tune completely. It is dreadful to see, and the public can see it. You were campaigning for services in your own constituency, in Tywyn Hospital—yes, Tywyn Hospital. In that hospital that he has been campaigning for for years, temporary service changes—temporary service changes—were brought in, with ward closure because of those temporary service changes, because of staffing challenges. I was looking back at when the health board last advertised for staff. It was January 2024, I believe—January 2024—for nursing staff in order to work on that hospital ward. Now, these are the sorts of things that you're now abandoning as the Cabinet Minister. You agreed wholeheartedly with Paul Davies, who's been leading the charge against the changes in terms of the proposed downgrading of Bronglais’s stroke services. You were on his side when it came to championing Withybush Hospital, when they were scrapping the emergency surgery services from that hospital. You, yourself, have complained in the past about the salami slicing of hospital services away from some of these important centres that treat people in our communities, and yet, now, it's a completely different tune, isn't it? You're singing along to the same tune and the same song sheet that the Labour Government previously sang along to. That's your problem, and it doesn't look very good from the outside.
6. Welsh Conservatives Debate: Hospital services and hospital closures en
Now, I will say this: I think that everybody in this Chamber should get behind our motion today. It sends a very clear and unequivocal message, not just to patients who want to know that the services are going to be in their communities when they need them, but also to staff, because many of the recruitment challenges that we face in our health service here in Wales are because of the uncertainty that service reconfiguration brings to the staff. If you know that your service is finding it challenging to recruit people, the last thing you need to say is, 'We might close that service down at that hospital, but we'll stick a job advert out there anyway.' It doesn't wash. And this is why we've got so many problems. I was delighted that Gwyn Williams paid a visit to my constituency to see for himself the excellent services being provided at the Stanley eye unit at Abergele Hospital. The last time I went to that hospital and visited the orthopaedic team in that hospital, there was only one bed in the whole hospital that was occupied. It's got capacity to do a lot more. And what we're at risk of doing is laying that capacity aside, not using it—not just in Abergele, but in other places as well, across Wales—and still allowing that pressure to build in our main district general hospitals. And this is why the existing network of hospitals across Wales matters. They were built in those locations for a purpose, and that's why we need to maintain them. Now, I fully accept that some of them are old, cranky and need rebuilding. That's why we're fully behind the amendment that has been tabled by the Labour Party, in terms of needing to get a new hospital built at the University of Wales Hospital site, because, frankly, there are more pigeons in some of the theatres there than there are patients, and that is unacceptable too. People can't work in those sorts of environments, it's unsafe for people, and that site needs investment. We also, of course, need to see investment at Wrexham Maelor Hospital. Anybody who's been there can see that it's shouting out for a rebuild, to make sure that it's fit for purpose and for the twenty-first century. We've had the twenty-first century schools programme. We need a twenty-first century hospitals programme in Wales, with structured investment over the longer term in order to rebuild our hospitals and make sure that they work for staff and that they work for patients too. And when it comes to west Wales, what we don't need is the centralisation of services in Glangwili. For the sake of the Cabinet Minister for Finance's own constituents, and for others in this Chamber, we need investment in Bronglais. We need investment there at Bronglais in Aberystwyth, we need to make sure that we secure the future of Withybush, with proper investment in the theatre capacity, in the bed capacity, so that it can do the job that it always has done in the past, with a fully functioning emergency services department that is able to cope with anything that arrives at the hospital front door. Now, I understand that, sometimes, it's better to travel further for more specialist treatment. That's always been the case. But as many people have already referenced in this Chamber today, Wales is a rural nation. It takes a long time, sometimes, to get from one place to another. You can't expect people, particularly in life-threatening situations, to have to make longer journeys that put their lives at risk. With planned care, it's different, okay. I understand that. And with planned care, people can take their time because they can plan it sometimes weeks or even months ahead. But the current configuration of our hospitals is critical, and if we're able to invest in our existing hospital network, if we're able to use the bed capacity in that hospital network to the full, then we could unleash a radical change, an improvement in patients' experiences in hospitals across Wales, and I think that is what people want to see. Now, you've signalled investment in other parts of the NHS, in community services. I welcome that. But what you're also suggesting—I heard Cabinet Ministers talk about this—is investing in the arts in order to avoid hospital admissions. I've heard this talked about. If someone's got an orthopaedic problem, the last thing they need is a dance lesson. [Laughter.] The last thing they need is a ticket to a pop music festival featuring a terrorist sympathiser. They don't want those things. They don't want to go to see an Extinction Rebellion sort of presentation in one of our museums. What they want to see is investment in those hospitals. And if you're going to be investing in community services—[Interruption.] If you're going to be investing in community services, then what that really means, what that really is code for, is that you're going to stop funding hospitals and they are not going to get the money that they need—unless you've got a war chest in which you can invest in those community services alongside. Because we've heard all of these promises before, we've seen it in the past, we've been promised fantastic community services and, 'That's why it's okay to close the community hospital down the road', and it never ever, ever materialises. [Interruption.] I'll happily take an intervention.
