Agenda and minutes

This meeting was held in a hybrid format, with some Members 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. The Presiding Officer invited party spokespeople to ask questions to the Cabinet Secretary after question 2. Question 3 was answered by the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership.

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. Question 7 was answered by the Minister for Children and Social Care. Question 8 was answered by the Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing. The Presiding Officer invited party spokespeople to ask questions to the Cabinet Secretary after question 2. 

No Topical Questions have been accepted.

No Topical Questions have been accepted.

The item started at 15.19

Laura Anne Jones made a statement on the Mind Your Head campaign from Yellow Wellies.

Jeremy Miles made a statement on - a tribute to co-founder of Terrence Higgins Trust - Martyn Butler.  

NDM9168 Elin Jones (Ceredigion) 

To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Order 33.2: 

1. Considers the report of the Business Committee, ‘Amending Standing Orders: Categories of Member’, laid in the Table Office on 18 February 2026. 

2. Approves the proposal to amend Standing Orders, as set out in Annex B of the Business Committee’s report. 

3. Notes that these changes will come into effect at the beginning of the next Senedd.

The item started at 15.23 

NDM9168 Elin Jones (Ceredigion)  

To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Order 33.2:  

1. Considers the report of the Business Committee, ‘Amending Standing Orders: Categories of Member’, laid in the Table Office on 18 February 2026.  

2. Approves the proposal to amend Standing Orders, as set out in Annex B of the Business Committee’s report.  

3. Notes that these changes will come into effect at the beginning of the next Senedd. 

The motion was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36. 

NDM9171 Elin Jones (Ceredigion)

To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Order 33.2:

1. Considers the report of the Business Committee, ‘Amending Standing Orders: Standing Order Thresholds’, laid in the Table Office on 18 February 2026.

2. Approves the proposal to amend Standing Orders, as set out in Annex B of the Business Committee’s report.

3. Notes that these changes will come into effect at the beginning of the next Senedd.

The item started at 15.24 

NDM9171 Elin Jones (Ceredigion) 

To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Order 33.2: 

1. Considers the report of the Business Committee, ‘Amending Standing Orders: Standing Order Thresholds’, laid in the Table Office on 18 February 2026. 

2. Approves the proposal to amend Standing Orders, as set out in Annex B of the Business Committee’s report. 

3. Notes that these changes will come into effect at the beginning of the next Senedd. 

The motion was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

NDM9170 Elin Jones (Ceredigion)

To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Order 33.2:

1. Considers the report of the Business Committee, ‘Amending Standing Orders: Political groups and groupings (Standing Orders 1.3 and 11.3)’, laid in the Table Office on 18 February 2026.

2. Approves the proposal to amend Standing Orders, as set out in Annex B of the Business Committee’s report.

3. Notes that these changes will come into effect at the beginning of the next Senedd.

The item started at 15.24 

NDM9170 Elin Jones (Ceredigion) 

To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Order 33.2: 

1. Considers the report of the Business Committee, ‘Amending Standing Orders: Political groups and groupings (Standing Orders 1.3 and 11.3)’, laid in the Table Office on 18 February 2026. 

2. Approves the proposal to amend Standing Orders, as set out in Annex B of the Business Committee’s report. 

3. Notes that these changes will come into effect at the beginning of the next Senedd. 

The motion was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

NDM9167 Elin Jones (Ceredigion)

To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Order 33.2:

1. Considers the report of the Business Committee, ‘Amending Standing Orders: Additional Deputy Presiding Officer’, laid in the Table Office on 18 February 2026.

2. Approves the proposal to amend Standing Orders, as set out in Annex B of the Business Committee’s report.

3. Notes that these changes will come into effect at the beginning of the next Senedd.

The item started at 15.24 

NDM9167 Elin Jones (Ceredigion) 

To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Order 33.2: 

1. Considers the report of the Business Committee, ‘Amending Standing Orders: Additional Deputy Presiding Officer’, laid in the Table Office on 18 February 2026. 

