Siambr · Member of the Senedd · Register of record
Mike Hedges
Tenures
- Fourth Assembly Gŵyr Abertawe Welsh Labour and Co-operative Party
- Fifth Senedd Gŵyr Abertawe Welsh Labour and Co-operative Party
- Sixth Senedd Gŵyr Abertawe Welsh Labour and Co-operative Party
- Seventh Senedd Gŵyr Abertawe Welsh Labour and Co-operative Party
Ministerial roles
No ministerial roles on record.
Contributions, by sitting day
83 contributions on record, newest first. Official verbatim record.
7
Open this sitting on the stage
2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language en
It's because they have a Labour Government.
2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language cy
2. Beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i wella'r ddarpariaeth addysg bellach yn Abertawe? OQ64724
Official English translation
2. What is the Welsh Government doing to improve further education provision in Swansea? OQ64724
No broadcast timestamp published, so this contribution cannot be placed on the stage. Senedd TV Read this in the Record
2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language en
Can I thank the Minister for that reply? Perhaps I ought to say that I used to be a governor at Tycoch and my grandchild goes to Bryn Tawe, so I've got an interest, though not necessarily a financial one. I thought I'd bring that up for the record. One of the issues I think we are all in agreement on is that we do not want young people at 16 to become not in education, employment or training. That means we must have adequate availability of courses in the further education sector. If young people do not continue in education or training at 16, then many will face a life of unemployment. Getting them at 18 to go back into taking up a course is going to be very difficult. Gower College Swansea is doing its best to provide opportunities. I really would like to commend them, and I hope the Minister will as well. Gower College has over-recruited against the numbers funded, but they still have a waiting list for some areas. Will the Minister commit to funding further education so that there is a place in college for every young person who wants it in Swansea, so that we don't have people sitting at home who want to be learning?
6. Members' Legislative Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): An NHS first Bill en
Can I thank Gwyn for bringing this before us today? I'm a member of the Socialist Health Association, and committed to a publicly funded and publicly provided health service. The NHS, despite the waiting times and financial pressures, is supported by the vast majority of people in Wales. When you consider the cost of health provision in the USA, the NHS is excellent value for money. In the USA, medical costs are the major cause of personal bankruptcy. I believe in the direct provision of a publicly funded health service by publicly funded and employed health professionals. The private sector see opportunities to profit from the health service, taking the easy-to-provide services, not providing the expensive and difficult-to-provide. I support, wherever possible, delivery of waiting-list initiatives, surgeries and clinics within the NHS rather than through the private sector. The private sector is looking for opportunities to make a profit out of publicly funded health. My aim is a completely directly provided health service with no publicly funded health expenditure leaking out to the private sector. I support increasing surgical activity through weekend and evening clinics, opening new diagnostic and treatment centres and creating more community-based services to reduce hospital demand. We also have the advances in AI giving us analysis and treatment. All health boards should develop costed plans for additional clinic activity from departments within their organisations before considering entering into contracts with private providers. They must empower and trust clinical staff. I think that's one of the big problems we have: a lack of being prepared to trust the clinical staff. The BMA has expressed concern about the increasing role of private healthcare provision in the NHS, particularly regarding the privatisation of NHS services. They argue that private healthcare companies should be held to the same standards as NHS providers, including transparent reporting of patient safety incidents and performance. The BMA supports a new NHS provider selection regime to limit procurement arrangements with independent sector providers and ensure the sustainability of the NHS. They also advocate for better oversight of privatisation and recommend that independent sector providers for NHS services should be subject to the same requirements as NHS providers. I share the concern of many in the health service that increasing the reliance on private providers will erode the NHS's long-term sustainability and will end with us not having a national health service, but a publicly funded health service being used by the public in private hospitals and private areas. And the problem then becomes that the private sector won't want to do accident and emergency. They won't want to do anything that is difficult. They'll want to do the easier-to-deal-with. I think it really is important that we stand up for the NHS, which is what I'm doing now. Can I just, finally, say that the health service is funded to provide services, not as a cash point for the private sector?
8. Welsh Labour Debate: The M4 around Newport en
If we were starting from scratch now, the M4 would stretch from the bridge over the Severn estuary to Fishguard. The motorway would be three lanes wide for the whole of its length. There would be fewer junctions, and they would be further apart. It was built piecemeal. But we're not starting from scratch, are we? So, what do we intend to do? It's not just around the Brynglas tunnels that we have problems on the M4. For those of us coming in from the west, we have problems around Port Talbot. We have problems around the junction going on to the Heads of Valleys, and then we all join—and I'm sure, if you're driving here, Presiding Officer, you do—coming off the M4 at junction 33. We have all these traffic jams that affect us. So, I'm asking the Welsh Government: why do we always think we're unique? Why do we think that no other country has ever dealt with these sorts of problems? It's happening all the time. Can I mention what's happened in Italy? There's a technique known as the Nazzano method, which allows tunnels to be widened while traffic continues to run through them. Originally developed and successfully implemented in Italy, the Nazzano method allows an existing tunnel to be widened while remaining open to traffic. This technique involves constructing a new, larger tunnel shell around the existing bore, maintaining traffic flows through the works, and then removing the old lining once the new structure is complete. This method has been used internationally on busy motorway tunnels where closure was not feasible, and it has consistently delivered increased capacity. Can I urge the Welsh Government to give some serious thought to that? And it's not just that, is it? [Interruption.] Certainly.
8. Welsh Labour Debate: The M4 around Newport en
Can I just ask you when the Nazzano method was put forward? I don't remember anybody apart from me having mentioned it. I envisage only widening the tunnels and two short lane carriageways either side. There are other methods—I mean, in Japan, they have the world's first large-scale tunnel widening—[Interruption.] Can I just finish this bit? In Japan, they have the world's first large-scale tunnel widening by shield machines. The rest of the world is widening tunnels. Why can't we? Certainly, Darren.
8. Welsh Labour Debate: The M4 around Newport en
Well, can I just say, Darren, that you and I would both agree that what happened on the road to Damascus with Saul, who became Paul, was one of the greatest things that ever happened in world history? [Interruption.] So, I wouldn't go criticising that, but I'm just saying, and I've said this several times in the past, and I know Natasha has also talked about widening the tunnels—and without much support around, from you, Darren, for example—but widening the tunnels is an answer. It ought to be given a serious consideration. It doesn't mean driving kilometres through the Gwent levels. It just means widening the motorway going through those tunnels. It's happened in the rest of the world—why can't it happen here?
5
Open this sitting on the stage
2. Questions to the Counsel General en
Diolch. Counsel General, last month, on level 7 apprenticeships, you said, 'What I can tell him, which may cheer him up slightly, is that level 7 apprenticeships at the bar and also solicitors are uppermost in this Government's mind. We are pushing forward on them and, indeed, I shall be making a speech on them in about a fortnight's time, during the Legal Wales conference.' What progress has been made?
2. Questions to the Counsel General en
Thank you for that answer. I'm sure we'll return to that next month. What I'll also say, of course, on that, is that you've got approximately £200 million underspent, sitting there available, so you could be looking to use some of that. But I want to move on to the tribunal system. I know you said it is also high in your priorities, Counsel General. The proposed new Welsh tribunal structure is intended not only to bring existing devolved tribunals into a more coherent system, but also be capable of taking on additional jurisdiction in the future. Before any additional jurisdiction is transferred into the Welsh tribunal system, what safeguards do you believe need to be in place?
2. Questions to the Counsel General en
Thank you.
3. Business Statement and Announcement en
We have a shortage of housing available for rent. Houses that were previously privately rented have been converted into Airbnb properties. This housing shortage is made worse by the growth of Airbnb properties. These Airbnb properties take business away from guest houses and hotels; they create parking problems. It's not just a problem of tourist areas; it affects areas with older terraced housing, as well as properties at the seaside. There is control over houses in multiple occupation concentrations to stop areas becoming HMO areas. We need the same for Airbnb. I'm asking for a Government statement on what action they intend to take to control the growth of Airbnb, or are they going to let it just grow and grow?
7. Statement by the Cabinet Minister for Finance: An Update on Council Tax en
All property prices do not move at the same rate; if they did, there would be no problem. No change is baking in unfairness. I've asked previously to base council tax on actual value. I've also previously asked, if we have to have bands, for more at the top and splitting band A. What will happen in the next four years? Why will waiting four years not mean the changes will be bigger? Many of the people who would have had their bands decreased will continue paying at the higher rate. Is that fair? To Reform: bring a debate on council structure.
7
Open this sitting on the stage
1. Questions to the Trefnydd, Chief Whip and Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport en
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I want to raise a question on esports, which, as most people I think know, is short for electronic sports, which refers to organised competitive video gaming where individuals or teams compete in specific games for prizes, ranking or prestige. Esports have developed from a casual hobby into a structured global industry with leagues, governing bodies, teams, sponsors and dedicated venues. In Wales, the industry is growing rapidly. From my days of being a college lecturer, it was very popular. Esports Wales runs multiple official tournaments throughout the Welsh esports league, and the student esports championships. These events include seasonal leagues, open tournaments and school and college competitions, with structured formats and prize money. Will the Minister dedicate some of the money given to support the creative industries to esports as part of a comprehensive esports strategy?
1. Questions to the Trefnydd, Chief Whip and Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport en
Thank you very much for that answer. As you may remember, in November 2024, the then Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership, Jack Sargeant, took part in a landmark event in the Senedd to promote Wales's thriving esports industry and the Government's commitment to providing the safest and most engaging environment for young gamers. At the event, the Minister said that esports 'is a priority sector for the Welsh Government and I’m keen do all I can to support its growth and gain an international reputation for Wales as a centre for this rapidly growing industry.' Esports Wales have garnered significant success in recent years, with notable achievements, such as winning a gold medal in the Rocket League open competition at the Commonwealth Esports Championships. The team also secured a silver medal in the eFootball women's competition and a bronze in the eFootball open competition. I was very pleased, in the event we had here, to see Peter Fox in action playing esports. Are esports a priority for this Government, and have they a date for another esports event at the Senedd?
