Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru

Our 'Travel for all' approach is making our transport networks feel safer, more inclusive, and we make a big effort to involve disabled people in shaping our transport policies in line with our disabled people’s rights action plan. We’ve allocated significant sums of money to help local authorities deliver simple but impactful steps like more crossings, dropped kerbs and better lighting to make immediate improvements.

First Minister, many constituents have written to me and have come in to see me about the difficulties they face navigating the streets, either in wheelchairs or with pushchairs, particularly due to pavement parking. Pedestrians are forced to move out onto busy roads in order to get around cars that are parked on the pavement and haven't left any space for them to get past. And, obviously, this is particularly difficult for wheelchair users, who may not be able to find a suitable dropped kerb near the parked car. So, will the First Minister tell me what plans she may have to bring in a ban on pavement parking in Wales?

Well, I want to thank Julie for her long-standing commitment to this issue. I think we need to get the balance right, because there are people who have no option other than to park in front of their homes, and we need to make sure that they are involved. We need to make sure there's a lot of listening. We need to make sure that disabled people can get past on the pavement—not just disabled people, actually, but mums with pushchairs as well. So, I know that the UK Government plans to give local authority powers to act against unnecessary obstruction of pavements and, obviously, we will consider whether we want to go further to tackle these issues here. 

First Minister, the issue of pavement parking has been a blight to the disabled community for years. It has been nearly four years since the Welsh pavement parking taskforce group recommended introducing subordinate legislation to enable enforcement on pavement parking to make streets safe for disabled people. It is almost three years since the Welsh Government committed to changing the law. First Minister, disabled people are sick of waiting. Will you now commit to bringing forward these changes before the election?

I don't think we've got time before the election. I think it is important to recognise, though, that there is an active travel guidance consultation, which is open until 13 February, and that includes ways to make streets safer, and we are working with disabled people to shape that guidance.

First Minister, Labour have had 26 long years to work with councils to improve accessibility for disabled people, 26 long years to work with councils to ensure bus stops are improved, to ensure safe access for all, 26 long years to provide people with visual, hearing, motor or cognitive improvements to travel safely and independently, as mandated by the Equality Act 2010, and 26 years to ensure our train stations are easily accessible for those with disabilities. But you have failed on them all. In my own area, Chepstow train station has no lift or step-free access, meaning that disabled residents have to travel into England then back into Wales in order to get off the train in Chepstow. This is utter failure by your Government and it's not okay. Can the First Minister update the Senedd on what conversations she or her Government are having with Network Rail to rectify this situation? My constituents in Monmouthshire have suffered long enough, and this is detrimental to tourism in my home county. Diolch.

Well, this is novel, isn't it, hearing Reform, of all the parties, talk about equality. That is a novel departure. Look, I think things are a lot better than they have been in the past in relation to disability. We've developed a very comprehensive plan in relation to disability—the disability action plan. It sets out exactly where we plan to go next, to build on the already transformational work that is being done in the rail areas where we have responsibility, on the bus stops where we have responsibility. There are areas where we don't, which are more difficult for us. But, where we have responsibility, I can assure you we work very closely with disabled people to make sure that we shape a system that works for them.

Compared to the previous Tory Government, we've secured substantial additional funding from the UK Government. But we're very clear that we expect them to go further and we want to receive our fair share of funding. When it comes to devolution of rail, our position remains the same: we want to see this happening, but devolution of rail without massive investment to make up for the years of underfunding, for over a decade under the Tories, would lead to us having to cut funding for other public services, like hospitals and schools, and we are not up for that.

Of course, we are owed what you say. So often in this chamber, First Minister, Members are criticised for asking for more for Wales—more than we can apparently afford. Wales is owed billions from the high speed 2 line. We are owed billions more from Westminster because of not just HS2, but the Oxford to Cambridge line and Northern Powerhouse Rail. These English projects have been designated as 'England and Wales'. Not an inch of these tracks will be in Wales, and yet we help to foot the bill whilst our railway lines go without that money. Think of all the stations we could reopen if we had the money we are owed—things I've called for, things other Members have called for: reopening the Nelson to Ystrad Mynach line, the spur to Abertillery. There will be examples across our nation where communities could be better connected with those billions. Those are facts; they are not opinions. So, what will you do, please, in the final weeks of this Senedd, to persuade the UK Government to put an end to this outrage. because the people of Wales deserve what we are owed?

I think it's really important to recognise, and I've recognised time and again, the underfunding—the scandalous underfunding—that has happened in relation to rail infrastructure in Wales. It was really bad. It was run down under the Tories for over a decade, and it's going to take time to build it back up. Now, what I'm not prepared to do is to sit by and wait and say, 'Come on, give us that infrastructure in such a bad state'. I want money. I want money from the UK Labour Government. I want money that is starting to come, but it is the beginning. Do I want more? Damn right I want more. Will I be asking for more? Damn right I'll be asking for more. This is something that is fundamental. There is an unfairness in the system. Everybody recognises that. I want the UK Government to go further, and I will be pressurising them to make sure that they do. 

What we've heard in the question from Plaid Cymru is again their obsession with the constitutional arrangements, rather than delivering for the people of Wales. And one of those things that could be delivered, First Minister, for the people of Wales, when it comes to transport here in Wales, is that the Conservative Party committed to £1 billion of investment for the electrification of the north Wales main line. When Labour came into power, they decided to scrap that straight away, which is terrible for the people of north Wales. So, First Minister, what are you doing to look at getting that £1 billion reinvested back into the north Wales main line, so we can see the electrification of that railway line? 

Look, your party just made announcements and there was no substance behind them at all. We know that. Ask the people of Swansea, who were promised electrification. Did that happen? It never came. The same thing under the north Wales electrification. But under the UK Government—. And listen, I'm not going to stand here every week and defend them; that's not my job. I'll defend my Government, but it's not my job to defend that Government every week. This is devolution and I will respond to my responsibilities. I hope that people are listening and watching and recognising where responsibilities lie, because, I tell you what, where we do have responsibility under rail, we are being super successful: 86 per cent of people on the Valleys lines have passenger satisfaction, 89 per cent of trains arriving within three minutes, the best performing network when it comes to punctuality in the United Kingdom. I will defend my record. It is up to the UK Government to defend theirs.

The devolution of rail infrastructure, of course, is an urgent necessity. There's a tale of two valleys in my new constituency, which I'm hoping to represent after the election: first of all, in the Rhymney valley, where the line is devolved and there has been reinvestment, both in electrification and in new rolling stock, and in the development of the metro; and then the Ebbw valley line, which I represent at the moment, which hasn't seen this investment. The Welsh Government has stepped in and delivered loans to Blaenau Gwent to enable the Ebbw valley line to catch up with other devolved railways where we are seeing that investment. So, this is an urgent necessity for people and it is about fairness. It's about equality—equality for Wales within the United Kingdom. It is right and proper that Wales receives the same level of rail investment as England, as Scotland, as Northern Ireland, and we know that isn't happening. We know it hasn't happened historically, we know it isn't happening today. This Government has a commitment to the devolution of rail infrastructure and it is time that that was delivered. Thank you.

We are a Government that is committed to the devolution of rail infrastructure. We have repeatedly said that. It is important, though, that we recognise that, if we want that, that the money follows, because if you have it without the money you are setting yourself up for a disaster. And let me be clear that I will keep pushing the UK Government on this. The deal we've had so far is an improvement on what was there before, but it needs to go a lot further.

Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, what action is the Welsh Government taking to ensure that cancer patients in Wales can have timely access to treatment that they need?

Well, we've developed a very comprehensive cancer plan for Wales. The statistics are improving. There have been improvements across many health boards, in particular since the pandemic, and we are committed to making sure that we see that people within Wales get the treatment that they deserve.

Thank you for that answer, First Minister, but plans that are sat on shelves gathering dust don't make a difference on the ground. As you and I both know, timely treatment is really important for patients to ensure the best possible outcome for them if they've been diagnosed with cancer. Yet, your targets for starting cancer treatment in Wales are still not being met, and this is four years since they were introduced. In fact, just four out of every 10 patients—four out of every 10 patients—do not start their treatment within the 62-day target of cancer first being suspected. The target, of course, is 75 per cent being able to start their treatment. Let me give you an example of a gentleman in my own constituency. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He went to see his GP way back in March of last year. It was 158 days from that point until he got access to the operation that he needed. He had that operation in August. He was being monitored by health professionals. Those health professionals picked up a significant rise—because he was diagnosed with prostate cancer—in his PSA levels at the beginning of January. They said, 'We need to treat you, because you've got a very aggressive prostate cancer.' He hasn't started treatment yet. He hasn't started treatment yet since being told that. Why? Because the health board is in absolute turmoil on your watch. It's in special measures. It has bungled the situation in terms of access to PET scans, which is what he needs before he can get the treatment plan sorted. Can you tell us what is your message to this gentleman and the many others like him across Wales who don't get access to the treatment in the time that your Government sets as a target?

Well, that is an unacceptable amount of time to wait, and I'm going to encourage you to get in touch with the health Secretary to take up that particular individual case.

Look, we have put a substantial amount of additional funding into the NHS in Wales. We spend 12 per cent more on health and social care in Wales compared to England. That's higher than Scotland, higher than England and higher than Northern Ireland. The general average waiting time in the NHS in Wales for treatment is 19 weeks, so we are seeing improvement when it comes to statistics in relation to health.

You say that you spend 12 per cent more per patient in Wales than over the border in England, but you receive from the UK Government, via the block grant, 20 per cent more, and you choose not to invest that into our health service. Now, one of the other things that cancer patients, particularly prostate cancer patients, are telling me about is the inadequate access to modern cancer-busting drugs. We have called for many years now for a specific cancer drugs fund in Wales to enable cancer patients to have access to innovative drugs when they need them. Now, over the border in England, cancer sufferers there, prostate cancer sufferers, had some very good news last week because the UK Government has now agreed that abiraterone will be available for those prostate cancer sufferers. Around 9,000 men across the border in England will benefit from that drug, and it will give them a better chance of a longer life with the cancer that they suffer from. Patients in Wales, as I understand it, don't have access to this drug. Can you tell us when they will get access, or whether you are going to allow this postcode lottery to continue to exist?

I'm very proud that we have a new treatment fund in Wales. It is super successful. It means that people get access to drugs much quicker. You'll have seen on telly last week that people in England have been waiting for prostate drugs for two years. They've had them in Wales much quicker than that. So, there are examples where we do things slightly differently. But we have that new treatment fund, which has made a significant difference to the lives of people in Wales.

We want to invest in health. You want to introduce support for people with the biggest houses in Wales. That was your ask in the budget. Let me be clear that we are concentrating on the things that matter to the people of Wales. I would suggest that you do the same thing. I would suggest that you think about—. Cancer, of course, and the NHS are important, but you wanted to put the money not into the NHS but into the pockets of the people with the biggest homes in Wales. That was your No. 1 ask, Darren, in the budget.

Let me just say that I think you should be concentrating on what is going on in your own backbenches at the moment. There are traitors on tv. There are traitors within your own party. There is more infighting in your party than in the Beckham family. I think we've got to make sure that we recognise that there is a time of turmoil. We should be focusing on the things that really matter to the people of Wales. That is the health service. We put more money into it. You wanted to put it into the pockets of the people with the biggest houses in Wales.

Diolch yn fawr iawn. In the light of the news that James Evans has lost the Conservative whip for flirting with a party he once called 'unserious', with 'dangerous' rhetoric, I look forward to taking my place and being the first opposition party leader to ask questions next week.

Now, Llywydd, in the latest red-on-red attacks, the First Minister has claimed that the finance Secretary has never been interested in the economy—quite a statement, given that until recently that First Minister was in charge of the Welsh economy. As always, I am grateful, of course, to her for helping me to underline where Labour has lost its way, but, to be honest, I'm less interested in what she thinks of her colleagues and more interested in what she has done herself. When she stood for the leadership of the Labour Party in Wales in 2018, she promised that the economy would be her priority. Does she recall what was in her prospectus then and how many of those ideas she has implemented now that she has been given the opportunity to do so?

Well, we are serious about the economy. There are more people employed in Wales today than there were last year. You’ve seen interest rates coming down, you’ve seen mortgages coming down, you’ve seen businesses that are able to invest more because of those cheaper mortgages, you’ve seen inflation coming down, you’ve seen energy bills lower. I’ll tell you what this Government has done: 46,000 jobs. That is what we have helped to produce. One of the key moments since I became First Minister was that investment summit—£16 billion of investment, 100,000 apprentices this Senedd term, 100,000 before that. I think it’s really important that we recognise, particularly at this very serious and difficult time, when we've got turmoil internationally, that actually the economy matters. We've seen Trump threaten Greenland this week and threaten our country. Our country is included in this. There are 1,000 companies that export to the United States. If they get bigger tariffs, then there will be an impact on jobs in this country, and it is important that we stand by our international obligations, that we respect international law and that we ask the people who are our allies to do the same.

I'll tell you what businesses tell me every day: they say they are desperate for a new direction and new leadership. Let me give you a taste of what this First Minister promised—just a couple of things. She promised a Minister for productivity and a new arm's-length body focused on inward investment and export. Neither of those ideas on the economy has been realised, of course. I'm sure the finance Secretary would see the irony there. What we have heard from the First Minister is an unqualified welcome for the UK Labour Government's local growth fund, despite it being worth less to Wales than its predecessor programme under the Conservatives. Now, on her call for that arm's-length inward investment and export body, it isn't as bold as Plaid Cymru's plan for a new national development agency, but it would have been a start. The problem is: where is it? Now, in the first 100 days of a Plaid Cymru Government, we will set out our remit for the new development agency, getting to work straight away on creating jobs, helping businesses grow, creating new prosperity, because, when I say I'll do something in Government, I mean it. Why doesn't the First Minister?

Well, I produced the biggest investment summit that this country has ever seen. That's delivery. We were talking about productivity there. That has been one of the key areas that I know the economy Secretary has driven on. We have seen that trade in Wales has significantly increased. We are supporting those trade missions. This is something that is supported by our offices around the world, offices that Reform and the Tories want to shut down. And let's not forget that, just in relation to the United States, there is £4.6 billion of funding that is wrapped up in our trade with the United States.

I'm sorry, but all we've seen under Labour Governments has been stagnation. That has to come to an end. And the truth is that Labour have been hiding behind blaming the Tories for a decade and more and now that they have no wriggle room what is the First Minister's excuse? She suggests that the previous First Minister was wrong in focusing too much on tackling poverty. I can hardly believe that I'm saying that: a Labour leader saying that the focus should move away from tackling poverty. It is not an either/or, and child poverty is shockingly high under Labour. Plaid Cymru is determined to tackle it and rebuild our economy, because, on the other hand, while the current First Minister suggests that she has been right to focus on growth and job creation, our levels of wealth lag so far still behind the rest of the UK—GDP per person less than three quarters of the UK average—isn't it the case that the Labour Government has failed on both fronts?

Well, you're interested in stopping deception in politics and so am I, and suggesting that I'm not interested in tackling poverty—. The reason I want to see growth in the economy in Wales is precisely because I want to tackle poverty. And when you lie in bed at night dreaming of becoming First Minister, I think you've got to ask yourself some questions in relation to the economy, even in your own constituency. Let's think about Wylfa and what that means: are you going to work with the UK Government to deliver the maximum number of jobs in Wylfa, or would co-operation be a step too far? Are you going to build a third bridge across the Menai? If so, how much is it going to cost? [Interruption.] How much is it going to cost? Oh, so you're going to reinstate a bridge across the Menai. How much? When? These are the questions you're going to have to start answering. You don't like the pressure, but that is the new game in town. You're going to have to start answering questions that the public want answers to.

And when it comes to renewable energy, we had some great news on renewable energy generation, in particular in north Wales and Pembrokeshire last week. Are you going to support the infrastructure that is necessary to make these a reality? Those are the questions that the people of Wales want answers to when it comes to the economy in Wales. You can dress it up however you want, but now the heat is on you: they want answers, and, at the moment, you're not giving them.

Diolch yn fawr iawn, Llywydd, and good afternoon, First Minister.

Pubs are at the heart of so many of our communities and I think it's important that, if people want them to remain, they need to use them. The hospitality sector is vital to Wales's economy, supporting around 123,000 jobs and playing a crucial role in local communities and the visitor economy. We recognise that the sector faces challenges, including increasing costs for energy and a reduction in the number of people going to pubs, so the Government is providing substantial non-domestic rates relief, alongside millions of pounds of investment from our Transforming Towns programme.

Diolch yn fawr iawn. You're absolutely right; the pubs are essential to our communities. But many of them are closing because of the lack of support from the Welsh Government. We see in England a different approach to our pubs that are in crisis. The UK Chancellor is preparing her own response to this crisis, promising to work with the hospitality sector to limit rates. Yet, here in Wales, the Welsh Government plans to withdraw rate relief, despite the pressures on hospitality being far greater than they are in England. The Sun Hotel, for example, in Llansantffraid in Powys, twice named Powys Pub of the Year, closed permanently in November. It wasn't because it wasn't used; it was a family business with loyal customers, dedicated staff and a strong reputation. Still, it wasn't enough for it to survive.

There is a real crisis in hospitality here in Wales. We will lose our pubs and therefore our communities and our villages will have a huge loss. I and the Welsh Liberal Democrats are demanding fundamental change to permanently extend and enhance hospitality relief. Therefore, will you be doing the same as the Chancellor in England? Diolch yn fawr iawn.

Well, I think it's wrong to suggest that there has been a lack of support from the Welsh Government when it comes to hospitality. And just to give you a sense of the scale of what we do, since 2020 we've spent more than £1 billion in business rate support in retail, leisure and hospitality businesses in Wales, which is far more generous than it has been in England. Just to give a sense of what is happening after April, at least half the pubs in Wales will get help to pay their business rates bills and a quarter of them will pay no rates at all. Will we match what the UK Government is doing in relation to business rates? Well, we can't say 'yes' or 'no' until they've published details of what they're going to do and whether we'll get a consequential.

First Minister, next week, Paul Davies and I will be hosting a business briefing for over 100 businesses from across west Wales who are worried, frustrated and angry at changes to business rates. One local hotel will see their rates rise from £10,000 to £33,000. That's an increase of 230 per cent.

Now, I wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for finance following the u-turn by the UK Labour Government on rates, urging the Welsh Labour Government to do the same. Businesses are already closing and jobs are already being lost, so will you listen to the sector and change course on this immediately, before irreversible damage is done to the hospitality sector?

This Welsh Labour Government has supported small businesses in hospitality for years, while under the Tory UK Government, interest rates soared, hitting not just businesses but also most families too.

And just when it comes to business support, I've set out that half the pubs will get support to help them pay their business rates bills. A quarter of them will pay no rates at all, and when it comes to revaluation—that is a method of calculating how much they should pay—I think it is probably worth pointing out that in Wales, the median amount in terms of the rateable value for a pub is £12,000. In England, it is £25,000.

I do take issue with what the First Minister said around if we want to see our pubs survive and thrive, then we need to use them. The reality is that people are using them. People are going to their pubs. They're going to their local restaurants. Just come to Bridgend high street and you'll see them completely full. But they're still being hit with those costs that are making them, as things currently stand, unsustainable as businesses. Despite everything the First Minister has just said there about the years of support that the Welsh Government have provided to them, they are still finding themselves in a position now where they are asking themselves the question, 'Are they able to carry on?'

The real-world impacts of some of the decisions that have been made by Welsh Government and UK Government are easily to be seen in a recent report by the BBC. James Graham, a pub owner in Port Talbot, explained that he has had to rely on his children to work shifts, because he simply cannot afford staff. And we're seeing that knock-on effect in the youth labour market. Many 16 to 24-year-olds looking for part-time work are finding far fewer opportunities—the sorts of opportunities that every single one of us in here, I think I'm safe in saying, relied on for our first jobs. So, my question to the First Minister is: what sort of message does she think she is sending to the sector right now, when they're saying that they are struggling, but she's adamant that she's doing enough to support them?

Hey, listen, I'd love to do more to support them. This is a question of recognising that there is a limited pot of money and when your dreams of ruling Wales are actually in a situation where you might have to confront some of these realities, you need to actually recognise where that money is going to come from. There is no magic money tree. That is not how the system works.

So, we support non-domestic rates to the tune of £335 million just this year. If you want to pay more, you've got to say where the cuts are going to come from. That's again a pressure that you've never been asked before. But now, when you go out to your pubs and you say, 'We're going to support you', you make it clear how and where—where those cuts are going to come from—because those are the questions that you're asking me on a daily basis. You need to ask yourself those questions.

I could just see you around the pillar, First Minister. I know what Andrew R.T. Davies was saying now, about this pillar in the way.

But as someone who likes to go out for a pint myself in my own constituency on most weekends, a lot of those people in my constituency do tell me that the national insurance rise that was brought in by the UK Labour Government is putting on severe pressure and staff shortages in the sector. You've talked before about two Governments working in partnership together, so I'd just like to know: what power are you putting on the Westminster colleagues to try and get their national insurance contributions changed to support our hospitality businesses across Wales?