6. Welsh Conservatives Debate: Hospital services and hospital closures en
As you can see, I'm a great fan of sports. [Laughter.] A great fan of sports. Of course I see. Of course I see the importance of the preventative agenda. We need to invest in the preventative agenda. But the question I have for the Cabinet Minister is if you're going to invest from the same budget quantum, if you're going to invest more in community services and if you're going to invest more in the preventative agenda, whether that be sports or anything else, then that means that you're going to be taking away money from something else that you're already spending on. And that happens to be our hospitals. So, we need to guarantee the future of these hospitals—[Inaudible.] Well, why don't you make an intervention and tell me where you're going to get the money? Go on.
6. Welsh Conservatives Debate: Hospital services and hospital closures en
I'll give him the grace, I'm very happy to. So, listen, I urge everybody in this Chamber to get behind the original motion. I appreciate the amendments that have been tabled, and we support the Reform amendment, we support the Labour amendments too, but we reject the Plaid Cymru amendment, because it gives absolutely no security at all to staff or patients, and that's unacceptable.
7. Reform UK Debate: A Welsh Rivers Act en
Will you take an intervention?
7. Reform UK Debate: A Welsh Rivers Act en
Will you accept some responsibility for the fact that the Liberal Democrats were in Government here in Wales when NRW was created and that that is a failed regulator, and, therefore, you have to accept some responsibility for getting it wrong?
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1. Questions to the First Minister en
Diolch, Lywydd. First Minister, today your minority Government laid its very first supplementary budget. It included £145 million of extra funding for the Welsh NHS. You've heavily spun those figures to suggest that they will solve the problem with waiting lists, which do need to be addressed, of course, because as we all know they went up by 13,000 in the most recently published figures. And there are over 680,000 people now on waiting lists across Wales. But what patients don't need is just a sticking-plaster approach to getting to grips with this crisis. Can you honestly look those 680,000 patients in the eye today and really guarantee that this allocation will permanently reduce waiting times in Wales, or are you really adopting—and this is what I think is taking place—the same sticking-plaster approach of the previous Welsh Labour Government that failed to invest in the infrastructure to keep waiting times permanently down?
1. Questions to the First Minister en
Well, look, I'll believe it when I see it, frankly, because, let's face it, four out of the five last budgets agreed in this place, in the Senedd, were between you and the Labour Party agreeing on the investment going into the NHS, which has delivered the poor performance that has now come home to roost, I'm afraid, in terms of the longest waiting times in Britain, in terms of the poor performance of the ambulance service and in terms of the crumbling NHS estate. And it's not just, of course, the health service that's in dire need. I think lots of people were very disappointed to see, in the supplementary budget, not a single penny of additional support going to support businesses in Wales that are having to contend with the worst business rates regime in Britain; not a single extra penny going to support our farmers, who are having to contend with the dreadfully unsustainable farming scheme, hatched together between Plaid and Labour in the previous term; and, dreadfully, in spite of the fact that hundreds of millions of pounds have come to Wales as a direct consequence of spending on special educational needs in England, not a single extra penny being allocated to support additional learning needs pupils here in Wales. Why aren't you going to wake up and realise that they are as much of a priority as some of the other things that you are allocating cash to?