5. Welsh Labour Debate: Palliative and end-of-life care en
I have visited Tŷ Olwen Hospice both as a relative and also as a Senedd representative of the area in which Tŷ Olwen is based. The issue that got me considering palliative care in detail, and hospices, was the assisted dying debate. The lack of adequate palliative care and end-of-life care and that it needs to be improved became immediately apparent. Palliative care offers physical, emotional and practical support to people with a terminal illness; it can be offered at any point after a terminal diagnosis. It was not only those suffering from motor neurone disease and other degenerative diseases who wished for the end-of-life option, but others with conditions who, with good palliative care, could have had a rewarding life. First published in 2022, under a Labour Government, the palliative care quality statement set out high-level Welsh Government policy intentions for children's, young people's and adults' palliative and end-of-life care. The statement described what good-quality palliative and end-of-life care should look like. It listed six quality attributes: safe, timely, effective, person-centred, efficient, equitable. Palliative care and end-of-life care is a critical part of our health and social care system. When it is got right, it can have a profound impact on people living with terminal illnesses and those close to them. Gaps in provision and a system under severe pressure mean that too many people are left without the care and support they need. Demand for palliative care and end-of-life care is growing. Marie Curie estimate that, by 2040, 37,000 people will need palliative and end-of-life care each year. With a system that cannot cope now, unless the Government treats this as a matter of urgency, there is very little chance of meeting future need. Clear leadership from the Welsh Government is needed to address the palliative and end-of-life care system. I support Marie Curie's list of actions for the Government: ensure palliative and end-of-life care services are responsive to people's needs: high-quality care must be available in the right place at the right time in all parts of Wales; the Government must sustainably fund palliative and end-of-life services to meet the needs of all people living with a terminal illness across Wales; develop a palliative and end-of-life workforce that meets the growing need for care; ensure that all health and social care professionals have at least a foundation knowledge of palliative and end-of-life care; tell people living with terminal illnesses that a diagnosis could lead to death, tell them in language they can understand, and ensure people who are deaf, for example, have sign language interpreters available; patients need to be supported to have a conversation about their care preferences and have advance care plans in action; those who are terminally ill and those close to them, such as family, carers and friends, need 24-hour access to care, support and reassurance; ensure that people living with terminal illnesses are discharged from hospital swiftly when they are deemed able to return home; and appropriate support must be in place at the point of discharge, including support to die in their preferred place. This will, as well as benefiting terminally ill patients, free up beds in hospital and end the continual movement of those who are terminally ill into and out of hospital. We cannot allow a postcode lottery for end-of-life care. Wherever you live in Wales, you need the same level of provision. With palliative care, there is a major role carried out by unpaid carers. The needs of unpaid carers have to be assessed and reviewed so that their needs can be met and the support they need can be provided. The difference that high-quality palliative care and end-of-life care can make for people living with a terminal illness, and those close to them, cannot be understated. Too many in Wales cannot access the care they need. What we need is for health boards and trusts to periodically assess palliative and end-of-life care for their local population, then use that to inform service planning and delivery—these assessments to be made publicly available. Health boards must publish a local delivery plan for palliative care. These must set out how they will meet the population need and achieve the ambitions set out in the Welsh Government quality statement. All regional partnership boards must include palliative and end-of-life care leads to provide expert advice and guidance on meeting the needs of people with terminal illness and those close to them. Can I just raise three matters from personal experience? A patient with cancer of the oesophagus who could not swallow was going to literally be left to starve to death until I intervened, and they had six months of a rewarding life by being PEG fed; a terminally ill patient without palliative care who just went in and out of hospital with no palliative-care support; a terminally ill patient left in a nursing home with no palliative support. All this needs funding. There is a need to establish a sustainable funding solution to establish a sustainable palliative care and end-of-life care system that can meet the growing need for care. There doesn't need to be a magic money tree—use unallocated resources, do what matters, instead of things such as a shadow broadcasting and communications authority for Wales. Palliative care and end-of-life care matter to me—do they matter to the Welsh Government?
6. Reform UK Debate: Local referendums on council tax rises en
I've never heard people speak in a debate with so much ignorance. I will just respond to one thing. There's the Welsh purchasing consortium, where local authorities get together to buy things cheaply between themselves. Local government provides many of the key services provided by the public sector in Wales—not just refuse collection, but hundreds of services, from road maintenance to trading standards. No local authority makes increases in council tax because they want to punish their electorate—that would be perverse and self-defeating. Council tax rises are driven by the need to meet demand, meet their statutory obligations and council tax payers' wishes. We must consider that budgetary pressures on local authorities are not a simplistic mathematical exercise. Why 4.99 per cent? I know it makes a good headline. Can Reform publish the calculations behind it? Which services would they consider scrapping? Are they seeking statutory services to be made non-statutory in order for councils to legally stop services? In Reform-led Kent, the budget financial risk register reveals an immediate exposure of £411 million—that's it, £411 million—indicating the scale of uncertainty facing Kent's finances. Risks include potential overspends, underfunded services, the pressure of increasing demand in social care, and infrastructure upkeep. This level of risk raises a question about the council's ability to manage its reserves and avoid more drastic cuts in coming years, gambling with services for the vulnerable and the council's finances. The previous Senedd's Finance Committee received evidence from witnesses about the differential rates at which inflation affects and has an impact on their budgets. Local government in Wales has many financial pressures outside of its control. Education is a major area of expenditure and teachers' pay and pension increases need to be met in full. Education is the key to moving children out of poverty. I want to discuss three major financial pressures on local government in detail. The estimated pressure for local government services for this year was £599 million. Social services alone account for almost half of that, equating to over £200 million all told. The provision of social care is critical to the health and care system operating effectively, and plays a key role in achieving positive health outcomes. Investing in social care leads directly to reducing pressure on the NHS, both in terms of keeping people out of hospital and helping people to return home at the appropriate time, reducing delayed transfers of care. Wales has an ageing population and people are living for longer with complex care needs and dementia. This will continue to increase pressure on care services. The Welsh Local Government Association stress that social services face acute and widening financial challenges, with more than 81,000 people relying on care and support. Care Forum Wales says the sector is under immense strain, grappling with persistent workforce pressures, unsustainable fee rates and increasing employer costs. A committee was shown that fees for nursing care can vary by as much as £9,000 a year between neighbouring authorities. For those who fully fund their own care, so-called 'self-funders', average weekly costs are around £1,156 for residential care and £1,394 for nursing care. The older people's commissioner highlights how funding pressures fall unfairly on service users, with inequitable fee structures and top-up fees leaving many self-funders effectively subsidising publicly funded care home placements. Workforce pressures: staffing pressures remain a major concern, with chronic vacancies and ongoing recruitment and retention difficulties, despite the introduction of the real living wage for social care workers. More than a quarter of domiciliary care workers are on zero-hours contracts. Social Care Wales's workforce survey in 2025 found that one in five social care employees aim to leave the sector within the next 14 months, citing low pay, poor conditions and limited progression. The Welsh Government does not currently publish data on waiting times for social care services, but stakeholders report long and growing delays, including waits for assessment for care packages, equipment and occupational therapy. Age Cymru research found that nearly one in four older people were waiting more than 30 days for a care assessment and one in six were waiting more than 30 days for care to be put in place after the assessment. Another major area of pressure is additional learning needs. We've talked about it a lot here, and everybody was saying how we need more money for additional learning needs. Where do you think it's going to come from? Schools across Wales are at breaking point. A significant number of school budgets are currently in deficit, and, for many, that crisis is driven almost directly—[Interruption.]—by severely underfunded provision. Schools that had substantial surpluses have seen that money used for ALN provision. [Interruption.] If you want to intervene, please do, and I'll try and educate you. The school system failed. [Interruption.]
6. Reform UK Debate: Local referendums on council tax rises en
I can understand—. I understand your position: you want to privatise everything. You want the parents to pay for everything. You want them to pay for everything and you don't want the taxpayer to pay for it. [Interruption.]
6. Reform UK Debate: Local referendums on council tax rises en
Well, we'll find out next May how few of you will survive in local government, and we'll find out in three years' time how few of you are here. Can I suggest you start looking at council by-elections and, if you go back, how long it is since you last won one?
6. Reform UK Debate: Local referendums on council tax rises en
Do you want to go around telling elderly people they can't have home care support because you want to save money?
1
Open this sitting on the stage
-
We've just had the warmest summer of the rest of our lives. According to public documents, we have had more flooding in the first 25 years of the twenty-first century than the whole of the twentieth century. Whilst flooding is not as annually predictable as heat, we'll have more flooding in the next five years than the last five years. You can believe that climate change is not happening, it does not stop it happening or stop the repercussions of it. Will the Government consider taking the following action? Plant trees on higher ground to reduce floods at source; introduce beavers into rivers to create ponds and wetlands that slow down river flow; promote the use of planted areas, rain gardens and permeable paving to allow water to drain away. We're not going to stop the water coming down, but at least we can do something with it.
3
Open this sitting on the stage
1. Questions to the First Minister en
I'm a Swansea City Association Football Club supporter and I remember the effect that playing in the premiership, winning the league cup and qualifying in Europe had on the image of Swansea. I drove down Mumbles Road one Saturday morning and a huge crowd of Chelsea supporters were walking towards the city centre. They had stayed in Swansea overnight, paid for accommodation, food and drink, helping our economy. The Ospreys, when they have European games against French and English opponents, also generate a substantial number of overnight supporters, with the same effect. Does the First Minister agree with me that the success of professional sport is beneficial for our economy, and that Swansea needs Swansea City back in the premiership and a successful Ospreys team? [Laughter.]