Well, it's lovely to speak to you, James, and it's lovely to think that you might be going out to the pub with your great friend Robert Jenrick, who we heard so much about on the telly. It is important, I think, for the people of Wales to recognise the stampede that is happening now from the Tory party to Reform: Andrew Rosindell, Nadhim Zahawi, Lee Anderson, Nadine Dorries, Danny Kruger, Jonathan Gullis, Andrea Jenkyns, Jake Berry, Lucy Allan, Anne Marie Morris, Marco Longhi, Ross Thomson, Chris Green, Lia Nici, Ben Bradley, and, here in Wales, David Jones, Laura Anne Jones and, who knows, maybe sometime soon, James Evans. Reform is just full of failed Tories, and I do hope the people of Wales are watching and recognise that all their promises, in relation to how they're going to reform this nation, will come to nothing, as did their promises in relation to Brexit.

None of us want to see our loved ones being treated in corridors, and we've made it clear that it's not something that is acceptable to the Welsh Government. We're supporting health boards to drive down care in temporary spaces in hospitals, including corridors, by helping them to expand clinical capacity, improve patient flow, and setting out ways for them to accelerate safe discharge pathways.

As a loyal member of Plaid Cymru, can I thank the First Minister? The issue of corridor care in our hospitals, of course, is a deeply alarming indicator of the severe pressures facing the Welsh NHS. It represents a fundamental failure to uphold the dignity and basic comfort of vulnerable patients. I can name a number of individuals who have come to me, since I have been elected, who have experienced this unacceptable level of care in our health boards—one an old school friend, who sadly didn't make it. This is unacceptable, and it is not the standard of care the people of Wales deserve, and it's a painful memory that no family should have to endure.

This is driving burnout, it's exacerbating retention challenges, and placing an even greater strain on an already overstretched workforce. Addressing corridor care must therefore not only include immediate action to protect patient dignity, but a serious commitment to support, value and retain the staff who are holding our health service together under intolerable pressure.

First Minister, Lindsay Whittle may have read that last statement, but what is really encouraging is those concerns came from two of the patients I have recently spoken about. Not concerned with themselves, although obviously their families were, they were concerned with the staff who looked after them. Can I ask as a question, final question: what are you doing to ask the chairs of the health boards what they are doing about this issue, please?

The pressure on the health boards is intense, and particularly at this time of year, and we recognise that more needs to be done to ensure that we do not see that corridor care that compromises patient privacy and dignity. We have given £200 million in support this year for health boards and regional partnerships. You ask about staffing, well, in Wales, we've got 4.2 per cent more registered nurses working in Wales this year. Specifically when it comes to emergency medicine, which is where a lot of that corridor care happens, we've seen a 7.7 per cent increase there.

So, we are putting the additional resources in, and I think it's probably worth setting out also the fact that we are putting in new services. So, if you look at the same-day emergency care services, that has grown over the past 12 months: 100,000 people access those same-day emergency care services, and 80 per cent of them were discharged to their homes on the same day. So, we're putting these measures in place. It's all about flow. That is what we're trying to get to. So, getting people in and out of hospital is actually how we're going to do it. And that is why we are making sure that there is more additional support for our hospitals and, in particular, for those people who work in those emergency services.

A great example of investment in Taff Ely is Parc Coed Elái, a leading Welsh Government regeneration project that demonstrates our long‑term commitment to supporting jobs, investment and sustainable economic growth in Taff Ely. We have invested around £4 million in modern infrastructure at the former Coed Ely colliery and coking works, delivering new highways, utilities, drainage, landscaping and public open space to unlock the site for employment use.

Thank you for that answer, First Minister. Two, I think, of Welsh Labour's really successful projects have been, firstly, the investment in the metro and the impact that that has had in my constituency, and the second is twenty-first century schools. Now, we see already the benefits in the increasing passenger numbers, and with the potential Bus Services (Wales) Bill, the connectivity, it really is looking forward to a real transformation in public transport.

But can I just ask you about the twenty-first century schools? I've seen that no other political parties have given the commitment that Welsh Labour has given to the twenty-first century schools programme. In my constituency alone, several hundred million pounds have been spent completely restoring, refurbishing and renewing the school infrastructure in my constituency; £2.4 billion across Wales over the past decade. And if that was an English project, it would amount to £55 billion. Now, can you give an assurance that there's going to be a commitment? Because this isn't something that can stop now when these elections come; this is something that I want to see actually continue, and I've seen no other commitments to that. Are you able to give a commitment that this project—twenty-first century schools—and the metro development are going to continue over the next five years?

You're quite right to point those two initiatives out as some of our proudest achievements. The metro system is transformational, I think, for the people of the Valleys. It's transformational for their ability to get jobs, to come into Cardiff, to go back to the Valleys, to work in different places within those communities. That regular transport system, that has been delivered because what you've seen is Labour in power for 26 years, making those long-term commitments that make a difference. And you're quite right, chopping and changing is a disaster, and that's why it's important to make sure that what we see are those long-term commitments.

We are very proud of the fact that just this Senedd term £1.5 billion has been spent to keep us on track to meet our commitment to the twenty-first century schools, to the Sustainable Communities for Learning. I've been to lots of those schools in your constituency, where we've opened new schools. I mean, it got to the point where we were doing one a month. It was just so regular that they were actually building, constructing, transforming the lives of children in those communities. That is one of the proudest achievements of the Welsh Labour Government, but you'll have to wait, Mick, to hear about what we're going to do in our manifesto.

Again, First Minister, I'd like to draw your attention, as I did last week, to the metro being the UK Government's city deal, which was delivered in conjunction with the Welsh Government, that has delivered that metro scheme across the whole of the south Wales Valleys. So, credit where credit is due: the UK Government was the author of that city deal, and we need to focus on that and the role the Conservatives played.

Community infrastructure investment is a vital part of any community, and the point that has been raised by numerous speakers here this afternoon about the cornerstone that the community pub plays in delivering that community infrastructure. I heard what you said in response to others. We are expecting the fourteenth u-turn from the Chancellor of the Exchequer in relation to business rates in England and the support that she's prepared to put on the table to support pubs in England. So, when that announcement comes, will you commit this afternoon to directly passing on any consequential moneys that arrive in the Welsh Treasury to support the community pub here in Wales, to make sure they stay a cornerstone of our communities, whether that be in Taff Ely or across the rest of Wales?

Well, you're quite right in relation to the metro that the United Kingdom actually contributes. We're part of the United Kingdom. I'm quite happy for them to contribute to our infrastructure in Wales. We're part of the United Kingdom. I'm not embarrassed to be a part of the United Kingdom. I want them to give us our fair share, but it is important to recognise that they did make a contribution to the metro. But it is the Welsh Government that has driven that project for over a decade, to make sure that what people see in their communities today is something that is recognised as a transformational project in their area.

In relation to the commitment that the UK Chancellor has made on supporting pubs, until we get that clarity on what is being offered, I cannot make that commitment. Obviously, that is not the way devolution works. When and if we get that commitment, we will consider as a Government where that priority goes.

Libraries are among our most trusted public spaces, providing free, accessible locations where people can engage with essential services. Their premises support access to information, digital resources, and democratic participation, with staff offering guidance that helps people to navigate key public services. Libraries act as vital community hubs. They reduce social isolation, they support learning, health and well-being, and they offer safe spaces where people can come together.

First Minister, you will know that libraries, as you've said, are beloved community assets across Islwyn and Wales. As you'll be aware, there is ongoing discussion around library proposals in Islwyn. In my opinion, we must take the constant politicking out around this crucial decision, which has now gone to judicial review, with the four libraries currently open. Does the First Minister feel that the Welsh public library standards are robust enough and that the Welsh Government's statutory framework protecting library services is fit for purpose, able to ensure accessible library services are maintained for everyone, so that the citizens of Wales and Islwyn can access the joy of reading in a warm, social, safe local space, and residents, whatever their background, are able to study, learn and access those digital and online services in an age of digital necessity as well as digital exclusion? And if I may, can she comment on the early years provision comments that have been rattling around? Thank you.

Thanks. As the Manic Street Preachers said in their great song, 'A Design for Life', 'libraries gave us power', and I think it is important that we recognise how transformational libraries can be to the lives of many people in our communities. They're far more than buildings with books; they're places of warmth and welcome.

If people haven't been to their library recently, I'd encourage them to go and have a visit, because they're very different from what they were like when I was growing up, where you had to be quiet and you had to behave yourself. They are places full of joy these days, and opportunity. I would encourage people to take another look at how we've seen this transformation.

As you know, statutory responsibility for providing a comprehensive and efficient library service sits with the local authority, but with that comes a duty to meet the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964, to make sure that people are consulted properly and to ensure that services remain accessible.

Thank you for asking also about the Bookstart scheme. I want to take this opportunity to clarify the situation in relation to that. There was, I think, some false information that circulated last week that the Bookstart scheme would be wound up imminently. That is not the case. We'll be working with Adnodd to ensure continuity continues while we put new arrangements in place, and we will continue to support children to have that joy of reading from such a young age.

I just want to give you some sense of how things have improved in relation to mental health support in Wales. On assessments for under 18-year-olds, 96 per cent of them are done within 28 days. On therapy starts, 72 per cent of them are done within 28 days. When it comes to adults, 91 per cent of them are seen within 28 days. This is a transformation compared to what was happening before. I would like to pay tribute to the Ministers who've driven that change, both Lynne and Sarah.

Whilst we can celebrate that success, we recognise that there's always more to do. That's why we commissioned the Office for Statistics Regulation to do the work on data for us. We recognise digital transformation is critical to delivering sustainable, high-quality mental health services. Of course, we will make sure that these recommendations align to the actions within our mental health and well-being strategy.

Our investment in Flying Start is transforming the lives of families, babies and young children, particularly those most in need. It's a unique approach to childcare, giving health and speech support to the children as well as direct support to parents. A three-year national evaluation of Flying Start was commissioned in November 2024. The year 1 report will be published in February.

Thank you very much. I look forward to that. My first ever question in the Senedd to the then First Minister in 2011 was precisely on this subject. How long would it take to double Flying Start was my question to Carwyn Jones. I have to say that Carwyn Jones delivered on that commitment, and families living in Llanedeyrn and Pentwyn have benefited from the Welsh Government delivering on its promise. What difference are you able to tell us about at this stage, given that the evaluation hasn't been published, for example on increasing breastfeeding rates or reducing the number of children starting in reception who have delayed language development?

Thanks very much, Jenny, and thanks for asking that question all those years ago. Thanks for your persistence in an area that I know is really of importance to you and the people in your constituency. You've been a true champion of Flying Start right from the beginning. It now supports 38,500 children and their families across Wales. I think that, for me, reflects a core Labour belief that early support matters, and that where a child grows up should never limit their opportunities.

But sometimes we need to put that additional support in place. People need to have support with bringing up their children, and that is what Labour does. It steps in and gives that support. We are seeing encouraging signs of change, not just when it comes to speech development, which is fundamental to the childcare offer in Flying Start, but also when it comes to breastfeeding rates.

Across Wales in 2024, breastfeeding rates were the highest on record. In Cardiff, the increase in breastfeeding at 10 days has been stronger in Flying Start areas than in non-Flying Start areas over time. So, there’s your answer, Jenny. Does it make a difference? It absolutely does make a difference, but sometimes you just have to put in that additional care, that additional support, so that people have the confidence to continue, to know that what they’re doing is best for their child. That shows, I think, that early preventative support is making a real difference.

To strengthen our understanding further, we have commissioned an independent three-year evaluation of Flying Start. We will be linking the results we get from that to the SAIL databank, so that all of this can be fed into systems where we can genuinely see the difference that these programmes are making to the people in our communities, but particularly to the life chances of children in our poorest communities.

Trefnydd, I’d like to request a statement from the Welsh Government on the delivery of vocational qualifications here in Wales. Yesterday, I visited Pembrokeshire College's centre for land-based learning in Haverfordwest with my colleague Samuel Kurtz. We learned about the range of agriculture and animal care and management courses that the college now offers. These courses are very popular, so much so that the faculty has had an almost 50 per cent increase in current learners compared to the target set by the college for this academic year. The college has also established strong partnerships with some local businesses, which gives learners valuable work experience and helps develop their skills for jobs in the future. Trefnydd, the Welsh Government should be doing more to support and promote these sorts of qualifications and roll out best practice where possible. Therefore, I’d be grateful if we could have a statement on vocational qualifications so that we can learn more about how the Welsh Government is providing opportunities for learners in our communities.

Diolch yn fawr, Paul Davies, and thank you for giving that really positive feedback from your visit to Pembrokeshire College, where you saw that real delivery of vocational qualifications very much related to the local economy, rural Wales and the skills that are needed. I will share this with the Minister for Further and Higher education, because I know of her absolute passionate commitment to promoting vocational qualifications and that route to skills and employability, and of course Jack Sargeant also, acknowledging that as well, because many of those students will go on to apprenticeships and jobs in communities. Thank you for raising that this afternoon.

Trefnydd, I’d like to request a statement from the Minister for Mental Health and Well-being on progress made in delivering the suicide prevention and self-harm delivery plan for Wales published last year, and specifically progress made on how the Welsh Government is promoting helpful media reporting and limiting access to misinformation by reviewing media guidelines, training, monitoring and escalation procedures.

As you will be aware, more than 400 families in Wales are affected by suicide each year, and evidence shows that those affected by suicide are twice as likely to develop mental illness and almost four times more likely to take their own lives. Research also shows that certain types of media depictions, such as explicitly describing a method and sensational excessive reporting, can lead to imitational suicidal behaviour among vulnerable people.

It’s five years since Samaritans Cymru published their media guidelines for reporting suicide, and yet we still see irresponsible reporting. This has been thrown into sharp focus this week with the reporting of the death of our colleague and friend Hefin David. I would therefore like to know what discussions have taken place between Welsh Government and media outlets in Wales to ensure that they play their role in delivering on the commitment made by Government. 

I would like to thank Heledd Fychan very much for raising this question with me this afternoon, and for us again, I think, to take the opportunity of giving our heartfelt sympathies and thoughts to the family of Hefin David, and to our dear colleague also so affected, Vikki Howells. And I think it does give a moment of thought and sympathy and reflection today for all of us.

Thank you for raising this question, because it is an important question. Our 10-year suicide prevention and self-harm strategy for Wales sets out our strategic objectives to deliver our ambitions to create a more compassionate understanding of suicide and self-harm, reduce the number of people who die by suicide, provide holistic and person-centred support for people who self-harm, and support those affected by self-harm and suicide. And whilst the Welsh Government has responsibility for suicide and its self-harm policy in Wales, we don't have jurisdiction to affect media coverage. But under objective 2 of the suicide prevention and self-harm strategy, we are working with Samaritans Cymru to promote help for media reporting, and we support their approach to working with media and public organisations.

So, thank you again for drawing attention to this, because in our accompanying delivery plan for the first three years of the strategy—and that's 2025 to 2028—we committed to an action to develop and establish escalation protocol for those concerned about how suicide and self-harm has been reported in the media. And this was due to be delivered in year 3 of the delivery plan, but given the importance of this work, we've made significant progress, and this will now be delivered by the end of year 1. And Welsh Government recognises that bereavement after suicide can be particularly devastating, and its vital that people can access support. 

So, I also want to just share again with Members the fact that we've commissioned the Jac Lewis Foundation to deliver a specialist advisory and liaison service to respond to those bereaved by sudden deaths that are unexplained or are suspected suicide. And this national advisory and liaison service ensures consistent, timely and proactive support offered to people affected by sudden deaths, or unexplained, or a suspected suicide, including practical support such as navigating the inquest process.

It was important, Llywydd, that I gave that full answer this afternoon, but I do turn, just finally, back to the fact that this question has been raised particularly in relation to media coverage and how it's handled. And we will be aware of this, all of us this week particularly. And I don't want to mention, obviously, those media channels, but we know that there was one media channel that did seem to respect the guidelines. And we really do hope that making this statement, and my response to you this afternoon, will give some assurance that this is a strong point where we need and have responsibility to scrutinise and take this forward, and I'm grateful to the Minister for Mental Health and Well-being for being here in the Chamber with us this afternoon. 

I would like to ask for two statements. Firstly, can I have a statement on how Swansea Council is upholding period dignity in schools, leisure centres and other venues in Swansea as a result of Welsh Government funding? 

Can I also have a statement on the universities in Swansea? In the 2022-23 academic year, Swansea University had approximately 20,000 students and employed over 3,800 staff. In 2022-23, it was reported that the University of Wales Trinity Saint David's Swansea campus had 13,417 full-time students and 3,305 part-time students, with 1,500 staff. The importance of this to our economy cannot be overestimated. What action is being taken to ensure the continual health of this sector?

Thank you very much, Mike Hedges, for two very important questions affecting your city and your constituents, the people you represent. I'm very pleased to say that the period dignity grant is making a huge difference to a range of under-served communities, through the funding that we provide to the local authority's period dignity leads, which are doing innovative work. This is something where Swansea Council, I know, are working on with a wide range of third sector organisations, community facilities, such as foodbanks, libraries, community centres and early years centres, to ensure that the products reach those who need them. This is about period dignity, but period products aren't a luxury item—they should be available to everyone who needs them. This is more important than ever, as many struggle during the cost-of-living crisis. I chair and attend a round-table with period dignity local authority leads from across Wales. There are some fantastic case studies, and I hope, across this Chamber, everyone will engage with and learn what their local authority are doing with the funding that we've provided. I am very pleased that we can focus on Swansea Council, which awarded 44 organisations with period dignity grants, making a huge difference to people's lives.

On Swansea University, of course we recognise there are challenges facing the sector. Now, the Minister for Further and Higher Education has announced a new ministerial advisory group, to advise her on the future of the sector. On Swansea University, yes, there are issues relating to the workforce, but of course this is something that is a challenge across the sector. I think that's why providing an additional £28.5 million in Welsh Government funding in 2024-25 brings total grant support for the sector to over £200 million. Medr is engaging closely with all universities to understand their individual positions, particularly in terms of Swansea University. I know that this is something that they're working very closely on in social partnership with their workforce, and, of course, with Swansea being such an excellent and well-loved higher education institution by its students and by the community in the city of Swansea.

I'd like to call for a statement this afternoon from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care on waiting times within the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. I have been contacted by a constituent who was originally advised that they faced a 30 to 36-month wait for a procedure, only to discover, after repeatedly chasing the health board, that the procedure had been indefinitely postponed. There was no proactive communication and we are now approaching five years since referral. My constituent's concern is whether cancelled or indefinitely delayed procedures risk being excluded from waiting time data completely, giving the appearance of improved waiting times. These concerns are strengthened by recent reports that the health board under-counted more than 11,600 cumulative cases between April and August last year. Whilst we've been reassured that reporting and recording processes have been strengthened, public confidence requires more than reassurance that the health board are not massaging these figures. Residents in north Wales would appreciate detailed evidence demonstrating that processes have changed. So, can I have a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, setting out how processes have changed in the recording of waiting time data and how cancelled or postponed procedures are treated within this data? Thank you.

Thank you very much for that question, Gareth Davies. You will be aware, of course, that the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care is going to be making a statement on waiting times—and he may be making that statement next week—but I think it is important, and you have that opportunity, to raise questions about Betsi Cadwaladr. But I also do note the key achievements, in terms of Betsi Cadwaladr, in terms of reducing long waits: 104-week waits down 54 per cent; three-year referral-to-treatment waits down 80 per cent; therapy waits over 14 weeks down 65 per cent year-on-year; and a 42 per cent reduction in 52-week out-patient waits. I think what's also important—. We often talk, and I know that you recognise it, about the absolute commitment of our staff in the NHS. Let's recognise that four staff in Betsi Cadwaladr won the Royal College of Nursing Wales's nurse of the year award, and also the risk management team of the year national award. So, let's also praise and acknowledge the staff who are working at the forefront of the pressures and of the health need in the Betsi Cadwaladr community and population area of north Wales.

I would like to ask for two statements. The first one is about regulations around heat pumps. I've been contacted by a constituent who has got a loan from the Green Homes Wales scheme but he's not able to implement it, because he is waiting for the removal of the 3m rule in order to install it. He was encouraged by earlier statements from the Welsh Government regarding removing the rule, but there hasn't been any progress since the middle of last year. So, could it be possible for the Welsh Government to clarify whether this 3m rule has now been removed?

And then I'd also like to ask for a response from the Government on Iran. A delegation of people from Iran came to my constituency office earlier this week with a petition. They visited me to share their distress and despair that, for the last 10 days, they've been unable to speak or make contact with their loved ones in Iran. They haven't been able to find out what is happening and they've only seen what we've all seen—the very distressing pictures on the news. They shared their distress and what is actually happening to protesters in Iran. So, they asked me to raise this here in the Senedd, and to ask the Welsh Government to do all it can to influence the UK Government to help bring about peace and democracy in Iran.

Thank you very much, Julie Morgan. In response to your first question on heat pump subsidies, I understand that we are working with the UK Government and the Development Bank for Wales, developing a package of financial support for people who are ready to switch to a heat pump. That approach includes helping households plan, fund and install systems that perform well and deliver meaningful emission reductions at an affordable cost. Now, there is this boiler upgrade scheme, as you are aware, which operates across England and Wales. It provides grants up to £7,500 to reduce the upfront cost of installing heat pumps, helping households transition to low-carbon heating. The Green Homes Wales complements this by offering free whole-home retrofit assessments and zero-interest loans. I think it would be important for you to direct your constituent to the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government on a specific case, because we're not aware that there is this delay in terms of being able to make that switch, but it is very useful that you've highlighted that today, as a barrier that we can follow up, and then the Cabinet Secretary can give you and your constituent a full response.