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I have to say I was very disappointed by your statement. You're supposed to be the Government Minister for efficiency. I wish you were more efficient in the words that you use, because you didn't actually say or commit to a great deal. You made lots of woolly statements about a school for government, whatever that means, and a public dashboard, which I assume means a website. You talked as well about strengthening the influence of the future generations commissioner on the Welsh Government. You didn't refer to any of the other commissioners that we have. And, of course, they're all unelected people. You should be held to account by this Chamber. This is where your primary purpose and focus should be. And, of course, you talked about the use of AI. I think AI might do a better job than some people in Government. I don't want to be rude, but it's entirely possible that it would come out with some better decisions. The main focus of a third of your statement was the constitution. It doesn't surprise me, because we know that that's your obsession. It's not the obsession of the people of Wales. They want to make sure that they can see a GP on time, that an ambulance turns up on time, that they can get their treatment on time in a hospital. They want to make sure that the next generation have high-quality education, and then the opportunity to get into a decent, well-paid job. They want to see people off welfare benefits and back into work. And they want to make sure that they can live in a country that is clean, that also is a powerhouse as far as the economy is concerned. You didn't make a single commitment on the economy, by the way. No reference to the economy in any way, shape or form. Because that's a blind spot with some of you people on the left, particularly in Plaid Cymru. You were cheering yourself on for being a socialist in your response to the Labour spokesperson. I think what people here really want to see are some clear targets. We want to see clear targets, clear milestones on the way to delivering the elimination of two-year waits in the NHS, then one-year waits in the NHS. We want to make sure that there are clear targets for people to be able to get in touch with a GP and have an appointment with a doctor when we need them. We want clear targets for our young people in terms of them being able to read, write and have the opportunity to get the education that they deserve with an indication as to where you want this country to be in the next set of Programme for International Student Assessment results. Not the ones published later this year, which of course were on the watch of the previous Government, but in three years' time. We want to be able to measure this progress, because without the ability to do that, nobody is going to be able to hold you to account, even the AI digital assistants that you want in the Welsh Government and seem to think that might be the answer to everything. You didn't answer a single question that was put to you just now about the cost of these measures that you are putting in place. How many additional civil servants are going to be in your department? I haven't seen any reference to this standing commission on the constitution in the supplementary budget. Where's the money for that coming from? Who are the members of that body going to be? I suspect it doesn't really matter, because you'll have written the reports beforehand anyway, and every one of them, I can tell you now, will say, 'We need more powers because we haven't got the tools to do the job', because it's the stock answer of every commission that's ever been set up in Wales that looks at the constitution. The reason for that is because you appoint people, and the previous Government appointed people, and they paid those people, and those people play to the tune of the people that pay them, because that's the way these commissions and these other organisations that are so-called independent are set up. Who on earth is going to constitute this commission? Who are they going to engage with? What's their budget going to be? Because it's going to be a waste of money that could be spent on our NHS, could be spent on our schools, could be spent on our roads, could be spent on fixing those problems that other people have listed. Why are you only engaging with this one commissioner, rather than other commissioners? What about our veterans' commissioner? Shouldn't the veterans' commissioner have a say in what goes on in the lives of veterans in Wales and the decisions that you make about them? Shouldn't the children's commissioner have a say on additional learning needs support and have their words ringing in your ears? Why is it just the future generations commissioner? What about the older people's commissioner, all those other people in Wales who are over 50? I'm joining that club later this year. I want to make sure that that commissioner has got a say in the decisions that you make. Why are you listening to one commissioner more than others? Why don't you set some targets and tell us what on earth this nonsense is going to cost?
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Open this sitting on the stage
2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care en
Cabinet Minister, I'm afraid that some of your answers are giving me a sense of déjà vu, because they were the similar sort of answers that we've been hearing from the Labour Party for over a decade in respect of the poor performance of the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. Now, what people want to see is concrete action to deliver improvements. We know that one of the things that people are absolutely desperate for is increased capacity, bed capacity in particular, in order to address the problems in the emergency department, which, of course, today, has been designated as a service requiring significant improvement by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales. What action are you going to take to urgently review the paltry number of beds proposed for the new north Denbighshire community hospital in Rhyl, which is fewer than half the beds originally proposed 13 years ago, when the problems now at the nearby Glan Clwyd Hospital are more acute than ever?
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1. A wnaiff y Gweinidog Cabinet ddatganiad am benderfyniad Arolygiaeth Gofal Iechyd Cymru i ddynodi'r adran achosion brys yn Ysbyty Glan Clwyd fel gwasanaeth sydd angen ei wella'n sylweddol? TQ1466
Official English translation
1. Will the Cabinet Minister make a statement on the decision by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales to designate the emergency department at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd as a service requiring significant improvement? TQ1466
No broadcast timestamp published, so this contribution cannot be placed on the stage. Senedd TV Read this in the Record
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Thank you, Cabinet Minister, for acknowledging your concern. Many of my constituents, of course, are concerned too, but they're not very surprised, frankly, to learn that the department has once again been designated as a service requiring improvement by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales. In fact, they were surprised that it was de-escalated in the first place back in August 2024, because the situation in that emergency department is totally unacceptable, not just for patients, but also for the staff who care for them—the hard-working staff. It's unsafe, staff are facing burn-out, patients are coming to harm, and I'm afraid that some are even dying as a result of the failures in the leadership and the governance at the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. I am contacted week in, week out by constituents sharing their unacceptable experiences at that hospital with me. These include an elderly patient spending four days in a chair on a corridor due to a lack of beds; others waiting for treatment while lying on blankets on the floor; a patient having to wait eight hours in the emergency department before they could be discharged, simply because they were waiting for a prescription to be dispensed; and, of course, regular attempts to discharge very sick individuals and patients who are not fit to go home due to bed pressures. And of course, we all saw in the media that awful report about the very tragic death in a corridor, in a very undignified way, of an elderly person last year, in full view of other patients. It's totally unacceptable and I know we all want to see major improvements. But it isn't only the health board that's failing to get to grips with these issues. The Welsh Government has also, through its escalation and intervention arrangements, been unable to get to grips with the problems at that hospital, and I'm sure that you will acknowledge that that is the case. It first went into special measures, of course, over a decade ago—11 years ago, in fact, last week—and that performance has deteriorated over that time, over that 11-year period. In fact, Glan Clwyd is the worst performing hospital emergency department in the whole of the country. I'm not proud to say that. I don't want it to be that way. I want it to be at the top of the tree, but it's not, and it's not right. So, can I ask you this, Cabinet Minister? We know that we need to get on and deliver that new hospital in Rhyl. I've asked you twice so far whether you'll look at the number of beds in that hospital so that it can take the proper pressure off the emergency department in Glan Clwyd. Will you put the beds up to 30, which was the original plan, rather than the 14 that is currently the case? Just a simple yes-or-no answer would be appreciated on that. Will you also, in the meantime—acknowledging that bed pressures are the primary, immediate problem—immediately work with the health board to look at using the capacity at nearby Abergele Hospital, so that in-patients can be moved there when it's safe to do so, and that a minor injuries unit can be established there in order to take the pressure off the hospital front door? Will you also agree with us that it's time to look at the Welsh Government's escalation and intervention arrangements, which don't seem to be fit for purpose—and certainly aren't working in the north Wales area—to understand why that is the case, and finally commission that independent review, independent inquiry, into the Betsi Cadwaladr health board failings, so that we can hold those responsible for failing to turn this organisation around to account?