3. Business Statement and Announcement en
I'm requesting a Government statement on its tourism strategy. A strategy is not saying that tourism is important to the Welsh economy and that we want it. Which tourism sectors does the Welsh Government think are important? How are they going to target groups? How will they distinguish between day tourists and overnight tourists? I would prioritise active tourism, such as hiking, cycling and golf. The question is can we share golf tourism with Ireland. Has anybody asked? I would also prioritise cultural tourism to eisteddfods and historical buildings, including chapels and churches. But we do need a strategy.
-
Every local authority in Britain can move money into and out of reserves. This includes town and community councils and it actually includes school governing bodies, who can also move money into and out of reserves. No controls, no rules. It's their money, they can spend it or save it. Why is the Welsh Government treated differently? Once money is allocated to Wales or is raised in Wales, the Treasury has no legitimate interest in that money. This is the way they treat Westminster committees and how they treat different spending areas in Westminster. It is not the way to treat a Government. Money is sometimes allocated late in the year, sometimes very late in the year. Money has been claimed back. There is an expectation it could have been carried forward, but that's only an expectation. The rules are really unfair. If not always able to carry it forward, money was claimed back. I did suggest at the time that we should not rely on the Treasury being fair—I don't think anybody's ever thought the Treasury was fair—and that we should actually take the money and spend it. We could give it to local authorities or give it to housing associations without any problem at all. But this is not a way to run a national budget. It does not cost the Treasury any money. Once it's here, it's here, and I don't see why they want to get involved in micromanaging Wales. It has to end. And once the money is allocated, then why does the Treasury want to get involved? It is not their money, they should be leaving us alone. On funding, despite what has been said and believed, Wales does well out of the current system. We receive substantially more than we pay in. Estimates suggest that we collect about 70 per cent to 75 per cent of the per capita income in Wales. We spend about 110 per cent, including central Government expenditure, here in Wales. This is what being part of a larger country means—money is provided to those who need it most. What should a funding system look like? Characteristics of a funding system for subnational Governments that were originally proposed by the Calman commission include: stability and predictability; simplicity and transparency; autonomy; efficiency; equity, so that resources are allocated in a way that takes account of relative need; and accountability, so that the link between decisions made and the tax paid by voters is clear. Any additional tax take within a region should impact on the budget available. The Barnett formula evolved from the Goschen formula, which was designed specifically to preserve Scotland's public expenditure advantage over England. The formula was thus never designed with Wales in mind. Applied rigorously, the formula should have led to convergence in levels of spending per head across the UK. The formula has, however, preserved the spending advantage for Wales over England. There have been periodic adjustments to the operation of the formula since 1980, mainly through relative population changes. These adjustments have increased relative spending levels in Wales. The main advantage of the formula is its simplicity and objectivity as a basis for making spending allocations. There has been notable success in securing formula bypass since devolution. For example, Objective 1 match funding and funding for city deals. Northern Ireland has done substantially better in receiving money in excess of the Barnett formula. Remember, the Barnett formula calculates the minimum to be provided. Anything over and above that is allowed to be provided by the Government if they so desire. We also have the Barnett floor. It was set following the Holtham commission investigation into the needs of Wales. At the 2015 spending review, the UK Conservative Government—see, Sam, I do mention the Conservatives—implemented a funding floor in Wales. This provided a guarantee that the Welsh Government block grant funding per head would not fall below 115 per cent of equivalent spending per head in England. Currently in Wales we get about 120 per cent of the equivalent funding per head in England. With the result of the Holtham review that Wales needs 115 per cent of the equivalent funding per head in England in devolved areas, if we get 120 per cent, we're doing well. Currently, the total budget is £27.5 billion—£22.8 billion in revenue and £3.6 billion in capital. So, if Wales gets its 115 per cent, which is what Holtham said, then we get about £1 billion more than we should be getting, or than would be calculated. So, this idea that Wales is treated very badly by everybody might play well in certain circles, but it doesn't actually play with reality. This needs recalculating. I suggest academics, jointly appointed by the Welsh Government and the Treasury, at five-yearly intervals, should recalculate Wales's need. But remember, there's a danger that Wales will get less. I support additional funding for rail. I have stations in my constituency that we need to be opening and reopening. Would money better be spent on transport in general? We need work doing on bus and rail interchanges. We need to ensure adequate parking near the new stations. What we do not need are rail lines to fulfil the wishes of the few passengers who want to use them.
3
Open this sitting on the stage
1. Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice cy
2. Sut y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn sicrhau y bydd Dechrau'n Deg a'r cynnig gofal plant newydd 20 awr, gyda'i gilydd, yn ddigon hyblyg i gefnogi bywydau gwaith teuluoedd? OQ64565
Official English translation
2. How will the Welsh Government ensure that Flying Start and the new 20-hour childcare offer will together be flexible enough to support families' working lives? OQ64565
No broadcast timestamp published, so this contribution cannot be placed on the stage. Senedd TV Read this in the Record
1. Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice cy
Diolch am eich ateb.
Official English translation
Thank you for that response.
1. Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice en
Flying Start is a brilliant initiative, despite its flaws. Too many children start nursery with a developmental age of two, while some of the more advanced start with a developmental age approaching four. Some start not toilet trained and with very limited communication and social skills. Flying Start gives an opportunity to narrow that gap and helps build self-esteem so that children start school not as self-defined failures. There have been problems based on the lower super-output areas, where some of the wealthiest in Swansea were in Flying Start areas and some of the poorest were not. Using the Welsh index of multiple deprivation does not work in heterogeneous areas. House prices are a much better indicator. Will the Minister commit to continuing the Flying Start provision and improving on it?
3
Open this sitting on the stage
6. Welsh Labour Debate: Further education en
We know there is a crisis of young people not being in education, employment or training, and the long-term scarring impact this has on their future health, earnings and life chances. If they're not in education between 16 and 18, the chance of them joining education after 18 or reaching employment reduces, and reduces rapidly. As a former FE college lecturer and college governor, I welcome the increased participation of young people in further education colleges across Wales. It's very welcome, the rising demand for vocational and technical education. We need plumbers, we need hairdressers, we need electricians, we need decorators. We know we need those. In Britain, there were 981,000 young people aged 16 to 24 not in employment, education or training between April and June, according to the Office for National Statistics. But what shifts have happened there? We've got a lost generation of young people, and they're going to be lost forever unless urgent action is taken. And that really does fall on the Welsh Government to start taking some of this action. What's happened over time has been the composition of this inactive group. The proportion who are inactive due to sickness or disability has more than doubled since 2005. I find it difficult to believe that almost a third of people who were NEETs in 2025 had health problems to such an extent that they were unable to engage in either education, training or employment. Other reasons are people having health and caring responsibilities and those who do not want or need employment. Those who do not want or need employment rose sharply during the same period, to reach 23 per cent of NEETs in 2025. I find it alarming that there will be some, the wealthy—probably sat on the benches opposite us—who actually have no need to work. But there's an awful lot of people who, if they're not in employment, are getting by on benefits. At the same time, the share of young people inactive due to caring reasons has dropped, which is good news, but, again, the unpaid carers who we all meet fairly regularly keep on telling us about the problems. Those aged 16 and 17 who are likely to have been inactive for other reasons over the past few years, what happens then? They don't want to go to school. Lots of people don't want to carry on in school, school isn't for them, but that's not the end of education, that's not the end of training and that doesn't mean that they can never work. We have the Welsh Government's young person's guarantee scheme and that scheme is greatly welcomed. Colleges and private training providers are the only option when direct movement into employment is not available. Private training providers, many of whom do an excellent job, lack capacity to train large numbers of young people. Evidence consistently shows that remaining in education post 16 is critical to young people's long-term life outcomes. It's also a point at which young people face a major decision of continuing in academic education or pursuing vocational education—a choice that can be difficult for those with limited guidance or family support. A lot of this comes down to what type of jobs you know, and most young people, what jobs do they know? They know teachers because they see them every day, they know what their families do, they know what their neighbours do, but there's a whole range of jobs that they know nothing about. A former Member of this Senedd who became a barrister did so because he went on training days with a barrister in Swansea. Now, that's something that is incredibly good, but we can't leave the future of young people to that sort of chance, can we? Many young people want to go to college, and I recognise the financial pressures on colleges, if only because they keep on telling me. But no 16 to 18-year-old should be unable to attend a college because not enough places are funded. For colleges that provide training that is not funded by the Welsh Government, the amount is limited by financial pressure. There is a need for the Welsh Government to fund all the places that are needed. If we don't want NEETs, let's not be the people who create the NEETs by not providing training places for young people. And if young people who cannot get a job or get on a college course become NEET, it's not their fault, it's ours, or should I say, the Welsh Government's. The Government needs to fund further education colleges so that everyone who wants to go to college can go. This is why I support this motion today. It's important that every young person gets the opportunity they deserve.
6. Welsh Labour Debate: Further education en
What we do know is that many of those NEETs are NEETs because they can't get on to an education course in a college. Will you fund all the courses for all those young people who want to go on and stop them being NEETs and get them into education?