2. Approves the proposal to amend Standing Orders, as set out in Annex B of the Business Committee’s report. 

3. Notes that these changes will come into effect at the beginning of the next Senedd. 

The motion was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

NDM9169 Elin Jones (Ceredigion)

To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Order 33.2:

1. Considers the report of the Business Committee, ‘Amending Standing Orders: Committee chair job sharing’, laid in the Table Office on 18 February 2026.

2. Approves the proposal to amend Standing Orders, as set out in Annex B of the Business Committee’s report.

3. Notes that these changes will come into effect at the beginning of the next Senedd.

The item started at 15.25

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

NDM9169 Elin Jones (Ceredigion)

To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Order 33.2:
1. Considers the report of the Business Committee, ‘Amending Standing Orders: Committee chair job sharing’, laid in the Table Office on 18 February 2026.
2. Approves the proposal to amend Standing Orders, as set out in Annex B of the Business Committee’s report.
3. Notes that these changes will come into effect at the beginning of the next Senedd.

The result was as follows:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
33	0	12	45

The motion was agreed.

 

NDM9153 Mark Isherwood (North Wales)

To propose that the Senedd:

Notes the report of the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee on Active Travel in Wales which was laid in the Table Office on 18 December 2025.

Note: The response from the Welsh Government to the report was laid in the Table Office on 16 February 2026.

The item started at 15.31 

NDM9153 Mark Isherwood (North Wales) 

To propose that the Senedd: 

Notes the report of the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee on Active Travel in Wales which was laid in the Table Office on 18 December 2025. 

Note: The response from the Welsh Government to the report was laid in the Table Office on 16 February 2026. 

The motion was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

NDM9152  Peter Fox (Monmouth)

To propose that the Senedd:

Notes the Health and Social Care Committee report ‘Inquiry into Ophthalmology Services in Wales’ that was laid on 28 November 2025.

Notes: The response from the Welsh Government to the report was laid in the Table Office on 15 January 2026.

The item started at 16.09

NDM9152  Peter Fox (Monmouth)

To propose that the Senedd:

Notes the Health and Social Care Committee report ‘Inquiry into Ophthalmology Services in Wales’ that was laid on 28 November 2025.

Notes: The response from the Welsh Government to the report was laid in the Table Office on 15 January 2026.

The motion was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

 

NDM9164 Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire)

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes:

a) the continuing pressures on the NHS in Wales, including excessive waiting times for treatment, ambulance response delays, overcrowded emergency departments, and the use of corridor care;

b) concerns raised by clinicians and patients regarding patient safety and capacity across the Welsh health and social care system; and

c) the need for urgent, system-wide action to restore performance and public confidence.

2. Regrets that, after 27 years of Welsh Labour Government, NHS performance in Wales remains among the worst in the United Kingdom for waiting times and access to treatment.

3. Believes that the scale of the challenge requires an emergency response to increase capacity, improve patient flow and strengthen resilience across health and social care services.

4. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) declare a national health emergency to trigger immediate action across the NHS and social care;

b) reopen closed community hospital wards to provide step-down and rehabilitation care, and improve patient flow;

c) review and increase hospital bed capacity and surge provision;

d) establish a dedicated NHS Wales recovery team to drive improvements in waiting times and emergency care performance;

e) end the practice of corridor care and designate 12-hour waits in emergency departments as never events;

f) improve recruitment, retention and training of doctors, dentists, nurses and midwives;

g) expand surgical hubs and diagnostic capacity to reduce waiting lists;

h) improve access to GP services, including seven-day appointment availability; and

i) publish a long-term workforce and infrastructure plan to modernise the NHS and social care system in Wales.

The following amendments were tabled:  

Amendment 1 Jane Hutt (Vale of Glamorgan) 

Delete all and replace with: 

To propose that the Senedd: 

1.   Notes 

a) the Welsh Government’s record investment in NHS Wales, which means Wales spends 9 per cent more per person on health than in England; 

b)  the waiting list for planned care has fallen for seven months in a row and two-year waits are at their lowest since February 2021; 

c)  ambulance handover delays were almost a quarter lower in January 2026 compared to a year ago; and 

d)  record numbers of clinical staff are employed in the NHS. 

