Huw Thomas

2026-10-21 2

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10. Short Debate: Full-face coverings are against British values en

Will you take an intervention, Minister?

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10. Short Debate: Full-face coverings are against British values en

We've heard a lot of nonsense tonight. What I haven't heard is any condemnation of the masked mobs who stormed RNLI stations across the south coast last month. Would you join me, Minister, in condemning those protesters and agree with me that a fine representation of British values is the decency and courage shown by the lifeboat crews out in the English channel saving lives, regardless of creed or skin or race or religion?

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2026-10-20 4

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5. Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Finance: Taxation (Wales) Bill cy

A gaf i ddiolch i'r Gweinidog am y datganiad a'i llongyfarch hi ar gyflwyno deddfwriaeth gyntaf y seithfed Senedd?

Official English translation

May I thank the Minister for the statement and congratulate her on introducing the first piece of legislation of the seventh Senedd?

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5. Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Finance: Taxation (Wales) Bill en

In Government, Welsh Labour laid the foundations of Wales's devolved tax system. Our taxation policy was based on the clear principles that Welsh taxes should raise revenue to fund public services as fairly as possible; that they should be clear, stable and simple; that they should be developed through collaboration; and that they should contribute towards the goals of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. It is against these principles that Welsh Labour will hold this legislation to account as the Bill progresses. In Government, we established the Welsh Revenue Authority and introduced land transaction tax and landfill disposals tax in 2018. Since then, as the Minister said, the Welsh Revenue Authority has collected more than £2.7 billion to support public services in Wales. Welsh Labour showed how devolved taxation can be used to deliver progressive outcomes, including driving up rates of recycling, and making the taxation system fairer for people buying homes. And in 2021, we made the promise not to raise Welsh rates of income tax, and we kept that promise. We also recognise that taxation policy needs to evolve, so we welcome the intention of this legislation, to ensure that devolved taxes in Wales can be collected fairly and efficiently.

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5. Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Finance: Taxation (Wales) Bill cy

Wrth i'r Bil fynd rhagddo, bydd cyfleoedd pellach i graffu ar fanylion y Bil hwn yn fwy manwl, ond heddiw hoffwn ofyn rhai cwestiynau cychwynnol i'r Gweinidog Cabinet. Ynglŷn â rhannu gwybodaeth, mae'r Bil yn caniatáu i Awdurdod Cyllid Cymru rannu gwybodaeth gydag awdurdodau lleol i gefnogi'r gwaith o gasglu trethi. Bydd y Gweinidog Cabinet yn cytuno ynghylch pwysigrwydd sicrhau bod gan y cyhoedd hyder yn y ffordd y caiff y data ei gasglu a'i ddefnyddio. Pa sicrwydd y gall hi ei roi y bydd y wybodaeth ddim ond yn cael ei rhannu pan fo hynny yn angenrheidiol? Ac a all hi roi enghreifftiau ymarferol o sefyllfaoedd lle gall y wybodaeth honno gael ei rhannu o ganlyniad i'r ddeddfwriaeth newydd? Yna, a all hi amlinellu rhai o'r manteision ymarferol i awdurdodau lleol, a faint o refeniw ychwanegol y mae hi'n disgwyl y bydd yn cael ei gynhyrchu drwy rannu gwybodaeth yn fwy effeithiol? A pha gymorth a fydd yn cael ei ddarparu i awdurdodau lleol i'w hysbysu am y trefniadau newydd ar gyfer rhannu gwybodaeth? Mae asesiad effaith rheoleiddiol y Llywodraeth yn dangos bod y Bil yn debygol o sicrhau manteision cadarnhaol cyffredinol o ryw £310,000. A all y Gweinidog Cabinet amlinellu mewn termau mor syml â phosibl, termau bob dydd, o ble y daw y manteision hyn, a sut y byddan nhw yn helpu i wella gwasanaethau cyhoeddus yng Nghymru? Ac yn olaf, a yw'r Gweinidog Cabinet wedi gwneud asesiad o lefelau o osgoi trethi o fewn trefniadau trethi datganoledig Cymru? Ac wrth i system drethi Cymru barhau i ddatblygu, beth arall gall y Llywodraeth ei wneud i roi gwell gwybodaeth i'r cyhoedd am sut mae trethi datganoledig yn gweithredu o fewn Cymru? Diolch yn fawr iawn.

Official English translation

As the Bill progresses, there will be further opportunities to scrutinise the details of this Bill, but I'd like to ask a few initial questions to the Cabinet Minister. With regard to sharing information, the Bill allows the Welsh Revenue Authority to share information with local authorities to support the work of collecting taxes. The Cabinet Minister will agree about the importance of ensuring that the public has confidence in the way that this data is gathered and used. What assurance can she give that this information will only be shared when that is essential? And can she give practical examples of situations where that data could be shared by as a result of this new legislation? Can she also outline some of the practical advantages to local authorities, and how much additional revenue she expects will be generated through the sharing of information more effectively? And what support will be provided to local authorities to inform them of the new arrangements for sharing information? The Government's regulatory impact assessment demonstrates that the Bill is likely to lead to general positive impacts of around £310,000. Can the Cabinet Minister outline in as simple terms as possible, everyday terms, from where these benefits will come, and how will they help to improve public services in Wales? And finally, has the Cabinet Minister undertaken an assessment of the levels of tax avoidance within the devolved taxation arrangements in Wales? And as the taxation system in Wales continues to develop, what else can the Government do to provide better information to the public about how devolved taxes operate in Wales? Thank you very much.

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7. Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Finance: An Update on Council Tax en

The moral case for implementing council tax reform 'is overwhelming, and given the continued financial pressure facing households across the length and breadth of our nation, now is the time to strike whilst the iron's hot.' Not my words, Minister, but the words of Plaid Cymru's finance spokesperson in 2024. Working to make council tax fairer, knowing that the current system is long overdue for reform—again not my words Minister, but a promise in Plaid Cymru's manifesto at May's election. Earlier today, I welcomed the legislation on taxation that you introduced, but I cannot hide my bitter disappointment about what is set out in this statement, and sadly it's an approach that is becoming all too familiar: inaction, a lack of ambition and a failure to throw the weight of the Government behind progressive policies are fast becoming a hallmark of this Plaid Government. Whether on the failure to commit to a new national park, rolling back on free-school-meal commitments, failing to resolve the Cwm Taf health visitor dispute, or prioritising independence after promising not to, or now ducking the challenge of making council tax fairer, Ministers are showing that their instincts are not as progressive as people expected. Let's be clear, the last Welsh Labour Government established these reforms to make the system fairer. The legislation passed by the Senedd in 2024 was about ensuring council tax was based on updated property values, not the value of homes as they were more than two decades ago. Analysis by the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies showed that reforms would have reduced average net bills by £27 a year for the poorest fifth of households and £90 a year for the next poorest fifth. Eight hundred thousand households across Wales would have benefited and, on revaluation, the IFS said it was 'unambiguously a good idea'. The reforms were revenue neutral overall, and it was that progressive redistribution that led Plaid Cymru opposition at the time, just two years ago, to demand that the Welsh Labour Government went even faster with reforms. Again, to quote a party spokesperson, reforming the broken and outdated council tax system 'has been a cornerstone of Plaid Cymru policy for many years,' and, 'a delay would disadvantage the most vulnerable'. Plaid Cymru even tabled an amendment to the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill that would have placed a duty on the Welsh Government to implement the reforms by April 2025. The now First Minister even told Welsh media at the time that not going forward with those reforms was one of the reasons why they pulled out of the co-operation agreement. So, you've gone from an issue that you were prepared to break a former co-operation agreement with, to making this issue one that is not a priority at all. A can kicked down the road all the way to 2032. That's quite a journey. Cabinet Minister, aren't you concerned that by retreating on a policy Plaid Cymru has campaigned so vociferously on, by going back so clearly on an election promise, you're not just undermining confidence in the Welsh Government, but you're also undermining confidence in the democratic process? And I can't be the only one wondering what has changed for Plaid Cymru. At what point did the moral case stop being overwhelming? Does the Cabinet Minister disagree with her own party from just two years ago that a delay would disadvantage the most vulnerable? Or does she think financial pressures have eased up over the last two years, such that low-income households no longer need a cut in their council tax? Now, from the comments made by others around this issue, it looks like Plaid Cymru will have support from Reform and the Tories to push through these proposals. But is the Government confident of retaining support from its own back benches, those who stood on a platform of progressive change? I would certainly not wish to be in their shoes when this matter comes to a vote. And lastly, will she commit to publishing a full impact assessment, including an equalities impact assessment and a distribution analysis of the Government's plans not to press ahead with these reforms, and ensure that analysis is available well in advance of any votes? Let's be clear, this is a promise broken, and it is the poorest council taxpayers in Wales who will pay the price. Diolch.

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2026-10-14 5

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2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Finance cy

Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. A gaf i ddymuno shwmae hapus i'r ddwy ohonoch chi? Weinidog, fel rydym ni wedi clywed, newyddion mawr yr wythnos yma oedd y cytundeb ar y gyllideb atodol. A gaf i ddiolch i chi yn bersonol am eich cyfarfodydd gyda fi a'r ffaith ein bod ni wedi gallu dod yn gadarnhaol at gytundeb sydd yn sicrhau £60 miliwn ychwanegol i ysgolion a cholegau ar gyfer anghenion dysgu ychwanegol? Mae hyn yn fuddugoliaeth. Bues i'n ymweld ag ysgol ym Mhentrebane yng ngorllewin Caerdydd y bore yma. Mae'n amlwg yn mynd i wneud gwahaniaeth bod yr arian yn dod yn syth yn awr.

Official English translation

Thanks, Dirprwy Lywydd. May I wish you both a happy shwmae? Minister, as we've already heard, the major news this week was the agreement on the supplementary budget. May I thank you personally for your meetings with me and the fact that we've been able to come positively to an agreement that ensures £60 million additionally for schools and colleges for additional learning needs? This is a victory. I visited a school in Pentrebane in Cardiff west this morning. It's obviously going to make a huge difference that that funding is going to come through immediately now.

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2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Finance en

We are clear that this money is an important down payment, but it's not enough. Further funding is required. You have spoken previously about your concerns about in-year overspends within the NHS and so the need to hold money back, unallocated, to address that concern. I accept that as a prudent argument at the moment, but what are you doing to drive those overspends down? In a written question answer to me—

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2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Finance en

If I can just put this across. A month or two ago, the net annual deficit forecast for health boards was £333 million. What is that figure now? Have you managed to get that figure down, so that we can unlock additional funding for schools and colleges?

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2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Finance cy

Diolch. Wnes i ddim clywed ffigur yn fanna o beth roedd y gorwariant wedi gostwng ganddo, felly efallai gallwn chi ysgrifennu drwy lythyr ar y mater. Un o'ch blaenoriaethau chi fel Llywodraeth ydy'r cynnig gofal plant. Un o'n blaenoriaethau ni ydy sicrhau tâl teg yn yr economi.

Official English translation

Thanks. I didn't hear a figure there of what the overspend had declined by, so perhaps we could correspond by letter on that. One of your priorities as a Government is the childcare offer. One of our priorities is to ensure fair pay in the economy.

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2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Finance en

Welsh Labour's manifesto made a commitment to ensuring that businesses receiving Welsh Government support pay the real living wage. I've asked previously whether businesses funded through the childcare offer will be mandated to pay the real living wage. I've not had a clear answer on that yet, but I note your programme for government commits you to adopting a 'fair work first' approach to public sector grants, loans and contracts. I wonder what progress have you made in putting that commitment into practice. Specifically, will payment of the real living wage become a condition of public sector contracts and financial support to businesses? And what is the timetable for introducing those requirements? Diolch yn fawr.

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2026-10-13 4

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1. Questions to the First Minister cy

Mae cynlluniau egni cymdeithasol, fel cynlluniau mwy, hefyd angen mynediad i'r grid. Dwi eisiau gweld cynlluniau cynaliadwy a'r isadeiledd grid yn cael eu cyflawni ledled Cymru, i gyflawni'r buddiannau rydyn ni eisiau eu gweld ar gyfer ein cymunedau lleol.

Official English translation

Community energy schemes, like larger schemes, also require access to the grid. I want to see sustainable schemes and the grid infrastructure being delivered across Wales in order to deliver the benefits that we want to see for our local communities.

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1. Questions to the First Minister en

First Minister, what steps are you taking, working with the UK Government, Ofgem and network operators, to ensure that connection costs and waiting times don't prevent these projects, be they community or larger scale, from progressing? We need that grid infrastructure in place for it to succeed. I think Wales has got an opportunity to be an energy superpower, and that's why the comments from the Plaid Cymru Member earlier about SMRs are so disappointing. So, can you, further to my first question, explain why SMRs are the right solution for Anglesey but not for south Wales?

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3. Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution: The next steps for the Glyndŵr National Park (Designation) Order cy

Wel, am ddatganiad siomedig. Bydd unrhyw un sydd wedi cerdded ar hyd mynyddoedd y Berwyn, fel dwi wedi gwneud, yn gwybod amgylchedd mor unigryw ac arbennig ydy e: Cadair Berwyn, Llyn Lluncaws, Pistyll Rhaeadr, Cyrniau Nod, i enwi ond rhai mannau. Dyma leoliadau gwyllt, anghysbell, sy'n haeddu cael eu hadnabod yn well gan drwch poblogaeth Cymru a thu hwnt.

Official English translation

Well, what a disappointing statement. Anyone who has walked along the Berwyn mountains, as I have done, will know how unique and special an environment it is: Cadair Berwyn, Llyn Lluncaws, Pistyll Rhaeadr, Cyrniau Nod, to name just a few places. These are wild, remote areas, which deserve to be known better amongst the people of Wales and beyond.

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3. Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution: The next steps for the Glyndŵr National Park (Designation) Order en

Just yesterday I chaired the cross-party group on outdoor activities, where there was a unanimous view around the table on how vital and underappreciated access to the countryside is. We know what the RSPB have said about Wales being one of the most nature-deprived countries in the western world, and we heard earlier, even from the Reform Member, about the importance of tourism to our economy. So, why take this decision? There is no mention of doing this in your manifesto. I don't wish to downplay the real concerns that exist around these proposals, but the place to explore them, surely, is through a public inquiry. I'd like the Minister to explain why he doesn't believe that a public inquiry is the right format for this, because it looks to me that, at this Government's first test on its ability to protect nature, it fails spectacularly, and has instead entered into some sort of unholy trinity with the Tories and Reform. Your progressive credentials look failing to me, Minister.

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2026-10-07 1

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2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning en

I'll try and be brief. Minister, you'll be aware that Cardiff Council is delivering one of the UK's most ambitious and award-winning council house building schemes. A key factor in achieving that was having an LDP in place that enabled the council to secure greater social housing contributions from large-scale developments. Without a plan in place, Cardiff would have lost control of the process and seen piecemeal developments dispersed across the city. Too often, though, engagement on LDPs is dominated by well-organised voices opposed to development. So, Minister, in your rethinking of LDPs, how will you ensure that the voices of those on housing waiting lists, those living in temporary accommodation who desperately need social housing, are also heard, given they are far less likely to participate in these consultations compared with well-resourced, well-organised groups who don't want to see any houses built?

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2026-10-06 9

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

Diolch, Lywydd. Mae yna lot o sylwadau wedi cael eu gwneud dros yr wythnosau diwethaf am faterion cyfansoddiadol. Dwi eisiau ffocysu ar beth sydd yn bwysig i bobl Cymru, a dyna pam dwi am holi cwestiynau ar y rhaglen lywodraethu.