7. Reform UK Debate: Wales and the United Kingdom en
Of course, if Wales was an independent country, it would be the one hundred and thirty seventh largest country in world, sandwiched in size between Mongolia and Uruguay. We also know that countries around the world have a GVA—a measure of the value of goods and services produced in the economy—that is lower than that of Wales: Haiti. So why, having identified that Wales is neither too small nor too poor to be independent, do I oppose independence? The primary reason is straightforward, and it rests on both Wales's tax receipts and its GVA. An independent Wales would, based upon published data, be poorer than we are now, with a combination of higher taxes and poorer public services. Plaid Cymru's policy is one of salami-slicing to independence, summed up by 'Devolve, devolve and devolve until there's nothing left to devolve.' Adam Price, when leader of Plaid Cymru, said, 'Plaid Cymru has a simple answer to the challenge posed by Westminster, and that is independence.' Please ignore that Wales is financially a net beneficiary of the union. We know that because David Phillips of the Institute for Fiscal Studies has estimated that Wales is a net beneficiary of the union by between £12 billion and £15 billion a year. If Wales keeps its revenue and funds its own public spending and then makes a population-based contribution for UK-wide situations, at least understand there would be a large fiscal deficit for Wales. Also according to David Phillips of the IFS, the most recent estimates from the ONS suggest that, for public expenditure, Wales is about 10 per cent higher than across the UK as a whole. This is despite raising substantially less money. We know that, in devolved areas, Wales gets 20 per cent more than England. We know the commission chaired by Gerry Holtham said Wales needs 15 per cent more than England. That is the Barnett floor. Funding cannot fall below that level. The finance Cabinet Minister confirmed that the Holtham committee figure was correct. So, when Wales looks at fair funding, Plaid Cymru, it means we want £1 billion less. We also know small countries don't have the economic strength to weather financial storms. For example, in Iceland, between 2008 and 2010, a catastrophic financial crash occurred. This involved the default of all three of the country's major privately owned commercial banks in late 2008, following problems in refinancing their short-term debt and a run on deposits. Relative to the size of its economy, Iceland's systematic banking collapse was the largest of any country in economic history. The crisis led to a severe recession and the mass migration of younger people. That's what happens when you play games. It's not those of us who are of retirement age or near retirement age or settled, it's the young people who are forced to leave because there's no employment for them. I believe in devolution, but not in Welsh independence. We've had seven devolution settlements for Wales, and we're no closer to a long-term settlement than we were before the first. In the UK, we've seen different devolution settlements for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as different responsibilities devolved to London and some of the larger city regions of England. There are obvious areas that need to be held centrally within a devolved structure, such as defence, foreign affairs, national security, currency, interest rates, overseas aid, immigration, driver and car licensing, central bank and national insurance numbers. If they are not held centrally, that's called independence. Is there any of those that Plaid Cymru do not want devolved on their journey to independence? If those areas are devolved, well that is independence. Now, should taxation change and there be UK taxes to pay for centrally funded items with all other taxes devolved and collected locally? That's what happens in America for state and national taxes. How will financial support from the wealthier to the poorer regions be organised and maintained? We do not know the direction of devolution. Not everything needs to be devolved to Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland or the English city region at the same time. What we should have is a list of items that are available to be devolved, with each Parliament and mayoral area needing at least two thirds of its Members voting in favour for that area to be devolved. This is what happened with policing in Northern Ireland. It was devolved because two thirds of the Northern Ireland Assembly voted for it. This approach avoids big-bang devolution, where control of everything is passed on one day, while still allowing the matter to be devolved as the Parliaments are ready for them and funding is agreed. The advantage of this is that it sets an end point to the devolution journey, outside of creating new countries, and allows each to move at a pace it is comfortable with, with a common end point. Asymmetric devolution hasn't worked in Britain. It didn't work in Spain. Other countries, like Germany and USA, have the same powers devolved. Each US state has the same powers and responsibility, no matter its size. It's the same with each German Land. But devolution in Wales does not have to end in Cardiff. Devolution in Wales is possible to be devolved to the four regions of Wales and to councils. Which powers would be better devolved to local authorities also needs to be discussed and decided. The twentieth century is almost a one-way journey of items being taken off local authorities and then dealt with centrally. And I think, really, we want to do what is best for Wales, not what is best for our political views.
3
Open this sitting on the stage
2. Questions to the Counsel General en
Diolch. What discussion has the Counsel General had with the Law Society regarding securing fully funded level 7 solicitor apprenticeships in Wales? Level 7 solicitor apprenticeships are a well-established route to qualifications in England, allowing aspiring solicitors to earn while they learn and avoid taking on significant tuition debt. In Wales, however, aspiring solicitors still cannot access an equivalent funded route. The uptake of level 7 solicitor apprenticeships in England has grown, with more than 5,000 people starting an apprenticeship between 2018 and 2025. We cannot allow Wales to be left behind, can we?
2. Questions to the Counsel General en
Thank you very much for that answer. Let's see if I can keep being on a roll. Access to justice is a core component of the rule of law and yet many areas of Wales are facing a growing crisis in access to legal services. Described as legal deserts, these are areas where the presence of solicitors is so limited that people cannot easily obtain legal advice or representation when they need it. The Law Society has produced a report that draws on the latest data available, including solicitor distribution, demographic trends and the impact of legal aid funding pressures. The findings include severe geographic inequality in solicitor density, rising solicitor retirements without adequate replacements, the attrition of legal aid providers, and increasing numbers of unrepresented litigants in civil, criminal and welfare cases. What are the Counsel General's views on this report?
-
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I welcome the update on the building safety programme and the steps the Government is taking to protect leaseholders and ensure that the homes covered by the programme are safe, and those living in them are treated with the fairness and dignity they deserve. This has been a long time coming. My constituents have waited a very long time for this to be resolved. It's created hardship and worry for my constituents. The commitment to provide financial support to leaseholders facing the cost of interim alarm systems required to support the simultaneous evacuation policy is a positive step, but it's an acknowledgement that, despite all the agreements, we have not reached the stage where work is going to be done everywhere in the near future. My constituents living in fear of being another Grenfell want the obligations under the contract to be met, and the Welsh Government needs to get legally enforceable agreements with guaranteed completion dates so that my constituents can sleep safely at night.
6
Open this sitting on the stage
1. Questions to the Trefnydd, Chief Whip and Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport en
Diolch. First of all, can I declare an interest as a member of Seion Newydd chapel? Following on from the question that was asked a few moments ago, Wales is home to some of the most significant historic churches and chapels in Europe. These buildings are not only places of worship; they are centres of community life, landmarks of Welsh history, and an essential part of our cultural inheritance. The withdrawal of the listed places of worship grant scheme has removed about £1 million a year that helped congregations maintain these nationally important buildings, placing additional pressure on communities already struggling to meet rising repair costs. Now that this funding has been lost, do you agree that Wales should establish its own replacement scheme to ensure that our priceless Welsh heritage receives the support it needs for future generations?
1. Questions to the Trefnydd, Chief Whip and Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport en
Thank you for that. Wales has a long and diverse religious history. We have many famous religious buildings, including Anglican churches, Catholic churches, nonconformist chapels, mosques, Sikh temples, Buddhist temples, synagogues and Hindu temples. I request that the Minister considers two actions: firstly, that a feasibility study on the creation of a museum on religions in Wales is carried out; and secondly that, working with other Cabinet colleagues, the Welsh Government creates a religious tourism plan. Whilst local tour plans exist, I cannot find a complete tour plan, and we've got a number of very important religious buildings, not only in Swansea.
2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Finance en
Thank you very much for calling me. I didn't know I was down for this, but—[Laughter.]—that will not stop me making some comments. I think that when we look at budgets and we look at where we are, then it's all about priorities, isn't it? You and I have different priorities. My priority is additional learning needs for children. Yours is to have a Welsh broadcasting authority. You've every right to have those different priorities, but do you understand why we have a different one?
2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Finance cy
7. Pa asesiad y mae'r Gweinidog Cabinet wedi'i wneud o ddigonolrwydd cyllid Llywodraeth y DU ar gyfer Llywodraeth Cymru? OQ64438
Official English translation
7. What assessment has the Cabinet Minister made of the adequacy of UK Government funding for the Welsh Government? OQ64438
No broadcast timestamp published, so this contribution cannot be placed on the stage. Senedd TV Read this in the Record
2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Finance en
It's always interesting when you decide where you want to start something, because if you started in 2011, you'd have seen an entirely different figure. But let's not argue over that. Whilst every organisation believes it needs more money, fairness is important. What we know is that in devolved areas, Wales gets 20 per cent more than England for the same service. A commission led by Gerry Holtham calculated that Wales needs 15 per cent more than England for the same service. Wales has a Barnett floor set at that 15 per cent level. What evidence does the Minister have that the Holtham commission was wrong?
-
I would like to pay tribute to the work of the RSPCA during the summer hot weather and the work that they do to safeguard our pets and animals, especially dogs. Dogs can struggle badly in hot weather because they cool themselves mainly by panting, not sweating like humans. That means that even a warm day can become dangerous, especially for flat-faced breeds such as pugs and bulldogs, older dogs, overweight dogs and those with heart or breathing problems. Owners should always make sure that dogs have constant access to fresh water, shade and a cool place to rest indoors or outside. Walks should be planned for the early morning or late evening when the ground and air are cooler. Hot pavements and asphalt can burn paws quickly, so it is wise to test the surface before going out. Dogs should never be left in a parked car, conservatory or other enclosed hot space, even for a few minutes, because temperatures can rise to fatal levels very fast. Grooming can also help in summer, but dogs should not usually be shaved without veterinary advice, as their coats can protect them from both sun and overheating. It is also important to know the signs of heatstroke: heavy panting, drooling, weakness, vomiting, confusion and collapse, which are all warning signs that need urgent veterinary attention. If a dog seems overheated, move it to a cooler area, offer water and contact a vet immediately. The RSPCA in Wales deserves real praise for promoting practical, compassionate advice on dog welfare during hot weather. Its guidance is clear, accessible and focused on prevention, helping owners to understand simple but life-saving steps. By raising awareness about heatstroke, hot cars and safe summer care, the RSPCA continues to play an important role in protecting dogs across Wales.