You have raised a really important question about the violence and repression on the streets of Iran, which are very disturbing. Our thoughts must be today and ongoing with Iranian families in Wales who have come to see you, trying to reach their families and friends in Iran, not being able to even engage or communicate. I know that, as the lead on foreign affairs, the UK Government has condemned in the strongest terms the horrendous and brutal killing of Iranian protesters, and has demanded that the Iranian authorities respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of their citizens. Our Iranian-Welsh community is struggling, as you said, to contact family members in Iran due to the internet shutdown, and this must be so painful and uncertain for them. We also do encourage community members to seek help from the CALL Mental Health helpline if they are struggling. They can use 0800 132737 or call@helpline.wales. But as a Government in Wales, we support universal human rights, including, of course, the right to peacefully protest, and stand against oppression in all its forms.

Good afternoon, Trefnydd. I'd like to request a statement, please, on rail devolution. We heard a lot about that in the First Minister's questions, and I guess it'll keep coming up. This week, the Liberal Democrats in Westminster have tabled an amendment to the Railways Bill, calling for the full devolution of rail. This would put Wales on an equal footing with Scotland, giving us the powers to plan, fund and deliver our own rail network. As we've heard this afternoon, we have this amendment because we have had years of Wales being short-changed, missing out on billions of pounds for major projects that benefit England and Scotland while leaving us behind. Full rail devolution would allow Wales to set the priorities that we need to meet the needs of our communities. So, I would welcome a clear statement—a 'yes' or a 'no': do you support this amendment and will you be encouraging your colleagues in Westminster to support this amendment? Diolch yn fawr iawn.

Diolch yn fawr, Jane Dodds. I'm pleased to have the opportunity, as the First Minister did earlier on this afternoon with many questions on this point, to repeat that our position on devolution of rail infrastructure remains that we back the recommendation by the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales that rail infrastructure should be devolved to Wales, just as we back all the commission's recommendations. It is important that I put that on the record today.

Yes, we recognise that this is a process that would require resolving many issues, such as finance, legacy, maintenance needs and integrating new arrangements into the overall structure of rail operations. These issues do need to be resolved, but our commitment to full devolution of the rail infrastructure in Wales remains. It should be the responsibility of Wales and operated in the interest of Welsh passengers. I hope these points are debated in Westminster. The full devolution of rail must come alongside a fair funding settlement, to ensure that vital rail assets are able to be maintained and improved to meet the needs of all rail passengers and freight operators.

Trefnydd, can I request a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, please? Around 34,000 men in Wales are living with or after prostate cancer, and around a third of those who undergo surgery require incontinence products. Until now, this has typically been a disposable pad, offering dignity and ease of use. However, in Aneurin Bevan health board, we've seen these pads withdrawn and replaced with washable incontinence pants, with Welsh Government sustainability targets cited as the reason. These washable products pose real-world challenges, particularly for those working outdoors in layered protective clothing, like farmers, significantly affecting their dignity. Patients report being issued only four to six pairs—nowhere near enough—and many who cannot tolerate these pants are now spending hundreds of pounds a month on buying pads privately. The Government may justify this as reducing waste, yet hospitals and care homes continue using disposable pads, while washable pants require daily laundering, raising questions about the strength of the environmental argument. Can I therefore request a statement from the Cabinet Secretary on this change, and ask what price the Welsh Government is willing to put on men's dignity?

Thank you for that important question, Peter Fox. It is something that we need to look at in terms of whether this is a particular health board policy and change. Indeed, you have given the context in terms of sustainability and environmental impact issues. We will take this back to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, and I'm sure you would want to raise it with him directly. Also, it's the sort of thing that I'm sure that Llais would be interested in, from a patient perspective, to engage and talk about these impacts. Often, there is a conflict, isn't there, between one aim and goal and another. So, thank you for raising that on behalf of those citizens and patients, men, who are affected by this change.

Last week, I spoke to a constituent who was paying £140 a month to heat a two bedroomed-flat, despite the fact that it had a solar panel on the roof. I'm very concerned about that, because it means that people are not seeing the benefit of the investment because of the way in which the grid operates. So, last week's fantastic announcement by Ed Miliband for two mega offshore wind developments, one off the north Wales coast, Awel y Môr, and the second off the Pembrokeshire coast, the Erebus generator—. These developments are going to be enough to warm a million homes by 2030. So, we have four years to develop the Welsh energy storage systems to be able to be sure that this is going to benefit people in Wales, rather than relying on the National Grid. So, I wonder if we could have a statement from the Welsh Government on its strategy to make sure that that happens, so that we get more people realising that renewable energy can provide a cheaper solution to warming their homes.

Thank you, Jenny Rathbone, for that really important question. Based on your constituent's experience, it seems again a contradiction, doesn't it, in terms of that investment in renewable energy and the lack of impact that has on reducing fuel bills, particularly at this time of the year. We need to look at this in terms of the recent announcement by Ed Miliband, as you said, and the situation in relation to the Welsh energy grid. Of course, it's important to know that we do expect the UK Government to consult on reformed national pricing this spring in relation to the UK Government excluding zonal pricing from its review of market mechanisms. But the electricity grid in Wales is an intrinsic part of the GB energy system, and we need to make sure that we have this strong cross-border connection with what this delivers in terms of people's needs and expectations. So, it's good that you've put it on the agenda and that it will be taken forward.

Trefnydd, I want to request a statement, which I think will be close to your heart, from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, and that's on the future of Aston Martin in Wales. It's over 10 weeks now since the car manufacturer announced that more than 100 jobs are at risk at the St Athan plant. Of course, this is the latest round of potential job cuts, following a decision by the company to cut 170 jobs last February. I've been in regular contact with concerned constituents and with Rebecca Evans, but little progress has been made up to now. The Welsh Government have already put in writing to me that the jobs at Bro Tathan are under grant conditions until 2030. I'd be pleased should you and the Cabinet Secretary bring a statement forward to the Chamber explaining what that actually means, the specific conditions attached to the around £90 million awarded to Aston Martin, what asks, if any, Aston Martin have made of the Welsh Government since the announcement of the potential redundancy round, and finally, what steps the Welsh Government have taken over the last few months to try to help boost global sales of Aston Martin. Diolch yn fawr.

Thank you very much for that question. It is very close to home. It is in my constituency and, indeed, I had a meeting with Aston Martin on Friday. It's very important, at that meeting, I was also joined by Kanishka Narayan MP, because this is where the UK Government and the Welsh Government have got to work very closely together, and we have had discussions and questions about this in this Chamber before Christmas, when the news came to light about the troubling circumstances, part of which was being driven by the tariffs that were threatened and impacting on Aston Martin from the States, and also changes in the world market, including China, in relation to Aston Martin's very bespoke vehicles. I also have met very regularly with Unite the Union on these issues, so that we are engaging with the workforce and my constituents, and, of course, the impact of potential redundancy will be considered—has to be considered—by the Welsh Government in terms of grant conditions.

Trefnydd, I'd like to call for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales in relation to measures being taken by the Welsh Government to reduce freight crime on roads and at truck stops. I've been contacted by a haulage firm in Wrexham who've raised this specific concern with me. They're seeing an increased in freight crime in Wales, and specifically they mentioned the Heads of the Valleys road and the A470 near Merthyr Tydfil. Now, I have attempted to contact Emma Wools, the south Wales police and crime commissioner. In fact, I've written to Emma Wools three times and I've not had one response back from her in regard to this issue, so that is concerning. But I wonder what work the Welsh Government is doing to address the issue of freight crime, particularly at those locations, and a statement from the Cabinet Secretary would be appreciated.

Thanks very much, Sam Rowlands. Well, this is something that is a cross-Government responsibility in terms of the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales and me, indeed, as Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice in relation to policing. I will be raising this with my colleagues, officials and our police liaison unit in terms of issues that you've raised, and also the impact of freight crime, particularly in relation to the haulage sector and all parts of Wales, but, of course, you focused on the Heads of the Valleys, which is in the South Wales Police authority area. So, thank you for raising that with me today. We will follow that up.

Could I ask you, Trefnydd, for a statement on the devolution of policing and the devolution of criminal justice? These are matters of urgency in terms of social justice in Wales and the administration of justice in Wales. It's been some years now since the Thomas commission reported. It's been many years since we've been working on blueprints for youth justice and for justice for women, and we are not seeing the progress that many of us wish to see following the election of a UK Labour Government. So, it would be useful if we were able to have a statement from you, giving an update on where we are with the devolution of criminal justice and the devolution of policing.

Thank you very much, Alun Davies, for that question. Can I thank you for the work that you did formerly as Minister, particularly in relation to the development of that very innovative youth justice blueprint, and also, on female offending, the women's justice blueprint as well, which took us forward on the route? It is a route to devolution—it has to be, as you identified—that we take forward as a Welsh Government. This had to be a route to devolution of policing and justice. In fact, it is, of course, our ambition, as recommended by the Thomas commission, for Wales to secure the devolution of policing and justice in their entirety. I've already mentioned today the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales, much more recent, which also recommended the devolution of policing and youth justice, and this is where we are driving it through, and we have the Deputy First Minister here this afternoon, hearing that question as well. This work is both important and urgent.

I just wanted to say finally, Llywydd, that I met local authority leaders last week. We work so closely in partnership, don't we, in terms of all the delivery of our services, but also in actually identifying the way forward in terms of devolution. All local authority leaders in Wales, all 22 authorities, are supportive of the devolution of youth justice, and they have written to us and to the Deputy First Minister to lay that out. We've now presented that letter to the Deputy Prime Minister, David Lammy, and I am meeting with the youth justice Minister. We have to move forward, in terms of strategic oversight, partnership, governance arrangements, but, crucially, the funding of youth justice services. We actually already fund two thirds of them in Wales, and now we have got to secure those final steps, in terms of—. We want to take responsibility. We already are, but I think that policing—. I won't go on, Dirprwy Lywydd, anymore, but policing—. It has made so much sense, since the abolition of police and crime commissioners was announced, that we should now progress on our own bespoke Wales structure, in terms of accountability and governance for policing. I hope that we'll be able to report on that, certainly before the end of this sixth Senedd.

Trefnydd, I can't believe that I am having to stand here again and ask you for a statement on this, but, on 16 April last year, the UK Supreme Court ruled that, in the Equality Act 2010 the words 'man', 'woman' and 'sex' mean biological sex. The ruling is clear. The law is clear. Yet, here in Wales, for nine months now, women and girls are still waiting for you to act to ensure their safety, and for fairness. So Trefnydd, what is your excuse now? Why is there still no Wales-wide compliance plan, no audit of public sector policies, and no clear guidance for schools, hospitals and councils? I know that you, personally, don't seem to know what a woman is, which is baffling considering you are one. But the law does, and it is clear. So, when will this Government update this Senedd and put the safety of women and children first, before their twisted ideological preferences?

Well, I'm astonished that you feel that you have to keep bringing this question here, when you know that the clear answer is that we are awaiting—. We are awaiting—. It's now with Westminster, and we are awaiting the response to the Equality and Human Rights Commission's code of practice on services, public functions and associations, and we are working with teams across the whole of the Welsh Government to ensure that we comply with the judgment and the statutory code of practice, once it is published.

I think that your remarks are quite disrespectful, if I might say, Laura Anne Jones. The Welsh Government is clear. Can I just say, finally—and it's been said so many times, and I will repeat it—that any action taken as a result of the judgment to comply with the law should be taken with respect—with respect—compassion and kindness towards all those who may be affected by it?

Diolch, Deputy Presiding Officer. Trefnydd, I'd like a statement from the Minister for culture around what support he can give to rugby clubs across the country with mental health training. Now, I recently visited BloomSpace, which is a mental health charity in my constituency, based in Ystradgynlais. One of the directors there is doing really good work with touch rugby to really help men who've finished playing rugby to get back out there, to meet their friends and to get active again. As I said, I know that the Welsh Government has provided 1,000 spaces for mental health training at football clubs. I was wondering if this could be extended into the rugby club setting as well, and whether the Minister for culture would like to come to my constituency to visit Ystradgynlais rugby club, to see the great work that they are doing in that space.

Thank you, James Evans, for putting that on the agenda today, in terms of my business statement. I know that Jack Sargeant, who's heard that question, would be very willing to respond and to engage with you on this on this very important matter, in terms of rugby and the health and well-being and mental well-being of our players.

Before we move on, I remind Members that all statements this afternoon have a time limit of 30 minutes. Therefore, brief questions and succinct answers from Ministers all will be very helpful in ensuring that everyone who has put their name down can be called.

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd, and I'll try and heed your guidance there.

This work on coal tip safety, rooted in our history, shaped by the challenges of climate change, and driven by a duty of care to our communities, remains one of this Government's highest priorities. Coal tip safety is an issue that touches the lives of thousands, with more than 2,500 disused coal tips across our nation. These communities have carried the burden of our industrial past, and it is our responsibility to protect future generations. Last September, we took a major step forward when the Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Bill received Royal Assent. This world-leading legislation creates the modern, long-term regulatory framework that Wales needs, and at its heart is the establishment of a dedicated, national body, the disused tips authority for Wales. It will be the first organisation of its kind, providing consistent assessment, categorisation, registration and oversight of disused tips across Wales. Until the authority is fully established and operational, we will continue working closely with the Mining Remediation Authority, with local authorities, Natural Resources Wales and partners to maintain our rigorous inspection and maintenance across Wales. Our message to communities is clear: your safety remains our absolute priority.

This work cannot be achieved without substantial and sustained investment. The previous UK Government did not help fund the shared responsibility of this UK industrial legacy. I want to acknowledge the contribution of the current UK Government, which has committed £25 million in this financial year and a further £118 million over the next three years, bringing the total UK investment to £143 million. When combined with significant Welsh Government funding, this means that more than £230 million has now been committed to coal tip safety across Wales. This reflects the reality that these tips predate devolution and that the responsibility to address them is shared.

Looking ahead, the level of demand for funding continues to grow. I'm delighted that we are able to distribute this funding as a multi-year grant, as part of a four-year funding plan. This approach is vital and will allow local authorities to plan, develop and deliver larger and more complex schemes. I was pleased to announce record investment and the first allocation of funding from the grant on Thursday. This confirmed successful applications from 10 local authorities and NRW totalling over £80 million, and this will fund work on over 400 tips between now and 2030.

Now, over the past year, I've visited several disused coal tips to meet delivery partners and to see the works being undertaken, and to talk to the communities affected. Speaking to residents living in the shadow of these tips, it is clear that they wanted more information, so, in response to this, last autumn, we distributed a flyer with information to 722,000 properties, both residential and business properties, across Wales within the vicinity of a coal tip. We have also put in place a community engagement strategy focusing on communities living near those disused tips and key stakeholders.

We are also making significant progress with the establishment of the authority. We have confirmed that the authority will be headquartered at the Welsh Government office at Rhydycar in Merthyr Tydfil. This decision reflects a simple but important principle: the organisation must be rooted in the communities it exists to protect. Situating the headquarters in Merthyr will place the authority at the heart of the coalfield communities and will create around 60 new jobs. I'm also pleased to confirm that Fiona Jones OBE has been appointed as the authority’s inaugural chair. Fiona began her five-year term in November last year and we have also started the recruitment process for the chief executive officer, with the advert going live in December.

Work is well under way to ensure that the new authority has the tools and guidance it needs to deliver its vital functions from day one. We have established two specialist groups, a technical advisory group and an administrative working group, bringing together operational and technical expertise to shape guidance that is robust and practical and fit for purpose. I can confirm that we will consult on both the draft guidance for the authority and the draft appeal regulations later this year. This will give stakeholders and communities the opportunity to shape these very important documents. Progress is good, Dirprwy Lywydd, and we remain firmly on track to have all guidance and regulations ready by the time the authority is established on 1 April 2027.

This authority will bring together experts across geotechnical engineering, environmental science, data and emergency planning. It will also help build a skills pipeline for the future, including through apprenticeships and post‑16 education pathways. Wales, Dirprwy Lywydd, has the opportunity to lead once again, this time not through mining itself, but through developing world-leading expertise in managing its legacy in the face of a changing climate.

Good progress has also been made on the establishment of digital services for the new authority, contracts have been awarded to two suppliers and are working collaboratively to implement the line of business services required for the authority to begin operations on day one.

Dirprwy Lywydd, the establishment of the disused tips authority marks a generational shift in how Wales manages the risks left by our industrial past. With the Act now in place, the chair appointed, the headquarters confirmed, and record levels of funding secured, we are laying strong foundations for a safer future. We've made a significant amount of progress since 2020, but there is more to be done. This is a collective effort, one grounded in partnership, guided by evidence and driven by our duty to protect the people that we serve. Together, we are ensuring that the tragedies of the past are not repeated, and that communities across Wales can look to a safer, more secure future.

The coal communities of Wales powered the industrial revolution. As the coal was extracted, so too much of the wealth was extracted to enrich individuals and to leave our nation. Our combined investment now from two Governments is in the safety and welfare of these communities who gave so much, in new high-earning jobs in these Valleys and in Wales, in the establishment of a world-leading disused tips authority, and in recognition of the debt that we owe generations who worked underground.

We, as politicians, recognise the importance of ensuring coal tip safety, and, indeed, anybody living near one, is, basically, very aware of the dangers now to our communities who are located in close proximity to former and disused tip sites. These sites are not abstract lists; they are part of the daily landscape for thousands of families across Wales, many of whom live with the ongoing anxiety that extreme weather events could place their homes, their livelihoods and safety at risk. Communities such as Tylorstown, due to winter storms and extreme rainfall, experienced a landslip at a disused coal tip, and we know of other slides that have taken place when we have had these serious climactic events.

Now, the event has recently—at Tylorstown—led to a taskforce being set up, and, of course, then it's moved on to the Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Bill, the first of its kind, and it's supposed to action and address coal tip safety. Currently, there are 2,573 disused coal tips in Wales, 360 in the most serious categories, D and C, 20,000 other disused tips in Wales, and around 800,000 households are being signposted to advice about these tips.

Now, we do welcome the new grant scheme announced by the Cabinet Secretary, but I'll say this at the off: too often I've witnessed and I've experienced how new authorities are set up and they seem to be—. Obviously, you can't take this forward without it, but where's the transparency in the setting up, the appointment of the chairs and the taskforce that will be on this authority? There's a lot of money going in now, and, whilst the Cabinet Secretary pointed to lack of support from the previous UK Government, that was not exactly the case.

So, we need to be on top of the safety of these sites. We need to make sure that focus does not remain limited to only the highest risk sites. We must ensure that other tip classifications are properly monitored and maintained.

Phase 1 of this funding is set to be allocated to 10 local authorities and NRW until the end of the 2029-30 financial year. So, we want to ensure that this funding that you're now boasting after 26 years of just leaving this issue—. I will be watching with interest, and I don't think I'll be the only one, to see how you will be using this funding and, again, the transparency that's going to be applied to taking on these people. Too often, we see your external or even your in-house organisations and authorities, whereby the funding becomes about grandstanding for these organisations. Good salaries go to the chairs, the chief execs and things like that; we need this money to go to the actual work that's needed to make these sites safe. So, would you this afternoon actually update us on the authority, Cabinet Secretary, and tell us more information? Because we shouldn't be learning it after the event, we should be part of it as Members of the Welsh Parliament. Diolch yn fawr.

Well, Janet, I note as the frontbench spokesperson for the Conservatives, you welcome the funding that we've put into it, and I stress: we've put into it. And just to correct you: not a penny piece came from the Conservative Government after years of asking. So, not a penny piece. So, I applaud your wanting to see transparency for the taxpayer, but let me make crystal clear: the £80 million, four-year, multi-annual announcement that we've made that we're working with 10 local authorities on over 400 schemes across Wales, by all means look at that and look at the transparency, by all means go out and visit some of those, because I've been there, I've been with these communities and seen what is happening, and seen the impacts on the ground of making these communities safe now and for future generations.

But I do find it rich, I really do, that the investment that we are now putting in, both from Welsh Government and from the UK Government, is being criticised in some way, that this might go into well-paid jobs. I'll tell you what, these well-paid jobs will be men and women in our Valleys. The enrichment that went to individuals out of these Valleys and out of this nation, we are now putting back into it, because they will be the people doing the hydrological examinations, doing the geoengineering, making these tips safe for future generations. So, please, scrutinise it to death, but all of this money will actually be put into the safety and well-being of these communities, the after-use of these coal tips as well, and back into these communities, where surely we all think it deserves now to go.

In terms of the authority itself, I gave a very thorough update, I think, Dirprwy Lywydd, in the establishment of it. And just in terms of the—. I mentioned that Fiona Jones has been appointed as chair, we're in the recruitment process for the chief executive officer at the moment. Subject to that, Janet, it will be followed by the advertisement, open and transparent, for board members, so all of that is in hand. There'll be no lack of transparency.

On the subject of opencast sites, I know that there are serious concerns about the new tips that could be left as the legacy of Ffos-y-fran, which is the UK's most recently closed coal mine, if the Welsh Government doesn't intervene on this. That would add three more tips to what the authority has to deal with. I wonder if that is a concern and whether the Government is minded to intervene on that.