Official English translation

Thank you, Llywydd. Many comments have been made over recent weeks on constitutional issues. I want to focus on what's important to the people of Wales, and that's why I want to ask questions on the programme for government.

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

Minister, the programme for government, which you have overall oversight for, is full of references to collaboration and it's also very strong—there's a whole section on it—about supporting teachers. But, last week, an overwhelming majority of school leaders voted to support industrial action in response to your Government's priorities and policies. Ninety-three per cent of NAHT members voted, and 72.5 per cent of them indicated they would be prepared to take industrial action. Why does the Minister think the programme for government has been so poorly received by school leaders? Can you confirm that intensive negotiations with NAHT are now taking place, and what progress is the Government making?

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

Diolch, Weinidog. I applaud the answer you gave earlier in response to Reform's attack on trade unions, and I should declare myself a member of many of them, including Unite, because I'm going to come on to this. You talk about social partnership, you talk about Government efficiency, and there's a clear link between both, but at your own party conference this weekend, you had a delegation of health visitors from Cwm Taf, who are Unite members, who've been on strike. They heard a political priority from the First Minister that he would resolve their dispute, and they believe he's lied. Those are their words—that he's failed to keep his promise. As the Minister responsible for keeping the Government's priorities, do you regret the First Minister's failure to keep his promise? We now have the longest running nursing strike in NHS Wales history. To secure efficiency of the NHS, what will you do to resolve the issue?

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6. Debate: Fiscal Reform en

Well, I'll try and use my time wisely, then, and I look forward to having no more contributions from the Reform benches as we get straight to the vote. [Laughter.] Let me be clear, Welsh Labour is proud to co-table this motion, welcoming and reaffirming support for the UK Labour Government's transformative £14 billion commitment for Welsh rail infrastructure. I'm delighted, a bit cheeky, that our co-tablers feel able to welcome this commitment rather than their previous position, which was to question the seriousness with which both Labour Governments at the time were determined to boost rail infrastructure in Wales. Look, we all recognise the underfunding that has resulted off the back of HS2. That £14 billion makes that good and then some. I'm pleased that Members from across the Senedd will also have the chance to put on record their support for this generational commitment. I'll take Cai's as read, right?

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6. Debate: Fiscal Reform cy

Rydyn ni i gyd yn gwybod pa mor bwysig yw trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus i wella ansawdd bywyd pobl, i greu swyddi, i gysylltu cymunedau a dod â phobl yn nes at ei gilydd, ac i ysgogi twf economaidd a ffyniant. Fe glywon ni hynna yn y drafodaeth ar bont Menai a'r M4. Ond, am gyfnod rhy hir, cafodd ein seilwaith rheilffyrdd ni ei atal rhag cyrraedd ei botensial gan Lywodraethau olynol Torïaidd yn San Steffan, a fethodd â buddsoddi yng Nghymru. Newidiodd hynny yn 2024, pan etholwyd Llywodraeth Lafur yn y Deyrnas Gyfunol, gan olygu bod gan Gymru ddwy Lywodraeth Lafur ar y pryd a allai gydweithio. A thrwy gydweithio, llwyddodd y ddwy Lywodraeth hynny i ymrwymo i lefelau hanesyddol o fuddsoddiad yn seilwaith rheilffyrdd Cymru ac i ddyblu cynllun hirdymor ar gyfer rheilffyrdd Cymru gan roi diwedd croesawgar ar yr 14 mlynedd o esgeulustod a thanwariant. Bydd y buddsoddiad yn trawsnewid cymunedau ledled Cymru gan gynnwys y pum gorsaf Burns rhwng Caerdydd a Chyffordd Twnnel Hafren, gwella hygyrchedd a rhoi mwy o gapasiti yng ngorsaf ganolog Caerdydd, sef yr orsaf brysuraf yng Nghymru, a hefyd yn cychwyn rhwydwaith gogledd Cymru gan wella croesfannau rheilffordd ac ymgymryd â'r gwaith hanfodol cyntaf hwnnw tuag at wasanaethau mwy rheolaidd. Bydd y prosiect hefyd yn helpu adeiladu pipeline ar gyfer cynllunio i gyflawni'r genhedlaeth nesaf o welliannau ledled Cymru.

Official English translation

We all know how important public transport is to improve people's quality of life, to create jobs, to link communities and to bring people closer together, and to encourage economic growth and prosperity. We heard that in the debate on the Menai crossing and the M4. But, for too long, our rail infrastructure has been prevented from reaching its potential by successive Conservative Governments in Westminster that failed to invest in Wales. That changed in 2024 when a Labour Government was elected in the UK, meaning that Wales had two Labour Governments at the time that could work together. And through that collaboration, the two Governments managed to commit to historic levels of investment in Welsh rail infrastructure and to double the long-term plan for Welsh rail, bringing a welcome end to the 14 years of neglect and underspend. The investment will transform communities across Wales, including the five Burns station between Cardiff and the Severn Tunnel Junction, and improve capacity and accessibility in Cardiff Central station, which is the busiest station in Wales, and also start the north Wales network by improving rail crossings and undertaking that crucial work to get more regular services. The project will also help to build a pipeline for planning the next generation of improvements across Wales.

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6. Debate: Fiscal Reform en

A pipeline of potentially 43 projects, 12,000 jobs in every part of Wales, with some examples including new stations in Swansea and west Wales, including at St Clears, improved services to Milford Haven, Pembroke Dock and Fishguard, direct services to Liverpool, the Wirral and Wrexham, and stronger links to Deeside industrial park, as well as plans to upgrade the north Wales main line and more reliable trains and services on the Cambrian line. These generational commitments will help deliver the transport network that Wales deserves and show the benefit of having a UK Labour Government that is committed to investing in Wales. I know from Ministers in Westminster that the UK Labour Government is working to deliver these plans as quickly as possible, and I can give my assurance that the benches here will work with the Government here in Wales to secure those commitments. On the issue of fair funding, as the party of devolution, Welsh Labour is also proud to reiterate our long-standing calls for the Barnett formula to be reviewed and for the Welsh Government's fiscal flexibilities to be enhanced. Welsh Labour has always pushed for more funding and more powers for Wales as part of a strong United Kingdom.

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6. Debate: Fiscal Reform cy

Diolch i ddwy Lywodraeth Lafur yn cydweithio, fe lwyddwyd i sicrhau pwerau ychwanegol yn y maes hwn, gan gynnwys mewn perthynas â gwario'r cronfeydd wrth gefn. Dŷn ni'n glir y dylai'r newidiadau hynny barhau yn barhaol. Ond fel sydd wedi bod yn bwynt i gyfres o Lywodraethau Cymru dros y blynyddoedd, mae'n gwbl briodol hefyd fod Cymru'n cael ei chyfran deg o gyllid. Mae hynny yn golygu diwygio fformiwla Barnett. Yn ein maniffesto ni eleni, gwnaeth Llafur Cymru gyflwyno'r achos dros 'fformiwla cyfran deg' newydd a fyddai wedi sicrhau bod Cymru'n derbyn ei chyfran o adnoddau'r Deyrnas Gyfunol yn awtomatig mewn meysydd hollbwysig. Mi wnaethon ni hefyd ymrwymo i weithio i sicrhau diwygio Barnett er mwyn creu system sy'n seiliedig ar angen ac sy'n gweithio i bob rhan o'r Deyrnas Gyfunol. Rydym ni'n cydnabod mai'r unig ffordd yn y pen draw o gyrraedd system sy'n seiliedig ar angen yw drwy drafod a sicrhau cytundeb rhwng y pedair cenedl yn y Deyrnas Gyfunol, ac, yn hynny o beth, byddwn i'n cwestiynu pa mor gynhyrchiol yw hi i Brif Weinidog Cymru 'grandstand-io' ar y mater hwn drwy roi'r cyfrifoldeb cyfan am gyllid tecach yn unig ar ysgwyddau Prif Weinidog y Deyrnas Gyfunol, fel roedd e'n gwneud dros y penwythnos. Rydyn ni'n gwybod bod Llywodraeth yr Alban yn parhau i osgoi galw am system sy'n seiliedig ar angen. Felly, mae gan Lywodraeth Cymru, dwi'n credu, rôl allweddol i wneud yr achos i sicrhau cytundeb ar draws cenhedloedd y Deyrnas Gyfunol. Dwi'n rhedeg allan o amser.

Official English translation

Thanks to the two Labour Governments working together, we managed to secure additional powers in this area, including in relation to the expenditure of reserves. We are clear that those changes should continue and be permanent. But, as has been an issue for a series of Welsh Governments over the years, it's also appropriate that Wales gets its fair share of funding. That does mean reform of the Barnett formula. In our manifesto this year, Welsh Labour made the case for a new 'fair share formula', which would ensure that Wales receives its proper share of UK resources automatically in all-important areas. We also worked to ensure the reform of Barnett to create a system that is based on need and works for all parts of the UK. We recognise that the only way, ultimately, of reaching a system that is based on need is through negotiation and securing agreement between the four nations of the United Kingdom, and, in that regard, I would question how productive it is to for the Welsh First Minister to be grandstanding on this issue by placing the whole responsibility for fairer funding entirely on the shoulders of the UK Prime Minister, as he did over the weekend. We know that the Scottish Government continues to evade demands for a system based on need, so I think the Welsh Government has a key role in making the case to secure an agreement across the nations of the UK. I'm running out of time.

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6. Debate: Fiscal Reform en

I'm running out of time, so I'll just go to the end, Llywydd. Welsh Labour will continue to make the case for Wales to receive its fair share of funding. We'll continue to press for needs-based funding and greater fiscal flexibility.

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6. Debate: Fiscal Reform en

I'm concluding as we speak. My last sentence is: whatever the vote is today, the action continues and we in the Senedd and the Welsh Government need to continue to press on this issue. Diolch yn fawr.

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2026-09-30 2

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3. Topical Questions cy

1. A wnaiff y Gweinidog y Cabinet ddatganiad am y colledion swyddi arfaethedig yn Admiral a Legal and General? TQ1493

Official English translation

1. Will the Cabinet Minister make a statement about proposed job losses at Admiral and Legal and General? TQ1493

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3. Topical Questions en

Diolch, Weinidog. As you can imagine, last week's announcements have caused huge anxiety for workers at both Admiral and Legal & General. These are well-paid jobs in an industry that's been a success story for Cardiff and south Wales over recent decades. The news not only impacts the workers at these companies, but also, more broadly, the Cardiff economy in the city centre. And, as I said, the financial services sector has been a huge success story for Cardiff, with Admiral growing from next to nothing to being Wales's only FTSE 100 headquartered company, and Legal & General being at the heart of the city centre's redevelopment in recent years. Last Friday, Minister, Shav Taj and I, along with Cardiff's four Members of Parliament, met with the companies to press both companies to minimise compulsory redundancies and maximise redeployment opportunities. They need the Welsh Government on their side—the workers, the companies and the industry. So, Minister, have you been able to meet with the companies yet? Will you look to rapidly deploy ReAct and Careers Wales support, working with partners in the Department for Work and Pensions and local government? And, more widely, what support will the Welsh Government deploy to make sure that this industry can return to growth as soon as possible?

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2026-09-29 2

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2. Questions to the First Minister cy

Diolch am godi'r cwestiwn yma. Yng Nghaerdydd, mae yna beth wmbreth o waith wedi cael ei wneud i gefnogi yr ecosystem gerdd yn y ddinas drwy strategaeth gerdd sydd nawr dros saith mlynedd oed.

Official English translation

Thank you for raising this question. In Cardiff, a lot of work has been done to support the music ecosystem in the city through a music strategy that's now over seven years old.

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2. Questions to the First Minister en

As part of that music strategy, a music board has been established. There's been a grass-roots music venue fund to support our fantastic venues. This Friday, we have the third iteration of the Cardiff Music City Festival kicking off for the next fortnight, funded with support from the last Welsh Labour Government. That festival takes place across the city, taking in venues like Tramshed—and I'm grateful to the Member for raising that issue. To quote the venue: 'We are devastated by the announcement that Tramshed will be excluded from the permanent 30% business rates relief.' So, can I ask the First Minister, therefore, why was that? Will he work with us to look again at that cliff edge? And can I return to the issue of the Cardiff music festival? Will he commit to funding future iterations of that festival going forward? Diolch yn fawr.

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2026-09-23 10

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2026-09-22 6

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1. Questions to the First Minister cy

Fe ges i hefyd gyfle yn gynharach eleni i ymweld â'r safle yma a gweld y potensial arbennig sydd yno nid yn unig fel canolfan arloesi rheilffyrdd, ond hefyd fel lle ble y gellir cael pethau fel canolfannau data, a fydd yn helpu i ddatgloi y prosiect ehangach.

Official English translation

I also had an opportunity earlier this year to visit this site and to see the great potential that exists there not only for a centre of innovation in rail, but also as a place where you could have things such as data centres, which will help to unlock the broader project.

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1. Questions to the First Minister en

Welsh Labour invested £2 billion in the Heads of the Valleys road precisely for a reason like this, to connect communities, including along the M4 corridor but also in the old Valleys communities, with projects like this. If we are serious about bringing well-paid jobs and re-industrialising the former coalfields, this is exactly the kind of investment that Wales should secure, recognising that this will take public money as well as private money. So, I've heard a bit of equivocation from you today, which will raise concerns for people wanting to see a rail solution brought forward. We want to see more trains brought forward into Wales, and this would help unlock that. Can you give a reason why your Government would not support the GCRE project specifically? And if you can't give a reason, will you perhaps today commit to supporting it? Diolch yn fawr.

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3. Business Statement and Announcement cy

Drefnydd, hoffwn i gael datganiad gan y Gweinidog perthnasol ynghylch y meini prawf a ddefnyddir wrth ddyrannu cyllid ychwanegol i gefnogi pobl sy'n byw mewn tlodi. Nododd cyhoeddiad i'r wasg yr wythnos diwethaf ynghylch cymorth bwyd a thlodi brys na fydd cyllid yn cael ei ddyrannu ar sail nifer y bobl sy'n byw mewn tlodi, ond, yn hytrach, y bydd cyfran ychwanegol o'r cyllid yn cael ei ddosbarthu yn ôl pa mor wledig yw cymuned.

Official English translation

Trefnydd, I would like a statement from the relevant Minister on the criteria used in allocating additional funding to support people living in poverty. A press release last week on emergency food and poverty support noted that funding would not be allocated on the basis of the number of people living in poverty, but, rather, that an additional percentage of the funding will be distributed according to how rural a community is.

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3. Business Statement and Announcement en

There's a long-established formula for the distribution of such funding, and well-established processes for making changes to this formula. Your Government has torn that up via a press release, and I'm told councils are still waiting for details nearly a week after the announcement was made. I find it deeply concerning, without debate or scrutiny, that the Plaid Government would divert potential funding away from communities such as Ely, Caerau, south Riverside, Pentrebane, Grangetown, Butetown and Splott, despite the significant challenges of poverty faced by residents there. Surely there's consensus across this Chamber that the most effective way to target funding intended to alleviate poverty is to allocate it according to the levels of poverty and need. The Minister needs to urgently explain why she believes differently. Diolch yn fawr.