1
Open this sitting on the stage
1. Questions to the First Minister en
There's a shortage of housing available for renting. There's an even greater shortage of housing available at affordable rents. The long-term solution is to build more social housing, especially council housing. I have supported rent controls and the return of rent officers for privately rented properties. But we now have a new, very serious problem, Airbnb, which is taking properties out of the private rented sector. This is not a seaside and holiday resort problem only. It is also a problem in cities. What action is the Welsh Government going to take to limit Airbnb in each council area?
4
Open this sitting on the stage
1. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care cy
4. A wnaiff y Gweinidog Cabinet ddatganiad ar gynllunio ar gyfer swyddi gwag yn y gwasanaeth iechyd? OQ64368
Official English translation
4. Will the Cabinet Minister make a statement on vacancy planning in the health service? OQ64368
No broadcast timestamp published, so this contribution cannot be placed on the stage. Senedd TV Read this in the Record
1. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care en
I only wish that was true. There are no NHS jobs for three in 10 nurses graduating in Wales this summer. No-one has told me the wards have too many nurses; many have told me that the wards they have been treated on or visited patients needed more nurses. Student nurses have said they've felt let down, worried and angry after years of unpaid work in the NHS during training and taking out large loans to qualify. Will the health Minister provide, as requested by the Royal College of Nursing, a jobs guarantee for nursing graduates? And you'll want to know where the money is coming from: there's £247 million unallocated, and we only wanted £100 million of that for additional learning needs.
2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning en
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I will be under a minute. When we discussed the current budget during the last Senedd, there was widespread support from Plaid Cymru, including you, Minister, that local government has substantial pressures. We overcame the ludicrous idea of a former finance Minister that the consumer price index indicated local government inflation, as if the change in price of items such as hummus, alcohol-free beer, pet grooming, motor homes, dashboard cameras, sheets of wrapping paper and bottled premium lager affected the cost of running local government services. It is my understanding that the areas of local government expenditure on additional learning needs, social services, including elderly care and childcare, homelessness and prevention services are causing pressure on council budgets. Minister, is that your understanding, or do you wish to change that list?
2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning en
Thank you for that answer; it was longer than I expected. We have agreed there is an increasing demand for certain council services. There are also environmental health and trading standards—vital services that need to be supported. Things like food safety and trading standards protect consumers. Minister, how much extra money have you and fellow Ministers asked for from the finance Minister to meet this increased demand out of the £247 million unallocated?
4
Open this sitting on the stage
2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution en
[Inaudible.]—now?
4. Statement by the First Minister: Legislation en
On legislation, I always think about how comprehensive education was initially brought in following a Department for Education and Science circular by Anthony Crosland—no legislation. I'm a member of the Co-operative Party, who have long campaigned for a community right-to-buy scheme, and I support legislation to enable eligible community groups to nominate and register valuable community assets and be given the right to first refusal when the owner decides to sell. Far too many community buildings are left to deteriorate, and community action could stop some of these becoming derelict. Is any funding going to be made available to help these community purchases? I also want us to leave a greener legacy for generations to come, and I welcome the environmental proposal to support developing a climate and nature action plan. What I will ask, though, on animals, is: will the proposed legislation provide additional support for animals in Wales? And again I ask for legislation to stop the private ownership of primates. I note in the First Minister's statement that control over water runs far deeper in Wales's collective memory than it being seen merely as a matter of policy or regulation. Your economy Minister joined me in the last Senedd in supporting the public ownership of water. Will the Welsh Government consider nationalising Welsh Water? Finally, on the economy, will the Welsh Government consider funding university research in computing and life sciences and the spin-offs that come from it?
9. Debate: The First Supplementary Budget 2026-27 en
I agree with your last point, Darren. What I don't agree with is describing Plaid Cymru as a left-wing party.
9. Debate: The First Supplementary Budget 2026-27 en
If you offer £120 million this year, I can guarantee Labour will vote for it.
4
Open this sitting on the stage
1. Questions to the First Minister en
Swansea Bay University Health Board is a compact health board, structured so that each of the three main hospitals has its own area of expertise, including burns and plastics for south Wales and the south west of England. We have seen a large number of nurses and midwives qualify but not being offered posts, which is upsetting for each of them, but also means that the use of agency nurses will continue. Will the First Minister meet with the health board and suggest to them that employing recently qualified nurses, instead of the use of expensive agency nurses, will benefit the health service, the health board and the individuals recently qualified?
2. Business Statement and Announcement en
I'm asking for a Government statement on the future of renewable energy in Wales. My long-standing support for a tidal lagoon in Swansea, onshore and offshore wind turbines and solar power is a matter of public record. We are awaiting technological advances in solar power so that the energy can be generated without direct sunlight, and we also need improved battery storage. We have onshore wind planning applications that have to be dealt with. I'm not asking for individual planning decisions, just a direction of travel. We also have a proposal to produce substantially more offshore wind energy—the cheapest form of energy. Universities can play a major part in these developments. I'd like to see a plan for the development of renewable energy. I hope that you'll say that you're developing one, but a statement on current intent would be very beneficial.
-
My fear is that the new development agency will become the WDA mark II. Remember LG? Remember the advanced factories around Wales left empty for decades? Remember the firms who came, took the grants and then left with the equipment we paid for? Whilst Wales has created many successful companies, one of the failures has been to grow most of these companies into large companies. There have been successes—Admiral Group plc and Iceland Foods Ltd, for example. Two of the world's largest companies—Hewlett-Packard Company and Amazon were started in garages. Looking at two previous medium-sized companies, Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd and Dawnus, Alun Griffiths sold out to Tarmac, but has now been bought back, and Dawnus collapsed owing almost £50 million. Part of the problem was caused by overseas contracts. I could give many other examples of things that have gone wrong, but I would like to raise some key questions. How are we going to scale up businesses? How do we avoid either failure or being sold to major companies? Why do American companies grow, especially in the technology sector? What can we learn from those American companies, who don't actually have a development agency? How do we arrange sufficient financial support? How do we provide the management and marketing support needed? How do we not only grow, but sustainably grow?
-
Can I start by saying I've consistently supported the ability of the Welsh Government to borrow prudentially, as every local authority in Wales can? There should be no borrowing limit, but the Government should have to produce a repayment plan, including cumulative repayments. It's ridiculous that the Government can use a modified version of private finance initiative—which is the old PFI scheme but without janitorial services—for capital expenditure, but not the cheaper direct borrowing method. The Finance Committee, of which I was a member, consistently asked that money could be moved into and out of reserves within normal limits. All councils have that power, so it's an anomaly that the Welsh Government does not have that power. I cannot understand why Plaid Cymru didn't put that down, because that would have had unanimous support in this Chamber from at least three parties and probably all parties. There's a very strong economic case for a United Kingdom where not only is Wales a net beneficiary of redistribution, but also larger countries can more easily withstand economic storms and support the less affluent parts. Iceland, on the banking crisis, is an example of the problems of a small country. Wales has substantially more of its expenditure, including expenditure on people in Wales, coming from Westminster, including funding to the Senedd and Welsh Government, than is raised in Wales. We know that Wales gets 10 per cent more than England on total expenditure. We know that in devolved areas, Wales gets 20 per cent more than England for the same responsibilities. We know the income tax take in Wales is approximately 75 per cent of England's. There are four possible methods of funding Wales. One is the Barnett formula, which evolved from the Goschen formula that was specifically designed to preserve Scotland's public spending advantage over England. The formula was never designed with Wales in mind. Applied rigorously, the formula should have led to convergence in levels of spending per head across the UK. The formula has, however, preserved a spending advantage for Wales over England. There have been periodic adjustments to the operation of the formula since 1980, mainly through relative population changes. These adjustments have increased relative spending levels in Wales. The main advantage of the formula is its simplicity and objectivity as the basis of making spending allocations. There have been notable successes in securing formula bypasses for devolution, for example in relation to Objective 1 match funding and the funding for city deals. We also have the Barnett floor. At the 2015 spending review, the UK Conservative Government implemented a funding floor for Wales that provided a guarantee that Welsh block grant funding per head would not fall below 115 per cent of the equivalent funding per head in England. The second option is that Wales pays its share of Westminster costs and keeps the rest of the taxes raised in Wales. This is what independence looks like. This could have a catastrophic effect on public expenditure in Wales. The only way Plaid Cymru could get anywhere near getting it to work is to not fund the state pension and other central benefits, and not fund the Welsh proportion of the national debt. The third option is that Wales gets its population share of devolved expenditure. This is the simplest and second most catastrophic. The 115 per cent Barnett floor would be reduced to 100 per cent of English expenditure. This would lead to the removal of the Barnett floor that protects expenditure in Wales and sees Wales doing better than England. The fourth option is to create a formula that takes into account sparsity, age profile and deprivation. Any new formula would not be without criticism. Consider the local government formula in Wales and the misunderstood arguments and misleading statements we have on it. Anyone who has followed discussions on the local government formula would not realise that the two authorities that receive the least Government support per head are Monmouthshire and the Vale of Glamorgan. The system of grant allocation is designed to be objective and to equalise for need and resources. The following principles underlie the calculation of standard spending assessments. The relative weights of services provided by local government are determined by actual expenditure patterns. Distribution within services is in general determined by objective indicators of an authority's relative need to spend. For the purpose of calculating individual standard spending assessments, allocation to local government revenue funding is broken down into 55 notional service areas. A separate method of distribution exists for each of these elements in order to distribute the total across the authorities. This formula could be compared to England and be used to calculate relative local government need between England and Wales. Health is a major part of the Welsh Government. It's currently over 50 per cent of the Welsh Government's expenditure. On health, there is a simplistic age-based formula to calculate relative need. Then there's the more complicated and accurate formula, including relative occurrence of all conditions and diseases, with a cost weighting attached. This would create a long and detailed formula, but it is relatively easy to achieve. The data exists and the calculations can be done. The data on relative poverty, rates of long-term ill health and sparsity are known. The rest of the expenditure needs of Wales could be calculated in the same way. Gerry Holtham chaired an independent commission on funding and finance for Wales that reported in 2010, also known as the Holtham commission. It proposed a Barnett floor and the production of a needs-based formula. Fair funding for Wales should be based on relative need. Reform to a needs-based formula would take time. Work needs to start on it now. The Welsh Government could start on it now. I support the introduction of a needs-based formula, but I think what we need to do is start working on it. The danger is, as has been pointed out by other people here, if we go to a needs-based formula, we could end up having substantially less. I'm just going to finish on the Crown Estate. If we have all the money from the Crown Estate, it just comes off the block grant. Every other tax devolution has come off the block grant. Why would the Crown Estate be treated differently?