To return to the wider issues, the shadow of coal tips will last for as long as they plague us, for as long as they sit as spectres on the mountains, tormenting the communities below. Of course I welcome the investment and the work here, but it should not be Wales that pays for it. These coal tips were left as trash on our landscapes, with no thought given to the deadly risk they could pose, a lasting legacy of the disdain and indifference of Westminster—a reminder of the cruelties of coal. We cannot allow our Valleys to suffer this violation again. What a mockery it would make of the pain of our past if private companies could now re-mine the coal in these tips for profit: money being ripped from the earth yet again and taken away to places far away from our communities, a bitter echo of what went on before.

Proposals like what's been put forward at the Bedwas tips should not be allowed under this Government's policy. Any loopholes in legislation should be closed, and to avoid any doubt or difficulty arising, we should demand that Westminster fulfil its obligations to the dead of our Valleys and pay what we are due in full.

—and I would appreciate, what conversations you are having with the UK Government to increase the funding that they are providing. I do, though, very much welcome all of the investment and the work that the Welsh Government has put into this, and the assurances that that is giving to communities that they have not been forgotten.

It is important that we don't take our eye off the ball on this, because this is the start of a long journey of making these tips safe and with after-uses, potentially, for these communities as well. We're going to be here for a long time doing this work, and there are a lot of jobs within this space as well, and we need, indeed, to make sure that these jobs are with our young people in our Valleys. I'm seeing this happening already, including, by the way, in taking on apprenticeships now, both in floods but also in mine and coal tip restoration, with local authorities, working with the WLGA, as well as with the new authority, as well as with contractors, and so on.

There will be circumstances—. We debated this extensively as the legislation was going through, and thank you for your engagement on that. There will be circumstances where coal will need to be removed or remodelled, and sometimes that is to access sites as well. Sometimes to make these tips safe, we're going to have to actually move coal off that site. Now, I'm very aware of those external organisations, and my thanks to them for their lobbying and engagement as well. They would want to go forward and say that, on no account, under no circumstance, should coal be taken off the site in any way, or even sold.

Now, we have made clear our coal policy. We've made clear the additional work that we're going to do as well. But we do recognise that there may be circumstances where coal is used for purposes other than burning as a fossil fuel, like filtration and other uses. There are other uses for coal as well. So, we don't want to amend the fundamental policy to mitigate against the need to actually improve the welfare and safety of these communities. That's why the policy is as it is.

You mentioned the critical issue, of course, of Ffos-y-fran. Now, you'll understand this is a live planning matter. I cannot comment on the detail of this or other applications that are under live planning processes. But I just want to make clear that the restoration of these post-industrial sites, such as Ffos-y-fran, is a priority for this Government, and we're committed to ensuring that these sites not only have restoration, but also deliver lasting benefits for local communities and for the environment as well. And, just finally, under no circumstances now are we in the situation where Wales is left alone, as we have been in recent years, to pay for this alone. We do now have a UK Government standing with Welsh Government and, more importantly, standing with our coalfield communities, and we need to keep that going for many years to come.

I welcome this statement today, I think it is great progress, and I welcome the setting up of this dedicated national body and the well-paid jobs it will bring. And I hope this will be a great boost to the Valleys areas that have been affected by the coal legacy for so long.

I know that the Cabinet Secretary has announced the first allocation of funding. The really important thing, I think, about this development is that we must keep the communities involved and that they must be aware of how this money is being spent and how it is going to boost their communities. So, I wondered if he could say how this will happen as the work progresses, because, of course, as has been said several times today, this worry has been hanging over them for so long.

Secondly, very quickly, I know that many of the third sector organisations have been expressing concern that there should be a great deal of attention paid to the diversity of the sites, which have been neglected for so long, and that any remediation does take that into account.

Thank you very much and, Julie, thank you so much for your support for this and for recognising this is a landmark step forward. By the way, the establishment of this authority, and the funding that we've put behind this now, is attracting interest internationally, because there are many areas, including in western Europe, in former eastern European states as well, who have got similar legacies but are not at this stage. So, we are keen to work with them and show what can be done. But this will be a learning process for us as well, securing the funding, setting up this dedicated authority that is no longer to do with the extraction of coal, but is to do with making these communities safe, and you are right, it is also to do with the after-use. It's to do with the biodiversity, the potential recreational use. With some of them, on a site-specific basis, there's also potential for community energy as well, where it goes back to those communities. Not on every site, but where it's right and where it suits the site as well.

And, indeed, in terms of engagement with residents, I think I've been to Cwmtillery now on three occasions. I was there on the morning, in the dark, when the side of that tip slipped, up to my ankles, up to my shins, in slurry. I've been there with residents as the work has gone on, part of this programme, to actually remediate that and deal with the challenges on that part of that tip there. I've been there subsequently, and in all the times those residents said, 'We want to be part of this, we want to hear what is going on, we want to be engaged, informed, we want to know what the engineers are saying, we want to know what the local authority is saying, we want to know what NRW is doing.' So, we've tried to make that happen, because the ultimate assurance to many of these communities, particularly those of a higher category, is to have them engaged in it. And do you know, they have a lot of local knowledge as well? They will say, 'Well, do you realise that, actually, the tip is not quite there? It's also by there.' Sorry, I'm sounding very Welsh Valleys here now, but they will, and they’ll say, 'There isn't just that culvert there; there's a stream over here. And that place didn't used to be wooded; it is now, but underneath that—.' And so on. So, I think engaging them. So, that's why the community engagement strategy is so important. And I'm starting to see it work. We have to do this with communities.

I too welcome this development. I'd like to ask you a specific question, please. The new disused tips authority is not due to be operational until 2027, so what assurance can you give that the interim grant scheme will not lead to a gold rush of private contractors pursuing cheap, short-term fixes before the more robust regulatory standards of the new Act become fully enforceable? Diolch yn fawr iawn.

Thank you, Jane, and thank you again for your support for this. And I can give you categorical assurance, because, in this period now, we are still working with NRW, the existing mines authority, and local authority partners who put the bids in for the work. You will see that some of the contractors that they're using are very experienced, very well-known contractors, often, by the way, located within the valleys that they are doing the work within. The work is being designed and engineered by people with extensive expertise in this area. This isn't a free-for-all in any way, shape or form. Bids have come in. Bids have been tested, not only by NRW, but with our officials casting their eyes over them as well. And it's great to see, by the way, the demand. We've been able to match every solid credible ask for this money to get on with it on the priority tips. We've matched them. There'll be more to do, but they are all solid applications that have been well scrutinised before any money has been allocated to them.

Deputy First Minister, I can tell that this is not only foremost in your mind; I think it's in your heart as well, and that is coming across. I speak today for the communities of people who live beneath the Bedwas tip, in the literal shadow of our industrial past. For many, it's not a case of planning policy; it's a matter of daily anxiety. I also live in the mining village of Abertridwr. My family are steeped in the history of coal. My great-grandfather was killed in a mining disaster. A second cousin lost his life in the Windsor colliery in Abertridwr. I had a colliery waste tip at the very bottom of my garden, but it has now been landscaped and there's a school and housing estate there. But let's be clear: the current proposal for Bedwas is not a safety plan. Bedwas colliery, by the way, closed after the 1984 miners' strike. It never reopened. What's happening there, I believe, is mining by stealth, and communities either side of Bedwas mountain are actually living in fear, and that can't be right. I've got a lot to say, but I think I'd better move on—

You've had your minute, so ask your question, please. 

We will continue, like you, to insist that the UK Government funds this work properly. The age of coal is over. Wales's future lies in clean energy.

The question, Deputy First Minister, is this: will you reiterate that the Government's coal policy protects against the Bedwas proposal, and prevents extraction under the guise of remediation—because that's what's frightened me—and will you ensure that remediation always means public safety, not private profit, and join us in demanding, still, that the UK Government meets its full financial obligation to the people of Wales? Diolch.

On the latter point, absolutely, definitely, Lindsay. I think the work, and our engagement with the UK Government, has been pivotal. They were ready to invest, but we needed to let them know how much we wanted for the next four years, how much can be done within the capacity that we have and the bids coming forward, and they've given us every penny piece that we asked for. And that is a stark contrast to what was going before. And there will be more as well, because we'll need to go back to them in subsequent years.

We've got a four-year programme now—£80 million, 400 sites, 10 local authorities. It's massive, and it's everything that those authorities said we need to do on the priority tips. There will be more to come. And bear in mind beyond this, because we've got 2,500 coal tips—. Not all of them will need massive work, by the way. But we need to get on with that. And then we need to look at the non-coal disused tips as well in other parts of Wales. So, there is going to be a long journey.

I don't want to go into detail on Bedwas. I know, from you and others, that there are different opinions within Bedwas as to whether the tips should be moved, remodelled—this, that and the other. I know that it's different communities with different, diverse opinions. But what I would say to you, like I would do as a local MS, is keep engaged with those communities, and keep engaged with the bodies as well, including the Mining Remediation Authority, NRW, and, of course, the local authority as well, as to what is in the best interests of the communities that you represent. 

But certainly, as I said in response to an earlier question, under exceptional circumstances, there may well be—and I'm not referring to Bedwas now, to make crystal clear—circumstances where the current or new authority will say, 'Actually, it makes sense to go onto that tip and take some off, move some away' or whatever. Interestingly, with Tylorstown, that didn't happen at all. It's been remodelled entirely on site, and looking for future community use, including public access space as well. So, it's not always going to be the case, but I don't want to close the door entirely on any tip remediation by saying we will never move any coal off-site. 

Thank you so much for that, and, again, thank you for your support for this. I think this is one of the finest pieces of legislation this Senedd has passed. We've passed many good bits of legislation, but this is a generational change for those communities who have been dealing with this legacy. This shows, I think, that the powers of devolution mean that we can do something different and we can be really on people's side. Power close to people means we make the right decisions.

To deal with the skills gap, this was raised a lot as we were taking the Bill through committee, and it is a real issue, in two particular areas, interestingly, within my portfolio. One is this piece about coal tip remediation, and so on, and restoration, and the other one is in floods as well. They have similar parameters, because you have contractors, local authorities, NRW, and, in this situation, a new authority we're creating, which all will need good expertise. We're dealing with this because of a recognition of the skills gap—the capacity gap within skills in this area.

I'm pleased to report that we've continued to identify new opportunities that would allow local government partners and others to gain skilled workers, both from within the UK and Wales, and training up and upskilling people, including within colleges and schools, but, also, internationally. For example, we have a pilot environmental engineering placement scheme being run now by the Welsh Local Government Association. It's funded by the Welsh Government; it started this year. We have six placements already provided through that in local authorities. They're offering both expertise and training within flood risk management and mines remediation work. This is the start of a pipeline of people coming through local authorities into the profession. It has exceeded capacity already—there were many more who wanted to be part of it. So, that's part of the work we're doing.

We're also using a well-established scheme on the other side of it that they've trialled in Scotland, identifying—. Because some of these are really highly paid, highly skilled, sometimes quite rare experience and knowledge—. So, you need to go out to the international market as well. We're using that model that I mentioned previously in committee, and we're attracting talent through there. But the crux of this surely has to be actually developing, for most of this work, our own talent in Wales, because that's where we want the wealth that was taken out of this—. Let's put the wealth back in there. Let's create these new jobs, high-earning capacity here, as well as drawing in international expertise as well.

Entirely. That last point is so important, because we want to do this with the communities, with what they want from these sites, not to the communities. I think that community engagement piece I described earlier as part of the solution of what should be there for the after-use of the site is really important. The primary thing, of course, is, particularly for the higher category tips, making them safe, for the community's welfare. But even in doing that, we could also get multiple benefits. It could be access, it could be biodiversity, it could be nature restoration.

We're very aware now that there are extensive and increasing volumes of academic expertise being applied to the rich biodiversity of former coal tip sites. We have in my area, in some ways, a precursor of what we're now talking about. We had many collieries up and down the Llynfi valley. A lot of the middle to upper area now is what is called Ysbryd y Llynfi woodland. We have woodland restoration, community orchards, but also biodiversity-rich areas, part of it through nature restoring itself, being allowed to do its own thing. But communities have to be the heart of this.

When I was up in Torfaen last week, visiting the area there that is one of the recipients of the massive £80 million funding that we're talking about, because there was extensive water discharge off a flat plateau and then falling down the valley, part of the design there with the community was a big attenuation pond. What does an attenuation pond look like? It looks like a pond, and you can, around that, actually enrich the biodiversity and have people walking their dogs and pushing their pushchairs and so on. So, doing this with communities for that after benefit is crucially important. Let's not leave them as sterile areas, let's actually develop these as community assets as well, where it's appropriate, on a site-by-site basis.

Prynhawn da. Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Last month, we marked the first anniversary of the women's health plan. The plan, which was developed by the NHS and is being implemented by the NHS, is a real catalyst for change. It is an opportunity to close the gender equality gap that exists and persists in modern medicine, to properly address women's health needs and to design services that respond to our unique symptoms and needs and really listen to them.

Members will know that this plan was founded on women's experiences of healthcare in Wales and what really matters to them. That solid foundation has created over 60 short, medium, and long-term actions for improvement. Over the course of 12 months, a third of those actions are already under way, with work as diverse as new training for GPs and other healthcare professionals and preventing violence against women. At the beginning of December, I had the privilege of launching the new school learning materials for the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board youth health forum. These will support young people and school nurses to talk about a wide range of conditions that affect women and girls. They were developed in collaboration with school nurses and young people, ensuring that the materials work for them.

To mark the first anniversary of the plan, the First Minister and I then attended the launch of Women's Health Research Wales. This is more than a research initiative. It is really a statement of intent by this Welsh Labour Government to tackle the entrenched health inequalities that have affected women and girls for far too long. The First Minister has been a real champion for the research into women's health. The Welsh Government, through Health and Care Research Wales, has provided £3 million for the research centre. We are also funding innovation in women's health through the women's health challenge. These are real-world demonstrations of ways to improve outcomes for women and girls. The four projects are testing app-based cognitive behavioural therapy as part of menopause care, self-management for pelvic health, a digital health and well-being suite with virtual reality to support pain relief, and a diagnostic test to improve antenatal screening for infection. 

Today, Dirprwy Lywydd, I want to focus on one of our key commitments: the creation of a pathfinder women's health hub in each and every single health board area by March 2026. The hubs were conceived to improve women’s access to and experience of care for a range of common conditions. I’m really pleased to announce that this week marks the beginning of the delivery of services through the hubs. 

I will be visiting a women’s health physiotherapy education session, held in a local community hub in Swansea Bay University Health Board on Thursday. This is a new service and forms part of its pathfinder women’s health hub. By the beginning of March, all pathfinder hubs will be delivering services to women across Wales. I really hope to be able to visit many of these and meet the clinicians providing the new services and some of the women using the new hubs as well.

Now, 'hub' is an umbrella term that describes an holistic approach to the delivery of women’s healthcare, bringing together healthcare professionals and local stakeholders to provide that integrated women’s health service, acting as an interface between primary and secondary care settings. There is no one-size-fits-all approach in hubs in Wales. Some will be traditional face-to-face services, others may be accessed initially virtually. Some will be delivered in community settings by the GPs, others by nurses and other clinicians, and sometimes in a hospital setting.

All the pathfinder hubs must adhere to a set of core values or guiding principles, and each health board has worked with their local population to design their pathfinder hub to respond to local needs. This flexibility means that hubs will look different in each area, but all will be delivering to an agreed implementation guide. It is essential that women can access the same standard of care, even if it's being delivered differently in different health boards. Three priority service areas have been agreed for the pathfinder hubs this year: menstrual health, contraception and menopause. In addition to the reconfiguration and delivery of services, significant work has been done to prepare for their introduction. Health boards have undertaken needs assessments and waiting list reviews to determine how best to target hub services. We will evaluate these pathfinder hubs so we know how the model can be developed and rolled out further.

Progress has also been made in upskilling the NHS workforce in women’s health. The primary care academy has been working in health boards to provide training. Across all health board areas, staff are being trained in areas such as menopause, sexual health and long-acting reversible contraception fitting. Health Education and Improvement Wales is also developing training, which will be accessible to all NHS staff, about a range of specific conditions, including endometriosis, from March.

While our commitment was for health boards to deliver pathfinder health hubs, I also want to share with you the work Velindre University NHS Trust has undertaken. Velindre Cancer Centre has introduced a nurse-led, follow-up clinic to identify and support women who are experiencing premature menopause as a result of cancer treatment. This will be further developed through the hub model.

I want to acknowledge the commitment and energy of the NHS and the women’s health network and the commitment of the Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales over the course of the last 12 months. This week we are taking another step forward in improving women’s healthcare, as well as their experience of accessing that care. We are building a healthcare service that will meet the needs of women and girls. Diolch yn fawr.

Thank you for your statement today, Minister. Overall, I have been very supportive of the introduction of women's health hubs as a way of ensuring that women's health conditions are taken seriously and that every woman can receive the help that she needs throughout her life. I'm also proud to say that the women's health hubs in England were brought in under the previous Conservative Government, and I'm glad that the Welsh Government here in Wales is now following suit.

The ability of women's health hubs to act as a community centre, sharing specialist and holistic support, will no doubt be crucial for many women in all corners of Wales. The figures from England on women's health hubs also show that they have far-reaching benefits for both patients and staff, highlighting that for every £1 spent on implementing a primary care network-sized hub, which covers between 30,000 to 50,000 women, £5 worth of benefits are created.

However, I'm sure you'll appreciate that I, alongside many other Members in this Chamber, will be following the development closely, as we don't want women's health hubs to be another Labour health failure, and we want them to be a permanent fixture and a successful fixture for everyone involved. We also want the health hubs to be successful in reducing the inequitable waits Welsh women face for the treatment of, for example, endometriosis, which stands at a staggering 10 years, Minister.

I had the pleasure of sponsoring the south Wales menopause community manifesto last week, so there are some specific points I'd like to raise with you here today in the Chamber. As I'm sure you'll appreciate, women make up 51 per cent of the population of Wales, with 220,000 of menopausal age starting to go through this phase in their lives at present. It is said that 80 per cent of women going through the menopause experience symptoms, with 25 per cent explaining that these symptoms are severe or debilitating. However, just one in 10 in south Wales report that they were referred to a menopause specialist by their GP. Nearly one in two women have gone back repeatedly to their GP before they have access to any effective treatment. Although the women's health hubs are also designed to support menopause, how can you specifically ensure that each woman coming through those doors can receive specialist help for their symptoms, changes in lifestyle or advice on approaching their employer? Would you therefore consider introducing a menopause well-being centre as well, Minister? I'd really love to know your views on that. 

Quoting from the south Wales menopause community, they say, and I quote,

'Unlike the proposed Women’s Health Hubs, this initiative offers a significantly broader scope, establishing an evidence-based, blended medical and holistic care pathway centred on informed choice and personalised support.'

End quote. I'd like to know, will the women's healthcare centres also signpost women to accredited menopause services? Additionally, in terms of more marginalised groups of women and communities, which are harder to reach, how are the health hubs going to be promoted as a whole? I note that you said the following in a response to Cefin Campbell MS last September, and I quote again, that

'each women’s health hub will need to respond to the particular needs of the women in that health board, and particularly marginalised groups of women.'

End quote. I'm sure you'll appreciate that more women will feel comfortable speaking in their own language about women's health conditions. So, are the health hubs also going to cover signposting in various different languages? And what extra efforts are you personally going to be making to ensure that these communities are reached as well?

In your statement, Minister, you say that a pathfinder women's health hub will be placed in each health board by March this year. Are you confident that you're going to actually hit that deadline? Because, Minister, you also refer to new school learning material being launched within the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. So, will Wales's other health boards be getting the same? If so, when? I'd really like to know that as well.

And finally, Minister, you know my position on including female cancers in the women's health plan. Last week the Petitions Committee heard from Breast Cancer Now that nearly a third—30.5 per cent of Welsh women—missed their screening appointments in 2022-23 alone. That's far below the 80 per cent target for screening. And had this target been met, nearly 16,000 more women in Wales would have been screened. Now, Public Health Wales's report into breast screening services in 2023-24 also highlighted that there is significant regional variation in breast screening coverage, ranging from a dire 43.5 per cent in Cardiff and Vale University Health Board to 49.1 per cent in the Aneurin Bevan health board, to 60.5 per cent in Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and 71.9 per cent in Powys Teaching Health Board. Given these shocking statistics, Minister, will you now reconsider and include female cancers in the women's health plan before it's too late? Thank you.

Thank you very much, and thank you so much for welcoming this and being, overall, very supportive of the work that we're doing here. And it is true, the women's health hubs were introduced in England, or started to be rolled out in England. In one of the very first meetings that I went to, we actually invited clinicians from England to come to talk to us about the good and the bad and the challenges, and we've been able to learn an awful lot from that, and I'm grateful for that. 

In terms of—. You mentioned being able to embed it. This, at the end of the day, is an NHS-led plan. It's actually quite different to what we normally do. With other plans that I've delivered in Government, it is essentially a Welsh Government plan that we've co-produced, but this is very much led by the NHS network, and so I hope that that will embed it even further. It is a 10-year strategy and I hope that all of us here today, regardless of what party we're in or politics, will be committed to ensuring that that continues. I also wanted to say—. You mentioned the workforce. There are some very, very tenacious clinicians who have been working tirelessly in this space for such a long time, and I think that this is also about a culture change within the NHS to make sure that they're supported and funded when they point out that we need these services.