6. Reform UK Debate: Government international spending en
For us, this is a debate about what the Senedd and the Welsh Government are responsible for versus what the UK Government is responsible for, and where those responsibilities lie. It's very clear that foreign relations, international development are matters for the UK Government, not the Welsh Government, and as a result of that, I believe that we respect devolution and can expect respect for devolution back when we respect the boundaries of our legislative competence and the competence of the Welsh Government's position as well. We have argued for many years in this Senedd that taxpayers' money should not be spent on mini embassies, overseas offices in different parts of the world. There are three, for example, in China alone, a country that we know has been linked to espionage in this country, and we've even seen the arrest of individuals associated with the previous Welsh Labour Government, and that, to me, is a concern. So, as far as we are concerned, we want to see the £9 million spent on those overseas embassies and on the international development projects that have been referred to in this Chamber, and for that money to be invested here. Now, I am not anti-international aid. I just want to make that clear, right? And as has already been pointed out in this debate, the people of Wales are generous, and they give, on a voluntary basis, enormous amounts every single year to international aid projects. Many of you know that I have strong links to the faith community, and let me tell you, you will find generous church congregations across this country with links to Africa, Asia and all sorts of other parts of the world, doing some phenomenal work. I'm not against those things, I support those things, and I want to encourage people to give to those things. But I do not believe that when people are dying waiting for ambulances, when we're at the bottom of the educational tree as far as the league table of the United Kingdom is concerned, and when our road infrastructure isn't working, our transport infrastructure is creaking, that it's right to spend those millions of pounds on those things, when the Welsh Government should be focused on the things for which it is responsible. [Interruption.] I will take the intervention.
6. Reform UK Debate: Government international spending en
You know, the UK Government is responsible for the economic development and relationships overseas to bring inward investment into the United Kingdom as a whole, and that includes Wales. And they do a pretty good job, right? We secure a huge amount of international inward investment into the United Kingdom through the work of British embassies around the world, UK Trade and Investment and all of those other organisations that work in that field. And of course, look, I'm a Conservative, I'm pro business, I want businesses here to thrive. I want companies to come and invest in our country because the Labour Party's trashed our economy over the years in Wales. We're the poorest part of the United Kingdom; of course we need inward investment. But what we don't need are people embedded in exotic cities around the world—because you don't seem to choose places that aren't very exotic or nice places to live—and make sure that we have—. Yes, of course, we will always want to be an internationalist country, looking out and seeking to influence the world, but we do that as part of the United Kingdom, an integral part of the United Kingdom. And I'm proud to be a member not only of the Welsh Conservative Party, but of the Conservative and Unionist Party, and I believe in the union of the United Kingdom, and that these foreign relationships and international development are done better as a United Kingdom as a whole. I think it is a scandal, Members, I think it is a scandal that it's impossible to try to scrutinise the £58 million that has been spent to date on these international relationships. It's a shame on us all that that information isn't readily available to Members of this Senedd, so that we can do our job in holding the Welsh Government to account for the money that it spends. And as has already been pointed out, it's not their money in the first place: it's taxpayers' money. It's every single person in this country that deserves to know where that money is spent. I hope very much that those new committees that have been established will be able to get through all of the paperwork sufficiently well so that they can see every single bean that's been spent in the name of taxpayers in this country, and make sure that it's invested in the right way. I support the motion.
6. Reform UK Debate: Government international spending en
Will you take an intervention?