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4. Statement by the First Minister: 'New Ambition for Wales: Programme for Government 2026-2030' cy

Brif Weinidog, mae'n galonogol gweld yr arwyddion gweladwy cyntaf bod gan y Llywodraeth hon raglen o'r diwedd. Bydd nifer a ddarllenodd gyflwyniad y Prif Weinidog wedi gwenu wrth weld yr honiad bod y Llywodraeth wedi cychwyn arni'n ddi-oed yn ystod eu 100 diwrnod cyntaf. I lawer ledled Cymru, fodd bynnag, roedd cyfres o adolygiadau a chyfres o benderfyniadau'n cael eu gohirio yn teimlo fel unrhyw beth ond hynny.

Official English translation

First Minister, it's encouraging to see the first visible signs that this Government has a programme at last. Many who read the statement by the First Minister will have smiled to see the claim that the Government made a good start during its first 100 days. For many across Wales, however, a series of reviews and a series of postponed decisions felt like anything but progress.

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4. Statement by the First Minister: 'New Ambition for Wales: Programme for Government 2026-2030' en

More concerning, however, is the continued failure to prioritise funding to areas of genuine need. Many in Cardiff will have heard the Trefnydd's contemptuous dismissal of my question earlier today. We've heard claims from Plaid Cymru MSs in the past that the additional learning needs funding gap was less severe in Wales than elsewhere—comments that teaching unions quickly criticised as out of touch with the reality facing schools. And last week, there was an appearance of going even further, with Government Ministers appearing to cast doubts on the future of Flying Start. Whether or not that suggestion proves accurate, it has caused significant concern among those people delivering and benefiting from the programme. Will the First Minister take the opportunity right now to provide clarity and guarantee that funding for Flying Start will continue, as well as the prioritisation of those most in need? Children in some of Wales's most deprived communities should not pay the price for the Government's failure to properly cost its election promises.

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2026-09-16 7

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2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Finance cy

Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Mae arnaf i ofn fod Cai Parry-Jones wedi bod yn copïo fy ngwaith cartref i, achos roeddwn i hefyd yn mynd i'ch holi chi am eich sylwadau chi ar Politics Wales. Roedd hi'n syndod i fi hefyd glywed am y sioc roeddech chi'n ei theimlo o ran y pwysau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wynebu.

Official English translation

Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm afraid that Cai Parry-Jones has been copying my homework, because I too was going to ask about your comments on Politics Wales. It came as a surprise to me too to hear of your shock in looking at the pressures facing the Welsh Government.

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2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Finance en

Cai has made reference to some of the commentary around the pressures facing Welsh Government in its next budget. The IFS, the Institute for Fiscal Studies, warned in the election campaign about the extremely challenging fiscal outlook facing the next Government, and yet your own party leader assured voters that Plaid Cymru had a fully costed programme for government. It does start to feel now like these were simply making promises without preparing for the consequences. I don't want to repeat Cai's question, so let me ask, therefore: if the Government faces a choice between funding its manifesto promises or making cuts to core public services and projects, how will it decide?

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2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Finance en

Diolch, Weinidog. I'm sure you would concede that difficult budget decisions and cuts are rarely felt equally. Women, disabled people, minority ethnic communities, children and those already experiencing poverty are often placed most at risk when public spending is constrained. Under the previous Welsh Labour Government, there was the budget improvement and impact advisory group, bringing organisations representing those communities directly into the budget-setting process. We've now been told by equality stakeholders that the group has not met under this Plaid Cymru Welsh Government and they've had no assurance about its future.

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2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Finance cy

A wnewch chi ymrwymo, Weinidog, i ailsefydlu'r grŵp yma a chomitio i ymgysylltu ystyrlon â mudiadau cydraddoldeb wrth gynllunio'r gyllideb, ac nid i simply ymgynghori ar ôl i'r penderfyniadau mawr gael eu gwneud?

Official English translation

Will you commit, Minister, to re-establish this group and also commit to meaningful engagement with equalities organisations when planning your budget, and not to simply consult once the major decisions have been made?

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4. 90-second Statements en

Sir Billy Boston, who passed away last month at the age of 92, was one of rugby league's greatest ever players, an inspiration from Butetown in Cardiff, and I'm sure the whole Chamber will want to share our condolences with the Boston family. Born on Angelina Street, just a stone's throw from this building, he first played rugby for Cardiff Internationals Athletic Club, and it's great to see the CIACs still going to this day. Billy dreamed of representing Cardiff and Wales through rugby union, yet despite his talent, he was overlooked by his hometown club and nation. As my predecessor Vaughan Gething said, 'It's hard to believe this was simply down to a scouting system failure and nothing to do with the colour of his skin.' After being spotted during national service, he joined Wigan rugby league where he became a sporting legend. His remarkable achievements for Wigan, Great Britain and the game itself secured his place amongst rugby league's all-time greats. Last year, he became the first rugby league player to be knighted. Last week, Wigan renamed their central square in his honour. I was immensely proud to work with members of the Butetown community, sports figures and local businesspeople to secure a lasting tribute to Billy and the other code breakers from Cardiff in the statue that was unveiled in Cardiff Bay. We were particularly delighted that we were able to achieve that during Billy's lifetime and have him there with us as we unveiled the statue to him, Clive Sullivan and Gus Risman, a fitting tribute to all the code breakers achieved and all they overcame. Rest in peace, Sir Billy Boston.

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5. Reform UK Debate: Grooming gangs en

Can I start by expressing my thanks to Paul Marr for sharing his family's deeply personal experiences and for setting the tone for this debate so well? I will try and continue in that vein. Can I also thank the charity Action for Children for an incredibly helpful briefing that they shared in advance of this debate? Let me be clear: child sexual exploitation is abhorrent. It destroys childhoods, damages families and leaves victims and survivors carrying the consequences for decades. Let me be clear again: whilst victims and survivors deserve justice, they deserve our support and they deserve the opportunity to have their experience heard. There can be no complacency. If women or children are being abused, we must know about it and we must act to stop it. Wales is already within the scope of the statutory independent inquiry into grooming gangs. The published terms of reference state explicitly that the inquiry will cover England and Wales. So, the question is not whether Wales is included—Wales is included, and that is right. It must be the case that Welsh victims are heard. Where necessary, Welsh institutions must be held to account, and the inquiry's findings must lead to meaningful action. The amendment we're supporting puts victims and survivors first. It recognises that people need not only justice but support. It acknowledges the existing scope of the statutory inquiry that holds Welsh Government to account over their commitment to consider carefully any findings and recommendations relating to Wales, taking forward whatever action is necessary, and this place will hold them to account. This is a sensitive issue. Whenever we discuss it, our focus must be on the experiences and concerns of victims. I don't think this is the place for political point-scoring, because, as Darren said, I think this is an issue on which there is broad consensus. Baroness Casey herself warned about the reluctance of some local areas to face up to the fact that victims had not been treated properly. We must not repeat that failure. We must confront institutional failings wherever they occurred, regardless of the organisation, location or individuals involved, no matter how uncomfortable that may be, and we should also recognise that Wales has already taken significant action. The last Welsh Government legislated through the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014. That legislation places safeguarding duties on relevant agencies. Where an agency, including the police, probation services or another local authority, has reasonable cause to suspect that a child or an adult with care and support needs is at risk of abuse, neglect or other harm, there is a legal duty to inform the relevant local authority. But, of course, legislation alone is not enough. Duties must be understood, followed and properly monitored, and, where they have not been followed, there must be accountability. That is why we welcomed Baroness Casey's audit and remain committed to engaging fully with its recommendations. We also recognise work already undertaken through the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse, chaired by Professor Alexis Jay. Organisations, including the Children's Commissioner for Wales and police and crime commissioners, have rightly emphasised the need to implement its recommendations. That work must continue. And the Welsh Government's 10-year strategy for preventing and responding to child sexual abuse in Wales, published in March this year, builds on that foundation. It covers all forms of child sexual abuse, including sexual exploitation, and sets out action on prevention, protection, effective responses and long-term support for adult victim survivors. This issue cuts across devolved and reserved responsibilities. Safeguarding, social services, health and education are central Welsh responsibilities, whilst policing, prosecution, court, probation and prisons are reserved to the UK Government. That is why I support the approach currently being taken, and that approach must also be evidence led. A rise in convictions is important and must be understood, but convictions alone do not tell us the full scale or nature of abuse. We must collect and examine all relevant data, including data on the ethnicity of perpetrators. Abuse is abuse and must always be condemned. That does not mean stigmatising entire communities or allowing evidence to be replaced by assumptions. Victims and survivors have waited too long for justice. They do not need an incorrect suggestion that Wales has been excluded from the inquiry. They need the inquiry to proceed urgently, transparently and with proper attention to Welsh cases. Thank you.

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8. Short Debate: Congestion isn't inevitable: How the Welsh Government and Cardiff Council can improve the lives of motorists in Cardiff and the surrounding regions en

Thank you, Cai, for this opportunity to speak. I'm grateful that some of your colleagues have been brief, because I'm going to steal their time. Let me say this first: I love driving, I recognise that some people will always have to drive, and I want to see more roads built in Cardiff myself—namely, as you said, the eastern bay link. I've campaigned for that for over a decade now. But I also recognise the fact that if everyone in Cardiff who can drive did so, on top of the 100,000 drivers—some of them in this Chamber—who drive in every week day, no-one would get anywhere. Congestion already costs the city's economy over £100 million per year. We have to enable people to make alternative travel choices. So, why wouldn't we find ways to make walking and cycling safe, given the obesity crisis that the country is facing, let alone the climate one? Why wouldn't we build infrastructure to make buses faster and more reliable when 44 per cent of low-income households can't afford a car? And here's a plea to Plaid Cymru: can we match the £2 bus fare that Andy Burnham's introduced in England, please? Why wouldn't we want to build further on Welsh Labour's £1 billion investment into the south Wales metro, when the alternative is to see more vehicles drive into Cardiff from outside and polluting some of our poorest communities anywhere in Wales? This all requires investment, and that's why I support the proposals put forward by Cardiff Council to introduce a workplace parking levy. My last visit as a council leader was to Nottingham, where we saw, having introduced a levy a decade ago, the infrastructure that levy has built, where we learnt how business has grown in that city as a result of that investment. On 20 mph, I'll say two things—three things. Vast swathes of Cardiff were already 20 mph before the so-called 'blanket' introduction came into force. We, in Cardiff Labour, stood on a platform three times to introduce more 20 mph areas. We won three times. And when the council asked, consulted, on re-raising limits, there was not a single street where more than 10 residents living on it wanted their street to get faster. So, this is a good debate, but let's spend more time examining how we unlock the investment that we all acknowledge is needed to deliver the improvements that Cardiff needs. And if we can do that, then we can really get the economy of Wales moving. Thank you.

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2026-09-15 4

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4. Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Finance: Rebalancing the non-domestic rates system cy

Dwi ddim yn siŵr a oes angen dweud hyn, ond fe wnaeth Cai gyfeirio at Airbus, ac mae gen i aelod o'r teulu sy'n gweithio i'r cwmni hwnnw. Mae Llafur Cymru wedi bod yn glir ein bod ni o leiaf yn bwriadu bod yn wrthblaid adeiladol. Dyna pam ein bod ni yn croesawu egwyddorion y cyhoeddiad heddiw, gan gydnabod y bydd gostyngiad parhaol o 30 y cant yn rhoi cymorth gwerthfawr a mwy o sicrwydd i fusnesau lletygarwch, llety a hamdden sy'n gymwys. Mae'r cyhoeddiad hwn, wrth gwrs, yn adeiladu ar bolisïau'r Llywodraeth Lafur Cymru flaenorol a ddarparodd dros £1 biliwn o gymorth ardrethi i fusnesau manwerthu, hamdden a lletygarwch ers 2020-21. Ond mae'n rhaid talu am y gostyngiad hwn, onid oes? Mae'r Gweinidog yn dweud bod y cynigion yn niwtral o ran cost ac y bydd y bwrdwn yna yn disgyn ar y busnesau mwyaf. Ond mae angen cydnabod hefyd fod ardrethi annomestig yn seiliedig ar werth eiddo, nid ar drosiant cwmni, ei elw nac ar ei allu i dalu. Nid yw busnes sy'n meddiannu safle â gwerth ardrethol uchel o reidrwydd yn fusnes mawr nac yn fusnes hynod broffidiol, o bosib.

Official English translation

I don't know if I need to say this, but Cai made reference to Airbus, and I have a family member working for that company. Welsh Labour has been clear that we at least intend to be a constructive opposition. That's why we do welcome the principles of today's announcement, recognising the permanent reduction of 30 per cent, providing valuable support and assurances to businesses in accommodation, hospitality and leisure that qualify for this reduction. This announcement, of course, builds on the policies of the previous Welsh Labour Government that provided over £1 billion of rate support for hospitality and leisure businesses since 2020-21. But we do have to pay for this reduction, don't we? The Minister says that the proposals are cost neutral and that the burden will fall on the largest businesses. But we also have to recognise that non-domestic rates are based on the value of property, not the turnover of a company, its profit or its ability to pay. A business that has a high rateable value as a site isn't necessarily a large business or necessarily a very profitable business.

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4. Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Finance: Rebalancing the non-domestic rates system en

The Federation of Small Businesses says that some higher value hospitality and leisure premises have already faced increases of up to 70 per cent following revaluation. Some hotels could now be excluded from the 30 per cent reduction and made to pay the higher multiplier instead. I'm also concerned about the unintended consequences of today's announcements. Few in this Chamber would, I think, challenge the notion of raising business rates on large out-of-town retailers, but these proposals will likely also impact valuable sites employing hundreds of workers each in places like the city centres of Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and Wrexham.

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4. Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Finance: Rebalancing the non-domestic rates system cy

Roeddwn i'n siarad yn gynharach gyda Gwyn, yn gresynu ar golled Marks and Spencer yn Abertawe. Oes yna fwy o fanwerthwyr o'r math hynny mewn perygl o wneud penderfyniadau i gau eu siopau yng nghanol ein dinasoedd ni?

Official English translation

I was speaking earlier with Gwyn, regretting the loss of Marks and Spencer in Swansea. Will there be more retailers of that kind that are likely to take decisions to close their stores in the middle of our cities?

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4. Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Finance: Rebalancing the non-domestic rates system en

I'd point out here that Cardiff alone makes a net contribution of around £100 million to the Welsh national non-domestic rates pot. Will the Minister therefore share, in advance of the budget—today, if possible—the intended threshold for the higher multiplier, the number, type and location of the properties that will pay more, the average and largest expected increases, and her assessment of the effect on jobs, investment and prices? Can she also set out how she will avoid a cliff edge for businesses whose rateable value is just above £51,000? What these questions demonstrate, I think, Minister, is that what's actually needed is wholesale reform of the business rates system in its totality. There was a commitment to that effect in Welsh Labour's manifesto, just as there was in Plaid Cymru's manifesto. I know that this new Government loves a review, it loves a commission. I wonder, Minister, if you could explain why your announcement today—welcome though it broadly is—is simply making tweaks at the margins and not getting into the more comprehensive changes that your party promised before the election. Our offer, as Welsh Labour, is to work with you so that we can make the system fair and so that we can incentivise businesses and local authorities to grow the value of NDR receipts and to drive wider economic growth. Thank you.

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2026-07-15 4

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2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning cy

Mae ar Gymru angen mwy o dai. Rydych chi wedi dweud hynny heddiw, Weinidog, ond fe glywom ni yn y wasg dros y penwythnos ddatblygwyr a chymdeithasau tai yn sôn ei bod hi'n gallu cymryd rhwng tair a pum mlynedd i sicrhau caniatâd cynllunio.