Coming to menopause, menopause is a key priority. We had 4,000 women respond to the discovery that we did around this. They were the ones who chose what the key priorities were going to be, and menopause will be one of the top three priorities that every single pathfinder hub that is going to be rolled out—and I am confident they will all be rolled out by the end of March—will be focusing on. And in terms of Cardiff, actually, Cardiff and Vale are going to be planning to deliver their menopause services and community services, which will include social prescribing, mental health support from the hub in Ely in Cardiff, and it will be accessed via self-referral and signposting. So, that's one that I'm particularly pleased with and I'm looking forward to meeting—. So, what you were saying then about people going to their GP and not feeling like they're being referred on, they can actually self-refer and they'll be able to go to that hub and access it. So, I think this is a really good example of that. And it's nurse led.

I also wanted to say that, in terms of being able to find out and signposting, we are launching as well the women's health website, which will be coming in mid-March. That will have all the information on it, the key priorities, everything that each health board is doing and how you can access those services and feed in.

Also, then, you mentioned about the learning materials. So, it was Cardiff and Vale youth board in the health board that actually were the ones that worked on it, a huge group of young people, but it's for all across Wales. So, it won't just be within that health board, but they were the ones who fundamentally predominantly worked on it.

And then also, coming to what you asked about on cancer, and you've always been a huge champion for raising awareness around breast cancer screening, you're right, the uptake of the breast cancer screening programme in Wales is just under the 70 per cent standard, with the latest rolling 12-month average at 69.6 per cent. Public Health Wales continues to improve resources and communications to support informed participation. Breast Test Wales recently produced bilingual and British Sign Language videos to support people in understanding the screening process and make an informed choice about participating, and encourage as many women to come forward and actually take up that offer, which is also what we will do, as you mentioned about equality and diversity and reaching out to women across communities, which is a key part of what the NHS executive is going to be doing.

So, thank you, overall. Like I said, we're going to see this being rolled out now. I think it's going to make a huge difference. But in terms of cancer, that is the responsibility of the health and social care Cabinet Secretary—it's within the cancer pathway. So, that would be something that would need to be discussed with him.

'Productivity lost from cancer in women is valued at $250 billion a year. That's 0.3 per cent of global GDP.'

Thank you so much, Mabon, and for welcoming, again, the hubs, and the research, which is so vital to us moving forward. As you said, women's research has been hugely underprioritised.

So, just to reassure you—. I think the big things here were in terms of the funding. So, obviously, £300,000 was given to each of the health boards to be able to set up their pathfinder women's hubs. That is not recurring. I would expect now—and I'm seeing some wonderful examples of this—that the health boards embrace this opportunity and they use this as an opportunity to do that real assessment and work with their communities to build up the services and embed them in their services, going forward. However, the £3 million that was allocated, then, to us delivering this through Welsh Government and NHS Wales Performance and Improvement has been allocated again this year in the budget, and I would hope would be allocated, going forward, as the 10-year strategy is rolled out. I will never say 'no' to more funding, as you are probably aware. However, I do think that we've done a tremendous amount of work with the £3 million this year. But I would argue that you reassess that after we spend the next £3 million, and see where we need to go from there.

That brings me on to the evaluation, then, which was threaded through, really, your contribution in terms of will women really feel an impact of this. I would like to argue 'yes'. I mean, these women's health hubs are coming online imminently—some of them by the end of January, some of them by the end of March. Like I was saying, we're breaking down those barriers of access. They'll be able to self-refer into them. They'll be able to speak to somebody. For example, with Betsi, that's going to be a cluster-based primary care-led hub at Llandudno community hospital, with multidisciplinary teams and extended hours. That's what women up there wanted. The service in Betsi Cadwaladr health board is actually already pretty established; it's one of the stronger ones that we began with. But to see that they're going to extend those hours—and access, again, is via self-referral—and that they'll start seeing patients in February of 2026, I think is absolutely going to have an impact. But there is a huge—. There'll be a piece of work on this now to evaluate and share the best kind of learning, really, on what has worked in some areas and what hasn't. Some of them are being quite innovative in terms of offering online, for example, which may work in some areas, and may not. So, I would argue that, yes, I would hope that we will start to see that, but there will be a thorough evaluation.

Also in terms of—. I just think—. You were asking about feeling the impact. This is going to be a culture change. The training is going to be really, really crucial. Health Education and Improvement Wales have done some wonderful training courses. The endometriosis one is going to be really, really key, and a lot of this is just addressing that kind of sense that women feel that they're being dismissed, that they're being expected to live with pain, that those early symptoms aren't being picked up.

Thank you for raising the Royal College of Midwives as well, and around maternity. One of the things the Royal College of Midwives advocates for very strongly, with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy is about having that physio offer as well, and women having really good pelvic health and being able to have that before and after, potentially, they're having children. I think what's really nice is that Hywel Dda University Health Board is going to have the first hub—I'll be visiting on Thursday—in Aberystwyth. Again, they'll be cluster led within a surgery and a nurse-led team, and that's going to offer menopause, menstrual health and contraception alongside that physio, bladder and bowel nurse-led services. And then also, in Swansea Bay University Health Board, they're going to be offering a physio session as well—they're going to be offering a physio service. So, again, a lot of this is about empowering women and it's about preventative and early intervention, which I think touches on a lot of the questions that you had.

And then, finally, coming to abortion care, thank you so much for raising this. This is also something that I'm taking very, very seriously. The chief nursing officer has written to all of the health boards so that we could actually gather information regarding abortion services across Wales. I myself then went and met with the gynaecology clinical implementation network, so that I could ask those clinicians from each of the health boards, 'What's going on and what are you providing?' If I'm honest with you, it was quite enlightening that, once you had all the clinicians in a room and they actually started to tell each other what they were offering, they themselves realised the huge gaps that we have that really need to be addressed, and addressed urgently. This is something that Jenny Rathbone has raised with me many times. I went to the women's health cross-party group just before Christmas and talked about this. So, I'm having some very serious high-level discussions at the moment, so that we can ensure that that service is there for women.

Again, when it comes to cancer, of course, a lot of this is down, again, to ensuring that women are believed and that they're heard when they go for their GP appointments. Part of this will be the culture change that we're looking at, but also a key focus of our approach to cancer is that earlier detection. The NHS in Wales has been implementing updated National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines over the past decade that will reduce the level of risk for a cancer referral. This has resulted in tens of thousands of additional referrals of people in a quite low risk of cancer being referred for that investigation. Actually, what we're finding is only one in 20 gynae cancer referrals convert to a diagnosis. So, our approach then is based on encouraging people to present, improving public access to the referring clinician, providing guidance and education, and, ultimately, just making it so that when you go to the GP that you feel like you're heard and believed and that you are referred on, so that, hopefully, you can get an all-clear diagnosis. Diolch.

In answer to Natasha Asghar, certainly in Cardiff and the Vale we are definitely going to have a women's health hub in Cardiff and the Vale at the Maelfa health hub, which is the perfect place for services that don't need to be located in hospitals. It's in a super-output area of deprivation; it's on several bus routes. It will be possible for most women to be able to get there quite easily. I think the point you've just been making about physiotherapy, I remember raising this with the then health Minister, Eluned Morgan. Physiotherapy after having a baby is routinely available to all women after having a baby in France, and I hope that we'll be moving towards that in due course.

In terms of upskilling the NHS workforce, we definitely needed that on identifying endometriosis. It's completely unacceptable that it takes years and years for people to be believed when they clearly have symptoms of what one in 10 women, unfortunately, suffer from. So, I wanted to raise with you the important research done by the University of Edinburgh, which identified that cutting out gluten and dairy amongst endo patients reduces the constant pain that is, unfortunately, one of the consequences of endometriosis. This is something that, hopefully, will give women more help. So, I wondered how that is going to change the practice of how we support women while they're waiting for surgery, if that's required.

Absolutely. Thank you so much, Jenny Rathbone, for that question, and you are right when it comes to early detection, especially endometriosis. One of the things that we know is that a lot of women's health conditions are trivialised. We're told, about our periods, from a very young age, that pain is just a part of life—it's inevitable, there to be endured, rather than treated or investigated. And the sad thing is is that pain from periods is actually an early indication of endometriosis. So, if that was taken seriously from the very beginning and we weren't told that we had to internalise that in some way, then that would probably have a huge impact on endometriosis.

The research—I can't overstate how important it is about the research. I look back now, being in this portfolio, and I actually don't quite understand how our First Minister, then health Minister, managed to really get that £750,000, because budgets were really, really difficult. I understand now, being here, just how difficult that would have been, for her to have been like, 'No. We're having £750,000. It's going to be going to women's research, and only women's research', and off the back of that now we've got a centre that is probably going to end up being a centre of excellence, with £3 million additional going into it.

And the research that you mentioned is so crucially important, but, my goodness, some of the research that is out there around endometriosis—. I'm just going to give two quick examples. One of them was a study in 2017, a qualitative study of the impact of endometriosis on male partners. That was commissioned, that was paid for, in a very competitive space—clinically led as well—and that was in 2017. They asked 22 partners—male partners specifically, by the way—how it was impacting them that their partner had endometriosis. Even worse than that, in 2013 an Italian study actually looked at the attractiveness of women with endometriosis. It was published—it was funded; it was peer reviewed—it was published in a medical journal called Fertility and Sterility. It used two control groups of women and the purpose was to rate the attractiveness based on physical attributes. It was actually only removed after a huge fuss, understandably and rightly so, in 2020, but there are people who still justify that. How did that research get funded, like I said, in such a competitive space? Funding is precious, and that didn't help anybody; it didn't help men and it didn't help women. So, when we try to convey to people that it's not just that it's been underprioritised, it has actually been appalling, absolutely appalling, and I think all of us would agree that that is appalling. That's what we’ve been up against here.

So, now you've got universities who are really trying to look at what women can do, because a lot of women will tell you that they think that changes to their diet, maybe changes to their lifestyle, can help. Unfortunately, the study that you're talking about is not clinically led. It's a really good study of over 2,000 women talking about their experience, but, again, because it's not done through a health and clinically led view, it's very difficult for us then to incorporate into health. This is why, again, the Women's Health Research Wales centre is absolutely fantastic, and that money is going to make a really, really big difference.

We have used the 30 minutes allocated and I still have three speakers, so brief questions and brief answers, please. Jane Dodds.

Diolch yn fawr iawn, thank you very much, and I do appreciate the work that you've done, the commitment you have made, to this particular area, and isn't it encouraging that we're talking about these issues, and talking about these words and these conditions? Many of us were told you had to keep it secret and you weren't supposed to talk about it.

But my question is specifically in relation to Powys and other rural areas. We just need to make sure that there is consistent care and availability and access to all of the resources. Powys Teaching Health Board started their surveying last year; they finished in December. I'm keen to know whether you've got a timeline in terms of when you want to see the information from the consultations, and when you can see the services being delivered. Diolch yn fawr iawn.

Of course. Well, I have to say I'm really pleased and proud of Powys. They've been a pleasure to work with. I think that, as a health board, they are one of the ones that have really embraced the idea that this is a real opportunity to take the pathfinder funding, and already are having those conversations at that senior level about how they're going to embed this going forward. So, a shout out to Powys. And they plan for a nurse-led service then, with hubs in north, mid and south Powys, with a virtual offer through the health board website. That's going to provide information on conditions and services, as well as a remote consultation offer to address rural needs. The pathfinder will be in Builth Wells, and it is going to be launched in March 2026, so I should be able to give you some more information then. But also, in terms of the evaluation, I think we're going to have to give them a bit of time to see how they get on. I don't have the timescales at the moment, but, you know, as quickly as possible so that we can share that learning.

Thank you for your statement, Minister. This is very welcome. I think it will make a big difference. From my own experience of going through the menopause, I know how difficult it can be to access timely, consistent and informed support in healthcare, with doctors differing, advice differing greatly, and early intervention a problem. This reality was reinforced last week when we had the South Wales Menopause Community here in the Senedd, and people were sharing those exact frustrations that you've already outlined. That's why women's health hubs matter, and this is why trained staff matter. It's wonderful what you said about endometriosis, and I hope the same will be for menopause. Under the current plans, my question is: a postcode lottery is emerging in some areas in terms of some women will be able to access a physical hub in some parts of Wales, but others just a virtual hub. All help is better than nothing, of course, but how will the Welsh Government ensure consistent minimum standards for women's health hubs across all health boards, and finally end the postcode lottery of women's health in Wales? Diolch.

Thank you so much. So, all of the health boards will have a physical offer. Some of them may do the referral, the information or the conversations, initially, through digital, and that's again based on the need and usually the way that the population is. Everything's being co-produced as well with women, but you are right, it's not going to be that every single one is going to be exactly the same when we launch all of these. They're going to be building on existing services and existing skills as well. But all of them have had to meet a very, very clear criteria, and one of them was that they had to go beyond just gynaecological services. They also had to move towards the self-referral, and they also had to be co-produced. It's a 10-year strategy, but I really think, after we have that first-year evaluation, the feedback from that is going to be absolutely crucial, fascinating and helpful, and I think other health boards then will see, 'That worked really well, we'll embed that.' So, for the beginning, I wouldn't call it a postcode lottery, I would call it that each health board has taken the criteria, taken the funding, looked at the needs of their population and the services they currently have, and then, over the next few years, I think that we'll start to move to that space. At the end of the day, women will just be taken seriously, referred when they need to be, and will see somebody who's not going to fob them off.

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. To take your last statement, women not being fobbed off, I sit, as you did, on the health committee, and women were being fobbed off. They weren't being believed and, consequently, some paid the ultimate price because of that. And that brings me on to Jess's rule, which is being rolled out in England, where it's 'Three strikes and you're in'—being adopted by GPs in the first instance, and it will be women's hubs, I hope, here in Wales—saying that if you haven't resolved the issue and the patient's coming back with the same symptom, on the third occasion you make a referral. I would like to see how that would be issued as guidance to the women's health hubs here in Wales, so that we don't have that perpetual in one door, out the next, and nothing is resolved. So, with that in mind, what I would ask is, first of all, that we consider adopting that in these health plans, but secondly, how we can ensure that everybody who's involved in the health hubs, or needs access to the health hubs, knows about their existence. 

Thank you so much, and thank you for raising that as well. That's something that I can certainly take away and I can discuss then with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, because this would be very wide ranging. It would also be really interesting to see how it works as well in England. But, again, we know that women can go years being fobbed off, so I think I'd welcome a discussion, a very serious discussion, about that.

In terms of letting women know, like I said, we are going to have the women's health website, which will be national, but also each health board will be doing a huge push on being able to advertise these services, and in all the ways that we usually would, I suppose. And I hope, just by doing this today as well, that we're raising that awareness that they're here, they're about to come online and that women are able to feel confident in accessing them. Thank you.

Diolch yn fawr, Deputy Presiding Officer. Today is Creative Wales's birthday and, as we celebrate six years since launch, we have much to be proud of. Recognised as one of our successes, latest available data on the creative sectors supported by Creative Wales shows an annual turnover of £1.7 billion in 2024, up 12.6 per cent from 2023. Since launch, we have supported 70 productions with more than £33 million, with a conditioned Welsh spend of more than £419 million in Wales. That's 226 hours of tv and film content that has already hit our screens, with another 54 hours yet to air, and much more still to come.

But our support is not just about quantity. It's about delivering quality. At the Emmy awards in September, the Creative Wales-supported productions Lost Boys and Fairies and Until I Kill You took home prestigious accolades, receiving international recognition and showcasing the calibre of on-screen storytelling emerging from Wales. Bad Wolf continues to deliver premium shows, with Dope Girls and Industry both captivating audiences and confirming the company's reputation for creating compelling, critically acclaimed television. Other Creative Wales-supported productions hitting our screens soon include Sky Original's Under Salt Marsh, starring Rafe Spall and Kelly Reilly, and Young Sherlock, directed by Guy Ritchie for Amazon Prime. Our stunning locations are being showcased in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man; The Witcher, series 4; and House of Guinness, thanks to the support of Wales Screen.

And it's been a remarkable year for Welsh film too, with Creative Wales feature films spending more than £19 million in Wales on productions such as A Colt is My Passport, a film co-produced by Severn Screen and Orion Pictures, and The Man in My Basement, which became No. 1 on Hulu in the US following its theatrical run. Effie was filmed in Caernarfon and Blaenau Ffestiniog in 2025—our first co-funded Welsh-language feature film, in partnership with S4C. In the year of the Richard Burton centenary, we also saw Mr Burton, which became one of the top 10 independent films at the UK box office. And in a few days' time, H is for Hawk will be released internationally, marking an important milestone for international co-production between Cymru and some of the industry's most prominent players.

We have also made good progress in games. Following major wins for Wales Interactive in 2024-25 with Sker Ritual, and my visit to the games development conference in San Francisco, I have been keen to capitalise on the potential growth. Last year, we provided scale-up funding of £850,000 and re-launched our development funding, with 12 studios selected for awards worth a total of £580,000. To make the most this funding, those 12 companies are now being offered the best industry support from our gaming academy programme, which is being delivered by Tramshed Tech. We supported a cohort of games companies at the Slush investment conference in Helsinki, and our inward investment games company, Rocket Science, has met its target of employing 50 staff in Cardiff significantly ahead of schedule.

In music, we have invested over £1.3 million to support the sector, including £700,000 for grass-roots music venues across the country, safeguarding spaces where future talent can thrive. We continue to strengthen strategic partnerships with organisations such as Pyst, Beacons, PRS for Music and Focus Wales. We have also provided several sponsorship deals to support festivals and events aligned to Creative Wales's priorities.

One of our top priorities is developing skills. We have offered 580 paid entry-level and upskilling trainee placements on our funded productions since 2020. In addition to the creative skills fund, we have supported 34 training projects, delivering bespoke training for individuals and companies across our priority sectors. We fund a variety of partnership projects and continue to deliver for the creative sector, including National Film and Television School Cymru and Culture Connect Wales. We have worked closely with the union-led Cult Cymru, delivering a raft of mental health and well-being support mechanisms for the past six years.

We can all agree that our creative sector, film, tv and beyond, is a real success story that has brought both money and jobs into our communities. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to speak directly to people who have found jobs because of Creative Wales investments. The example that always sticks with me was speaking to trainees at Bad Wolf: young people, getting their first opportunity in life, learning a variety of skills—one in project management, one in accounts, and one in legal services and governance. These are transferable skills that will open doors for these young people in sectors across our economy. And this encounter, more than any other, epitomises the difference that Creative Wales is making.

The coming year is critical for a sector faced with some uncertainties linked to increasing costs, reducing revenue streams, the BBC charter renewal, as well as the impact of artificial intelligence. So, as we celebrate all that our creative industries have achieved so far, to maintain this momentum we must continue to respond to needs and work with the sector to overcome challenges. As we do this, I remain committed to supporting the creative economy and the creation of uniquely Welsh content that stands tall among other countries. Llywydd, pen-blwydd hapus to the 'made in Cymru' success that is Creative Wales.

I'd like to thank the Minister for his statement this afternoon and for providing foresight of his statement earlier on this afternoon.

I welcome the news that the sector, supported by Creative Wales, generated an annual turnover of around £1.5 billion, which is a growth of over 10 per cent on last year. This is excellent news, and the focus on skills development and job creation is also welcome. It was also great to hear from the Minister about some of the fantastic television, film and video games being produced here in Wales. However, concerns still exist across large swathes of the creative sector, and there were some recommendations made by the culture committee, which have not been followed, that would be beneficial.

There are still overall funding inadequacies. Whilst there was a modest increase in funding in the 2025-26 budget to make up for the cuts in the 2024-25 budget, the Welsh Government still hasn't increased culture and sports funding at a rate ensuring parity per head with other European nations. The Welsh Sports Association referenced this in saying that Sport Wales's direct investment is down in cash terms compared with 2010 levels, when adjusted for inflation.

I also want to highlight that a Cardiff independent publisher wrote to the culture committee in November calling for an inquiry into publishing funding, stating that they were facing an 'unfortunate financial position'. The editor of Lucent Dreaming said that it was inadequate core funding from the Books Council of Wales, which is funded by Creative Wales, that has led to an existential crisis for creative workers. I'm aware that the previous budget gave a further allocation of £272,000 to the Books Council of Wales, but clearly the funding is either insufficient or not being allocated by the books council appropriately. The latest draft budget also shows an increase in funding directed towards rate relief for the tv and film sectors, which is great, but it's important that other areas of the creative sector, such as publishing, aren't left behind, and culture funding must be sufficient to ensure the sustainability of the sector across the board.

This problem also may have been averted had the Welsh Government agreed in full with some of the culture committee's recommendations in our report on the impact of funding reductions on culture and sport, published last year. Recommendation 4 said that

'The Welsh Government should develop a collaborative cross-department strategy to funding culture and sport, to ensure that funding decisions are joined up with wider government priorities, especially health and education.'

It was rejected, which I believe was a mistake. A cross-department strategy would ensure that the utility of the culture and sport sectors are recognised as vehicles for achieving the Government's priorities and would reduce the likelihood of uneven support across creative sub-sectors.