6. Reform UK Debate: Government international spending en
I was very disappointed to hear your comments about me earlier—my street cred has gone right down. [Laughter.] I'm not knocking some of the positive impact in other countries of the spending from Wales. I see that; it's evident to see. The question I have is what benefit do people in Wales see as a result of a tree planted in a field in Uganda. What benefit does that bring to someone whose public toilets are closing, libraries are threatened with closure and leisure centres are threatened with closure? I just can't see that it brings any. That's why I say it's far better to encourage people to give generously of their own volition, rather than the Welsh Government intervene in this spending area for which it's not responsible.
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Open this sitting on the stage
1. Questions to the First Minister en
First Minister, in just 11 days' time, communities across Wales and the whole of the United Kingdom will be marking Armed Forces Day. It's an opportunity, of course, to pay tribute to the courage and professionalism of His Majesty's armed forces, and to recognise the thousands of people who work in the defence industry across Wales, who help to keep our country safe. Those workers design, build and maintain the equipment for our armed forces and our allies around the world. Those companies also provide highly skilled jobs, apprenticeships and investment in communities across the country. So, can I ask you, First Minister: at a time when war has returned to Europe and when the international security situation is becoming increasingly uncertain and fragile, do you agree with me that a strong defence industry here in Wales is essential to our economy? And will you join me in paying tribute to our armed forces and to the Welsh workers whose efforts help to provide them with the resources that they need?
1. Questions to the First Minister en
Well, can I welcome your comments in relation to the armed forces covenant? It's absolutely vital that Wales honours that covenant at every single level of government, and I want to pay tribute to those organisations that are working hard to do just that. But last week, of course, we saw two resignations from the UK Government. Two Ministers resigned because they did not believe that the UK Government was doing enough to invest in defence at a time of growing international instability. Their warnings came as countries across Europe are increasing their spending on defence, rebuilding their military capability and capacity and investing in their domestic defence industries. Now, Wales is already home to a host of world-class defence and aerospace companies: General Dynamics, Airbus, BAE Systems, Raytheon, Babcock, Sierra Nevada Corporation Mission Systems and others across the whole of this country, employing many thousands of individuals, and they're playing a vital role in our defence industry. But it's really important that, if the increase in defence spending comes from the UK Government, Wales gets its fair share and that we're able to grow our defence industry. What action have you taken to date, and what action do you intend to take to make sure that that's the case?
3. Business Statement and Announcement en
Can I raise my concerns about the fact that an announcement to extend childcare was made to the media prior to its being made to this Senedd Chamber? This is where announcements of that sort ought to be made, Trefnydd, and I think it's incumbent upon all Welsh Governments to honour and respect Members of this Senedd by bringing their announcements to this Senedd first, in order that they can be properly scrutinised. Secondly, can I call for a statement on the support that is available for carers in Wales? Last week was Carers Week, and one of the things that many carers suffer from is complete burn-out because of the support that they're giving to their loved ones. There is a need for a statutory right to respite in my view and in the view of the Welsh Conservatives, and I would like to know what the new Welsh Government's attitude is towards that. Finally, can I request an update from the Welsh Government, the new Welsh Government Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability, on the action that the Welsh Government is taking in order to develop and support the development and roll-out of a squirrelpox vaccine in order to protect the red squirrel population in Wales, which I am very proud to say that I continue to be the species champion for?
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Open this sitting on the stage
1. Questions to the First Minister en
First Minister, can you tell us what steps your new Government is taking to ensure that developments of national significance do not permanently compromise Wales's most productive agricultural land? Prior to taking office, you firmly stood with your constituents on Anglesey to oppose the massive industrial-scale solar farm proposals on Prosiect Maen Hir and Alaw Môn. In fact, you said, and I quote to you, that you had deep concerns about the scale of solar developments. And you said that projects like those would lead to the loss of large swathes of productive agricultural land and the associated economic activity and farming jobs. I agree with those statements. Now that you're First Minister, of course, you've got the opportunity to do things differently. So, do you stand by those comments that you've previously made? And will you now take action to protect rural Wales by changing the planning framework to make sure that projects like that can no longer proceed?
1. Questions to the First Minister en
Well, there is a weakness in the planning guidelines because, as you know, there is an assumption in favour of large-scale solar farms in most parts of Wales now, and not just solar farms either, but large windfarms as well, with pylons marching across the whole of the countryside. And that is a fault of the national planning framework, 'Future Wales: The National Plan 2040', which clearly needs to be revised in order to protect these very important pieces of land. Let's face it: once this land's gone, it's gone, right? We're never going to get it back. So, we must make sure that we have the right balance, while supporting renewables where necessary, in the right places, on the top of factories and alongside industrial zones. But in terms of productive agricultural land, we've got to protect it. So, can I ask you and urge you now to look at the planning system, review the national framework and, in the meantime, implement an immediate moratorium on industrial-scale solar and windfarm developments, so that we can protect prime agricultural land here in our country?