5
Open this sitting on the stage
1. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy en
Can I declare an interest as a member of the Co-operative Party and as someone who has been active in several co-operatives? I'm proud that, in the last Senedd's term, the Welsh Labour Government not only set an ambitious target to double the number of employee-owned businesses, but actually broke it quite substantially before the 2026 election. Now, the benefit of employee-owned businesses is well established. My party's manifesto for May contained a commitment to double again the number of co-operatives and community-owned businesses, and I know that your party manifesto similarly spoke about ensuring that businesses are Welsh run, although without that specific target around how success could be measured. So, what target would you consider to be a measure of success for increasing the co-operative model of ownership?
1. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy cy
5. Pa ddiwydiannau y bydd y Gweinidog Cabinet yn eu blaenoriaethu wrth ddatblygu economi Cymru? OQ64235
Official English translation
5. Which industries will the Cabinet Minister prioritise in developing the Welsh economy? OQ64235
No broadcast timestamp published, so this contribution cannot be placed on the stage. Senedd TV Read this in the Record
1. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy en
Thank you for that answer. I believe the six key growth sectors in the world's economy are artificial intelligence and automation, renewable energy, digital health, fintech, advanced manufacturing and e-commerce. Does the Minister agree with me? We need an industrial strategy for each of these sectors, support for each of them, including grants, and, crucially, support for Welsh universities, which can provide both graduates and, crucially, academic research. What action is the Minister intending to take to support these sectors?
-
Diolch. Saturday, 4 July is national appreciation day for key workers in the retail industry. We all interact with retail workers, be it in our local newsagents, supermarkets, clothes shops or do-it-yourself stores. Retail trade union USDAW—Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers—is holding its National Retail Workers' Day, which engages with the public to highlight the value of retail workers in our shops and communities this Saturday. There are 2.8 million jobs in retail, accounting for almost 10 per cent of all jobs in the British economy. It is collectively the biggest private sector employer in the country. I, alongside USDAW, am asking the public to show their support for shop workers and share the message that retail workers are at the heart of our communities. The staff are at the core of the success of the retail industry, which is crucial to the UK economy and is a vital part of our high streets and communities. National Retail Workers' Day provides a great opportunity to thank all retail workers for the hard work they do day in, day out. The trade union for retail workers, USDAW, represents hundreds of thousands of workers across the UK retail sector. USDAW continues to make a difference for retail workers by negotiating higher pay rates, more secure employment contracts, calling for action to help revitalise our high streets, delivering for members in the workplace, including negotiating supportive policies on the menopause, greater support on mental health issues and caring for children and family, and working with employers, Government and police to tackle abuse, threats and violence towards retail workers and delivering vital new legal protections. I welcome the Crime and Policing Act 2026 to tackle the epidemic of retail crime and assaults on shop workers that occur far too often. We all need to respect and appreciate retail workers.
-
I'm a school governor, which is on my declaration of interests. Councils in Wales continue to deliver support for children and young people with additional learning needs, but rising demand and costs are making it harder to sustain. Figures from the Welsh Local Government Association show that spending on additional learning needs and early years support was expected to rise by around 6 per cent in 2026-27, which amounts to an increase of around £46 million across Wales. Individual councils predicted increases of up to 14 per cent. Schools across Wales are at breaking point. A significant number of school budgets are currently in deficit—for many, a crisis that is driven directly by severely underfunded ALN provision. Schools that had a substantial surplus have seen that money used for ALN provision, and once money is spent once, it can't be spent again. Spending on ALN reform has more than doubled over the last decade, rising significantly faster than available funding. School leaders and local authorities simply cannot sustain this pressure without support. Thanks to major investments announced for special educational needs and disabilities provision in England, Wales is due to receive £500 million, of which there is £322 million in 2026-27 and £197 million recurrent from 2028-29 in consequential funding via the Barnett formula. However, the Welsh Government have refused to pass the money on to schools. It is fundamentally unfair that children in England benefit from increased investment whilst Welsh learners are left behind. I want the full consequential funding arising from SEN spending in England to be allocated to ALN provision in Wales. And I'm waiting for somebody in Plaid Cymru to explain that autism is different in England than it is in Wales. That's what they've been saying, isn't it—that it's not the same pressure. It's exactly the same pressure on exactly the same children with exactly the same problems. The funding must flow directly to local authorities and to the schools delivering support on the ground. I recall, from the auditor general's report from earlier this year, that the report focused on the system that supports children and young people with additional learning needs in Wales in the context of changes brought about by the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018. The auditor general looked at whether public bodies understand ALN demand, workforce capacity, and scale of costs and outcomes. The findings show that public bodies do not have a complete picture of these issues—they do not have enough information for effective planning and budgeting and to assess value for money. The auditor general had concerns about the current performance of the system in supporting learners to meet their full potential. The available data shows that there is a 58 per cent reduction in the number of school learners recorded as having ALN or SEN between 2018-19 and 2024-25. The reasons are disputed. I would say that it's a sleight of hand in order to try and make budgets match rather than a reduction in need. Over the same period, the number of school learners with ALN having statutory support through an individual development plan increased by 164 per cent. The spending involved in supporting learners with ALN has been increasing, putting pressure on wider budgets. The auditor general could not place a firm figure on it. The sums that can be easily identified suggest that the current annual spending approaches £1 billion. This is not the full picture, and the full cost will likely be higher. Councils' budgeted expenditure on ALN increased by 34 per cent in real terms between 2018-19 and 2025-26. The auditor general concluded that the system does not have good enough data to understand the extent of growing demand and complexity. Patchy workforce data limits the system's understanding of a range of capacity and skills challenges. Public bodies do not have a good enough understanding of ALN costs, and the auditor general had concerns about the system's financial sustainability. The goals of the ALN system are clear, but there is only a limited picture on whether it is delivering good outcomes for learners, and the system remains adversarial, despite evidence of some improvement. Every parent who I've spoken to about ALN provision starts off with the same statement: 'We had to fight for it at every step of the journey'. One-to-one provision is in the plan, but it is very often one to two and sometimes one to three or four. Teaching assistants assigned to one-to-one support for pupils with additional learning needs are frequently pulled away from their designated role to assist the wider class, manage behaviour or support the teacher with general tasks. This dilutes the focused, personalised support that ALN pupils are entitled to and can be genuinely harmful, particularly for children with communication difficulties who depend on the consistency of that relationship to feel safe and access learning. This is not a criticism of headteachers, who are having to work with very tight budgets and are having to try and manage schools in very difficult circumstances. There is not enough money in the ALN system to meet all of the needs. There is the money that has come to Wales as a consequence of ALN spending in England. It needs to be spent on additional learning needs in Wales, like it is being spent in England. I would urge people to support this.
2
Open this sitting on the stage
1. Questions to the First Minister cy
4. Pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i wella lles anifeiliaid? OQ64236
Official English translation
4. What action is the Welsh Government taking to improve animal welfare? OQ64236
No broadcast timestamp published, so this contribution cannot be placed on the stage. Senedd TV Read this in the Record
1. Questions to the First Minister en
How we treat animals is a sign of the type of society we are and want to be. If we allow animals to be mistreated, either by ignorance or cruelty, then it reflects badly on us as a society. We must remember that the evidence from multiple scientific studies has helped us to understand that a wide range of animals are sentient beings. This means they have the capacity to experience positive and negative feelings such as pleasure, joy, pain and distress. Progress has been made in recent years in Wales, but a lot more is left to be done. I believe we need to legislate on animal welfare, with legislation to include the microchipping of cats, a ban on tethering horses, a ban on individuals keeping primates, ending the cage breeding of game birds, banning Larsen traps, and rabbit ownership only after a short training course where individuals can show they understand the needs of rabbits. Will the Welsh Government bring in this legislation?
4
Open this sitting on the stage
1. Questions to the Trefnydd, Chief Whip and Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport en
Thank you, Presiding Officer. I believe in the importance of team sports, as somebody who used to take part. It is important for learning teamwork, improving health, and developing friendships. My grandson plays both football and rugby at under-nine level in Swansea and thoroughly enjoys it. I'm involved with a large number of football and rugby teams, which I won't name here, but they are on my declaration. You wouldn't give me enough time to read them all out. During the winter, on non-3G and 4G pitches, a lot of junior games are cancelled due to rain. Young people get out of the habit of playing on a Saturday. Many give up on their teams. How does the Welsh Government intend to promote team sports and make sure that teams can play throughout the year? And I wish you luck in getting school headteachers to allow their pitches to be used.