Recommendation 8 of the report outlined that

'The Welsh Government should provide greater strategic direction to enable the culture and sport sectors to thrive and deliver the Welsh Government’s objectives and priorities',

with measurable commitments towards these priorities. The Welsh Government responded that remit letters are sufficient, but I don't believe this to be the case. The priorities set by the Welsh Government are often vague and do not contain guidance on strategic direction. Given that the Welsh Government is committed to keeping our arm's-length bodies, there needs to be much stronger guidance provided to ensure that the spending of public money is decided through democratic means. We know that public money has been wasted by arm's-length bodies in the culture sector, whilst worthwhile enterprises have been starved of money. So, we need a stronger direction to be set through the remit letters.

In closing, Deputy Llywydd, I'd like to restate that I welcome the great strides that have been made in the creative industries, but I'd like to ask the Minister if he'd reconsider strengthening the Welsh Government's remit letter to arm's-length bodies to provide greater strategic direction and ensure that investment in the creative industries is not concentrated too much in one area and is not wasted on enterprises that the majority of the public wouldn't want or advocate. Thank you very much.

Diolch yn fawr, Gareth, for the series of comments from you there. The Member did try, I think, to celebrate the success of Creative Wales, and I'm grateful to him for that. I do agree there are many successes from the investments that Creative Wales has made, and he's pointed to a number of them there. He will, of course, have seen over the Christmas period the additional investment into Creative Wales that was following on from the Wales investment summit, the £2 million securing Bad Wolf further investment and productions from the world-leading Bad Wolf company in Wales that were announced. A further £2.5 million in-year fund was announced for Creative Wales as well, going directly to support further productions like those already mentioned, but also going directly to support the publishing industry, which the Member raised there.

I'm aware of the letter of the publisher you reference. My officials have met with the publisher Lucent Dreaming and will continue to engage in those positive discussions with them. But I think it's worth just updating the Member on the figures there as well. There was a further £350,000 that has gone directly to the Books Council of Wales from Creative Wales. That has found its way directly to publishers and also to promote books in both the Welsh and English languages. There were also in-year spends for culture and sport. The Member himself will know this statement on Creative Wales is funded through a different budget line, so given the fact that the Dirprwy Lywydd has given me direction to be brief in my answers, perhaps that's better served through another question on a different day.

Diolch, Heledd. I'm very grateful for the series of questions there. I'll try and get through as many as I possibly can in the time, Presiding Officer, but I'm happy to have an ongoing conversation around some of the other points.

Firstly, I do agree there is a very real relationship between the creative industries and perhaps the more traditional arts sector as well. The point that you referenced between film and tv productions and then the theatre is one well made. Creative Wales do have a memorandum of understanding with the Arts Council of Wales, and I think that's a positive step. The more we can see in that space—yes, we should be looking to do as much as we can. And I've had conversations with the Creative Wales team and also teams in the culture division around that topic. The reason set out as to why Creative Wales is not included in the priorities for culture, it was agreed that that wasn't the best way forward, is because there was a set of priorities for Creative Wales when it was initially established. That said, I think there is room where collaboration needs to happen and does happen. 

Heledd mentioned the good news of the social partnership forum in the creative industries and culture. I think this is a very welcome step. In the true spirit of social partnership, it has been created with the workforce. There will be an opportunity for an initial meeting with members of the forum. We hope to have another meeting in a couple of weeks' time, a more substantial discussion. But I hope that will be a forum for the future, where the sector themselves, including the workforce, can bring some of the challenges and opportunities to us going forward. Creative Wales sit on the forum, the arts council sit on the forum, as well as the number of trade unions who represent the sector, and I chair that forum alongside my officials. I do think there is a real opportunity to discuss one of the things in particular about the long-term career opportunities for this. You see from the numbers highlighted in the statement the real success of Creative Wales and the trainee placements alongside that. That is part of the grant condition there.

This sector is built on freelancers, and one of the ways in which we can support the sector and freelancers within the sector is by creating that pipeline of works where there are productions throughout the year in Wales where freelancers can go and get work. That's why the investment that we make, like the announcement of the additional £2 million for Bad Wolf, where that cements them for a further three years of work, is a good step forward. Creating that pipeline where freelancers can work is definitely the way forward. That's the importance of the production funding that we are able to support the industry with.

I just want to point to another opportunity where we do support freelancers and those within the workforce, because it is sometimes a difficult place to be in work. We've supported them through a mental health initiative. There was a two-day course in Wrexham this week for supporting those within the industry. I think it goes a long way, especially with how important it is to support people with their mental health. We're able to do that through Creative Wales's work as well.

There are two more points, Chair, and I will close. On the importance of Welsh indies, I'm keen to see more commissions to and using Welsh independent producers. I think we have real success stories where they have been used, and I think they can be used more in the future. I share the view and commitment towards that.

On the grant process, I've not heard that directly. I'll happily have a separate conversation on that matter. The grant process goes through a panel. It's recommended towards Ministers about where to agree funding or not, and I think that's an important process, as these are public finances here. But I'm happy to take that outside of today's statement and have a conversation with you.

Wrexham is in the spotlight like never before, and the city's arts and creative industry is very much a part of it. In a relatively short amount of time, Minera Studios have really rooted themselves in the community. I've met Dean, Ruby, Ian and the team on numerous occasions, and they are helping put Wrexham on the map in this area.

Before Christmas, I watched them filming Box of Frogs, which is a short film written and directed by Ian. It starred Mathew Horne of Gavin and Stacey fame—all filmed in Wrexham with local talent. The team also founded the Wrexham Academy of Screen Acting, and they're really passionate about helping local people develop the skills that are needed for film and tv and digital media. As well as giving local talent the opportunity to work on the short film, they've also worked in recent times with young people from Caia Park who are not in education, employment, or training. They've also worked with Stori Brymbo and Wrexham University, and they are backing the 2029 city of culture bid.

I know that you too, Minister, have met with the team, and I just wonder what more can the Welsh Government do to support the creative industries in Wrexham. Diolch.

Can I thank Lesley Griffiths for that question? Lesley is absolutely right to say the spotlight is on Wrexham like never before. The eyes of the world are on all of the exciting things happening in Wrexham, particularly through the Welcome to Wrexham programme and the success of the football team, and we do hope that that continues.

The Member will be pleased as well, I'm sure, about the news of the appointment of Professor Joe Yates, the vice-chancellor of Wrexham University, to the chair of the Creative Wales board. He, too, is a passionate supporter of the north-east Wales region, and I think all of the good things that Minera Studios are doing are things that he will want to see himself. I look forward to meeting again with Minera Studios to talk about the opportunities in front of us. I didn't see the filming of Box of Frogs, but I hope to see the short film at some stage.

There's lots more we can do for the creative industries, and we do go on with the investments that we've made, because of the budget proposed. We'll look to work with studios like Minera across the region. The Member will also be pleased, I think, to hear of the support for the gaming sector in Wales. FreeRangeDevs, based in Wrexham, have received funding from Creative Wales, and they are part of the Wales gaming academy programme with Tramshed Tech. That's boosting for the region. The Member and colleagues in the Senedd will know that Wrexham and north-east Wales have always been a key driver for the Welsh economy. It's great to have champions like Lesley, and Joe Yates at the table of Creative Wales, recognising the importance of the creative sector as well.

If I can just mention two issues. One is a 'big picture' one. You talked about the mental health issues that are facing many who work in the creative industries, and I'm sure you've looked at the Ireland model where a basic income for artists is actually available now. It was piloted and has been rolled out. I'm sure we're not in that space, but I think it's just a really good model to think about.

But I do want to then focus in on Powys, and the fact that in Powys we've got the Green Man Festival, which is an independent festival run by the only woman responsible for a festival across the whole of the UK. It brings in £28.9 million to the local economy, and the Green Man Trust invested nearly £90,000 in local projects last year, including play equipment, sports facilities and green space improvements. Rural creative industries are really important to our communities, so I just really wanted to ask you, Minister: what more can you do to ensure that rural creative industries, such as Green Man, are supported and resourced? Diolch yn fawr iawn.

I thank Jane Dodds for that. Again, thank you for the importance you place on the mental health of the workforce in the creative industries, and I think the programmes that we have managed to deliver with CULT Cymru are welcome and go a long way.

I'm aware of the Ireland model of, basically—. I'm also aware there's a Senedd petition looking at that there, so I probably will say a little bit less and wait to see what happens in that space.

And when it comes to rural Wales and the creative industries, I think there are lots of opportunities for rural Wales to continue to play their role in the creative economy, particularly on film and tv. We've seen the stunning scenery of locations across the country, in particular in rural Wales, and I think there's opportunity there.

And then, of course, we want to support our live music festivals and live music venues as well. The Government has supported Green Man Festival previously, and we want festivals like Green Man to succeed across Wales. I'm happy to have a further conversation about what that looks like perhaps with officials and the local Member for the region, so I'll take that forward.

I want to highlight the importance of universities to the creative sector. Swansea University's departments of history, heritage and classics have contributed a huge amount to heritage-led redevelopment in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot, including the project at Margam that led to the discovery of the Roman villa recently.

The computer games industry is bigger than the film industry. Abertay University in Dundee is one of the top computer games universities in Europe, with Dundee home to over a third of the country's games companies. Will the Welsh Government provide support to the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and the University of South Wales to further develop the computer games industry in Wales?

I remember, as I'm sure other people do in here, when S4C children's cartoons were dominated by Welsh products such as Sam Tân and SuperTed. Now we have Peppa Pig dubbed in Welsh. Will the Welsh Government support S4C in commissioning Welsh animation? That's an industry that we had a lot of, and S4C children's programmes were put on, which you'll probably be doing fairly soon, Minister, and you will see very few of them are naturally Welsh.

Finally, can I just say stained glass archive in Swansea, run by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, is a world-class provision?

Can I thank Mike Hedges for that? Mike, over the Christmas recess, I'm sure you were as excited as I was to welcome Bluey to Wales, which I've found myself watching on repeat for the last few weeks. Thanks for highlighting the two points, the previous successes of Welsh animations like SuperTed and Sam Tân—they are really iconic, not just to Wales but to the UK as well. As well as watching Bluey, albeit dubbed, I do watch Welsh language productions such as Cyw and spend lots of time with Noa looking at all of those things. That's a real success. It's one of his favourites. And alongside those types of animations from S4C and Boom Cymru, Creative Wales has supported animators in the past, and the award-winning animation production The Rubbish World of Dave Spud is of interest, and I'll encourage him to spend some time this weekend perhaps watching that.

When it comes to gaming, Mike, I agree with you—there's a real opportunity in front of us. It was one of the priority sectors I placed on Creative Wales when I became Minister. It's initiatives like the gaming academy programme, like the production funding and the scale-up funding that we're able to support companies with here in Wales, but beyond as well, and the international trade shows do go some way in that—. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to offer funding directly to universities today, but what I will say is that universities do place and play an important role for the sector. The Wrexham.Games incubator is where I first met the FreeRangeDevs company, who have gone on to receive funding from Creative Wales. So, there's definitely scope for universities to do more in this space, and I'll encourage officials to take up conversations with them as well.

Diolch yn fawr, Weinidog. Thank you very much for highlighting the incredible success stories of the Welsh creative sector. I want to raise two issues with you, Minister. First, I was disappointed to read a piece of work by Senedd Research that put Wales as the second lowest per head of spending in creative industries in Europe, because you've mentioned the success stories, and we know that when Welsh creatives succeed, some of them reinvest incredibly in Wales. Michael Sheen is a perfect example. But they need to be invested in in the first place, and they need to be given the opportunity to succeed. So, I was disappointed to read that figure, so I'd be grateful to hear a comment about that.

And secondly, what artists make is also at risk from large corporations, and I'm sure you're aware of Live Nation and their—practically—monopoly of the sector here in Wales. They've also added our national concert hall to that. How does the Welsh Government address the monopolisation of the creative industry by a multibillion-dollar international company? Diolch yn fawr.

Diolch, Rhys, for that. I'm grateful for his support for the creative industries in Wales as well. On the comparison on the table, I'm not sure that's a direct like-for-like comparison with other European countries, so I'll just say that to him. But we do invest in the creative industries, and where we have invested in Creative Wales, we've seen the successes that this statement has pointed out and that you've referred to there.

And then on live music and supporting, perhaps, independence rather than others, I think it is important to recognise what Live Nation has brought to the table. We've seen some big concerts in his own region as well. But when it comes to supporting independence, I think that's very important for Creative Wales to do, and we have invested over £1 million this financial year to support the live music sector, and we'll go on to support the live music sector in the years to come through Creative Wales as well.

Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. Improving access to financial support for people across Wales is a key Welsh Government priority. Tackling one of the root causes of poverty reduces the financial burden on people across Wales by making sure they are aware of, and can claim, every £1 of financial support they are entitled to.

In December I shared an update on our ongoing work, across Government, to tackle child poverty and outlined the steps we are taking to reduce costs and maximise household incomes under objective 1 of the 'Child Poverty Strategy for Wales 2024'. I also launched the 'Disabled People's Rights Plan 2025 to 2035', with a key priority to ensure that disabled people are accessing the benefits that they are entitled to.

We are funding projects and programmes that are tackling the barriers that prevent people from accessing their entitlements, such as stigma, lack of awareness and complex applications. These projects are making a real difference. Our recent 'Analysis of child poverty lived experience responses and evidence review' report made that clear. One person told us, and I quote,

'without these funds we would be skipping more meals just to keep a roof over our heads and warmth in the home'.

That is the reality for families, and it shows why this work is so important.

At the heart of our work is the Welsh benefits charter. Endorsed by all 22 local authorities, the charter is driving improvements in how Welsh benefits are delivered. It is creating a culture shift, towards a system based on rights and entitlements.

In phase 1 of the work to streamline Welsh benefits, we are implementing a 'tell your story once' approach. Working closely with the Welsh Local Government Association and senior leads in every local authority, we are ensuring authorities understand how they can determine entitlement for the council tax reduction scheme, free school meals and the school essentials grant from a single source of information provided by an individual. By removing the need for multiple applications, local authorities are putting the Welsh benefits charter into action by making Welsh benefits as easy to claim as possible. We're also demonstrating the practical implementation of the Welsh benefits charter through the £100 payment we're making to households with a disabled band reduction who also receive help from the means-tested council tax reduction scheme.

With our bespoke Welsh benefits charter payment, we are not asking households to fill in an application form or to provide documents that prove they are eligible for the payment. Instead, local authorities are using their data to identify who is eligible, and then contacting households to confirm the bank account they’d like the payment to go into. This approach reflects what the Welsh benefits charter is all about: removing barriers and administrating financial support in a straightforward, dignified and person‑centred way.

For many years, the Bevan Foundation, working alongside the data analytics company Policy in Practice, have shown us that better use of data is the key to unlocking financial support for people across Wales. Based on the Bevan Foundation policy analysis, we've made excellent progress in understanding how use of data can help local authorities improve take-up of both devolved and non-devolved benefits. Our 12-month pilot, delivered with Policy in Practice, using their low income-family tracker tool, has played a significant role in this. Through their participation and our funding of the pilot, 12 local authorities have a clearer understanding of their legal powers to use and share data, and how to put strong data governance arrangements in place. This has allowed local authorities to deliver targeted benefit take-up campaigns, targeting households who did not know they were entitled to support. To date, authorities have delivered 47 campaigns, targeting a total of 23,987 residences. All the authorities have delivered pension credit campaigns, with their work contributing to pension credit awards totalling £1.2 million being made to the households they targeted. We will continue to support local authorities so they can use their data effectively to identify households who are missing out. We're also working with colleagues in the UK Government on long-term, strategic data-sharing solutions.

The importance of improving access to financial support can be seen from estimates that people in Wales are missing out on around £1.3 billion in financial support. This is money people are legally entitled to, money that could be easing pressures on household budgets. That's why we'll continue to support our £36 million multi-annual single advice fund, services that play a central role in our income maximisation work. We know these services reach older people, disabled people and people from ethnic minority communities,  the people who are most likely not to be claiming what they're entitled to. The outcomes from the single advice fund income maximisation services speak for themselves: between January 2020 and January 2025, they helped people to claim over £213 million in additional income and to write off £71 million of debt. That is a significant amount of money, money that means families can meet their essential day-to-day living costs. It's also money that's being spent in local shops and businesses, supporting local economies right across Wales.

This winter we're delivering our sixth 'Claim what’s yours' communications campaign. Through creative messages on tv, radio and social media, we're reaching people who do not normally seek advice and who do not realise they are missing out on financial support. And people do respond. Over the last six years, more than 90,000 people have contacted Advicelink Cymru helpline after seeing the campaign messages. Many more have used the self-help tools on our website to check whether they're missing out on their entitlements. The 'Claim what’s yours' campaign is not just a one-off burst of activity during the winter months; the materials are used all year round by partners, ensuring the message remains visible. We're not just raising awareness about the support people are entitled to, we're continuing to invest in the people who are often best placed to help—front-line workers.

Across Wales, front-line workers are a familiar face that people trust, the first person they turn to when problems arise. That’s why we offer free training for front-line workers to build their understanding of the financial support that is available, and their confidence to pass this knowledge on. In the past two years, over 6,000 front-line workers have attended the training, with more than 70 per cent confirming they've used what they learned to help people they support to claim their entitlements. Building on this success, I committed a further £300,000 for a new two-year programme of free income maximisation training, which began last year. Already, more than 1,100 front-line workers have attended these training sessions.

The UK Government’s removal of the two-child limit is welcome and aligns with our commitment to maximise family incomes. From April, around 20,000 families with 24,000 children in Wales could see their income rise, helping parents cover everyday costs

To conclude, Llywydd, the evidence is clear that our income maximisation projects transform lives. But people’s circumstances change every week. A new job, a family change, a period of ill health—each of these can alter the financial support someone is entitled to. That's why our commitment to income maximisation is not a one‑off task. It's an ongoing effort, and I urge all Members to continue supporting this essential work.

Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. We on this side of the Chamber welcome the progress made in streamlining access to financial support. We do, however, disagree with your assertion that access to financial support is one of the root causes of poverty. The root cause of poverty is the lack of well-paying jobs. Figures out earlier today show that unemployment in Wales has risen once again. So, Cabinet Secretary, what discussions have you had with Cabinet colleagues about improving the supply of well-paying jobs in Wales?

We also know that rising food and fuel prices also have a huge impact on poverty in Wales. Do you agree that we should be investing in ways to tackle food and fuel poverty as a priority? Cabinet Secretary, the UK Labour Government promised to bring down energy bills, yet they have continued to rise and we are still waiting for Ed Miliband's big green energy plan. What recent discussions have you had with the UK Government about the level of fuel poverty in Wales?

Finally, Cabinet Secretary, the UK Government have introduced a £1 billion a year crisis and resilience fund to provide financial support to households that are struggling. The Older People's Commissioner for Wales has called for the consequentials to be used to provide greater support for older people who are facing financial hardship. Do you agree with the commissioner? Diolch yn fawr.

Thank you very much, Altaf Hussain. Thank you for welcoming the statement. Of course, you were fully aware of the aims and objectives and the evidence provided to back our child poverty action strategy and also our disabled people's rights plan, which of course was co-produced with disabled people. Indeed, the child poverty strategy was developed with families, carers, parents and with children and young people to see where we knew where we could—to steer our objectives, our resources and funding to tackle child poverty and to support disabled people.

It is very clear—and I'm sure you have read the lived experience poverty report—that, as I said, without these funds that are being made available in terms of the take-up of entitlements—. And this is the key point, Altaf: these are entitlements that people are not taking up, including, on your last point, pension credit, which is crucial in terms of the support of older people. It is also key to ensure, and part of our child poverty strategy, that we enable and support people, parents and families and disabled people, and we discussed this as well, back into work. That's why our skills and employability programmes are so important, to enable them to secure work and an income, but also remembering that it needs to be work and an income that actually can enable them to support their families. Unfortunately, we know that many people are working and still having to access foodbanks and still are not getting a fair wage, and so we need to ensure that they are taking up their entitlements that can support them in work.

I cannot believe that you would not understand and agree that we should ensure that people in Wales claim every £1 that they're entitled to, and that our partners help us to drive forward this work and campaigns to deliver those results, and also that all our 22 local authorities work with us, with income maximisation clearly seen as a major objective, and our single advice fund to enable people to access those benefits, entitlements.

I just want to make one point about the work that we're doing in terms of tackling fuel poverty, and also to say how that links up cross-Government with our Warm Homes Nest programme, where we're investing more than £30 million this financial year in the Warm Homes Nest scheme, but also our Fuel Bank Foundation partnership. And, since June 2022, we've allocated over £7.4 million of funding to enable the Fuel Bank Foundation to introduce and run the national fuel voucher and heat fund scheme in Wales. This is also very important for people who are off-grid, but this scheme has provided support to eligible households that prepay for their fuel and are at risk of disconnection, and it does provide those fuel vouchers for homes with prepayment meters and those deliveries of oil or gas for those not connected to the mains gas network. So, we now have a network of 150 referral partners based in Wales, some of whom work UK wide, and we've issued 92,953 fuel vouchers and supported 621 households to receive help to purchase off-grid fuel.