Official English translation

Wales needs more houses. You've said that today, Minister, but we heard in the press over the weekend developers and housing associations saying that it can take between three and five years to secure planning consent.

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2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning en

As you update 'Planning Policy Wales', can you confirm your intention, therefore, to make the planning system more permissive so that we can build the homes Wales needs and, indeed, build the industrial developments that Wales needs? Will you make it more permissive, or will you continue to risk letting the not-in-my-backyard brigade stop developments and delay developments that have overwhelming public benefit?

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4. 90-second Statements cy

Hoffwn i longyfarch a dathlu pen-blwydd yr elusen BAWSO yn 30 mlwydd oed. Am dri degawd, mae BAWSO wedi bod yn cefnogi pobl ledled Cymru ar rai o achlysuron mwyaf anodd eu bywydau.

Official English translation

I would like to congratulate and celebrate the anniversary of the BAWSO charity at 30. For three decades, BAWSO has been supporting people the length and breadth of Wales at some of the most difficult periods of their lives.

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4. 90-second Statements en

Founded in Cardiff by a small group of black and minoritised women, BAWSO recognised that survivors of domestic abuse needed services that understood their experiences and the barriers they faced in seeking help. They've grown from a rented room with just a desk, chair and phone to a Wales-wide organisation, supporting thousands of people every year, with a free-access helpline, available 24 hours a day, every day. BAWSO has often led the way in tackling issues such as forced marriage, female genital mutilation, honour-based violence, modern slavery and human traffic, long before many of these issues received the attention they deserved. As BAWSO marks its thirtieth anniversary, I want to thank staff, volunteers and trustees for everything they do. I particularly want to acknowledge the contribution of their founding chief executive, Mutale Merrill, and their present chief exec, Samsunear Ali, both of whom I've worked closely with over the years. I understand there's a gala celebration event on Friday, and I'm sure all of us here are very welcome there. Diolch.

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2026-07-14 7

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1. Questions to the First Minister en

Diolch, Brif Weinidog. One of the key challenges of Government is to manage in-year spend and in-year overspends. You will know, First Minister, that local government is bound by law that they have to balance their books within year. That doesn't go for other governmental departments. Do you accept the principle that all Government departments should manage their budgets to the agreed budgets, or, if not, can you outline what in-year overspends you are prepared to accept this year?

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

Mewn ateb ysgrifenedig a dderbyniais i'n ddiweddar, cadarnhaodd y Gweinidog Cabinet dros Lywodraeth Leol, Tai a Chynllunio bod Llywodraeth Cymru, fel rhan o'i hadolygiad o'r fformiwla ariannu, yn adolygu'r data ar ddangosyddion sylfaenol, gan gynnwys y rhai sy'n ymwneud ag amddifadedd a gwasgaredigrwydd poblogaeth—deprivation and sparsity—er mwyn sicrhau eu bod yn parhau i ddarparu adlewyrchiad cywir a chadarn o angen cymharol a chostau.

Official English translation

In a written response I received recently, the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning confirmed that Welsh Government, as part of its review of the funding formula, is reviewing the data on primary indicators, including those relating to deprivation and sparsity of population, in order to ensure that they continue to provide a clear reflection of the comparative need and costs.

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

There are huge concerns in parts of Wales that Plaid will copy what Rishi Sunak did in England and redistribute funding via the funding formula away from poorer urban areas towards relatively wealthier rural ones. As the Minister with responsibility for statistics, can you confirm what issues you identified in the underlying data and indicators that prompted this review, and when will the review be concluded?

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

Dwi jest yn adlewyrchu, Weinidog, y consérn real sy'n cael ei deimlo yn yr ardaloedd mwy diwydiannol. Fe glywon ni gan eich ffrind Zaynub Akbar mewn dadl fer yn ddiweddar bod 60,000 o bobl yn byw yn arc ddeheuol Caerdydd a phetai'r 60,000 yna yn un awdurdod lleol, dyna fyddai'r awdurdod lleol tlotaf yng Nghymru. Felly, mae'r consérn yn real, a wnes i ddim clywed pa ffigurau oedd wedi eich gwthio chi i gynnal yr adolygiad yna. Ta waeth, agwedd arall ar yr agenda bolisi sy'n peri pryder yw'r cynnydd yn y nifer o gwangos a chomisiynau newydd sy'n cael eu ffurfio heb amcanion wedi eu diffinio a heb dryloywder clir. Fel y Gweinidog sy'n gyfrifol am oruchwyliaeth, pa gamau y byddwch chi'n eu cymryd i sicrhau bod y Senedd hon a'i phwyllgorau yn gallu craffu'n effeithiol ar y cyrff newydd hyn?

Official English translation

I'm just reflecting, Minister, the real concern that's to be felt in the more industrial areas. We heard from your colleague Zaynub Akbar in a recent debate that there are 60,000 people in the southern arc of Cardiff, and if those 60,000 were one local authority, that would be the poorest local authority in Wales. So, the concern is real, and I didn't hear what figures had pushed you to hold that review. However, another aspect of the policy agenda that causes concern is the increasing number of quangos and new commissions that are being formed without objectives being set and without clear transparency. As the Minister responsible for oversight, what steps will you be taking to ensure that this Senedd and its committees can scrutinise these new bodies effectively?

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9. Debate: The First Supplementary Budget 2026-27 cy

Cyn i fi fynd i fanylion ar safbwynt Llafur Cymru, dwi am ddiolch i Elin Jones am ei hymgysylltiad gyda fi ar y gyllideb atodol, a dwi'n gobeithio ei bod hi'n gwybod am y parch sydd gen i a fy nghyd-Aelodau tuag ati. Rwy'n amau'n fawr pe bai hi wedi cael mwy o ryddid i negodi na fydden ni yn y sefyllfa rŷn ni ynddi heddiw. Yn anffodus, rwy'n ofni bod yna rai eraill ym Mhlaid Cymru nad oedd yn meddwl bod angen iddyn nhw negodi, neu roedd yn well ganddyn nhw wneud hynny drwy fideos ymosodol ar Facebook a briffio i'r cyfryngau. Wrth edrych tuag at broses y gyllideb y flwyddyn nesaf, rwy'n mawr obeithio y bydd y Llywodraeth yn myfyrio ar sut y gellid osgoi'r anrhefn a welwyd dros y tair wythnos diwethaf.

Official English translation

Before I go into details on the position of Welsh Labour, I want to thank Elin Jones for her engagement with me on the supplementary budget, and I do hope that she knows of the respect that my colleagues and I have for her. I suspect that if she'd had more freedom to negotiate we wouldn't be in the situation that we're in today. Unfortunately, I fear that there are others in Plaid Cymru who thought that they didn't need to negotiate, or they preferred to do that through attacking videos on Facebook and briefings to the media. In looking to the process for next year's budget, I do hope that the Government will reflect on how to avoid the disorder seen over the last three weeks.

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9. Debate: The First Supplementary Budget 2026-27 en

Welsh Labour's red lines on the supplementary budget have been clear from the outset: a substantial contribution for additional learning needs in our schools, utilising some—not all, some—of the consequential made available by the UK Government spend in this area in England. Plaid Cymru's initial proposals contained not one penny for ALN. This fact is made very clear by the concerns raised in the Finance Committee report. A petition on this issue attracted 11,000 signatures in two weeks. And in the end, seven days ago, Plaid finally put some money on the table. We are clear this is not enough, but this is not our view alone. As has been said before, Welsh councils are united on how the pressures from ALN in schools are real and urgent. Many of us will have received correspondence from school leaders, outlining the immediate difference extra real funding could make, and we are all aware of the concerns felt by teaching unions. Extraordinarily, overnight, the two teaching unions that represent school leaders, the NAHT and ASCL, have written jointly to Welsh Government to state that they are now in formal dispute with the Government over the issue of pay and ALN funding. These aren't militant unions. They're not affiliated with the Labour Party. In fact, one of them used to be led by the education Minister. So, how has it come to this, just 64 days into a new Plaid Cymru Government, where two large, well-respected unions are having to ask for the intervention of an independent conciliation body to mediate its dealing with Welsh Government? It's unprecedented. It's a failure of social partnership, and it says very clearly that the supplementary budget, as proposed, isn't good enough. Not our assessment; the blunt assessment of teachers, school leaders and their representatives. I heard the Trefnydd's response to Lynne Neagle earlier in the business statement. It sounded to me very much like the response of a Government that's stopped listening. Let me spell it out. Forty million pounds in one year is a bad deal. Forty million pounds in the second year, when it's been eroded by inflation and demand growth, is a bad deal. Forty million pounds in the third year, when £200 million of further recurring consequential become available from ALN spend in England, is a ridiculous deal. No financially literate party could sign up to it. Llywydd, this Senedd Labour group is returning to our party's foundational mission, being the political representation of organised labour in the nation and being the voice of the most vulnerable in our society. You will understand, therefore, given the fundamental and formal concerns that unions have regarding these proposals, how we simply cannot support the supplementary budget as it currently stands. There are some on the Plaid benches that are avowed socialists. Here is an early test for you: will you blindly follow your party's whip, or will you vote with our pupils and our teachers? And let's also be clear, Llywydd—[Interruption.] Let's also be clear—

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9. Debate: The First Supplementary Budget 2026-27 en

I will raise my voice, Llywydd. Let's be clear on the implications for additional spending on NHS waiting lists. We support these proposals. They are, after all, the continuation of the successful policy that the last Welsh Government adopted. You do not need a supplementary budget in place to spend in this area. You can carry on the investment now and regularise that spend later in the year. Fearmongering that this money is at risk simply does not bear informed scrutiny. And as to the suggestion that if the supplementary budget failed, there would be no money given to ALN at a later date, if that's accurate then it's pernicious, it's vindictive and it's going to lead to widespread industrial action. The supplementary budget before us has £0.25 billion of unallocated financial resources. I've outlined before, the Chair of the Finance Committee has repeated it: that's not normal. You could use £100 million, as we've requested for ALN, and still have a substantial cushion to manage in-year spending pressures. Llywydd, we genuinely tried to warn the Government that they were headed for the rocks. My advice now is just as genuine: withdraw the supplementary budget today, negotiate with the teaching unions to resolve this dispute you've blundered into, and then bring back a supplementary budget that actually starts to meet the asks of pupils and teachers. When you do, we'll be here waiting, ready to vote for it. Diolch yn fawr.

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2026-07-08 11

Open this sitting on the stage

2026-07-07 9

Open this sitting on the stage

1. Questions to the First Minister cy

8. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog amlinellu blaenoriaethau'r Llywodraeth ar gyfer lles anifeiliaid? OQ64364

Official English translation

8. Will the First Minister outline the Government’s priorities for animal welfare? OQ64364

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1. Questions to the First Minister cy

Dwi'n diolch i'r Prif Weinidog am yr ateb yna.

Official English translation

I thank the First Minister for that response.

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1. Questions to the First Minister en

I had hoped to hear something in those priorities about the practice of the tethering of horses. This is currently the most signed petition on the Senedd petition website. There was a tragic incident earlier this year where a formerly tethered horse was hit by a vehicle and killed on one of the approach roads into Cardiff, and it's an issue of great concern to my constituents in Caerdydd Penarth. Yet horses continue to be tethered along roads such as Rover Way on the road into Cardiff, creating welfare concerns, particularly in periods of extreme weather like the recent heat, and clearly posing a risk to motorists as well. The RSPCA reports that tethered horses reports have almost doubled and have warned that local authorities often lack the resources and the rescue capacity. I know from personal experience that there are practical challenges with making full use of the Control of Horses (Wales) Act 2014. The First Minister will appreciate, as I do, some of the cultural sensitivities surrounding this issue and he'll want to calibrate the Government's response accordingly. But in view of the increase in incidents and the wider public concern, can the First Minister outline his position on the banning of the tethering of horses and will he commit to reviewing the Control of Horses (Wales) Act 2014? Thank you.

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3. Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy: New Development Agency for Wales en

I've previously said that I was worried that you were outsourcing economic development to an arm's-length body; I'm now worried that you're outsourcing the thinking about what that body will do to an outside body, in setting up this expert group. I've read the statement three times. There are lots of warm words, but I'm still no clearer, nor am I from the answers you've given today, what this agency is actually going to be doing, Minister. So, I think more detail is urgently required—if you can't supply it in this Chamber today, then in further written statements. I asked for a statement following the local government Minister's comments about corporate joint committees recently. I had quite a disappointing and dismissive reply from the Trefnydd. But specifically, Minister, I'd like to understand how you see this new agency interacting with the CJCs, which, I remind you, are established by statute to carry out economic development functions. How will they interact and how will you ensure, therefore, that there is a democratic voice in economic development in Wales?

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4. Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language: Welsh Language Priorities cy