1. Questions to the Trefnydd, Chief Whip and Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport en
Yesterday, I visited Penyrheol school in my constituency, and I was talking to the children there. They were talking about the fact that from November to March, you could play, at best, once every three weeks. At worst, you'll go months without playing. It really is important that we have facilities that are available. I was very pleased when, last week, during your statement, Minister, you said that you were going to take an inventory of sports provision in Wales. How many 3G and 4G pitches are there now, and how many do you intend there to be in April 2030?
2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Finance en
What would you replace the Barnett formula with? We know that Wales gets 10 per cent more than England on total expenditure, including HS2. We know, in devolved areas, Wales gets 20 per cent more than England for the same responsibilities. How much more does the Minister think Wales should get, and why would the Treasury not suggest that we get our population share of everything, which would have a devastating effect on our income?
7. Reform UK Debate: A Welsh Rivers Act en
I didn't realise you were going to go on from sewage pollution. The River Tawe, which runs through your constituency—and acts as a border between your constituency and my constituency now—has very serious problems with the Trebanos pumping station and the fact that that continually releases raw sewage into the River Tawe—raw sewage you can actually see going into the River Tawe, which has caused children to be ill. Do you agree with me that what we need is NRW to stop being nice to Welsh Water and start prosecuting them and making them pay a price for letting the raw sewage go out there, and in which case, they'll stop doing it?
1
Open this sitting on the stage
1. Questions to the First Minister en
The economy of Gŵyr Abertawe cannot be looked at in isolation from Carmarthenshire and Neath Port Talbot. What type of economy do you want in the area? I want one based upon life sciences, computing and ICT. These are high-paid and innovative sectors capable of sustaining substantial growth. The strengths of the Swansea economy are the two universities. There has previously been a failure to accept that and provide them with the support they need. What support will the Welsh Government give to those university departments in order to produce high-paid employment?
7
Open this sitting on the stage
2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care en
The NHS in Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd cannot be looked at in isolation from Swansea. The Neath and Cwmtawe areas are part of the Swansea Bay University Health Board. Two of the three major hospitals covering that area used by patients are Morriston and Singleton Hospital in Swansea. For parts of Brecon, the Swansea valley and Neath, the emergency department is at Morriston Hospital. Some GP services cover Tawe Nedd, Swansea and the Swansea valley, including the Cwmtawe hub. Does the Minister agree that artificial political boundaries should not affect service provision and delivery?
3. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning en
Diolch, Deputy Presiding Officer. Can I welcome the Minister to her role as Minister for local government and congratulate her on her appointment? I believe this is the first time a local government Minister and an opposition spokesperson have both previously held senior elected office in local government. My question is: what do you calculate the rate of inflation for 2026-27 affecting local government?
3. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning en
What do you calculate the rate of inflation for 2026-27 affecting local government?
3. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning en
I can help you on that.
3. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning en
Prior to the Welsh Government's final budget for 2026-27, the Welsh Local Government Association estimated that additional funding needed to meet local authority budget pressures could total £1.6 billion over the next three years. The Auditor General for Wales said some councils are at the very edge of financial stability. In November 2025, he stressed that some local authorities were close to issuing section 114 notices. Education and social services account for the majority of local government spending. The Welsh Local Government Association estimates schools and social services alone make up around 60 per cent of financial pressures this year. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide these services and, with ever-increasing demand in these areas, there's little flexibility in other budgets. The Welsh Government had substantial consequential funding from ALN expenditure in England. Does the Minister now expect that money to come into local government, and do you accept what I am saying about how much extra for local government we need, and will you be arguing for the supplementary budget to have additional money for local government?
3. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning en
I think that when you compare London with Wales, you might find that, in London, there are very few properties that are below band D, and in parts of Wales like Blaenau Gwent, most properties are band A. So, it's not how much the banding is; it's how much people are actually paying. I think that you will find that there's not much difference, Wales pays slightly—
3. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning en
I'll try and explain it to you simply outside of here. Will the Minister make available the calculation of the data for the standard spending assessment for each council? Will the Minister then make available the calculations and data for the Welsh Government's support for local councils? Does the Minister agree that we need that prior to making any changes to the formula?
6
Open this sitting on the stage
1. Questions to the First Minister en
It's lovely to be discussing the Swansea economy. The engineering supply chain within the Swansea bay city region has been particularly hard hit by the reduction in steel production at Tata Steel in Port Talbot. Can the First Minister explain, given the challenges currently facing manufacturing businesses, why substantial Welsh Government grants and business support are available within the Neath Port Talbot area, while businesses in Swansea appear to have access to little or no equivalent support, albeit some of them are only a couple of hundred yards over the border? I firmly believe the Welsh Government should be providing meaningful assistance to businesses throughout the wider region during these challenging economic conditions, and not be implementing very large rent increases.
1. Questions to the First Minister cy
6. Sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn hyrwyddo'r defnydd o ddeallusrwydd artiffisial yn y gwasanaeth iechyd? OQ64135
Official English translation
6. How is the Welsh Government promoting the use of artificial intelligence in the health service? OQ64135
No broadcast timestamp published, so this contribution cannot be placed on the stage. Senedd TV Read this in the Record
1. Questions to the First Minister en
Thank you for that answer, First Minister. As you know, in Wales, like most of western Europe, we have an ageing population, over half the Welsh Government's expenditure is on health and social care, and we have long waiting lists for hospital treatment. We need to use technology to improve health outcomes, speed up treatment and improve treatments. We have research telling us that AI-powered devices help surgeons perform minimally invasive procedures with greater precision and accuracy, reducing the risks of errors and complications, and that AI can be used for personalised patient communication, including sending patients scheduling reminders, health tips and suggested next steps, improving patient engagement and adherence to treatment plans. AI can also be used to predict which patients are at risk of becoming frequent users of emergency services, allowing for earlier intervention and potentially reducing demand on emergency departments. Which of these is the Welsh Government going to use, or are there other ones?
2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution en
I have consistently argued for the devolution of rail funding. Asymmetric devolution has not worked. It hasn't worked in Britain, it hasn't worked in Spain. It is important that rail funding is devolved. The main question is how should the funding be calculated. Which of these does the Minister prefer: relative population, relative population with the 20 per cent addition that the Barnett formula provides, relative track length, or relative passenger numbers? Each of those will give you a different answer.
2. Questions to the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution en
Policing is one of the anomalies in the current devolution settlement. I led a debate back in 2013—it seems a long time ago now—that succeeded in this Chamber, calling for the devolution of policing. It didn't get very far, but it did get the majority's support in this Chamber. Policing is devolved to Northern Ireland, Scotland, London and other areas with elected mayors, but not to Wales. Different devolution settlements for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland do not work, as I said earlier. Currently, Wales gets 20 per cent extra for devolved services than England gets. Why would it be different for policing?
-
I didn't expect you to stop there. Minister, I congratulate you on your appointment to this post and hope we can work constructively together. I want to raise today culture, music and the economy. Whilst culture is good and should be supported for that reason, we know it has a wider benefit to the economy and to health, and you mentioned health earlier. I declare an interest as president, vice-president and patron of a number of Swansea-based choirs. Please don't ask me to name them. How will the Cabinet Minister ensure that Creative Wales has the resources it needs to build on its success since being created by Welsh Labour in 2020 and enable collaboration across culture and the creative industries in relation to a new culture strategy? Will the Cabinet Minister commit to continuing the work of the arts, creative and media sector workforce social partnership forum that was established under the last Welsh Labour Government to support fair work and sustainable careers across the sectors? What are the Welsh Government's plans for a new culture strategy that consults stakeholders, including the unions and those employed in the sector, in relation to the creative professionals who deliver activity across the sector? Industries such as computer games have no geographical constraints. The computer games industry has a bigger turnover than film or music. There are no geographical constraints, and there are benefits in clustering. As I have said on several occasions in the Chamber previously, one of the world's most popular games, Grand Theft Auto, was created in Dundee. Dundee has a video game centre at Abertay University. There are many gaming companies based in the city. How did it become such a hub for the industry? Dundee's links to the gaming industry began with Lemmings, the hugely popular computer game released in 1991 for the Commodore Amiga. It was written by Dave Jones, a graduate of Abertay University, who then developed Grand Theft Auto. What it had was Government commitment and, more importantly, Government funding. In the first decade of the twenty-first century, the Government invested £2.5 million in Abertay University. There's now a symbiotic relationship between the university and the city's games developers. Investment in universities is much better for our economy than bribing companies to bring branch factories here with the promise of hundreds or thousands of jobs that are rarely fulfilled. Think LG. Moving to music tourism, the data speaks for itself. In 2024, music touring in Wales attracted 834,000 visitors, supported 3,650 jobs, and generated £384 million for the economy. With the right support, its impact can grow even further. Does the Minister agree we must grow Welsh music through smart public investment, bring down barriers to exporting Welsh music, ensure music education is accessible to all, and support home-grown creativity and new music that drives Welsh tourism? Adopting these initiatives will ensure that the music sector is equipped to thrive, innovate and seize new opportunities, strengthening Wales's cultural and economic impact for generations to come. Still on the music theme, the music industry and support for the base protects everything that grows from it and secures the long-term sustainable cultural infrastructure. What are your proposals on business rates reform, creating a dedicated cultural classification and music venue definition, ensuring fair valuation and reduced avoidable closures? We also need to ensure that any rates reduction is not taken by landlords as increased rents. The 'agent of change' law embeds the principles in legislation to develop and manage noise and access around existing venues, reducing conflict and protecting long-standing cultural spaces. I'm sure lots of people here can give examples where there used to be a music place that people used to go to, then houses and flats were built around it, and all of a sudden the people who moved into the houses and flats wanted the music place closed down because it was noisy. The fact they hadn't noticed it was there in the first place was a bit of a surprise. On safe, affordable late-night transport, we need to invest in late-night services so audiences, artists and staff can travel safely. Far too often events finish after the last bus leaves. A small timetable change can have a major effect. A small timetable change in Swansea with the train meant that people could go to the arena and be able to stay till the very end. In terms of a grass-roots live music fund, we should establish a Creative Wales fund dedicated to live music programming and talent development, with simple application and fast decisions. When Ed Sheeran sang in Singleton park, he reminded people it was the second time he had been in Swansea. He had played early in his career at a small city centre venue called Sin City. In terms of a community ownership pathway, we should develop a Welsh model for community and co-operative ownership to protect venues on short leases and keep cultural assets in local hands. I will return to other areas of your portfolio in the future, but I wanted to talk about music and creative industries in my first opportunity.