The latest ‘Poverty in Wales’ report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation highlights the scale of the challenge before us. It shows that levels of deep poverty in Wales have been steadily increasing, with a proportion of those living in very deep poverty rising to almost half of those in poverty in the last years. The picture is reinforced by evidence of increasing and deepening levels of energy debt, highlighted by National Energy Action Cymru, who have found that that debt has reached record levels, and three quarters of that debt is arrears, and therefore only likely to increase further. Research from the Bevan Foundation shows that one in five adults in Wales say they are now in more debt than they were 12 months ago. Around one in 10 respondents to their latest ‘snapshot of poverty’ survey say that at least one of the reasons that they are in more debt is either that their benefits no longer cover the cost of living or there has been a reduction in or loss of their benefits. Fifty-three per cent of those on universal credit had borrowed money in the previous three months. Do you agree, Cabinet Secretary, that welfare payments are not keeping up with costs? Do you agree that your Labour Westminster colleagues reducing support for those, for example, with health conditions for new claimants, who often have to spend more on bills, is an unacceptable decision when the universal credit health element for new claimants is going to be reduced by approximately 50 per cent? Meanwhile Citizens Advice reports that the average debt faced by its clients is now almost £8,500, representing an 8 per cent increase since 2024.

So, taking all of this into account, these figures make it clear that the current trajectory is unsustainable for the people of Wales. It's, of course, right to acknowledge the support that's already in place, but we must address the underlying causes that are driving people into debt and poverty in the first place, and this is where your partners in the UK Government have a crucial role. One clear example is the introduction of a social tariff for energy, a measure that would offer meaningful relief to households in fuel poverty and help address rising energy debt. So, Cabinet Secretary, I'd welcome an update on what discussions you've had with your colleagues in Westminster regarding the introduction of an energy social tariff, which would be of huge benefit, of course, to people in Wales, where we pay some of the highest prices for energy and over a quarter of our households are in fuel poverty.

You referenced the impact of the removal of the two-child limit, which, of course, Plaid Cymru welcomes, but research by the Bevan Foundation has shown that one in 10 children affected by the two-child limit in Wales will see no benefit at all because of the benefit cap—another cruel Tory policy that hasn't been scrapped, unfortunately. Another one in 10 will not see the full amount. So, do you agree that, unless the benefit cap is lifted too, thousands of Welsh children will remain trapped in poverty by political choices? So, what conversations have you had lately with UK Labour Government on this?

It's been exactly two years since the launch of the Welsh benefits charter, and you've rightly highlighted the value of bringing together and making access easier to support delivered by both the Welsh Government and our local authorities. However, in practice, progress on this work appears to have slowed and is certainly inconsistent across authorities. I don't understand, for instance, why the long-overdue announcement on targeted baby bundles—. They have to be applied for. Why aren't they automatically passported to those we know are expecting? We know who are going to have children, and we also know who are on low incomes. So, given the deepening levels of poverty and debt that I've outlined, why hasn't this work been accelerated? Do you accept, Cabinet Secretary, that the continued rise in debt and poverty suggests that existing measures are not sufficient, and, if so, what will you do differently and what will you ask your Labour partners in Westminster to do differently? Diolch.

Diolch yn fawr, Sioned Williams. I think our single advice fund is critical to ensure that we do enable people to access the benefits they're entitled to. I met with the national advice network yesterday, chaired by Fran Targett, with a whole range of advice givers from across Wales—every region has an advice network group—and, of course, other organisations, like Shelter, like SNAP, Swansea University, Speakeasy Law Centre. They all come together, because they are advising and helping us drive forward our commitment to ensure people take up the benefits they're entitled to. One of the things that they really have valued is the fact that Welsh Government now, through our new revised code of practice for funding the third sector, have provided funding for three years, giving certainty for three years to the funding of the single advice service. Of course, as they said, this helps with the recruitment and retention of staff. Again, I think it's really important to look at the statistics. The single advice fund, introduced back in January 2020, between January 2020 and September 2025, has helped 388,000 people to claim additional income of over £213 million.

You rightly focus on debts. This is crucially important, and we know the value of those advice givers in helping people to come off, to deal with, debt. Those figures also include that debts totalling £71 million were written off. But that three-year funding, I am sure you would welcome that as a key way forward in terms of embedding that advice-giving service into Wales, working closely, of course, with local government, who were there yesterday, and the UK Government, in terms of the Money and Pensions Service.

The Welsh benefits charter, I remember launching that back in January 2024. In fact, we launched it alongside the child poverty strategy in Blaenavon. I think Siân Gwenllian was there as well. It is really at the heart of our delivery model, where a person should only tell their story once to access those entitlements, and to get all 22 local authorities to join together and to share that ambition, to make sure that there is only one route in to getting free school meals, the school essentials grant and the council tax reduction scheme. It is already proving to be so beneficial to families, as our lived experience report has shown.

I'm absolutely in support of your points about the social tariff. This is something that I raise with UK Government Ministers at every opportunity, and I'm glad that you have raised it today, because it strengthens our case. But it is quite clear that we have to look at this in terms of tackling fuel poverty, and it is something that is, of course, a cross-Government call, and across this Senedd there has been a strong call for a social tariff.

It is important that we look at the other measures that are important and have been acknowledged by the Bevan Foundation to be key to tackling child poverty. I would draw attention to the discretionary assistance fund, and I know that you have often raised this, Sioned, as a key crisis fund. It is one of the things when you ask, 'What is a priority in terms of funding and resource?' The discretionary assistance fund is a crisis fund. It provides emergency support to any resident of Wales. We have increased that funding. It is currently £39.5 million. They're small cash payments for people in financial crisis; also, individual assistance payments; also, off-grid fuel payments and clothing vouchers. Of course, the discretionary assistance fund is consistently welcomed by all of our partners.

Yes, we called for the two-child limit to be removed, and it has been removed. I have given the figures already of those who will benefit. It is hugely welcome, but concerns do remain about the impact of the welfare benefit cap on some families. I have written to the UK Government's Minister for Social Security and Disability to express concerns and request information on the projected number of families in Wales who would be subject to the benefit cap. But we are also working closely with the UK Government to ensure that all families in Wales understand the routes available to them, so that they can become exempt from the welfare benefit cap as well.

I think that we must look to all of the measures that I have outlined in my statement, showing our ambition to ensure that people do access those funds that are available to them. I think that it is important just to recognise that this is tackling child poverty and supporting disabled people. But thousands of people are missing out on the financial support that they are entitled to, and a single phone call could change that. We need to take action, and that's what I have outlined today in my statement.

Thank you, once again, for pointing out just how important it is to ensure that everybody knows how they can get support to get what they are entitled to. My question, really, is: given the significant sums of money that this intervention has generated for local communities—£213 million and a write-off of £71 million of debt—why is it that the 10 local authorities that are not participating in this Policy in Practice methodology to identify people who are eligible are not taking part? Because it will benefit their wider economy and make their economies more resilient. I don't understand it. So, what is delaying them getting involved?

Thank you, Jenny. All 22 authorities signed up to the Welsh benefits charter, but we then put in this further—. It is a pilot, and we invited local authorities to engage in the pilot. We are funding Policy in Practice to undertake this pilot. Some local authorities were already engaging with them, and I think that you will recall that there was a lot of publicity around Neath Port Talbot Council. Before we even engaged Policy in Practice, they had been in to many authorities and had helped increase the uptake of pension credit. It is about us working with Policy in Practice to enable authorities to see how they can use data, through their analytical tool, to reach the people who are entitled to these benefits. It is being shared widely. We have an all-Wales operational group that works on this.

It has not been mentioned yet, but I do want to draw attention again to the fact that we have also got this new benefit that is coming out in this financial year: a £100 payment to households with disabled band reduction—it's a bespoke new Welsh benefit—who also receive help from the council tax reduction scheme. Now, one of the great benefits of this is that people don't have to make applications; the money is there, we know who is entitled to it and the money is going to go straight into their bank accounts. That's the best way to do it: know the data, know your population, get the money to those people.

Rhys ab Owen.

Diolch yn fawr iawn, Llywydd. Today, I'd like to set out the real progress that this Government is making to build a transport system that works for everyone in Wales. Our approach is guided by a clear ambition: to make everyday journeys safer, fairer and more affordable for the people we serve. One of the clearest examples of this ambition in action is the success of the £1 bus fare pilot for children and young people, which has already been used for over 2 million journeys, helping them reach school, college, work and leisure opportunities at lower cost and easing pressure on families during a challenging time.

We are pairing this practical support with long-term structural reform. Through our bus reform agenda, we have passed the Bus Services (Wales) Bill, the first major piece of Welsh transport legislation in more than a decade. This Bill gives us the powers to create a more reliable and accountable bus network, ensuring that public funding delivers public value. It will help us design services around communities, not just commercially viable services. Alongside bus transformation, we are making major rail upgrades in Wales, including transforming the core Valleys lines and creating the south Wales metro, with over £1 billion invested. This programme is electrifying 170 km of track, 99 per cent of which is complete, resulting in faster, greener and more frequent services. New tram trains and the recently opened Taffs Well depot are supporting a modern, integrated network across south-east Wales.

Alongside the transformation in the south Wales Valleys, we have built a constructive and solutions-focused relationship with the UK Government on rail reform, grounded in the needs of communities. In north Wales, this has led to the development of the Network North Wales vision, launched at a major cross-border summit last year. Delivery is now under way, and in the first six months we have introduced new bus and rail services, upgraded railway stations in the region and secured long-term investment for major enhancements at Padeswood and elsewhere. 

We are also strengthening our role in rail governance. As the UK Government takes forward its rail reform Bill, we are pressing for a stronger Welsh voice over decisions that shape investment and services. Through the Wales Rail Board, we are influencing future spending reviews and making sure that the needs of passengers in Wales are heard at the point of decision. 

Strengthening our wider network also means investing in the places where most journeys begin: our roads. We have significantly increased investment in road maintenance and preventative treatments this financial year to deliver improvements across both the strategic and local road networks. This includes resurfacing, pothole prevention and repair, and repairs to bridges and footways to extend the longevity of Welsh roads and critical infrastructure to help keep communities connected safely and sustainably. By the end of this Senedd term, we anticipate that £118 million will have been spent to repair more than 500 km of road defects and potholes. We have also modernised the way new road schemes are assessed, ensuring that our decisions fully reflect Wales's climate commitments. And we have begun resilience reviews to prepare the network for more frequent extreme weather—an increasingly urgent reality. 

In addition, last year we opened sections 5 and 6 of the A465, completing the 20-year project to dual the whole of the A465 from Abergavenny to Neath, providing improved access to key services, jobs and markets supporting inward investment to areas like Ebbw Vale enterprise zone. We also opened the A40 Llanddewi Velfrey to Redstone Cross improvements in Pembrokeshire, improving access to key ports and commercial infrastructure. And another significant milestone has been the completion of our work with all 22 local authorities to set the right speed on the right roads, and we are seeing our streets become safer and more welcoming for walking, wheeling, cycling and everyday travel.

We are also delivering meaningful progress on active travel, backed by sustained investment to expand safe walking, wheeling and cycling routes right across Wales. In 2024–25, the active travel fund provided over £50 million in funding for local authority schemes, supporting new infrastructure and improvements across Wales. Additional programmes for school-based walking, wheeling and cycling promotion and workplace-based initiatives are helping people be more confident walking, wheeling and cycling in their communities, which, of course, is contributing to safer streets, reduced congestion and lower emissions.

One of the most important structural reforms under way is regional transport devolution and co-ordination. New regional transport plans are now in place across Wales, created by the four corporate joint committees. These set strategic direction for each region and provide the foundations for our new regional transport fund. Over £100 million of funding is available to local transport authorities to implement their regional transport plans and to invest in local and regional transport in 2026–27. This shift will give regions more power to shape their own networks and to invest accordingly in local priorities.

Our travel for all approach is transforming transport policy to prioritise access and inclusion as core human rights. Enhanced safety measures such as improved lighting, visible staff and new help points are being introduced, exemplified by the people-centred Wrexham Gateway project and Cardiff interchange, and shaped by disabled people's lived experience. Training is being developed and rolled out across transport modes. Practical barriers are being addressed through tactile paving, accessible facilities, and obstacle-free routes. A rapid audit of rail stations has been completed, and a bus stop accessibility audit is well under way.

Taken together, these achievements show how a transport system is being reshaped with purpose and ambition. We are reducing costs for families, modernising buses and rail, strengthening the resilience of our roads, and empowering regions to shape solutions that work for their communities. Most importantly, we are putting fairness, accessibility and dignity at the heart of everything that we deliver. This is the foundation of a greener, more confident and more connected Wales, one where every person can travel safely, independently and with trust in the network that serves them.

Thank you to the Cabinet Secretary for his statement here this afternoon, the title of which is 'Travel for All', and improving accessibility across our transport network is something that I'm sure we all strongly support, because transport is not simply about getting from A to B, but, of course, it provides independence and gives people opportunity. Also, of course, good transport infrastructure is vital to our economy here in Wales, so it's important that it's done right. But what matters most is not necessarily the words used on a piece of paper in strategies, but whether people on the ground actually see and feel improvements.

Under the 'Travel for all' plan, which the Cabinet Secretary has, of course, referenced today, the Welsh Government has committed that by this spring, a number of specific actions will have been delivered, and we are, obviously, very close to that spring deadline. So, it's entirely right that this statement has been brought before us here today.

We're especially aware that in many parts of Wales, particularly rural areas, passengers still experience those poorly lit bus stops, limited services and inconsistent support for disabled travellers. That gap between policy and lived experience is something that local people continue to raise with me.

Firstly, many of the accessibility concerns raised in the statement today are not new. These concerns are raised repeatedly, particularly by organisations representing people with sight loss, including Guide Dogs Cymru and the Royal National Institute of Blind People. They tell me that people with a vision impairment feel they have been failed by bus services for many years, and that trust will only be rebuilt when accessibility is embedded as a core, enforceable requirement, not treated as an afterthought. We have recently in this place had scrutiny of the bus Bill, and concerns were raised that the Bill contained only a single reference to accessibility, with no definition of what accessibility actually means in practice, and no clear standards to be written into those contracts.

We also heard serious concerns about the lack of statutory guarantees around accessible information, with timetables, websites and apps often inaccessible to people with sight loss. Perhaps most troubling were the experiences shared around audio and visual announcements. Despite a legal requirement for these to be in place, we heard that announcements are often switched off, inconsistent or not working, leaving people missing stops, becoming disorientated or avoiding bus travel altogether.

Finally on this point, Cabinet Secretary, serious safety concerns were raised about bus stop infrastructure. Issues around poor lighting and lack of CCTV were raised, but also particularly the issue of shared bus stop boarders where passengers are expected to step directly into live cycle lanes. I know you've sought to address these recently, but these designs have created anxiety and real danger for passengers, and in some cases put passengers off using those services completely. I'd be interested to hear from the Cabinet Secretary how he intends to ensure that these accessibility issues, which are repeatedly raised, are being fully addressed, and give assurances to this Senedd that they will be addressed.

Secondly, Cabinet Secretary, accessibility is also about choice. For many people across Wales, particularly in rural areas, driving is not optional, it's absolutely essential. The Government here over the last six years has invested £218 million on cycle paths, but Audit Wales decided that there was no increase in cyclists, despite that significant level of spend. I'd be interested to hear from the Cabinet Secretary whether he thinks that £218 million has been a worthwhile investment, while seeing no increase in the number of cyclists.

On the point around choice and rural communities only having access, perhaps, to places via car, the Welsh Government have done very little, in my view, to support those who do rely on their cars. We know that the 20 mph default speed limit has made everyday journeys for many people much longer and more cumbersome. Meanwhile, your ban on new road building has prevented our vital transport network from keeping pace with demand. We've seen years of chronic underinvestment, leaving roads in poor conditions, with potholes, uneven surfaces and other hazards that aren't just inconvenient but pose real safety risks to drivers and pedestrians alike. Accessibility cannot mean focusing on one mode of transport while actively making another more difficult.

Of course, Cabinet Secretary, accessibility is also about strategic connectivity for our economy, creating access to great jobs. The congestion on key routes, especially the M4, has become unbearable for many, making an M4 relief road essential to ease traffic, support local businesses and improve safety for everyone who relies on this crucial corridor. Likewise, there's opportunity to unleash the economy in north Wales through further investment on the A55, investment on the A483 around Wrexham in particular, and, of course, ensuring there's resilience for those crossings over to Ynys Môn. My final question, Cabinet Secretary, is whether you could provide clarity as to when we're going to see this investment on the strategic road network here in Wales.

Can I thank Sam Rowlands for his questions and his contribution today? I would agree with him in many areas. First and foremost, public transport is vitally important for rural communities; it's vitally important for all communities, in my view. Public transport is a public service and a good transport system is a powerful enabler for people to be prosperous and to be in employment.

The Member has highlighted a number of challenges that we face, particularly in terms of some of the infrastructure in our transport network, and I'd like to run through each of those in turn. First of all, on the bus network, bus stops, and there are around about 24,000 of them in Wales, I'm afraid are too frequently substandard. They are a real-life example of the effects of austerity. Councils that are responsible for them, because they've been cash-strapped, have not been able to replace them, in many instances not being able to repair them. They are not modern.

We wish to do with the bus network what we have done with rail: invest incredibly heavily not just in buses but also in the infrastructure that supports the bus network. That's why an audit of every one of those 24,000 or so bus stops is under way. It's also why we're making available more capital for bus-related infrastructure. And as I say, what we've done with our rail network we intend to do with our bus network through franchising and through investment in each of the regions' bus-related infrastructure.

The Member raises an important point about accessibility as well. Through franchising, audio and visual information will be a requirement on bus services. I've spoken on a number of occasions with the access and inclusion panel in TfW who have made it very clear that the buses that we will acquire as we seek to improve the bus fleet across Wales will have to have the very latest technology installed to maximise accessibility. It's an interesting fact that, when we took over the rail network from Arriva Trains Wales, we inherited the oldest fleet of trains in the UK, and we now have one of the newest. We inherited 270 trains, and with £800 million of investment, we'll have over 480.

We've demonstrated how we can deliver on huge ambition; we intend to do that with buses as well. I think that there are about 1,300 buses at the moment operating on the Welsh network, and it's the oldest bus network. Just as we had the oldest train network, it's the oldest bus fleet that we have in the UK. We have ambition to make sure that we have one of the newest and most efficient bus fleets in Britain. We're looking at various technologies to ensure that we decarbonise what is a very ageing fleet.

In terms of offering alternatives to people to driving, there are three factors that really drive modal change. One is the availability of alternatives, the second is the reliability of alternatives, and then the third is the cost of alternatives. We've demonstrated with the £1 fare cap for young people that we can apply fare measures that also drive up patronage. We've seen over 2 million passenger journeys undertaken using that £1 fare scheme. Many of those journeys would not have been undertaken. Anecdotal evidence is showing that that scheme is actually helping to put food on people's tables as a result of easing the financial pressures on families across Wales. If we're re-elected in May, Welsh Labour will introduce a similar scheme, a £2 fare cap, for adults as well. And of course, we will continue the concessionary scheme for over-60s, with free bus travel. 

In terms of availability, we intend to grow the network. This will be one of the primary objectives of bus franchising. We intend to grow the network by at least 100 extra routes. That amounts to thousands upon thousands of extra bus services each week across Wales.

In terms of the third factor, reliability, this largely comes down to bus-related infrastructure being delivered at a local and regional level—infrastructure such as safe, modern bus stops, such as dedicated busways. I am delighted to say that, within the south-west regional transport plan, there are a good number of very ambitious programmes on bus-related infrastructure that are going to be taken forward. I point to the south-west first because the south-west is going to be the first region where franchising is going to be taking place. 

On roads, I don't want to rehearse how much money we've invested in roads, that is a matter of fact, but programmes such as the A465 and the A40 are absolutely enormous. But what the Lugg review also informed us was that we need to better maintain our roads. I think I mentioned last week in oral questions that the BBC have carried out an in-depth investigation into the road network across the UK, and basically concluded that we're going to have to get used to more road maintenance works. That's because of the age of the network. It's reaching a point where more needs to be put into maintenance, as the Lugg review has identified. That's why we're investing so heavily in maintenance this year, fixing potholes and defects right across the length and breadth of Wales, not just on the strategic road network but on local roads in council areas as well. I think that motorists are now recognising the benefits of having a Welsh Labour Government that invests fairly across all transport modes. 

The £1 bus fare for young people is a very important part of the public transport landscape in Wales, but I wanted to concentrate today on another aspect that you mentioned towards the end of your statement, namely 'Travel for all'.

Just before the Christmas recess, I was contacted by a disabled woman, who shared a deeply distressing experience. She was left stranded at Cardiff Central station when the assistance she relied on simply failed to arrive. She told me that this was not an isolated incident but part of a long and troubling pattern, an ongoing reality for many disabled passengers across Wales. Her experience stands in stark contrast to the assurances made under the 'Travel for all' plan, and it is symptomatic of the daily barriers disabled people across Wales face when trying to travel. That reality shows that policy promises are still failing to translate into lived improvements. She also told me that she does not feel confident using taxi or private hire services because accessibility is inconsistent, despite the Minister's responsibility to issue guidance to local authorities on accessibility training for drivers.

Accessibility is not optional. The Cabinet Secretary said this himself; it is a fundamental right. Yet that right is routinely denied on the ground. Therefore, if accessibility is a fundamental right, why is that standard not being upheld in practice? Under 'Travel for all', the Welsh Government committed to delivering a new Transport for Wales digital journey planner, designed to work across transport modes. We are now close to the stated deadline, yet no such tool seems to be in existence. Therefore, I'd appreciate an update from the Cabinet Secretary on the work around this.