Gaf i ddiolch i'r Gweinidog am y diweddariadau? Gaf i godi i ychwanegu ein llais ni i'r gefnogaeth drawsbleidiol sydd i'r Gymraeg yn y Siambr yma bellach? Mae pawb yn rhannu storïau personol—o'm fy rhan i, ychydig bach fel taid Helen, roeddwn i'n methu siarad Saesneg, gair o Saesneg, tan roeddwn i tua saith mlynedd oed, ac roedd hynny'n sicr yn sioc i ffrindiau prifysgol yn Lloegr, ond dyna'r diwylliant unigryw sydd gyda ni yma yng Nghymru. Bydd pawb yn y Siambr, wrth gwrs, yn gyfarwydd â tharged Llywodraeth Cymru i gyrraedd miliwn o siaradwyr erbyn 2050. Mae yna ail darged yna hefyd, sydd yn dueddol o gael llai o sylw, i ddyblu defnydd yr iaith Gymraeg mewn bywyd bob dydd. Er mwyn cyflawni'r ddwy nod yma, mae angen mynd i waith ar draws pob adran. Nawr, wrth gwrs, mae'n bwysig hybu siaradwyr newydd drwy'r system gofal plant a'r system addysg. Mae'r Llywodraeth wedi bod yn glir am eu huchelgais dros ofal plant drwy gyfwng y Gymraeg fel rhan o'u polisi gofal plant. Gaf i wthio am fwy o fanylder ar sut bydd y polisi yma'n gweithio ar lawr gwlad? Sawl lleoliad gofal plant cyfrwng Cymraeg newydd fydd angen eu datblygu i gyrraedd y nod o ofal plant am ddim o naw mis oed? A sut ydy'r Llywodraeth am sicrhau bod y niferoedd o staff Cymraeg yn mynd i fod ar gael i ddiwallu'r galw hynny? Ac wrth i'r Llywodraeth roi'r Ddeddf y Gymraeg ac Addysg (Cymru) 2025 ar waith, pa gefnogaeth ychwanegol fydd ar gael i hyfforddi athrawon sy'n dysgu drwy'r Gymraeg? Mae'r Gweinidog, fel fi, yn gefnogol o'r egwyddor o agor ysgol uwchradd ychwanegol yng Nghaerdydd, ond, yn y cyd-destun cenedlaethol, mae cyfraddau genedigaethau yn disgyn, ac eto rydym ni'n gwybod bod pobl eisiau gweld darpariaeth addysg Gymraeg yn eu cymunedau. Felly, pa gefnogaeth fydd y Llywodraeth yn ei rhoi i awdurdodau lleol i gynnal ysgolion Cymraeg, a hyd yn oed agor rhai newydd, mewn ardaloedd lle dydy'r niferoedd ddim yna ar hyn o bryd o ran cynaliadwyedd ariannol? Yn mynd ymlaen, er mwyn dyblu'r defnydd o Gymraeg mewn bywyd bob dydd, mae hi'n angenrheidiol, yn fy marn i, i grymuso pobl i ddefnyddio'r Gymraeg sydd ganddyn nhw, boed hynny yn y gweithle, ar-lein neu yn eu cymunedau. Mae technolegau newydd yn datblygu yn gyflym, gan newid sail sut mae pobl yn gweithio ac yn cymdeithasu. Felly, er mwyn i'r Gymraeg aros wrth galon bywyd bob dydd, mae'n rhaid sicrhau bod technoleg newydd yn gweithio er lles yr iaith. Felly, a all y Gweinidog ymrwymo i weithio ochr yn ochr gyda'r undebau llafur i hyrwyddo'r Siarter Twf, a ddatblygwyd gyda'r undebau i hybu'r Gymraeg yn y gweithle? A pha fesurau penodol fydd y Llywodraeth yn eu cyflwyno i annog mwy o brentisiaethau drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg? A fyddai'r Gweinidog, ymhellach, yn fodlon ymrwymo i ariannu gwaith i ddatblygu mwy o dechnolegau newydd yn y Gymraeg, gan gynnwys datblygiadau dealltwriaeth artiffisial? Ar y pwnc o gynaliadwyedd cymunedau dwysedd uwch a grybwyllwyd yn y datganiad, a gaf i ofyn i ba gyfeiriad fydd eich polisïau chi yn mynd? Er enghraifft, ar ddatblygiadau tai, dwi wedi clywed sawl tro pobl yn dweud eu bod nhw'n gorfod gadael y fro Gymraeg oherwydd eu bod nhw'n methu fforddio prynu tŷ ac, ar y llaw arall, dwi wedi darllen droeon wrthwynebiadau cynllunio yn dweud, 'Bydd datblygu tai yn y man yma yn cael effaith ar yr iaith.' Felly, yn y cymunedau dwysedd uwch a'r polisïau rydych chi'n mynd i'w rhoi mewn lle, a fyddwn ni'n disgwyl gweld mwy o dai yn cael eu hadeiladu neu llai? A gaf i holi hefyd: pa ffocws fyddwch chi'n ei roi ar y brif ddinas—yr unig sir i weld twf yn y defnydd o'r Gymraeg yn y cyfrifiad, a'r sir a gyhoeddwyd fis diwethaf sydd nawr â'r mwyaf o siaradwyr Cymraeg ohoni nac unrhyw sir arall yng Nghymru? Nid jest polisïau sy'n gefnogol o'r iaith yn yr ysgol a thu hwnt i'r ysgol sydd wedi creu hynny, ond hefyd polisïau cefnogol fel adeiladu mwy o dai o bob math, a datblygu a gwthio twf economaidd, sydd yn creu swyddi i bobl ifanc fedru aros yng Nghymru, yng Nghaerdydd, a dod â'u teuluoedd i fyny ar aelwydydd Cymraeg. Felly, oes yna ymrwymiad, Weinidog, i ddysgu o'r un llwyddiant clir sydd gennym ni o sir yng Nghymru yn tyfu nifer y siaradwyr Cymraeg dros ddegawd a mwy hefyd? Fe wnes i, fel arweinydd Cyngor Caerdydd, gyflwyniad i gyngor Dulyn llynedd, achos maen nhw'n awyddus i ddysgu o'n llwyddiannau ni. A wnewch chi? Yn olaf, mae enwau lleoedd Cymru yn rhan o'n hanes ni fel cymunedau ac fel cenedl. Dwi'n croesawu'r cyfeiriad sydd at hynny yn eich datganiad chi. O dan y Llywodraeth Cymru flaenorol, fe wnaethpwyd ymchwil manwl gyda phartneriaid i wella'r ddealltwriaeth o'r newidiadau mewn enwau lleoedd, ac fe gyhoeddwyd set o flaenoriaethau craidd i'w hamddiffyn. Ydy'r Llywodraeth yma yn cytuno i ymrwymo i'r blaenoriaethau hynny? Mae'r Gymraeg yn berchen i ni i gyd, ac yn sicr, o'n plaid ni, byddwn ni'n eich gwthio chi ond hefyd yn eich cefnogi chi i fynd ymhellach. Diolch yn fawr.

Official English translation

May I thank the Minister for the update? And may I add our voice to the cross-party support for the Welsh language in this Chamber now? Everyone's sharing their own personal stories—from my perspective, a little like Helen's grandfather, I couldn't speak a word of English until I was around seven, and that was a shock to my university friends in England, but that's the unique culture that we have here in Wales. Everyone in the Chamber will be familiar with the Welsh Government's target of a million Welsh speakers by 2050. There is a second target, however, which tends to get less attention, namely to double the use of the Welsh language in everyday life. In order to deliver both of these targets, we need to work across all departments. Now, of course, it's important to promote new speakers through childcare and the education system. The Government has been clear on its ambition for Welsh-medium childcare as part of its childcare offer. May I push for more details on how this policy will work on the ground? How many Welsh-medium childcare settings will need to be developed in order to reach the target of free childcare from nine months old? And how will the Government ensure that the number of Welsh-speaking staff will be available to meet that demand? And as the Government implements the Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025, what additional support will be available to train teachers who teach through the medium of Welsh? The Minister, like me, is supportive of the principle of opening an additional secondary school in Cardiff, but, in the national context, birth rates are declining, and yet we know that people do want to see Welsh-medium provision in their communities. So, what support will the Government provide to local authorities in order to sustain Welsh-medium schools, and even open new ones, in areas where the numbers aren't there at the moment in terms of financial sustainability? Moving on, in order to double the use of the Welsh language in everyday life, it is necessary, in my view, to empower people to use the Welsh language that they have, be that in the workplace, online or in their communities. New technologies are developing apace, changing how people work and socialise. So, in order for the Welsh language to remain at the heart of everyday life, we must ensure that new technology works for the benefit of the language. Therefore, can the Minister commit to working alongside the trade unions in order to promote the Twf Charter, which was developed with the unions to promote the Welsh language in the workplace? And what specific measures will the Government introduce to encourage more Welsh-medium apprenticeships? Would the Minister, further, be willing to commit to fund work to develop more new technologies through the medium of Welsh, including developments in artificial intelligence? On the issue of higher density community sustainability that was mentioned in the statement, may I ask in what direction will your policies go? For example, on housing developments, I've heard many people say that they're having to leave the Welsh-speaking heartlands because they can't afford properties there and, on the other hand, I have read time and again opposition to planning applications saying that, 'Developments of housing in this area will have an impact on the language.' So, in those higher density communities and the policies that you'll put in place, can we expect to see more housing built or less? Can I also ask what focus you will give to the capital city—the only county to see a growth in the use of the Welsh language in the census, and the county that it was announced last month that now has more Welsh speakers than any other county in Wales? It's not just policies that support the language in schools and beyond schools that have created that scenario, but also supportive policies like building more housing of all kinds, and developing and pushing economic growth, which creates jobs for young people, so that they can remain in Wales, in Cardiff, and bring their families up in Welsh-speaking households. So, is there a commitment, Minister, to learn from the clear success that we have of a county in Wales that has grown the number of Welsh speakers over the past decade and more? I, as leader of Cardiff Council, gave a presentation to Dublin council last year, because they're eager to learn from our successes. Will you? Finally, Welsh place names are part of our history as communities and as a nation. I welcome the reference to that in your statement. Under the previous Welsh Government, detailed research was done with partners in order to enhance our understanding of changes in place names, and a set of core priorities to protect them was published. Does this Government agree to commit to those priorities? The Welsh language does belong to us all, and certainly, as a party, we will urge you but also support you in going further. Thank you very much.

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7. Debate: Fair Funding cy

Diolch, Lywydd. Dwi'n codi i symud y gwelliant yn enw Lynne Neagle. Mae sicrhau ariannu teg i Gymru wirioneddol yn gonsýrn canolog i unrhyw Lywodraeth.

Official English translation

Thank you, Llywydd. I move the amendment in the name of Lynne Neagle. Ensuring fair funding for Wales is a central concern for any Government.

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7. Debate: Fair Funding en

Unlike Plaid Cymru, our belief on these benches is that Wales benefits from being part of a union and that we are stronger together. And that includes being financially stronger. The Welsh Government continues to receive over 20 per cent more per person than equivalent UK Government spending in the rest of the UK. That means that, for every £1 spent by the UK Government in devolved policy areas, the Welsh Government is able to spend at least £1.20 on devolved priorities like health and education. On the most basic level, this is redistributive. It brings a material benefit to public services and communities in Wales. And I would urge those members who cheerfully advocate leaving such an arrangement by exiting the United Kingdom to consider those impacts extremely carefully. And, of course, after over a decade of Tory chaos, cuts and austerity, Wales's funding has now reached new heights under a UK Labour Government; the last spending review securing the biggest Welsh Government budget in the history of devolution, with nearly £6.5 billion in additional spending powers assigned over the next few years. This is in addition to billions more in direct UK Government spending in Wales in areas like defence, welfare, policing and other non-devolved areas. And, because of close working between two Labour Governments, the Welsh Government now has greater access to its financial reserves as a result of updates to the fiscal framework. Now, all of this is not to say that the Barnett formula is perfect, or that it doesn't need to be changed. Successive Welsh Governments have pushed for Barnett reform, as the First Minister alluded to, and have succeeded in making some meaningful improvements along the way. However, fundamentally reforming the Barnett formula in favour of a needs-based system will require negotiation, and ultimately agreement between all four nations. No single nation can do this alone, and yet, that agreement between nations is not forthcoming. Despite numerous independent reports over numerous years calling for Barnett reform, including reports commissioned by the Welsh Government, the Scottish Government continues to stop short of calling for a needs-based system. That is, of course, because the current system benefits Scotland further. As the Institute for Fiscal Studies have put it, and I quote: 'No needs-based factor has been introduced for Scotland, likely reflecting the fact that it currently receives more funding per person than Wales despite assessments suggesting it has lower needs'. And that is why the Welsh Labour—[Interruption.] Sorry, Rhun. Well, go on, you've had 10 minutes, but—[Laughter.]

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7. Debate: Fair Funding en

Yes. We are giving you the opportunity to address that, and deal directly, as you might want to, with the Scottish Government. Why wouldn't you do that? Why wouldn't you do that? That's the focus of Labour's amendment, focusing on a crucial relationship and identifying and overcoming the Scottish Government's resistance to reforming the Barnett formula should be the primary focus of engagement between the two Governments. I think I'm right in saying that Plaid Cymru refers to the SNP as a sister party. Perhaps that is somewhere that you can start, Rhun, if you're worried about constitutional arrangements. Our amendment is practical. This work is necessary to deliver the wider reform that the Government's motion seeks, and we would welcome regular updates from the Welsh Government on what progress they are making on this matter with their Scottish counterparts. Our amendment also makes clear that the United Kingdom—

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7. Debate: Fair Funding en

I need to make progress, Matthew, thank you. Our amendment also makes clear that the UK is the most centralised and economically imbalanced country in western Europe. Addressing that on the most fundamental level means redistributing both wealth and power. And that should include substantially increasing Welsh Government's borrowing powers. It is self-evidently nonsense that local councils in Wales can borrow more than Welsh Government. There has been significant progress made by the last Welsh Government working with the new UK Labour Government on the fiscal framework, but I am hopeful that a new UK Prime Minister that recognises the importance of place and the strength of devolution will help cut through Treasury orthodoxy and build on the progress already secured to devolve further financial levers. But decentralising the UK isn't just ensuring that nations have the powers and funding they need, it's ensuring that the regions within them have that too, and that is a duty incumbent on the Governments of every UK nation. That's why our amendment calls for an update on 'seeking and delivering a fairer settlement for the nation and regions of Wales.' All too often we focus on the former at the expense of the latter. Plaid Cymru's Twitter account tweeted on Sunday, 'If it’s good enough for Manchester, why not Wales?' I think that's half right. If it's good enough for Manchester though, it's good enough for Cardiff, for Swansea, for Wrexham. Devolution shouldn't stop in Cardiff Bay and neither should calls for fair funding. The last Labour Government began this work; it didn't go far enough in my view, and those of us on the Labour benches today are clear: we want to see more powers shared from this place to the regions and communities of Wales, where people know what challenges they face and know what solutions will work. By delivering an extended vision of fair funding beyond the confines of Westminster or the Senedd to include communities right across Wales, we could shape a fairer nation where more people can have more of a say on the decisions that shape their everyday lives. Thank you.

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2026-07-01 7

Open this sitting on the stage

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

A all y Gweinidog gadarnhau y bydd egni'r llanw yn rhan o'r strategaeth egni genedlaethol? Yn fy swydd flaenorol, bues i ynghlwm â gwaith y comisiwn o arbenigwyr annibynnol a fu'n yn edrych ar egni'r llanw ym moryd Hafren. Fe gyhoeddwyd yr adroddiad yna y llynedd. Os ydy egni'r llanw yn rhan o'r strategaeth, a wnaiff y Gweinidog gytuno i gwrdd gyda fi a rhai o aelodau'r comisiwn hwnnw i drafod mynd â'r prosiect ymhellach?

Official English translation

Could the Minister confirm that tidal energy will be part of the national energy strategy? In my previous role, I was involved in the work of the commission of independent experts that looked at tidal energy in the Severn estuary. That report was published last year. If tidal energy is part of the strategy, will the Minister agree to meet with me and members of the commission to discuss taking that project forward?

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8. Welsh Labour Debate: Funding for additional learning needs in the first Supplementary Budget 2026-27 en

It is perplexing that we’re having this debate, isn’t it, because there’s an acknowledgement on all sides of the Chamber that the challenge of meeting the needs of pupils with additional learning needs is acute and growing. Sera spoke very powerfully of her experiences. There is also a recognition in this Chamber of the value and importance of prevention and early intervention as a policy principle. We had a high-quality debate on ACEs earlier. How many of those children in our schools today experiencing ACEs will also have an additional learning need? I wonder to what extent their whole-life outcomes will be better affected by having the most appropriate education provision as early as possible. But, despite this consensus, the Plaid Cymru Government shows zero urgency in taking action now to address the funding pressures, as their amendment, sadly, shows. It's a response that's becoming typical of the new Government: 'Let's set up a meeting, let's have discussions, let's not act'—even though this is within your power.

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8. Welsh Labour Debate: Funding for additional learning needs in the first Supplementary Budget 2026-27 cy

Mae angen gwneud, nid dweud. Dyna pam gwnes i, o leiaf, fynd i mewn i wleidyddiaeth—i gyflawni newid er gwell.

Official English translation

We need action, not words. That's why I, at least, came into politics—to deliver change for the better.

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8. Welsh Labour Debate: Funding for additional learning needs in the first Supplementary Budget 2026-27 en

Now, there's no greater indictment of a broken system than the fact that the last UK Tory Government—I'm sorry to point this out, Sam—had to resort to a statutory override for councils in England to carry the costs of ALN as debt. And it's a demonstration of how the UK Labour Government now is clearing up that mess by providing the funding they have to English councils to draw this situation to an end. It is the consequentials of that decision that have given the Welsh Government an in-year cash boost of over £300 million.