2. Business Statement and Announcement en
Trefnydd, can I call for a statement from the Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability on Welsh recycling rates? Obviously, one of the things that we're all delighted by is the fact that Welsh residents are amongst the best recyclers in the world. But one of the challenges that many people who want to recycle are facing is charges by some local authorities for replacement containers when their containers might blow away or their bags might blow away or just through general wear and tear. That clearly is undermining the efforts of residents in Wales to recycle, and I do think we need a nationwide approach. If some local authorities can provide them for free, then all local authorities should be able to provide them for free. Can I also request a statement from the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care to provide an update on the action that he intends to take to resolve the crisis in the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board? It is going into its eleventh year in special measures. It's the longest period of any NHS organisation in the whole of the history of the NHS across the whole of the United Kingdom. It's not good enough. We desperately need change. And I want to know what the Welsh Government is intending to do in order to drive that change forward.
5. Statement by the Deputy Minister for Transport: Key Infrastructure Resilience en
Diolch. Can I congratulate you too, Cabinet Minister, on your new role? I'm a little bit concerned about the attitude towards the M4. It is an absolutely critical part of our road infrastructure network here in Wales. It's important not just to Wales, but indeed to the whole of the United Kingdom, because, of course, it helps to get goods from A to B and from some of our major port infrastructure in west Wales too. I appreciate that you might not like the black route, but it is the fast-track option in terms of being able to deliver a solution to the problems with congestion on the M4. Anything that departs from that route, which has already been the subject of a public inquiry, is going to take many, many years beyond, probably, the four years that this Government will be able to have in this particular Parliament. Why isn't it the case that you're prepared to look in more detail at the black route, in conjunction with mitigation measures against the potential environmental impact—because I recognise that there are genuine concerns—so that we can work together to solve this issue once and for all?
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Open this sitting on the stage
1. Questions to the First Minister en
Thank you. First Minister, can you tell us what action your Government is going to take to deal with the repeated chaos as a result of the frequent closure of the Menai suspension bridge? It's causing misery for residents, commuters and businesses across north Wales, and of course that bridge, and the Britannia bridge, serve an island community of 70,000, which you represent, which is home to one of the most strategically important ports in the United Kingdom and will soon be home to a very important nuclear power facility as well. My colleague, Janet Finch-Saunders, has responded to the anger on the ground by taking the lead and organising a public meeting in order that this can be discussed on 12 June in Llangefni so that a long-term resolution can be brought forward. You've previously spoken loudly and clearly in the Senedd in favour of a third Menai crossing. So, now that you're sitting behind the First Minister's desk, can you show some leadership, attend that public meeting on 12 June, look residents in the eye and outline precisely what action your Government is going to take to bring forward that third Menai suspension bridge as soon as possible?
1. Questions to the First Minister en
We absolutely need a solution, and, of course, you had an opportunity. Every time you did a budget deal and a legislation deal with the previous Welsh Government, you could have actually brought forward some solutions and put some money in the tin in order to get this project on the go. But you didn't, did you? Because it wasn't one of your priorities. Instead, you and the Plaid Cymru MSs at that time voted against major investment in our road infrastructure across the country, not just in north Wales, but also, of course, on the M4 corridor in the south as well. You actively blocked major road-building projects across this country. Now that your party is in Government, you have nowhere to hide. The previous Labour administration wasted £150 million developing an M4 relief road project that they then ditched. You welcomed the decision to ditch that project and chuck that money down the drain. And meanwhile, the gridlock around Newport continues to strangle growth, deter investment and leave thousands of people every single day trapped in traffic jams. During the election, you changed your tune; you promised to resolve the issue. The public want action, not words. So, can you tell us, First Minister, when will we see action—not just on the Menai crossing, which you've referred to, but the M4 relief road too?
4. Business Statement and Announcement en
Trefnydd, can I ask for two statements, please, and the first in relation to school funding? I was heartened to see the comments last week that recognised the challenges that schools face across Wales by the new education Cabinet Minister, and I hope to be able to work with her to improve the quality of education for young people here in Wales. But it seems to me that one of the big challenges that many schools face is the annual struggle to make budgets meet. Obviously, there's quite a disparity between local authorities in terms of funding, and I wonder whether the new Welsh Government will consider the implications of a national school funding formula and whether that is something that could be pursued, instead of leaving it to local authorities to make those decisions, given the big disparity. So, a statement on school funding would be welcome. Secondly, can I ask for clarity on the arrangements for notifying Members of this Senedd when ministerial visits take place in their constituencies? It was great to see the new Cabinet Minister for Health and Care taking the opportunity to visit Glan Clwyd Hospital, one of the worst-performing hospitals in the whole of the United Kingdom, in Bodelwyddan in my constituency of Clwyd, but I was very disappointed that no notification was received by me or other Members of the Senedd for Clwyd. I think that that is something that we need to resolve in the future, because it is a matter of courtesy for all Members.
5. Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care: Health and Care Priorities en
Cabinet Minister, you've suggested that there's too much of a focus on hospital care in your statement today, and you seem to be hinting that you think that there are too many hospital beds. Can you tell us whether that is your view or not, and whether you will guarantee to the people of Wales that you will not close any hospitals on your watch as a Cabinet Minister over the next four years? In fact, can you tell us whether you will deliver the long-promised new north Denbighshire community hospital for the people of Rhyl and the whole of the north Denbighshire coast? They've been waiting for that hospital for 13 years, and it is absolutely essential that it is delivered, but not at the current scale, which suggests that there will be just 14 beds. We need to make sure that the original scale of that project is delivered, which is 30 beds, in order to alleviate the problems at Glan Clwyd Hospital down the road, which, as we all know, is one of the worst-performing emergency departments in the country. That needs to change, and that project can deliver it.
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Open this sitting on the stage
3. Statement by the First Minister: The First Minister's Priorities en
Diolch, Lywydd. First Minister, can I congratulate you on your appointment and also thank you for your statement today that was received just seven minutes before this session of Plenary began? A convention, of course, in terms of pre-sharing statements, that you would have complained about had you received a statement seven minutes before. So, we've had 27 years of Labour Government in Wales. It's very clear that the people of Wales voted for change, and, of course, the change that has happened is not the change that my party was looking for. We would have liked a very different Senedd, but the voters have cast their views and I know that you are passionate about this country and wanting to improve it. I don't doubt that that is your commitment, and indeed the commitment of all Members of this Chamber, regardless of their political allegiances. And whilst we will disagree with you on many issues, we also, on these benches, share your ambition for a stronger Wales with a better health service, a better education system with higher standards and a much more dynamic and strong economy, creating the well-paid jobs that the people of Wales need. So, I will give you this commitment, First Minister: when you bring forward, and your fellow Members of the Cabinet bring forward, sensible measures that will genuinely improve the lives of people here in Wales, we will support you. But I want to also be clear that, when we feel that those ambitions are being undermined by decisions that your Government takes, we will hold your feet to the fire, because that is our duty as a responsible opposition here in this Senedd. We want to hold you rigorously to account for delivery for the people of Wales. Now, in the run-up to the election, and you've referenced it today in your statement, you published that plan, the 100-day plan for the first 100 days of a Plaid Government. Of course, the clock is already ticking. We're already a week in since you were appointed as First Minister. And, of course, the 100 days will be up in the middle of August, during the recess. So the sands of time are already beginning to rush downwards, and you have just 90-odd days now to deliver on this 100-day plan. Now, in your statement today, you referenced the NHS, something of course that is precious to all of us, and we all want it to succeed and improve. Now, in the past, your party has supported in this Chamber our calls for the declaration of an NHS emergency in order that the Government can be focused on delivering urgent improvements in our NHS, particularly with regard to life-threatening care and treatment in our emergency departments because of the underperformance of those. Can I ask you: do you intend to declare a health emergency so that we can focus on the NHS within these 100 days that you've referred to? Because you didn't refer to it specifically in terms of a health emergency in your statement. Can I also ask you—? There were other things that you didn't mention in your statement that I think we can find some common ground on. So, for example, in your 100 days document, you refer to restricting the use of mobile phones in schools. Now, that's something that our party's been calling for for quite some time. We stand ready to support you on the delivery of that ambition. Can you tell us: are you prepared to deliver it? What have you already done to trigger the necessary actions to be able to deliver it? You mentioned a local government funding formula review—again, something that we have in common with you. We want to see that funding formula reviewed. It's not fair at the moment, particularly to local authorities in rural communities. And it's not fair either in terms of the disparities around generational funding, because it's outdated. It's not fit for purpose. You touched on renewables in your answer on sustainability earlier on. One of the things that is a concern across Wales at the moment, and it will have been reiterated to you and many of your candidates on the doorsteps during the recent election campaign, are the proposals across Wales for large-scale solar and windfarms in our rural communities. Will you initiate, as a matter of urgency, a moratorium on all new planning applications for such developments in order that we can protect our landscapes from unnecessary industrialisation? I think that that's extremely important, and we need to have a signal from you immediately. Can I also ask—? You didn't refer in your 100 days document to the nuclear energy industry. That’s perhaps not surprising, given that your party's got various views on this particular matter, but it is important, of course, in your own constituency and in north-west Wales, and we want to see the rapid delivery of new jobs in the nuclear industry in the new facility in Wylfa in particular, and at Trawsfynydd in the future. Can you tell us what action is your Government going to take over the next 100 days in order to help to facilitate those jobs? And if I can, just in conclusion, Llywydd, one of the other things that you didn't mention, which is very, very important for people across Wales and is something that they're still concerned about, is grooming gangs. So, we know that there have been grooming gangs operating in Wales. We've called in the past for a Wales-wide inquiry into grooming gangs. We've had discussions and debates in this Chamber, I know, but, given that you're now in Government, will you review the information that's available to you in Government to determine whether this is something we can also agree on and work collaboratively on so that we can keep vulnerable young people, children, and especially our girls, safe? Thank you.
