Agenda and minutes

This meeting was held in a hybrid format, with some Members in the Senedd Chamber and others joining by video-conference.

The Presiding Officer will call party spokespeople to ask questions without notice to the Cabinet Secretary after Question 2.

View Questions

The item started at 13.30

The first 8 questions were asked. Questions 7 and 8 were answered by the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership. The Presiding Officer invited party spokespeople to ask questions to the Cabinet Secretary and Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership after question 2.

The Presiding Officer will call party spokespeople to ask questions without notice to the Cabinet Secretary after Question 2.

View Questions

The item started at 14.19

The first 8 questions were asked. The Presiding Officer invited party spokespeople to ask questions to the Cabinet Secretary after question 2.

No topical questions were accepted

No topical questions were accepted

The item started at 15.17

Carolyn Thomas made a statement on -  National Pothole Day, raising awareness of the dangers of potholes to cyclists (15 January).

NDM8784 John Griffiths (Newport East)

To propose that the Senedd:

Notes the report of the Local Government and Housing Committee, ‘Private rented sector’, which was laid in the Table Office on 22 October 2024.

Note: The response of the Welsh Government to the report was laid in the Table Office on 8 January 2025.

The item started at 15.19

NDM8784 John Griffiths (Newport East)

To propose that the Senedd:

Notes the report of the Local Government and Housing Committee, ‘Private rented sector’, which was laid in the Table Office on 22 October 2024.

Note: The response of the Welsh Government to the report was laid in the Table Office on 8 January 2025.

The motion was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

NDM8783 Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire)

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes that January 2025 marks six months of the UK Labour Government being in power.

2. Regrets that the UK Labour Government has:

a) hit Welsh farmers with a new inheritance tax;

b) removed the winter fuel allowance away from half a million Welsh pensioners; and

c) increased Welsh employer’s national insurance costs.

3. Further regrets that the Welsh Government has failed to stand up for Wales during this period.

4. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) make urgent representations to the UK Government to reverse their inheritance tax, winter fuel allowance removal, and the increase to employer’s national insurance costs; and

b) introduce a Welsh winter fuel allowance if the cut in the winter fuel allowance remains in place.

The following amendment was tabled:

Amendment 1 Jane Hutt (Vale of Glamorgan)

Delete all after point 1 and replace with:

Notes the UK Government has had to make difficult decisions to begin to restore growth in our economy, set the public finances on a more stable footing and reinvest in our public services.

Welcomes the additional funding for Wales from the UK Government in the October UK Budget.

Notes decisions taken by the UK Labour Government in its first six months mean the Welsh Government’s Draft Budget includes £1.5 billion of additional revenue funding and £3 billion of capital funding, putting Wales back on the path to growth.

Believes the first call on the Welsh budget should be for devolved responsibilities.

The item started at 16.04

Voting on the motion and amendments under this item was deferred until Voting Time.

A vote was taken on the motion without amendment:

NDM8783 Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire)

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes that January 2025 marks six months of the UK Labour Government being in power.

2. Regrets that the UK Labour Government has:

a) hit Welsh farmers with a new inheritance tax;

b) removed the winter fuel allowance away from half a million Welsh pensioners; and

c) increased Welsh employer’s national insurance costs.

3. Further regrets that the Welsh Government has failed to stand up for Wales during this period.

4. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) make urgent representations to the UK Government to reverse their inheritance tax, winter fuel allowance removal, and the increase to employer’s national insurance costs; and

b) introduce a Welsh winter fuel allowance if the cut in the winter fuel allowance remains in place.

The motion without amendment was not agreed.

The following amendment was tabled:

Amendment 1 Jane Hutt (Vale of Glamorgan)

Delete all after point 1 and replace with:

Notes the UK Government has had to make difficult decisions to begin to restore growth in our economy, set the public finances on a more stable footing and reinvest in our public services.

Welcomes the additional funding for Wales from the UK Government in the October UK Budget.

Notes decisions taken by the UK Labour Government in its first six months mean the Welsh Government’s Draft Budget includes £1.5 billion of additional revenue funding and £3 billion of capital funding, putting Wales back on the path to growth.

Believes the first call on the Welsh budget should be for devolved responsibilities.

A vote was taken on amendment 1:

Amendment 1 was agreed.

A vote was taken on the motion as amended:

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes that January 2025 marks six months of the UK Labour Government being in power.

2. Notes the UK Government has had to make difficult decisions to begin to restore growth in our economy, set the public finances on a more stable footing and reinvest in our public services.