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8. Welsh Labour Debate: Funding for additional learning needs in the first Supplementary Budget 2026-27 cy

Nawr, dwi'n derbyn yr egwyddor, jest oherwydd bod yr arian yna wedi cael ei wario ar rywbeth yn Lloegr, dylai'r consequentials hynny gael eu gwario ar yr un peth yng Nghymru. Dwi'n derbyn yr egwyddor hynny. Er gwaethaf hynny, jest achos bod cynghorau yng Nghymru wedi cael eu rheoli yn well a'u hariannu yn well nag yn Lloegr, dydy hynny ddim yn golygu nad ydy'r pwysau a'r wasgfa ar y sector addysg yma yn urgent ac yn acíwt. Jest edrychwch ar faint y deficit sy'n cael ei gario nawr gan ysgolion yng Nghymru.

Official English translation

Now, I accept the principle, just because that money was spent on something in England, that the consequentials should also be spent on the same thing in Wales. I accept that principle. But, despite that, just because councils in Wales have been better managed and better funded than they were in England, that doesn't mean that the pressure on the education sector here is not urgent and acute. Just look at the size of deficit now carried by schools in Wales.

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8. Welsh Labour Debate: Funding for additional learning needs in the first Supplementary Budget 2026-27 en

And there's an opportunity to address that right now, thanks to a Labour Government that is rebuilding public services on the English side of the border. I will dwell on the finances, given my spokesperson role, because some on the Government benches will claim that the funding isn't there to do this. I don't accept this. Under the Government's supplementary budget, they are proposing to keep £246 million as an unallocated in-year reserve, essentially putting that money in the bank instead of using it to help schools. Others may argue that we need this money in reserve to manage in-year pressures in the health service. Again, I reject that claim. Let's compare the amount of unallocated resources available at this year's supplementary with previous years. At the first supplementary budget last year, the unallocated funding available was just £1.8 million. At the same point the previous year, it was £36 million; the year before that, £60 million. Carrying £246 million of unallocated resources, as is proposed under the budget, is not typical. You have to go back to the COVID period to find a time when the supplementary budget had a greater level of funding that wasn't allocated. Yes, there is funding pressure from the NHS. There is always funding pressure from the NHS. It's the job of the health Minister, the finance Minister and now the Minister for Government efficiency to manage those pressures sustainably, as previous Governments have done. My fear—. And I hope I'm wrong, but my fear is that the real reason for keeping so much money back unallocated is to pay for Plaid Cymru's uncosted manifesto, and, in my view, to do so at the expense of our schools is simply wrong. I've received numerous representations about this issue, and I want to finish today by quoting an e-mail from a headteacher in Fairwater in Caerdydd Penarth that I received a few hours ago: 'Additional ALN funding', she says, 'would make a meaningful difference. It would allow schools to employ and retain specialist staff, provide earlier intervention before needs escalate, reduce reliance on expensive agency staffing, develop more flexible learning provisions for pupils with more complex needs, protect core educational budgets from being diverted to cover unfunded ALN pressures and better support inclusion while ensuring the needs of all learners are met.' Not a sticking plaster, a meaningful difference. That is the opportunity we have today—to make a meaningful difference. [Interruption.] I'm running out of time, Darren.

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8. Welsh Labour Debate: Funding for additional learning needs in the first Supplementary Budget 2026-27 en

If the Deputy Llywydd will allow me to respond to that, I look at my past experience leading Cardiff Council, and there are multiple examples across Wales—it is education budgets that have been protected, alongside social services, to respond to the need that's grown increasingly over recent years; I think Mike was talking about a 34 per cent increase in Swansea. That is reflected across Wales. The funding has gone in, but other services had to suffer to pay for it. So, today we have a meaningful opportunity to make a difference to our schools, to Wales's most vulnerable learners. I urge all Members to support the motion. Diolch yn fawr.

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2026-06-30 4

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1. Questions to the First Minister en

I will say that ethnic minorities are under-represented in the teaching workforce. That leads to poor outcomes, and I'm very proud of the steps that the last Labour Government took to try and address that. I'm grateful to the First Minister for carrying on that funding. However, First Minister, on a different issue, you mentioned your flagship announcement early this year to improve recruitment in the education sector. It's a move that has been widely criticised. The National Association of Head Teachers described the plans as a sticking-plaster solution and warned that it risks creating a two-tier workforce. Incredibly, it seems that the plan doesn't require teachers to stay in the profession for a certain period of time having received the financial incentives proposed.

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1. Questions to the First Minister cy

Felly, Brif Weinidog, allwch chi ddweud wrthym ni pa drafodaethau gawsoch chi gydag undebau llafur athrawon cyn cyhoeddi'r cynlluniau yma? Rydych chi wedi dweud eich bod chi eisiau gweithio mewn partneriaeth. Beth oedd y trafodaethau gafwyd? Pam na wrandawoch chi ar y consýrn maen nhw wedi ei godi, os gwnaethoch chi gwrdd â nhw? Os na wnaethoch chi gwrdd â nhw, yna sut ydych chi nawr yn mynd i ddysgu'r gwersi?

Official English translation

So, First Minister, could you tell us, First Minister, what discussions you had with the teaching unions before announcing these plans? You said that you want to be working in partnership. What were those discussions that you had? Why didn't you listen to the concerns that they have expressed, if you met with them? If you didn't meet with them, then how are you now going to be learning those lessons?

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3. Business Statement and Announcement cy

Drefnydd, mae'r sylwadau a wnaethpwyd gan y Gweinidog Llywodraeth Leol, Tai a Chynllunio yn y Siambr hon ryw bythefnos yn ôl wedi peri cryn ddryswch o fewn llywodraeth leol, pan honnodd y Gweinidog fod rhanbartholrwydd—regionalism—wedi digwydd yn raddol, trwy'r drws cefn. Go brin byddwn i’n disgrifio Deddf Llywodraeth Leol ac Etholiadau (Cymru) 2021 fel drws cefn.

Official English translation

Trefnydd, the comments made by the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning in this Chamber two weeks ago created a lot of confusion within local government, when the Minister asserted that regionalism had happened gradually, through the back door. Now, I wouldn't describe the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 as a back door.

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3. Business Statement and Announcement en

Trefnydd, corporate joint committees have been established by law. They're not perfect, but they're an important vehicle to ensure that regional collaboration can work on a democratic basis, which contrasts sharply with Plaid Cymru's proposal to outsource regional economic development to unelected quangos. There's a striking example in south Wales that shows how a Welsh Development Agency-style body may not be the best means of delivering economic growth: the LG factory in Newport failing in the early 2000s. Compare that with the recent development of the world-class semiconductor cluster on the same site, something that would not have happened without the support of the south-east Wales CJC. So, Trefnydd, can the Minister make a statement on CJCs and how democratic accountability will be retained in regional economic development?

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2026-06-24 3

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

Ar y penwythnos, roedd hi'n braf cael mynychu gŵyl dreftadaeth Gymraeg y ddinas, Tafwyl, yn dathlu ei hugeinfed flynedd. Mae hi wedi mynd o nerth i nerth, a braf gweld hynny. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ymrwymo nawr i barhau'r gefnogaeth ariannol y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei rhoi i'r ŵyl honno? Yr wythnos ddiwethaf, fe gawsom ni'r newyddion hefyd fod yna nawr fwy o siaradwyr Cymraeg yng Nghaerdydd nag mewn unrhyw awdurdod lleol arall yng Nghymru. Mae hynny yn dilyn degawd a mwy o bolisïau cefnogol, megis adeiladu mwy o dai, hybu twf economaidd y ddinas, hyrwyddo addysg Gymraeg, a statws Caerdydd fel prifddinas wirioneddol ddwyieithog. Gaf i holi ymhellach sut fydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn rhannu'r gwersi o lwyddiant twf Cymraeg Caerdydd gyda gweddill Cymru?

Official English translation

Over the weekend, it was wonderful to attend Tafwyl, the Welsh cultural festival in Cardiff, which is celebrating its twentieth anniversary. It's gone from strength to strength, which is good to see. Will the Minister commit now to continue with the financial support that the Welsh Government provides to that festival? Last week, we heard the news too that there are now more Welsh speakers in Cardiff than in any other local authority in Wales. That follows a decade or more of supportive policies, such as building more homes, promoting economic growth in the city, promoting Welsh-medium education, and the status of Cardiff as a truly bilingual capital city. Can I ask you further how the Welsh Government will share the lessons of the success of the growth of the Welsh language in Cardiff with the rest of Wales?

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2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Finance en

Diolch, Lywydd. Cai Parry-Jones has sought to raise the bar in terms of being nice, not just to the Minister, but also to Labour First Ministers, so I will try and follow suit and acknowledge the good dialogue that's taken place in the lead-up to the publication of the supplementary budget. I sincerely hope that that's not the end of the dialogue ahead of the vote. Yesterday, Minister, you and other Ministers, in referring to the supplementary budget tabled, repeatedly made the point that this was enacting Plaid Cymru priorities. Last night, several of us from this Chamber, including the Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability, attended a screening of the People's Emergency Briefing, organised by WWF Cymru and Climate Cymru. The message about the urgent need for Governments to step up their efforts in tackling climate change was sobering, stark and urgent, and I'd really recommend every Member should watch that documentary. But, Minister, of the hundreds of millions of additional funding you announced yesterday, not one extra penny went towards tackling climate change. Can the people of Wales conclude, therefore, that tackling climate change is not a priority for this new Government?

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2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Finance cy

Dwi'n diolch i'r Gweinidog am yr ateb hwnnw. Byddwn ni yn Llafur Cymru yn sicr yn parhau i wylio pa ddatblygiadau sy'n digwydd ar y mater hwnnw. A gaf i droi nawr at rywbeth sydd yn sicr yn flaenoriaeth i'r Llywodraeth newydd: adolygiadau, ymgynghoriadau, comisiynau, cyfarfodydd, pwyllgorau? Mae llu ohonynt wedi'u cyhoeddi fel rhan o 100 diwrnod cyntaf Plaid Cymru. Fe holais i'r Gweinidog Cabinet dros Effeithiolrwydd Llywodraeth a’r Cyfansoddiad ddoe am y costau, ond ges i ddim ateb clir. Felly, tybed a all y Gweinidog cyllid ddweud wrth y Senedd heddiw faint, mewn punnoedd a cheiniogau, fydd yr amrywiol adolygiadau, comisiynau ac ymgynghoriadau yma sydd wedi cael eu cyhoeddi yn costio i drethdalwyr. Diolch yn fawr.

Official English translation

I thank the Minister for that response. Certainly, we in Welsh Labour will continue to look at the developments in that area. If I could turn now to something that is certainly a priority for the new Government: reviews, consultations, commissions, meetings and committees. A whole host of them have been announced in the first 100 days of the Plaid Cymru Government. I asked the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution yesterday about the costs attached, but I wasn't given a clear response. So, I wonder whether the Minister for finance can inform the Senedd today how much, in pounds and pence, will the various reviews, commissions and consultations that have been announced cost to taxpayers. Thank you very much.

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2026-06-23 7

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1. Questions to the First Minister en

First Minister, could you elaborate further on the current position of housing associations in Wales in terms of their number and their interaction with local authorities? In particular, the experience that is common amongst stock-holding local authorities is that housing associations are able to offer better payment for development managers and are therefore poaching staff from councils and, in turn, making it harder for councils to build housing. This issue could be compounded, I suspect, by your creation of Unnos. How will you resolve the current issue and ensure that the creation of Unnos doesn't exacerbate the problem further?

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3. Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution: Priorities for Government Effectiveness and Constitution cy

Gaf i longyfarch y Gweinidog, oherwydd yn ystod wythnos gyntaf y Llywodraeth hon, rŷn ni wedi gweld ei bod hi'n effeithiol iawn, yn effeithiol iawn, hynny yw, am gomisiynu adolygiadau, cynlluniau a chyfarfodydd? Yn wir, hynna oedd ffocws llethol eich cynllun 100 diwrnod chi. Yr hyn rydyn ni wedi gweld llai ohono fe yw penderfyniadau, gweithredu, newidiadau gwirioneddol ac ystyrlon, a dyna, yn ein barn ni, ydy'r mesur o Lywodraeth effeithiol. A all y Gweinidog ddweud wrth y Senedd beth yw cyfanswm y gost amcangyfrifedig i'r pwrs cyhoeddus o'r holl adolygiadau, yr holl gynlluniau a'r holl gomisiynau a lansiwyd gan y Llywodraeth ers iddi ddod i rym? Ar rai polisïau allweddol y Llywodraeth hon, mae cwestiynau heb eu hateb ynghylch hanfodion y ddarpariaeth, cwestiynau am sut a phryd y gall pobl Cymru ddisgwyl newid yn eu bywydau beunyddiol. Roeddwn i eisiau rhoi cyfle i'r Gweinidog egluro rhai o'r rhain heddiw. Erbyn pryd fydd y Llywodraeth hon yn dileu arosiadau dwy flynedd yn y gwasanaeth iechyd? Erbyn pryd fydd y cynnig gofal plant ar gael i blant o naw mis oed? Faint o weithwyr gofal plant a lleoliadau gofal plant newydd fydd eu hangen i wneud i hynny ddigwydd? A ble fydd y 10 canolfan lawfeddygol newydd a addawyd ledled Cymru? Erbyn pryd fyddan nhw wedi eu hadeiladu, Weinidog?

Official English translation

May I congratulate the Minister, because during the first week of this Government, we have seen that it is very effective, very effective, that is, at commissioning reviews and plans and organising meetings? Indeed, that was the primary focus of your 100 days plan. What we've seen less of is decision making, action, real and meaningful changes, and that, in our view, is the measure of effective Government. Can the Minister tell the Senedd what is the total estimated cost to the public purse of all the reviews, all the plans and all the commissions that have been launched by the Government since it came to power? On some key policies of this Government, there are unanswered questions as to the basics around the provision, questions as to how and when the people of Wales can expect to see changes to their daily lives. I wanted to give the Minister an opportunity to explain some of these today. By when will this Government actually scrap two-year waits in the health service? When will the childcare offer be available for children from nine months old? How many childcare workers and childcare settings will be needed to allow that to happen? And where will the 10 new surgical hubs promised across Wales be located? By when will they have been built, Minister?

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3. Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution: Priorities for Government Effectiveness and Constitution en

These are the practical answers that people want. Now, we welcome the proposals for a public dashboard. That follows from the lead of certain local councils I could mention. Will the Minister commit that this data will be live data, updated regularly, and will he commit that it will include key performance indicators set out and requested by the Senedd's committee? Can I also just pick up on one eyebrow-raising measure of Government efficiency, which I don't think the people of Wales were expecting, and that is his reference to the expansion of the Cabinet Office? Minister, people want better public services; they don't want more civil servants in Cathays Park. So, what is the cost of that expanded Cabinet Office, please? And there are, of course, notable absences from the Minister's priorities. In three weeks' time, school support staff, our teaching assistants, caretakers, catering staff and more, essentially stop being paid until the autumn. That's thousands of working people who we all rely on, day in, day out, who aren't paid all year round. It's the sort of injustice that an effective Government should surely seek to solve. Will the Minister commit to setting up a school support staff negotiating body with year-round pay as a priority? On constitutional matters, the Minister and I will share many views about which powers should transfer from Westminster to Wales. The Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales has established a robust shared ground, and I welcome the Minister's commitment to a resetting of the relationship with Westminster based on mutual respect, and that respect, of course, goes and needs to go both ways. But for Welsh Labour—and particularly for myself, given my experience of local government—devolution doesn't end, or shouldn't end, in Cardiff Bay. It was never and should never be about replacing one form of centralisation with another; it's about putting power back into people's hands, to give people more of a say and to help us all make the changes we want to see, faster. So, with that in mind, can the Minister set out what powers this Government intends to devolve from the Welsh Government to our corporate joint committees, to our local authorities, to our communities? Can the Minister explain why his Government, rather than trusting democratically elected councillors to deliver economic growth, wants to give the powers to unelected technocrats to run a new Welsh Development Agency quango? Can the Minister explain why, rather than trusting democratically elected councillors to deliver social housing, you want to create a new quango, Unnos, which creates another layer of bureaucracy? I'm going to quote Aneurin Bevan now, probably not for the last time. He said the purpose of getting power is to be able to give it away. He meant to ordinary people and communities. What you are doing, I fear, is taking that power further away from them. Thank you.