By spring, the Welsh Government also committed to undertaking work with the UK Government to improve accessibility at stations across Wales, but the evidence on the ground tells a different story. Cathays, one of the busiest stations in the country, remains inaccessible. Three years ago, Transport for Wales promised a fully accessible footbridge, yet there has been no visible progress. This is not a one-off. Many stations across Wales remain behind the curve, leaving disabled people stranded or excluded.

Turning to the Access for All programme recently announced, out of the 23 stations that were chosen to be improved across the UK, only two are in Wales: Shotton and Ruabon. Stations in Wales are already behind, and disabled passengers are losing out while other parts of the UK move ahead. The Welsh Government's contribution is only on a matched funding basis, meaning that meaningful progress remains dependent on limited infrastructure funding available from the UK Government. I therefore ask the Cabinet Secretary whether business plans exist to upgrade the remaining inaccessible stations in Wales, such as Cathays, and how much longer disabled people will be expected to wait.

I also want to ask how the 'Travel for all' strategy is being integrated with the Bus Services (Wales) Bill. Accessibility must be central to the social need routes, particularly for blind and partially sighted travellers, rural communities, and those reliant on transport to access work, education and healthcare. How will the Welsh Government ensure that these routes, even if not commercially viable, are delivered in an accessible way? How will funding and standards be applied consistently across the franchise areas from 2027 to 2030? 'Travel for all' cannot be allowed to drift on as another empty promise. It must lead to real, visible and timely improvements so that all disabled people can travel with confidence, dignity and equality. Diolch yn fawr.

Can I thank Peredur Owen Griffiths for his questions today? I'd agree, again, with much of what the Member has said, particularly about the need to continually improve accessibility in public transport. The 'Travel for all' agenda is all about planning and delivering services and infrastructure through the lived experience of people who face the most challenging barriers in their day-to-day lives. That's why we set up the access and inclusion panel in Transport for Wales, to ensure that all of the projects, all of the services that TfW are responsible for developing, are fully interrogated by people with lived experience of terrible barriers, some of which have been outlined today. It's also why we're establishing within TfW a young person's panel, getting the lived experience of young people from across Wales, and making sure that the latest ideas and innovation come from the general public, bearing in mind that I think the creative brain peaks in the mid 20s, so we need to capture as many ideas from young people as we possibly can.

In terms of what we've achieved in this area, I'd suggest Members look at the south Wales metro, where we've applied step-free access at each of the stations. That was a hugely ambitious endeavour, and we had the assistance of people from the access and inclusion panel. I think we also had help from Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson in this regard, to make sure that the south Wales metro, when we were investing £1 billion in it, was able to be used by all people, no matter how mobile or what the barriers might be in their day-to-day lives. We will go on investing in a similar vein across the network. I'm delighted that Shotton and Ruabon—and I make a constituency declaration here: Ruabon is in my constituency—have made it through from the longlist to the shortlist. It's pretty clear that the only reason that they made it through is because we were willing to match fund those particular stations. And in correspondence that I've seen, it's very clear that transport authorities that match fund are in a very, very beneficial position to be able to qualify for Access for All funding, and that's why Ruabon and Shotton made it through from the long list to the short list. Elsewhere in parts of England I believe that match funding was not available from transport authorities, and that's why our stations made it through to the final list. So, I'm delighted that that's happened, and I know that it will provide a lot of comfort to people who use those particular stations, but often find enormous challenges in accessing trains that stop there.

The TfW app is a hugely ambitious piece of technology that is being developed at this moment. Essentially, what it is is a single point of truth, a single point of information for all public transport modes in Wales. It will reflect the live movements of bus services and of rail services, the ultimate aim being to integrate fares with the system as well, so that people can move from one mode of transport to another mode of transport, not having to worry about purchasing a paper ticket, and just do it through a single app with live information about all systems available to them. As I say, it's a huge project. It's very ambitious. I don't believe that it's been done in this form before in any nation, combining all modes of transport. So, it is a very innovative piece of technology that is still under development, but as soon as we can roll it out, we will do.

Diolch, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. I spoke recently to a constituent living with disabilities, and he mentioned many similar experiences to which Peredur Owen Griffiths and Sam Rowlands have already mentioned. He gave a terrible account of being stranded at a railway station. He also said that he could not use his local railway station in Grangetown. It is clear that you passionately believe, Cabinet Secretary, that every single person living in Wales and visiting Wales should be able to use our transport network, but my constituent left me clearly saying that he felt that people living with disabilities were being used as a tick-box exercise rather than being at the heart of policy making and decision making. Now, I know that is not your view—I'm just saying what he told me. Will the Cabinet Secretary give a commitment today to my constituent and to others, as Sam Rowlands and Peredur Owen Griffiths have mentioned, that the view of passengers with disabilities are fundamental to changes made to ensure public transport in Wales is accessible and available to all? Diolch yn fawr.

Can I thank the Member? I couldn't agree more. I think it's vitally important that we receive the lived experience and act on the lived experience of people who have suffered as a result of poor standards, poor infrastructure, poor services. That's the aim of the access and inclusion panel, and I met with them, I think, three times in 2025 to ascertain what priorities they believe Transport for Wales should focus on and the Welsh Government should focus on moving forward. And we've made some good progress since we launched the travel for all agenda as a result of the insight and intelligence that the access and inclusion panel, as well as many others, including the older people's commissioner and the young people's commissioner as well, have been able to share with us, and, of course, youth parliamentarians, who have been hugely helpful in highlighting challenges and gaps in the services that they utilise.

We have launched the anti-racism training effort throughout all of the TfW front-line staff, and as part of the anti-racist action plan, all staff have been engaged in that anti-racism training. Regardless of background, everybody should feel respected and included on our transport network.

I also was looking at Trustpilot yesterday. It's very interesting. If you check Trustpilot and just go through some of the comments, often Trustpilot is very negative, but, actually, I was reading some of the comments of people who have used TfW services. One that struck me concerned a staff member, and that particular staff member was identified as 'a lifesaver' by this particular individual. Now, I know some people experience a poor quality of service on parts of the network, but when it comes to TfW, I can assure the Member and I can assure his constituents that we work in social partnership with our trade unions. We work as closely as we possibly can with our trade unions to ensure that staff in TfW are employed to the highest standards, that they are respected by this Government, by their bosses, and by the general public as well. And that's created, I think, on the TfW network, a very positive, respectful and dignified atmosphere and engagement between staff and the public, and it's resulted in what I believe is a very good rating on Trustpilot. It currently stands at 3.6, compared to other rail operators that struggle to get over 1.7. So, it is very, very strong, the Trustpilot rating. I expect the trolls will now try to drive that rating down, but let it be stated that today, before people knew about it and it was all purely objective, the Trustpilot rating for TfW was about as good as it gets for any form of transport provision.

So, could I just in conclusion thank the Member for highlighting the importance of bringing the lived experience of people who face disabling barriers every day of their life to policy formation and to delivery of transport systems?

I'm pleased to bring these regulations forward today, as we have done every year, because they represent one of the most direct and effective ways we can support those who need it the most. The council tax reduction scheme provides direct financial help to low-income households across Wales by reducing their council tax bills. These amendments ensure those entitlements are maintained, keeping direct and effective help in place by keeping pace with inflation and welfare changes. Over 256,000 households across Wales will benefit as a result.

For the next financial year, support for working-age people, disabled people and carers will increase by 3.8 per cent, in line with the consumer prices index. Pension-age households will see increases aligned with the UK Government's standard minimum guarantee and the uprating of housing benefit. This year the regulations also incorporate new Welsh welfare provisions, including neonatal care and pay arrangements, and extending the rule, allowing a universal credit claim to satisfy the habitual residence test, making access to help simpler. The amended regulations will also ensure that no applicant living in Wales is disadvantaged because they have received a payment under compensation schemes, including the LGBT veterans redress scheme, and that disabled people are entitled to apply.

Llywydd, this scheme remains one of the Welsh Government's most powerful tools for tackling poverty. Year after year, it delivers real help to those who need it most. Approving these regulations today will mean continuing that commitment. I am grateful as ever to the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee for its consideration of the regulations. The Welsh Government agrees with the points raised by the committee, and the regulations will be corrected prior to them being made. I ask Members to approve the regulations today.

Diolch, Llywydd. The Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee considered the draft regulations last week, alongside the Welsh Government's response to our draft report. The committee's report contains five technical reporting points and one merits scrutiny reporting point.

Two of the technical reporting points indicate that there are errors in specific amounts identified for amendment. In one instance, the existing text to be amended states £244.40, however the regulation incorrectly states that £244 is the amount to be updated. In another instance, in the Welsh text, the reverse is true: the existing text states £244, whereas these regulations state that £244.40 is the amount to be updated.

The committee's third technical reporting point highlights an incorrect reference to a subparagraph in the Welsh text, and the fifth technical reporting point highlights that there is a discrepancy between the new amounts to be inserted in the Welsh and English texts. The former states £87.99, whereas the latter states £87.88. The Welsh Government has agreed with these four reporting points and will make corrections prior to the regulations. However, the Welsh Government has only partially agreed to our first technical reporting point, which raised the potential inconsistency between English and Welsh texts. 

Finally, the committee's merits scrutiny reporting point highlights that these instruments have been prepared outside the new software of Welsh statutory instruments and may therefore require minor formatting improvement before being made by Welsh Ministers.

These regulations are a clear statement of the Welsh Government's commitment to fairness. They deliver on our programme for government commitment in this Senedd term to review the 53 different categories of discount, disregard and exemptions, which had grown up over many years.

The regulations in front of the Senedd this afternoon have been shaped through constructive collaboration with local government, experts, stakeholders, and they reflect what people across Wales are entitled to expect: a council tax system that includes a framework for mitigations for those who need it and a framework that is modern, accessible and fair and which improves tax efficiency.

For over three decades, the council tax discounts, disregards and exemptions have provided essential support to households facing financial pressures or living in unique circumstances. Today more than 0.5 million Welsh households across Wales benefit from these measures. It's a powerful reminder of why this work is so important, but also why it was necessary to carry out a review. The Local Government Finance Wales Act 2024 gave us the opportunity to consolidate and update these measures. These regulations simplify and consolidate all the provisions into a single new Welsh statutory instrument, improving accessibility, reducing complexity, eliminating barriers and making it easier for people to claim their entitlements without stigma and without confusion.

Some changes go further. They support our housing strategy by tackling long-term empty homes, helping communities regenerate, promoting sustainable development through the use of existing housing stock. While these measures do not solve every challenge, they do make a real contribution to improving housing supply and thus preventing homelessness. I should make it clear this afternoon, Llywydd, that the 25 per cent single adult discount remains unchanged. That is safeguarded in full in these regulations.

We've also listened to the specific challenges for those who provide refuge for survivors of violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence. I'm proud that these regulations create a new exemption for emergency temporary refuge accommodation, recognising the vital role these services play in providing safe spaces for survivors. Llywydd, this is a modernised, accessible and fairer framework that reflects, I believe, the values of this Senedd and the needs of our communities.

Diolch, Llywydd. The Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee considered the draft regulations last week and the Welsh Government's response yesterday. The committee's report contained six technical reporting points and one merits scrutiny reporting point. Of the six technical reporting points, five highlight phrases that require a definition or further explanation, such as the term 'building authority' and 'leave to enter or remain'. The other technical reporting point highlights an inconsistency between the meaning of the English and Welsh texts. Specifically, whereas the Welsh text of regulation 2 uses the term 'P', which was defined in the opening words of the definition of 'leave to enter or remain', the Welsh regulation 2 does not. The Welsh Government has accepted five of the six technical reporting points and will make those corrections prior to making the regulations.

Finally, as with the regulations debated under the previous item, the committee's merits scrutiny reporting point highlights that the instrument has been prepared outside the new software for Welsh statutory instruments, and may therefore require minor formatting improvements before being made by the Welsh Government.

I'd just like to take this opportunity to raise a point related to exemption H, which currently exempts empty properties that have been held for future use by a minister of any religion, from which they perform their religious duties, from paying council tax. The change proposed would limit this exception to 12 months, and could have a damaging consequence for churches by increasing the financial pressure that many are under. It could also lead to a loss of pastoral care, community outreach and support for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. As the Cabinet Secretary will know, clergy recruitment is not like filling a standard vacancy. It is a vocation deeply rooted in calling and commitment, and, in many cases, particularly in our Welsh-speaking communities, appointments can take years to make, not months.

Moreover, imposing such a short time limit will do nothing to encourage the repurposing of these homes. Clergy houses are not surplus assets to be casually redeployed. They must remain available, sometimes for extended periods, while new ministers are discerned and appointed. Can I therefore urge the Welsh Government to look again at this change and see what can be done to keep the current exemption? Will the Cabinet Secretary also meet with representatives of the church to discuss its impact? Thank you.

Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. I am happy to keep the matter under review and, indeed, to meet any of those who wish to discuss the changes. The Member is right, class H exemption does introduce a one-year limit for properties held by ministers. I don't think there is a strong case for keeping empty property longer than one year, simply because it might be needed by people in the future. We've had many, many debates on the floor of the Senedd about the blighting effect that long-term empty properties have on local communities. We have other policies designed to encourage their long-term and beneficial use. That's what this change aims to do, but it is a change, Llywydd, and on that basis, I'm happy to provide an assurance that we will keep it carefully under review.

These regulations form part of our package of measures to address avoidance of non-domestic rates. This package has been developed through joint working with local government over several years. Under current arrangements, ratepayers are not obliged to notify billing authorities of changes of circumstances that would affect their non-domestic rates liability. A minority—and I stress it is a minority, Llywydd—of ratepayers knowingly withhold information if they believe that this will help them avoid or reduce their liability. In particular, billing authorities are not always notified about changes of ratepayer or occupation status for a property, preventing the billing authority from correctly calculating and attributing liability. These regulations create a duty for ratepayers to report these simple but important changes of circumstances to the billing authority. This will improve the accuracy of non-domestic rates bills and reduce the potential for avoidance.

Diolch, Llywydd. The Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee considered the draft regulations on 12 January and subsequently considered the Welsh Government response to the committee’s report yesterday. The committee’s report contains two technical and two merits reporting points. The first technical reporting point requests further explanation around the form or meaning of the wording in relation to regulation 4(6)(b), which states that a claim to recover a penalty must not be made if a review is made under the regulation. The Welsh Government response is that they will amend the word 'made' to 'requested' prior to making the regulations.

The second technical reporting point highlights an inconsistency between the English and Welsh texts. The Welsh Government do not accept this reporting point, saying they do not consider there to be any difference in meaning between the two languages.

The first merits reporting point highlights that any sum received by a billing authority by way of a penalty must be paid into the Welsh consolidated fund.

Finally, as with previous regulations debated this afternoon, the second merits reporting point notes that the instrument was prepared outside the new software for Welsh statutory instruments and, as such, minor formatting improvements will need to be made during the registration process if this legislation is approved by the Senedd and made by Welsh Ministers.

Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. In the draft outline budget statement in October, I set out the Welsh Government’s intended approach to increasing the rates of landfill disposal tax, or LDT, from 1 April. However, following the UK Government's setting of its landfill tax rates for England in the autumn budget, I now ask the Senedd to agree a new approach to the lower LDT rate in Wales to prevent the risk of waste tourism occurring.

Llywydd, the UK Government made the decision to stop the gap in the rates of landfill tax from continuing to grow by setting its lower rate at £8.65 per tonne. Setting the same lower rate of LDT in Wales will be an increase above the forecast retail prices index, but it will certainly mitigate the risk of waste tourism between England and Wales, and waste being diverted into Wales because it is cheaper to do so. The standard rate of LDT will increase to £130.75 per tonne, and the unauthorised rate will increase to £196.15 per tonne, as per my outline in October. Most importantly of all, Llywydd, by setting the rates in this way we ensure that LDT continues to deliver against this Senedd's environmental goals, the purpose that has always been at the heart of this tax. I ask Members to support these regulations this afternoon.

Diolch, Llywydd. The Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee considered the regulations on 15 December. The committee report contained one merits scrutiny reporting point. It highlights that the Welsh Revenue Authority must pay amounts collected in the exercise of its functions relating to devolved taxes, such as landfill disposals tax, into the Welsh consolidated fund. A response from the Welsh Government to this reporting point was not required.

Diolch, Llywydd. I move the motion and recommend the Senedd consents to the relevant provisions in the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill as set out in the legislative consent memorandum laid on this Bill. The Bill introduces a new revenue certainty mechanism to support the production of sustainable aviation fuel, SAF, in the UK. It would do this by designating a counterparty, a company wholly owned by the Government, to engage in contracts with SAF producers to guarantee the price of the sale of eligible SAF. To finance the revenue certainty mechanism, the Bill would introduce a levy on conventional aviation fuel suppliers. The revenue certainty mechanism is intended to be a time-limited measure to stimulate an early market and help support the production of SAF across the UK. It will no longer be needed once investors have confidence in the market price and the first-of-a-kind technology has proved itself at a commercial scale.

The Bill is intended to realise the economic benefits associated with developing the domestic sustainable aviation fuel industry, help secure the supply of such fuel and establish the UK as a global leader in the decarbonisation of the aviation sector. With a long-established aerospace sector, its rich industrial heritage and highly skilled workforce, Wales is looking towards a more sustainable future. We are well placed to play a significant role in developing feedstocks of SAF from non-agricultural sources. We're already making positive progress in this regard, and I look forward to Wales securing the additional future economic benefits that this will bring, such as the jobs generated from SAF plants located in Wales.

The Bill provides a suitable platform with a unique opportunity to tackle climate change for the aviation sector on a UK-wide approach. I'm grateful to the Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee and to the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee for their scrutiny of the Bill.

Members will want to know why I've scheduled the LCM debate today when there are ongoing debates in the House of Lords and the Bill isn't yet fully settled. Holding this debate today ensures that the Senedd's views are heard and represented in the passage of this important legislation, especially as the UK parliamentary timetable for this Bill could extend beyond the end of this sixth Senedd. If further amendments are made to the Bill, we'll ensure that there is a further legislative consent memorandum tabled.

Moving to implementation, if the Bill is passed, we will ensure that the Welsh Government continues to work closely with our partners and stakeholders in Wales and across the UK.

Diolch, Llywydd. The committee reported on memorandum No. 1 on 23 July 2025 and on memorandum No. 2 and memorandum No. 3 earlier this morning. The original memorandum sought the Senedd's consent for 15 clauses. The Welsh Government considers that clause 1 to 5 and 10 to 15 relate to environmental protection and economic development and therefore have regard to devolved matters. The Welsh Government also considers that clauses 6 to 9 relate to the implementation of the provisions in the clauses listed above and therefore also have regard to devolved matters and meet the test in Standing Order 29. The UK Government agreed that consent is required for clauses 1 to 5 and 12 to 19, as well as some aspects of clauses 10 and 11. The committee concluded that clauses 1 to 19 and Schedule 1 to the Bill had regard to devolved matters and therefore meet the test in Standing Order 29, meaning that the Senedd's consent should have been sought for the entire Bill.

Memorandum No. 2 and memorandum No. 3 seek consent for amendments to clauses referred to in the first memorandum, including a new clause relating to consultation with the Welsh Ministers. The committee agrees with the assessment and that consent is required. The report we laid this morning did, however, make one recommendation. We noted that, in our first report, we said that consent should be required for clauses 16 to 19 of the Bill—a view shared by the UK Government but not the Welsh Government. We therefore ask the Cabinet Secretary to explain whether she agrees with the conclusion to our report in that regard, and, if not, what the implications are for any decisions or consent taken by the Senedd.

I have no speakers. The Cabinet Secretary to respond.

Diolch, Llywydd. In closing the debate, I would like to thank the committees and the Chair for the contribution to today's debate. I note that the CCEI committee issued its report yesterday, following the scrutiny of the legislative consent memorandum for the Bill, and I very much welcome that committee's position of overall support. I also do want to take this opportunity to acknowledge that, due to the unfortunate timing over the Christmas period, with regard to preparing and laying SLCM No. 3, the committee didn't receive the appropriate amount of time to scrutinise and report on the amendment. So, I do want to take this moment to apologise to the committee regarding that and commit to ensuring that that situation is avoided, where at all possible, going forward.

I do note that the LJC committee highlighted in its report of July 2025 that the Bill doesn't delegate any regulation-making powers to the Welsh Ministers. It further notes that delegated powers are being given to the Secretary of State to act in areas that have regard to devolved matters. I am content with the approach being taken in this regard, as there is a very clear rationale for maintaining continuity and consistency right across the UK.

I also note that the committee considered that the Senedd's consent should be sought for the entire Bill, but I'm seeking consent for clauses set out in the memorandum because the advice that I received was that consent is not required for clauses 17 to 20. But I do, of course, agree with the LJC committee that inter-governmental co-ordination of policy areas can be very challenging, especially when matters relate to devolved functions.

However, decarbonisation of aviation does require that UK-wide alignment. And I remain committed to the Welsh Government working with other Governments in the UK to deliver co-ordinated policy action that will deliver our respective emissions reductions targets also. So, to conclude, in recognition of the positive impacts of this Bill, I do recommend that the Senedd supports it and gives consent.