2.   Welcomes steps taken to increase transparency and accountability in the NHS, including new health board escalation frameworks and the public accountability meetings with NHS Wales organisations. 

If amendment 1 is agreed, amendments 2 and 3 will be de-selected.  

Amendment 2 James Evans (Brecon and Radnorshire) 

Delete all after point 1 and replace with: 

Believes that the NHS should always remain free at the point of delivery. 

Regrets that 27 years of Plaid Cymru-backed Welsh Labour Governments has resulted in some of the worst NHS statistics in the United Kingdom.  

Recognises that, as of the latest NHS health statistics published on 19 February: 

a) ambulance response performance has worsened for both median and 90th percentile red call response times as well as the 90th percentile purple call response times;  

b) two-year NHS waiting lists in Wales remain nearly 24 times longer than the equivalent list in England, despite their significantly larger population; and 

c) 11,392 patients waited over 12 hours in Welsh emergency departments in January, despite the fact that the target is zero patients waiting over 12 hours.  

Calls on the Welsh Government to reduce NHS waiting lists and improve the performance of the NHS by:  

a) undertaking a comprehensive review of governance, leadership, and accountability arrangements across all NHS organisations in Wales, with a view to strengthening oversight, improving performance, and ensuring consistent standards of care for patients; and  

b) cutting waste and bureaucracy to ensure that taxpayers’ money reaches the NHS frontline. 

Co-submitters 
Laura Anne Jones (South Wales East) 

If amendment 2 is agreed, amendment 3 will be de-selected.  

Amendment 3 Heledd Fychan (South Wales Central) 

Delete all after point 2 and replace with: 

Regrets: 

a) the impact of the austerity policies of the previous Conservative UK Government on health outcomes in Wales; and 

b) the impact of Brexit on drug prices for the NHS. 

Believes that both Labour and the Conservatives have shown themselves to be thoroughly unsuited as guardians of the NHS.   

Calls on the Welsh Government to: 

a) implement Plaid Cymru's report on governance reforms in the NHS, ‘The Welsh Health System – Accountability, Performance and Culture’; 

b) implement Plaid Cymru’s plan to address Labour’s waiting list crisis, published in January 2025; 

c) advance the development of the programme to establish a National Care Service for Wales, started by Plaid Cymru; 

d) strengthen primary care through increasing the portion of the Welsh budget spent on General Medical Services and reviewing the Carr-Hill formula; and 

e) introduce legislative reforms to address delayed hospital discharges and therefore more efficiently unlock spare bed space 

‘The Welsh Health System – Accountability, Performance and Culture’; 

Plaid Cymru's plan for the NHS 

The item started at 16.38

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

A vote was taken on the motion without amendment:

NDM9164 Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire)

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes:

a) the continuing pressures on the NHS in Wales, including excessive waiting times for treatment, ambulance response delays, overcrowded emergency departments, and the use of corridor care;

b) concerns raised by clinicians and patients regarding patient safety and capacity across the Welsh health and social care system; and

c) the need for urgent, system-wide action to restore performance and public confidence.

2. Regrets that, after 27 years of Welsh Labour Government, NHS performance in Wales remains among the worst in the United Kingdom for waiting times and access to treatment.

3. Believes that the scale of the challenge requires an emergency response to increase capacity, improve patient flow and strengthen resilience across health and social care services.

4. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) declare a national health emergency to trigger immediate action across the NHS and social care;

b) reopen closed community hospital wards to provide step-down and rehabilitation care, and improve patient flow;

c) review and increase hospital bed capacity and surge provision;

d) establish a dedicated NHS Wales recovery team to drive improvements in waiting times and emergency care performance;

e) end the practice of corridor care and designate 12-hour waits in emergency departments as never events;

f) improve recruitment, retention and training of doctors, dentists, nurses and midwives;

g) expand surgical hubs and diagnostic capacity to reduce waiting lists;

h) improve access to GP services, including seven-day appointment availability; and

i) publish a long-term workforce and infrastructure plan to modernise the NHS and social care system in Wales.

For	Abstain	Against	Total
11	0	35	46

The motion without amendment was not agreed.