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5. Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Finance: The First Supplementary Budget 2026-27 cy

Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd, ac a gaf i groesawu'r Gweinidog i'w swydd a'i llongyfarch, a dweud pa mor dda ydy cael cardi yng ngofal yr arian y dyddiau hyn? Ond, Ddirprwy Lywydd, mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud fy mod i'n teimlo'n fwy parod ar gyfer y datganiad hwn nag oeddwn i wedi rhagweld, yn bennaf oherwydd bod cymaint o'r cynnwys wedi cael ei friffio ymlaen llaw i'r cyfryngau dros yr ychydig ddyddiau ac wythnosau diwethaf, ac, mae'n siomedig, heb unrhyw hysbysiad dyledus i'r Senedd hon.

Official English translation

Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd, and may I welcome the Minister to her role and congratulate her, and say how good it is to have a cardi in charge of the money? But, Dirprwy Lywydd, I have to say that I was more prepared for this statement than I'd anticipated, mainly because so much of the content had been briefed beforehand in the media over the past few days and weeks, and, disappointingly, without any notice to this Senedd.

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5. Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Finance: The First Supplementary Budget 2026-27 en

Governments should welcome scrutiny, not avoid it, and I would urge the Minister, building on her commendable track record on this whilst she was Llywydd, to take this message back to her colleagues in Government, asking them to reflect on this and immediately change their approach, to show the Senedd the respect it deserves. Over the last few weeks, we've also heard Plaid Cymru on their social media accuse the previous Welsh Labour Government of financial mismanagement. Plaid Cymru's surprise at the financial situation will come as a shock to those who examined the last budget, which was, of course, completely open to scrutiny and passed through a deal with Plaid Cymru. All Members here should know that that annual budget, passed earlier this year, included retaining £120 million of capital funding and additional consequentials that would be available for the next Government to allocate after the election, and Plaid Cymru have wasted no time in doing that. There is, in fact, so much headroom as a result of the previous Welsh Labour Government's responsible financial management that, today, Plaid Cymru is announcing over £400 million of additional funding and over £200 million of reserves on top of the Welsh reserve. You simply cannot spend the money Labour left behind whilst also complaining about the financial legacy. You cannot have it both ways. Now given all this speculation, I am keen to examine the actual detail of this supplementary budget.

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5. Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Finance: The First Supplementary Budget 2026-27 cy

Rŷn ni'n nodi ac yn croesawu nad oedd unrhyw doriadau arfaethedig i raglen gyllideb sylfaenol Llafur Cymru. Mae cyllid pellach ar gyfer lleihau amserodd aros y gwasanaeth iechyd yn parhau â'r buddsoddiad a ddechreuodd Llafur Cymru. Ers y buddsoddiad hwnnw o £120 miliwn gan Lafur ym mis Mehefin y flwyddyn ddiwethaf, a diolch wrth gwrs i waith caled staff y gwasanaeth iechyd, mae amserodd aros yn y gwasanaeth iechyd wedi gostwng. Rhaid i'r gwaith hwnnw barhau, ac mae hynny'n golygu bod yn glir ynghylch beth fydd yn cael ei gyflawni ac erbyn pryd. Nawr bod gennym ffigurau buddsoddi arfaethedig o'n blaenau, a all y Llywodraeth ddweud wrthym, o'r diwedd, erbyn pa ddyddiad y bydd y Llywodraeth hon yn dileu arosiadau o ddwy flynedd? Rwyf hefyd yn nodi y cyllid ar gyfer rhai o addewidion maniffesto Llafur Cymru, fel parhau â'r prisiau bws £1 i bobl ifanc, er dwi'n gweld bod Plaid Cymru wedi methu â chyflawni'n huchelgais ni i gynyddu'r oedran cymhwysedd o 21 i 25. Mae'n werth hefyd sôn bod y bws newydd o ogledd Cymru i'r de ond yn bosibl oherwydd y gwaith adeiladol a wnaed gan y cyn-Weinidog, Ken Skates. Ond yr hyn sy'n fwy nodedig yw beth sydd ar goll.

Official English translation

We note and welcome that there were no proposed cuts to the basic programme put forward by Welsh Labour. The further funding for reducing waiting times in the health service continues with the investment that Welsh Labour began. Since that investment of £120 million by Labour in June of last year, and thanks of course to the hard work of NHS staff, waiting times in the NHS have reduced. This work must continue, and that means being clear as to what will be delivered and by when. Now that we do have proposed investment figures, can the Government tell us, at last, by when will this Government eradicate waits of over two years? I also note the funding for some of Welsh Labour's manifesto pledges, such as continuing with £1 bus fares for young people, although I see that Plaid Cymru has failed to deliver our ambition to increase the age from 21 to 25. It's worth also mentioning that the new north-south coach link is only possible because of the constructive work done by the former Minister, Ken Skates. But what's more notable is what is missing.

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5. Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Finance: The First Supplementary Budget 2026-27 en

The UK Labour Government made £340 million of consequentials available this year from their investment in support for children with additional learning needs. Why is this money not being passed on to councils in Wales to support schools and children with ALN? Our additional learning needs system is under pressure. Children and young people's needs require more complex, extensive and long-term support. The pressure facing England exists here in Wales too. And just because Welsh councils have been better funded and better managed than some of those in England that have had to resort to a statutory override, it does not mean that school reserves have sufficient headroom to absorb ongoing cost increases. Every single Welsh council, of every political stripe, including Plaid Cymru ones, every teaching union, has called on this Government for this money to go to schools. Welsh Labour stands with them. How can the Minister justify why Welsh councils, schools and children should miss out? And where is this consequential funding going? I cannot accept that you're so worried about in-year departmental overspends that you need to hold back £246 million in-year reserves on top of the Welsh reserve. And, on a different note, where is any additional funding to tackle the climate crisis? This is a budget supposedly of priorities. We heard earlier how much importance the young people of Wales put on climate change. Not a single new penny in the supplementary budget on this issue. That is of concern to us, as it will be to others on these benches. There are some positives in the supplementary budget—many Welsh Labour policies that it would continue to deliver. We do recognise that. But, ultimately, my reading of this first budget is that it attempts to fund Plaid Cymru's uncosted manifesto pledges on the back of the environment and on the backs of schools and children with additional learning needs. If this truly represents the new Government's priorities, then I know many people in Wales will now be very anxious about what the next four years holds.

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2026-06-17 7

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

6. Pa asesiad mae'r Gweinidog Cabinet wedi'i wneud o gyflwr adeiladau a'r sefyllfa cynnal a chadw ym Mwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Caerdydd a'r Fro? OQ64149

Official English translation

6. What assessment has the Cabinet Minister made of the condition and maintenance of buildings in Cardiff and Vale University Health Board? OQ64149

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

Dwi'n diolch i'r Gweinidog am yr ateb.

Official English translation

I thank the Minister for that response.

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

I'd like to raise specifically the conditions at the University Hospital of Wales at the Heath. Anyone who has visited the hospital in recent years will recognise the parlous state of parts of the buildings there. I think everyone can also recognise the challenge and multi-billion pound cost of replacing the Heath hospital. But residents in the Cardiff and Vale health board area, and further afield, will have likewise been alarmed by comments from the Minister before the election, essentially proposing mothballing parts of the current site. Welsh Labour, in our costed manifesto, put forward an ambitious plan to fully replace the Heath hospital with a new building, taking advantage of an improved funding settlement from the UK Government and using an innovative mix of capital and borrowing to fund the build. Will the Minister work with us to deliver the new hospital rather than resorting to a sticking-plaster solution? Diolch.

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6. Reform UK Debate: Government international spending en

Llywydd, I rise to speak in support of the Welsh Labour amendment, but we'll also be voting for the Plaid Cymru amendment. It seems to me, Llywydd, that there are two arguments in favour of international spend by Welsh Government. The first is a hard-nosed one, that we get excellent value for money for it, frankly. We've heard the figures: £9 million spent abroad annually, 0.031 per cent of the Welsh Government budget. And of that figure, £8 million is spent on promoting Wales abroad, with an emphasis on economic development, through in-country offices in places like New York, in the middle east and Europe. They support the growth of Welsh exports and help secure direct investment into Wales. Remember the international investment summit held in Newport last December; the £16 billion headline investment secured through that conference would not have been secured without the work of our international offices. Indeed, in 2024-25, Wales saw a 23 per cent increase in levels of foreign direct investment, with 65 new investments, 2,500 new jobs, with Wales having the second highest percentage increase in projects of any part of the UK. And this expenditure on international work has also supported the recruitment of hundreds of healthcare workers to support the NHS here in Wales. It is clear, therefore, that there is a direct benefit to Wales from this spend. In a post-Brexit world, which you guys voted for, this is exactly what we should be doing out there—promoting Wales on a global stage. But, beyond the self-interest argument, there is also a moral case to be made. Global solidarity is not an add-on for Wales; it is woven into who we are. In a former career, many years ago, I was employed by Christian Aid. It’s an organisation that was born out of the rubble of the second world war, a time when churches and chapels the length of Wales came together to help refugees in Europe rebuild their lives—the people of Wales emerging from their greatest crisis, seeing their place in building a world that was more just, where everybody could flourish. It's that same internationalism that saw Welsh workers join the international brigade to fight fascism in Spain in the 1930s, the same idealism that saw communities across Wales in the early 2000s join the Make Poverty History campaign, demanding a world free from poverty. And Wales answered with our own Wales for Africa programme. This funding wasn’t put in place on a whim, but in response to concerted calls by Welsh voters. So, let us be clear, Llywydd: Wales is not an island. We are not insulated from the war in Ukraine, from drought and disease in east Africa, or from conflict in the middle east that displaced families. Conflict and climate change drive up the cost of living in our communities. In an ever more interconnected world, the people of Wales are entitled to a Government and a Senedd that takes the needs of its people seriously and its global responsibilities seriously. We’ve already heard this term repeated references to immigration and asylum seekers from the benches opposite. If they genuinely wanted to reduce immigration, then they would support aid funding to help people in the global south affected by conflict and the impact of climate change. If they genuinely wanted to tackle child poverty, they wouldn’t oppose the UK Labour Government scrapping the two-child benefit cap. But Reform aren’t interested in actual solutions, are they? And this debate is yet another opportunity to stoke outrage in a way that is at odds with the reality and a million miles away from the genuine generosity that the people of Wales find in their hearts when crisis strikes. When the Disasters Emergency Committee launched its Ukraine appeal, people in Wales gave nearly £16 million, including £4 million from the Welsh Government, demonstrating the strength of public support for this international expenditure. Christian Aid, Save the Children, Oxfam were amongst the DEC charities turning this generosity into action, supplying 75,000 civilian trauma kits and other critical medical supplies to Ukraine. These are life-saving initiatives that Ukraine's health ministry credits with helping to save civilian lives. This is what this funding delivers, Llywydd, fractional though it is—not a luxury, a commitment to hope, to human flourishing and a better future for Wales and the world. It's an expression of who we've always been and who I hope we will always remain. And that is why I will be voting against this cynical motion today. Thank you.

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6. Reform UK Debate: Government international spending en

Thank you for taking the intervention. Will the Member accept that economic development is something that the Senedd and Welsh Government does have devolved competency for? And will he further accept that the vast majority of this spend internationally is on economic development?

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7. Reform UK Debate: Statutory register for lobbyists cy

Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Dwi'n codi i gyflwyno'r gwelliant hwnnw, gwelliant dwi'n gobeithio caiff ei weld fel un cadarnhaol sy'n cryfhau nod y cynnig gwreiddiol i sefydlu cofrestr statudol o lobïwyr. Yn gyntaf, hoffwn roi ar gofnod ein diolch ni i Bwyllgor Safonau Ymddygiad y chweched Senedd am ei waith yn datblygu fframwaith safonau cliriach, cryfach a mwy tryloyw, gan gynnwys adolygu ac ychwanegu at y cod ymddygiad yr ydym i gyd yn ei ddilyn yn y lle hwn. Rwyf hefyd yn cymeradwyo gwaith y pwyllgor safonau ar urddas a pharch, gyda phroses adalw yn arbennig o bwysig i iechyd ein democratiaeth Gymreig. Rhaid inni bob amser ymdrechu at y safonau uchaf o ymddygiad fel Aelodau o'r Senedd hon. Gan droi at lobïo yn benodol, mae adroddiad etifeddiaeth y pwyllgor safonau wedi gadael y gwaith o symud ymlaen â'r gofrestr statudol o lobïwyr i fyny i ni, fel Aelodau newydd o'r Senedd, ac i'r pwyllgor safonau newydd. Mae'r Aelodau ar y meinciau hyn yn barod i wthio hyn yn ei flaen, ac rwy'n galw ar bob Aelod yn y lle hwn i gydweithio ar y mater. Dylai'r tryloywder ychwanegol hwn gael ei groesawu gan Aelodau'r Senedd hon a chan bawb, fel y gwnaethpwyd y pwynt jest nawr. Mae'n iawn bod y wybodaeth hon ar gael yn gyhoeddus i bobl ei harchwilio a'i deall. Fel Senedd wedi'i hehangu, mae gennym ddyletswydd i bobl Cymru i fod mor agored a thryloyw ag y gallwn. Diolch.

Official English translation

Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. I formally move that amendment, an amendment that I hope will be seen as positive, which strengthens the aim of the original motion to establish a statutory register of lobbyists. First of all, I'd like to put on record our thanks to the Standards of Conduct Committee of the sixth Senedd for their work in developing a clearer standards framework, which is more robust and transparent, including reviewing and adding to the code of conduct that we all follow in this place. I also praise the work of the standards committee on dignity and respect, with the recall process being particularly important to the health of our Welsh democracy. We must always strive for the highest standards of conduct as Members of this Senedd. Turning now specifically to the issue of lobbying, the legacy report of the standards committee has left the work of moving forward with a statutory register of lobbyists to us, as newly elected Members of the Senedd, and to the new standards committee. Members on these benches are ready to progress this agenda, and I call on all Members in this place to work together on this issue. This additional transparency should be welcomed by Members of this Senedd and by everyone, as the point was just made. It's right that this information should be publicly available for people to scrutinise and understand. In an expanded Parliament, we have a duty to the people of Wales to be as open and as transparent as we can be. Thank you.

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7. Reform UK Debate: Statutory register for lobbyists en

You mention party conferences. It's a matter of record that, in the past, Reform have banned journalists from their party conferences. Do you regret that, and will you take that up with the party leadership?

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2026-06-16 5

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

A gaf i groesawu'r Gweinidog i'r swydd a dymuno'n dda iddo fe, gan obeithio bod digon o aer yn nheiars y beic gweinidogol swyddogol, a digon o wynt yn ei ysgyfaint e hefyd? Weinidog, yr wythnos diwethaf, pleidleisiodd y Senedd o blaid dod â chynigion deddfwriaethol ymlaen yn ystod blwyddyn gyntaf y Senedd hon i sefydlu corff negodi statudol ar gyfer staff cymorth ysgolion.