3. Welcomes the additional funding for Wales from the UK Government in the October UK Budget.

4. Notes decisions taken by the UK Labour Government in its first six months mean the Welsh Government’s Draft Budget includes £1.5 billion of additional revenue funding and £3 billion of capital funding, putting Wales back on the path to growth.

5. Believes the first call on the Welsh budget should be for devolved responsibilities.

The motion as amended was agreed.       

NDM8785 Heledd Fychan (South Wales Central)

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes the First Minister's ambition to cut the longest waiting times and speed up access to NHS treatment.

2. Regrets:

a) that NHS waiting lists have hit record highs in each month of the First Minister's tenure thus far; and

b) the failure of the Welsh Government to deliver on the targets set out by the Planned Care Recovery Plan in April 2022 to eliminate long waits completely and speed up diagnostic testing and therapy interventions.

3. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) establish an Elective Care Triage Service to streamline the referral process between primary and secondary care;

b) rollout specialist regional hubs for elective care across Wales; and

c) introduce legislation to place Regional Partnership Boards on a statutory footing with a clear remit to facilitate collaborative working across health boards.

The following amendments were tabled:

Amendment 1 Jane Hutt (Vale of Glamorgan)

Delete all after point 1 and replace with:

Notes waits of more than 104 weeks have fallen by two-thirds since their peak during the pandemic.

Recognises the Welsh Government has invested an additional £50 million in health board plans to further reduce the longest waits in 2024-25.

Recognises Welsh Government action to address waiting lists through the development of:

a) the regional orthopaedic surgery centre in Neath Port Talbot Hospital;

b) Llandudno Hospital as an orthopaedic surgical centre for North Wales; and

c) the diagnostic and surgical centre at Llantrisant.

If amendment 1 is agreed, amendment 2 will be de-selected.

Amendment 2 Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire)

Delete point 3 and replace with:

Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) expand the number of surgical hubs and diagnostic centres;

b) increase the number of available beds in the Welsh NHS;

c) bring forward a substantial workforce recruitment and retention plan;

d) ensure the full Barnett consequential arising from NHS spending by the UK Government is made available for the Welsh NHS; and

e) provide Powys Teaching Health Board with the financial support they require to avoid their planned increase in cross-border treatment waiting times.

The item started at 17.15

Voting on the motion and amendments under this item was deferred until Voting Time.

A vote was taken on the motion without amendment:

NDM8785 Heledd Fychan (South Wales Central)

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes the First Minister's ambition to cut the longest waiting times and speed up access to NHS treatment.

2. Regrets:

a) that NHS waiting lists have hit record highs in each month of the First Minister's tenure thus far; and

b) the failure of the Welsh Government to deliver on the targets set out by the Planned Care Recovery Plan in April 2022 to eliminate long waits completely and speed up diagnostic testing and therapy interventions.

3. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) establish an Elective Care Triage Service to streamline the referral process between primary and secondary care;

b) rollout specialist regional hubs for elective care across Wales; and

c) introduce legislation to place Regional Partnership Boards on a statutory footing with a clear remit to facilitate collaborative working across health boards.

The motion without amendment was not agreed.

The following amendments were tabled:

Amendment 1 Jane Hutt (Vale of Glamorgan)

Delete all after point 1 and replace with:

Notes waits of more than 104 weeks have fallen by two-thirds since their peak during the pandemic.

Recognises the Welsh Government has invested an additional £50 million in health board plans to further reduce the longest waits in 2024-25.

Recognises Welsh Government action to address waiting lists through the development of:

a) the regional orthopaedic surgery centre in Neath Port Talbot Hospital;

b) Llandudno Hospital as an orthopaedic surgical centre for North Wales; and

c) the diagnostic and surgical centre at Llantrisant.

A vote was taken on amendment 1:

Amendment 1 was agreed.

As amendment 1 was agreed, amendment 2 was de-selected.

A vote was taken on the motion as amended:

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes the First Minister's ambition to cut the longest waiting times and speed up access to NHS treatment.

2. Notes waits of more than 104 weeks have fallen by two-thirds since their peak during the pandemic.

3. Recognises the Welsh Government has invested an additional £50 million in health board plans to further reduce the longest waits in 2024-25.

4. Recognises Welsh Government action to address waiting lists through the development of:

a) the regional orthopaedic surgery centre in Neath Port Talbot Hospital;

b) Llandudno Hospital as an orthopaedic surgical centre for North Wales; and

c) the diagnostic and surgical centre at Llantrisant.

The motion as amended was agreed.

The item started at 18.18

NDM8786 Alun Davies (Blaenau Gwent)

The Heads of the Valleys road - Investing in our future economy.

The item started at 18.21

NDM8786 Alun Davies (Blaenau Gwent)

The Heads of the Valleys road - Investing in our future economy.