Roll-call divisions, by sitting day
70 recorded votes. Official division result.
- For
- 32
- Against
- 31
- Abstain
- 2
- Did not vote
- 5
Counted by Siambr: a sum of the official division rows.
For Against Abstain Unlit desk: did not vote
3 divisions
Members' Legislative Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): An NHS first Bill
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- Motion For Agreed
Reform UK Debate: Prostate cancer strategy
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- Motion For Agreed
Welsh Labour Debate: The M4 around Newport
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- Motion For Agreed
3 divisions
Reform UK Debate: Local referendums on council tax rises
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- Motion For Not agreed
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan Against Agreed
- Motion as amended Against Agreed
6 divisions
Reform UK Debate: Regional rugby
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- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan Against Not agreed
- Motion Against Not agreed
Reform UK Debate: Access to HMOs and social housing for foreign nationals
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- Motion Against Not agreed
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan a Lynne Neagle Against Agreed
- Motion as amended Against Agreed
Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Family Drug and Alcohol Courts
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- Motion For Agreed
1 division
Debate: Fiscal Reform
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- Motion For Agreed
4 divisions
Reform UK Debate: Default 20 mph speed limit
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- Motion For Not agreed
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan Against Agreed
- Motion as amended Against Agreed
Welsh Conservatives Debate: The defence sector
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- Motion For Agreed
5 divisions
Reform UK Debate: Wales and the United Kingdom
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- Amendment 2tabled in the name of Lynne Neagle Against Not agreed
- Motion as amended Against Agreed
- Motion For Not agreed
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan Against Agreed
Welsh Labour Debate: Further education
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- Motion For Agreed
10 divisions
Reform UK Debate: Grooming gangs
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- Motion For Not agreed
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan Against Agreed
- Amendment 2tabled in the name of Paul Davies For Not agreed
- Motion as amended Against Agreed
Reform UK Debate: Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board health visitor pay dispute
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- Motion For Not agreed
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan For Agreed
- Amendment 2tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan Against Not agreed
- Amendment 4tabled in the name of Lynne Neagle For Agreed
- Motion as amended For Not agreed
- Amendment 3tabled in the name of Paul Davies For Not agreed
5 divisions
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Deposit-return scheme
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- Motion For Not agreed
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan Against Agreed
- Motion as amended Against Agreed
Reform UK Debate: Bovine TB
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- Motion For Agreed
Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Young people and employment
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- Motion Abstain Agreed
2 divisions
Legislative Consent Motion: Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill
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- Motion Against Agreed
Debate: The First Supplementary Budget 2026-27
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- Motion Against Not agreed
4 divisions
Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Ophthalmology services
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- Motion For Agreed
Reform UK Debate: The tourism sector
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- Motion For Not agreed
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan Against Agreed
- Motion as amended Against Agreed
4 divisions
Debate: Fair Funding
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- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Lynne Neagle Against Not agreed
- Amendment 2tabled in the name of Llŷr Powell Against Not agreed
- Amendment 3tabled in the name of Paul Davies For Not agreed
- Motion Against Not agreed
4 divisions
Reform UK Debate: Nation of Sanctuary
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- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan Against Agreed
- Motion as amended Against Agreed
- Motion For Not agreed
Welsh Labour Debate: Funding for additional learning needs in the first Supplementary Budget 2026-27
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- Motion For Agreed
10 divisions
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Hospital services and hospital closures
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- Motion For Not agreed
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan Against Not agreed
- Amendment 2tabled in the name of Lynne Neagle For Agreed
- Amendment 3tabled in the name of Llŷr Powell For Agreed
- Amendment 4tabled in the name of Lynne Neagle Abstain Not agreed
- Motion as amended For Agreed
Reform UK Debate: A Welsh Rivers Act
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- Motion For Not agreed
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan Against Not agreed
- Amendment 3tabled in the name of Paul Davies For Not agreed
- Amendment 2tabled in the name of Lynne Neagle Against Not agreed
4 divisions
Reform UK Debate: Government international spending
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- Motion For Not agreed
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan Against Agreed
- Motion as amended Against Agreed
Reform UK Debate: Statutory register for lobbyists
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- Motion For Agreed
5 divisions
Reform UK Debate: Childcare offer
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- Motion Did not vote Not agreed
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan Did not vote Agreed
- Amendment 2tabled in the name of Lynne Neagle Did not vote Agreed
- Motion as amended Did not vote Agreed
Welsh Labour Debate: School support staff negotiating body
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- Motion Did not vote Agreed