Official English translation

May I welcome the Minister to his role and wish him well, in the hope that there is enough air in the tyres of the ministerial bike, and enough wind in his sails too? Minister, last week, the Senedd voted in favour of bringing legislative proposals forward during the first year of the Senedd to establish a statutory negotiating body for school support staff.

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

Can you confirm, as the Cabinet Minister with responsibility for the legislative programme and the programme for government, that you are now respecting the Senedd's wishes and have begun preparing legislation for a school support staff negotiating body to be contained in the legislative programme? Diolch yn fawr.

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

Dwi'n diolch i'r Gweinidog am yr ateb hwnnw. Doedd dim llawer o gadarnhad yn fanna, mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud, a dwi'n gobeithio na fydd cynorthwywyr dysgu, y cogyddion a'r glanhawyr sy'n gwrando ar y drafodaeth hon yn teimlo bod eu buddiannau nhw yn mynd i wynebu strygl uphill, os caf i barhau gyda'r references beicio.

Official English translation

I thank the Minister for that response. There wasn't a great deal of confirmation given there, and I do hope that the teaching assistants, cleaners and cooks listening to this discussion won't feel that their interests will face an uphill struggle, if I can continue with my cycling references.

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

Turning now, Minister, to what you have said you would be doing, on your manifesto during the election, the Institute for Fiscal Studies warned that Plaid Cymru's policies would deepen the cuts faced by unprotected services. Welsh Labour, my party, warned that your policies were undeliverable without severe cuts. Plaid Cymru, of course, told the electorate that you had costed policies but that you wouldn't publish them. So, given, Minister, that you have responsibility for planning the Welsh Government's legislative programme and oversight of the programme for government, can you today unambiguously confirm on the record in the Senedd that every pledge in your manifesto will make its way into the legislative programme and the programme for government in the form that they are outlined in your manifesto? And if the answer is 'no', what are you already deprioritising? Thank you.

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5. Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language: Priorities for Education cy

Gaf i gynnig dymuniadau gorau i'r Gweinidog a dweud ei bod hi'n dda gweld, ynddi hi ac ynof fi, dau gyn-ddisgybl o Ysgol Gymraeg Aberystwyth yn y Senedd? Yr ysgol honno, wrth gwrs, oedd yr ysgol gynradd cyfrwng Gymraeg gyntaf erioed i gael ei sefydlu, a mater o falchder i mi, felly, yn ystod fy nghyfnod fel arweinydd Cyngor Caerdydd, fu cyflawni twf sylweddol mewn darpariaeth addysg Gymraeg yn y brif ddinas. Bellach, mae'r ddinas yn ystyried sut y gellid agor pedwaredd ysgol uwchradd cyfrwng Cymraeg yma. Yn gynharach eleni, derbyniais i ymateb cadarnhaol gan y Gweinidog cyllid ar y pryd, Mark Drakeford, i fy nghais yn gofyn i Lywodraeth Cymru ddarparu'r tir sydd yn ei heiddo ar Sgwâr Callaghan i Gyngor Caerdydd fel safle posibl ar gyfer yr ysgol newydd hon. A gaf i gadarnhad heddiw gennych chi fod y cynnig hwnnw'n dal i sefyll o dan y Llywodraeth newydd? Ac a gaf i holi ymhellach ac yn fwy cyffredinol, gyda chynghorau sir fel Caerdydd yn edrych i gynyddu'r ystod ddaearyddol o ysgolion Cymraeg mewn cyfnod lle mae cyfraddau genedigaethau'n disgyn, a fyddwch chi'n darparu ariannu pellach i gynghorau i gynnal y gwarged, y surplus, o lefydd fydd yn bodoli mewn ysgolion presennol wrth i ysgolion newydd gael eu hagor?

Official English translation

May I wish the Minister well and say that it's good to see, in her and myself, two former pupils from Ysgol Gymraeg Aberystwyth in the Senedd? That school, of course, was the first Welsh-medium primary school to be established, and it was a cause of pride for me, during my time as leader of Cardiff Council, to deliver significant growth in Welsh-medium education in the capital city. Now, the city is considering how a fourth Welsh-medium secondary school can be opened. Earlier this year, I received a positive response from the Minister for finance at the time, Mark Drakeford, to my request asking the Welsh Government to provide the land that it owns on Callaghan Square to Cardiff Council as a possible site for this new school. Can I have confirmation today from you that that proposal still stands under this new Government? Can I ask you further and in more general terms, with councils such as Cardiff looking to increase the geographical range of Welsh-medium schools in a period when the birth rate is falling, will you provide further funding to councils to maintain that surplus of places that will exist in current schools as new schools are established?

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2026-06-10 4

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

Croeso i chi i'r swydd, Weinidog. Ar y thema bwyd, gaf i gymeradwyo gwaith Food Cardiff, Bwyd Caerdydd, sydd wedi ennill gwobr aur Mannau Bwyd Cynaliadwy yn ddiweddar—dim ond y pedwerydd awdurdod lleol ym Mhrydain i wneud hynny? Felly, byddai'n grêt cael hwb o Lywodraeth Cymru i ehangu'r gwaith hynny ar draws Cymru.

Official English translation

Welcome to your role, Minister. On the theme of food, may I draw your attention to the work of Food Cardiff, Bwyd Caerdydd, which has won the Sustainable Food Places gold prize recently—the fourth local authority in the UK to have won this award? So, it would be great to have a boost from the Welsh Government to expand that work across Wales.

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

My question is on food in schools. Of course, here in Wales, for 22 years now, we've had free breakfasts in our schools, and the last Welsh Labour Government introduced universal free school meals at primary school age. For too many of our pupils, this is the only proper meal of the day that they have every day—hugely important—and yet we know that food costs have risen dramatically in recent years. So, my question is: when councils tell Welsh Government what the cost of supplying these meals are, will you accept and respect their advice and fund it, or else risk affecting the quality and provenance of the food served to our young people? Diolch yn fawr.

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6. Welsh Labour Debate: School support staff negotiating body cy

Dwi'n codi i gefnogi'r cynnig ac, wrth wneud hynny, hoffwn ddatgan buddiant fel aelod o Unison Cymru a GMB, y ddau undeb llafur sy'n cynrychioli ac wedi ymgyrchu dros staff cefnogol mewn ysgolion. Wnaf i ddim ailadrodd y dadleuon pwerus sydd wedi cael eu gwneud gan fy nghyd-Aelodau o blaid y cynnig yma, ond, fel cyn-arweinydd awdurdod lleol, fel llywodraethwr ysgol o hyd, ac fel rhiant, hoffwn i gydnabod a diolch i'r holl staff cefnogol o fewn ein hysgolion ni yn gweithio ledled Cymru am y gwaith hollbwysig maen nhw'n ei wneud. Dwi hefyd eisiau pwysleisio sut mae'r swyddi rŷn ni'n diffinio fel swyddi cefnogi ysgolion wedi esblygu yn y blynyddoedd diweddar.

Official English translation

I speak to support the motion, and, in doing so, I'd like to declare an interest as a member of Unison Cymru and the GMB, the two unions representing and campaigning for support staff in our schools. I won’t rehearse the powerful arguments that have been made by my colleagues in favour of this motion, but, as a former leader of a local authority, as an acting school governor, and as a parent, I would like to recognise and thank all of the support staff within our schools working across Wales for the crucially important work that they do. I also want to emphasise how the posts that we define as school support roles have evolved in recent years.

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6. Welsh Labour Debate: School support staff negotiating body en

A recent report by Unison confirmed how, since COVID, the role of teaching assistants in particular has changed hugely, with the role becoming more complex and a whole new range of skills required. A rise in anxiety amongst pupils has led to learning support assistants undertaking bespoke work with individual pupils. With demand rising for ALN services, academic research has found that teaching assistants helped pupils with learning difficulties make substantial gains in literacy. And there are international studies showing that support staff often play a pivotal but overlooked part of the school system, extending teachers' capacity and sustaining classroom quality. The Education Endowment Foundation captured the case for change well when they concluded that, and I quote: 'With investment in planning and professional development, TAs reported higher morale, teachers valued the additional capacity and pupils benefited from more independent learning.' TAs are, of course, one component of the school support workforce. Caretakers are another component. In every part of Wales now, we have newly built, gleaming school buildings, constructed as part of the last Labour Government's twenty-first century schools programme, providing world-class educational facilities. And I know that schools and councils desperately want these facilities to be available and accessible to the wider community beyond school hours. But, too often, achieving this relies on the goodwill of school caretakers going above and beyond their roles. And let's not also forget our school cleaners, very much at the front line in keeping our schools hygienic and safe during the pandemic, but sometimes—increasingly so in recent years as school budgets are squeezed—schools are often choosing to outsource to cleaning companies without the protections and security that local authority contracts offer. As we've heard, many of our school support staff experience in-work poverty and they face the worst of both worlds, having to take their vacations during expensive peak seasons, but they're not paid during the time they're on holiday. And finally, as Shav was saying, it's important to highlight that a staggering 90.8 per cent of this workforce is made up of women. The working conditions of our school support staff is therefore a gender equality issue. I would just make it clear that this is not a quango we're talking about establishing; it's a negotiating body for collective negotiations. It's a totally different thing. I just want to make that clear on the record. But, Deputy Presiding Officer, this motion, building on a commitment in Welsh Labour's recent manifesto, and, indeed, on the tradition of social partnership that has been established by my party under devolution here in Wales, seeks to address a long-standing unfairness. It supports the lowest paid staff in our schools and it looks to ensure that those whom we trust with our children's welfare, to support their learning in school, are treated with respect and dignity and are paid properly for their work. I urge the Senedd to vote for it today. Diolch yn fawr.

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2026-06-09 4

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1. Questions to the First Minister cy

Diolch, Brif Weinidog. Dwi eisiau ychwanegu fy llais i i'r corws trawsbleidiol ar y mater hwn. Dwi'n gwerthfawrogi fy nghyfaill i'n codi'r pwnc yma.

Official English translation

Thank you, First Minister. I want to add my voice to the cross-party chorus on this matter. I appreciate the comments of my colleague in raising this point.

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1. Questions to the First Minister en

It is clear there is cross-party consensus on this issue. Wales has passed very strong legislation going beyond just cladding, but also taking in fire safety. The issue, I think we can all acknowledge, is one of urgency. Now, there are practical challenges to delivering some of the remediation, so my question, in part, is how will the Welsh Government take action to support and overcome some of those practical issues, for example skills within the sector to carry out some of the remediation work, but more specifically, and it echoes the question of both Kiera and Joe, how, First Minister, will your Government hold these companies to account if they continue to prevaricate? I met with an owner-occupier in a different block in Caerdydd Penarth last week. They are suffering real mental anguish as a result of this crisis—a crisis not of their own making. We all owe it to them to act together to resolve this issue. Thank you.

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5. Statement by the Deputy Minister for Transport: Key Infrastructure Resilience cy

Llongyfarchiadau a dymuniadau gorau yn y swydd, Mark.

Official English translation

Congratulations and best wishes in this role, Mark.

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5. Statement by the Deputy Minister for Transport: Key Infrastructure Resilience en

As others have said, it is a pity that your first statement in the Chamber has focused so narrowly on just two areas, two pieces of road, with lots of questions across all of Wales. Clearly, taking the M4, much of the congestion around Newport is driven by traffic coming in towards Cardiff, with both daily commuter traffic and traffic towards major events. Cardiff, of course, by most measures, is one of the fastest-growing major cities in Britain over recent years. It's the dynamo of the Welsh economy. And yet, when they come into the eastern side of Cardiff, they're actually channelled into just a two-lane road, along Rover Way, the unfinished eastern bay link. That, in turn, pushes traffic into areas like Splott, Tremorfa, Butetown, Adamsdown—some of the poorest communities in Wales. So, my ask is simple, Minister: not the billions wishlist we heard a minute ago, but rather, less than £2 million funding to deliver the next phase of the business case for the eastern bay link and the wider master planning for dualling of Rover Way. Can you commit to that today, Minister? That would be very welcome and well received in my constituency. Diolch yn fawr.

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2026-05-19 2

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3. Statement by the First Minister: The First Minister's Priorities cy

Llongyfarchiadau a phob dymuniad da i chi yn eich swydd newydd, Brif Weinidog. O’m rhan i, mae’n fraint ac yn anrhydedd o'r mwyaf i gael sefyll yma yn cynrychioli Caerdydd a Phenarth. O draethau Sblot a Phenarth i gopa’r Garth, o waith dur Tremorfa i swyddfeydd canol y ddinas, ac o Stadiwm Cardiff City i Ganolfan Mileniwm Cymru, mae'r etholaeth hon, dwi'n credu, yn cyfuno'r gorau o brydferthwch naturiol, diwylliant a diwydiant Cymru.

Official English translation

Congratulations and best wishes in your new role, First Minister. From my perspective, it's a great honour and privilege to stand here representing Caerdydd Penarth. From the beaches of Splott and Penarth to the top of the Garth mountain, from the steelworks in Tremorfa to the office blocks in the city centre, and from Cardiff City Stadium to the Wales Millennium Centre, this constituency, I believe, represents the best of the natural beauty, culture and industry of Wales.

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3. Statement by the First Minister: The First Minister's Priorities en

And yet, poverty and inequality persist in these communities, nowhere more obviously so than in the field of housing, and I was struck that there was no mention in your statement of the need to build new homes. Both Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan councils are pursuing bold council house building programmes, but their ambition is not matched in Plaid Cymru's manifesto, whose targets are well below what is needed, and indeed in Cardiff's case, what's already in the pipeline. What, First Minister, is behind Plaid's lack of ambition in this area? Do you plan perhaps to cut the social housing grant, or do you agree with me that Welsh Government should increase funding in line with construction inflation, so that councils and housing associations across Wales can get on and deliver the homes that our people need? Diolch yn fawr.

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Tenures

Ministerial roles

Contributions, by sitting day

Roll-call divisions, by sitting day

Members' Legislative Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): An NHS first Bill

Reform UK Debate: Prostate cancer strategy

Welsh Labour Debate: The M4 around Newport

Reform UK Debate: Local referendums on council tax rises

Reform UK Debate: Regional rugby

Reform UK Debate: Access to HMOs and social housing for foreign nationals

Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Family Drug and Alcohol Courts

Debate: Fiscal Reform

Reform UK Debate: Default 20 mph speed limit

Welsh Conservatives Debate: The defence sector

Reform UK Debate: Wales and the United Kingdom

Welsh Labour Debate: Further education

Reform UK Debate: Grooming gangs

Reform UK Debate: Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board health visitor pay dispute

Welsh Conservatives Debate: Deposit-return scheme

Reform UK Debate: Bovine TB

Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Young people and employment

Legislative Consent Motion: Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill

Debate: The First Supplementary Budget 2026-27

Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Ophthalmology services

Reform UK Debate: The tourism sector

Debate: Fair Funding

Reform UK Debate: Nation of Sanctuary

Welsh Labour Debate: Funding for additional learning needs in the first Supplementary Budget 2026-27

Welsh Conservatives Debate: Hospital services and hospital closures

Reform UK Debate: A Welsh Rivers Act

Reform UK Debate: Government international spending

Reform UK Debate: Statutory register for lobbyists

Reform UK Debate: Childcare offer

Welsh Labour Debate: School support staff negotiating body