1
Open this sitting on the stage
-
Thank you, Presiding Officer. Does this come on? It has now. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I want to pay tribute to Val Lloyd, who passed away in May. Val Lloyd was my predecessor as the Assembly Member for Swansea East. She was first elected in a by-election following the untimely death of Val Feld. She had been in poor health for several years and had to move to London to be nearer her two daughters. She was born and brought up in Townhill in Swansea, attended the local primary school and the girls' grammar school in Llwyn y Bryn. She first qualified as a primary school teacher, then as a nurse, before becoming a nurse tutor at Swansea University where she taught and influenced many of the current senior nurses working in the Swansea Bay health board. She had been an active Labour Party member from the age of 16, where she met her husband Bob. They had two daughters, Rebecca and Samantha, who she was devoted to. She served alongside me as a councillor for Morriston ward where her commitment to her community shone through, alongside her willingness to help others and to take on authority for the benefit of the people of Morriston. She was elected to the Assembly, as it was then, in 2001 and served for 10 years until 2011. Whilst in the Assembly, she served as chair of the Labour group and as Chair of the Petitions Committee. In both cases, she chaired with fairness and thoroughness. She played a leading role in both the plastic bag levy and the ban on smoking in public buildings, both of which she was very proud of. On a personal level, I thank her for her support for me as both a candidate and a Member of the Senedd. Finally, thank you, Val, you are missed by your family, friends and those who you met and helped in the constituency.
4
Open this sitting on the stage
1. Questions to the First Minister en
I congratulate Swansea Council on the work being done on resurfacing roads in Swansea. Climate change is leading to flooding and potholes. Following water penetration on roads, the water freezes, which causes the surface to break up, causing potholes. Not believing in climate change does not stop the potholes coming. Previously, the Labour Government provided revenue support for local government borrowing in order to support road maintenance and building new roads, because councils have borrowing powers the Welsh Government does not have. Will the current Government continue this support during this Senedd term?
2. Business Statement and Announcement en
I'm a graduate of Swansea University, and, like all other local Senedd Members, including yourself, am on the university court. I'm asking for an urgent Government statement on the planned redundancies in the computing department of Swansea University. If we are to improve our economy and productivity, we need to support university computing departments. Will the Welsh Government meet with the vice-chancellor of Swansea University and offer support for computing at the university and find a way forward so that we can benefit from the really good work being done there?
-
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm not actually the spokesperson on this. Jayne Bryant is, so I think perhaps you might want to call Jayne Bryant now and call me later on.
-
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm a member of the Co-operative Party. I was very disappointed to see no mention of co-operative housing. Under a housing co-operative tenure, members are co-operative in the collective power to manage the accommodation between them. As decisions are made by the members, the principles of both community ownership and democracy are placed at the very heart of housing co-operative models. There are strong co-operative housing sectors in countries across Europe and North America. In Sweden, two large co-operative organisations provide over 750,000 homes, which is approximately 18 per cent of the total population of the country living in co-operative housing. Wales has made some progress in recent years, with support from Nationwide and Cwmpas, and the Welsh Government, not as much as I would like, and I've raised this previously with previous Ministers. Why does the Minister not believe that co-operative housing is an important tool in increasing housing provision in Wales?
2
Open this sitting on the stage
1. Questions to the First Minister en
River pollution is a critical environmental issue, caused by sewage, agricultural run-off, industrial waste and plastic debris, severely impacting ecosystems, human health and water quality. On the River Tawe, Trebanos pumping station is not splitting rainwater and sewage, so, when it gets full, the two choices are to let it back up and flood the houses with sewage or release it into the river. Now, as mentioned earlier, there have been reports of children being taken ill after swimming in the River Tawe. Natural Resources Wales has confirmed that work to prevent regular discharge of untreated sewage in the River Tawe from Trebanos waste water treatment works is not likely to be completed until 2030. I do not believe that is acceptable. Why do you think ending the ban on slurry spreading from mid October to January is not going to further increase pollution in the River Tawe? We know that it gets into rivers such as the Tawe, it can cause algal blooms, which block sunlight and deplete water oxygen, affecting all wildlife.
-
A question, really, probably in three parts. The first one is: what use of artificial intelligence to improve productivity is planned? The second one is: how will the Minister support computing and life science departments in universities so the spin-offs from them can grow and provide high-paid, high-quality jobs? And coming on to start-ups, I always remember that Hewlett-Packard was started in a garage by two people, and Amazon in a garage by one person. What support is going to be given to not only getting the companies to start up, but more importantly to get them to grow? Far too often in Wales, we have companies, they start off, they get to medium size, they can maybe employ a couple of hundred people and, all of a sudden, they get eaten up, taken over, bought, whichever terminology you prefer, by larger companies. What can we do to ensure that they stay in Wales and don't sell out at the first possible opportunity?
Roll-call divisions, by sitting day
70 recorded votes. Official division result.
- For
- 37
- Against
- 25
- Abstain
- 2
- Did not vote
- 6
Counted by Siambr: a sum of the official division rows.
For Against Abstain Unlit desk: did not vote
3 divisions
Members' Legislative Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): An NHS first Bill
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion For Agreed
Reform UK Debate: Prostate cancer strategy
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion For Agreed
Welsh Labour Debate: The M4 around Newport
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion For Agreed
3 divisions
Reform UK Debate: Local referendums on council tax rises
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion Against Not agreed
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan For Agreed
- Motion as amended For Agreed
6 divisions
Reform UK Debate: Regional rugby
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan Did not vote Not agreed
- Motion Did not vote Not agreed
Reform UK Debate: Access to HMOs and social housing for foreign nationals
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion Did not vote Not agreed
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan a Lynne Neagle Did not vote Agreed
- Motion as amended Did not vote Agreed
Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Family Drug and Alcohol Courts
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion Did not vote Agreed
1 division
Debate: Fiscal Reform
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion For Agreed
4 divisions
Reform UK Debate: Default 20 mph speed limit
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion Against Not agreed
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan For Agreed
- Motion as amended For Agreed
Welsh Conservatives Debate: The defence sector
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion For Agreed
5 divisions
Reform UK Debate: Wales and the United Kingdom
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Amendment 2tabled in the name of Lynne Neagle For Not agreed
- Motion as amended Abstain Agreed
- Motion For Not agreed
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan For Agreed
Welsh Labour Debate: Further education
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion For Agreed
10 divisions
Reform UK Debate: Grooming gangs
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion Against Not agreed
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan For Agreed
- Amendment 2tabled in the name of Paul Davies Against Not agreed
- Motion as amended For Agreed
Reform UK Debate: Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board health visitor pay dispute
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion Against Not agreed
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan Against Agreed
- Amendment 2tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan Against Not agreed
- Amendment 4tabled in the name of Lynne Neagle For Agreed
- Motion as amended For Not agreed
- Amendment 3tabled in the name of Paul Davies For Not agreed
5 divisions
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Deposit-return scheme
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion Against Not agreed
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan For Agreed
- Motion as amended For Agreed
Reform UK Debate: Bovine TB
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion Against Agreed
Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Young people and employment
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion For Agreed
2 divisions
Legislative Consent Motion: Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion For Agreed
Debate: The First Supplementary Budget 2026-27
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion Against Not agreed
4 divisions
Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Ophthalmology services
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion Abstain Agreed
Reform UK Debate: The tourism sector
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion Against Not agreed
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan For Agreed
- Motion as amended For Agreed
4 divisions
Debate: Fair Funding
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Lynne Neagle For Not agreed
- Amendment 2tabled in the name of Llŷr Powell Against Not agreed
- Amendment 3tabled in the name of Paul Davies Against Not agreed
- Motion Against Not agreed
4 divisions
Reform UK Debate: Nation of Sanctuary
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan For Agreed
- Motion as amended For Agreed
- Motion Against Not agreed
Welsh Labour Debate: Funding for additional learning needs in the first Supplementary Budget 2026-27
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion For Agreed
10 divisions
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Hospital services and hospital closures
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion Against Not agreed
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan Against Not agreed
- Amendment 2tabled in the name of Lynne Neagle For Agreed
- Amendment 3tabled in the name of Llŷr Powell For Agreed
- Amendment 4tabled in the name of Lynne Neagle For Not agreed
- Motion as amended For Agreed
Reform UK Debate: A Welsh Rivers Act
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion Against Not agreed
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan Against Not agreed
- Amendment 3tabled in the name of Paul Davies Against Not agreed
- Amendment 2tabled in the name of Lynne Neagle For Not agreed
4 divisions
Reform UK Debate: Government international spending
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion Against Not agreed
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan For Agreed
- Motion as amended For Agreed
Reform UK Debate: Statutory register for lobbyists
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion Against Agreed
5 divisions
Reform UK Debate: Childcare offer
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion Against Not agreed
- Amendment 1tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan Against Agreed
- Amendment 2tabled in the name of Lynne Neagle For Agreed
- Motion as amended Against Agreed
Welsh Labour Debate: School support staff negotiating body
Watch it in the chamber Read the debate
- Motion For Agreed