The following amendments were tabled:

Amendment 1 Jane Hutt (Vale of Glamorgan) 

Delete all and replace with: 

To propose that the Senedd: 

1.   Notes 

a) the Welsh Government’s record investment in NHS Wales, which means Wales spends 9 per cent more per person on health than in England; 

b)  the waiting list for planned care has fallen for seven months in a row and two-year waits are at their lowest since February 2021; 

c)  ambulance handover delays were almost a quarter lower in January 2026 compared to a year ago; and 

d)  record numbers of clinical staff are employed in the NHS. 

2.  Welcomes steps taken to increase transparency and accountability in the NHS, including new health board escalation frameworks and the public accountability meetings with NHS Wales organisations.

A vote was taken on amendment 1:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
23	0	24	47

As required by Standing Order 6.20 the Deputy Presiding Officer exercised his casting vote by voting against the amendment. Therefore, the amendment was not agreed.

Amendment 1 was not agreed.

Amendment 2 James Evans (Brecon and Radnorshire) 

Delete all after point 1 and replace with: 

Believes that the NHS should always remain free at the point of delivery. 

Regrets that 27 years of Plaid Cymru-backed Welsh Labour Governments has resulted in some of the worst NHS statistics in the United Kingdom.  

Recognises that, as of the latest NHS health statistics published on 19 February: 

a) ambulance response performance has worsened for both median and 90th percentile red call response times as well as the 90th percentile purple call response times;  

b) two-year NHS waiting lists in Wales remain nearly 24 times longer than the equivalent list in England, despite their significantly larger population; and 

c) 11,392 patients waited over 12 hours in Welsh emergency departments in January, despite the fact that the target is zero patients waiting over 12 hours.  

Calls on the Welsh Government to reduce NHS waiting lists and improve the performance of the NHS by:  

a) undertaking a comprehensive review of governance, leadership, and accountability arrangements across all NHS organisations in Wales, with a view to strengthening oversight, improving performance, and ensuring consistent standards of care for patients; and  

b) cutting waste and bureaucracy to ensure that taxpayers’ money reaches the NHS frontline. 

Co-submitters  
Laura Anne Jones (South Wales East)  

A vote was taken on amendment 2:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
2	0	44	46

Amendment 2 was not agreed.

Amendment 3 Heledd Fychan (South Wales Central) 

Delete all after point 2 and replace with: 

Regrets: 

a) the impact of the austerity policies of the previous Conservative UK Government on health outcomes in Wales; and 

b) the impact of Brexit on drug prices for the NHS. 

Believes that both Labour and the Conservatives have shown themselves to be thoroughly unsuited as guardians of the NHS.   

Calls on the Welsh Government to: 

a) implement Plaid Cymru's report on governance reforms in the NHS, ‘The Welsh Health System – Accountability, Performance and Culture’; 

b) implement Plaid Cymru’s plan to address Labour’s waiting list crisis, published in January 2025; 

c) advance the development of the programme to establish a National Care Service for Wales, started by Plaid Cymru; 

d) strengthen primary care through increasing the portion of the Welsh budget spent on General Medical Services and reviewing the Carr-Hill formula; and 

e) introduce legislative reforms to address delayed hospital discharges and therefore more efficiently unlock spare bed space 

A vote was taken on amendment 3:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
10	0	36	46

Amendment 3 was not agreed.

As the Senedd did not agree the motion without amendment, and did not agree the amendments tabled to the motion, the motion was therefore not agreed.

 

NDM9166 Elin Jones (Ceredigion)

To propose that Senedd Cymru, in accordance with Standing Order 26.36:

Agrees to dispose of sections and schedules to the British Sign Language (Wales) Bill at Stage 3 in the following order:

a) Sections 1 - 6;

b) Schedule 1;

c) Sections 7 -12;

d) Long title.

The item started at 17.43

NDM9166 Elin Jones (Ceredigion)

To propose that Senedd Cymru, in accordance with Standing Order 26.36:

Agrees to dispose of sections and schedules to the British Sign Language (Wales) Bill at Stage 3 in the following order:

a) Sections 1 - 6;

b) Schedule 1;

c) Sections 7 -12;

d) Long title.

The motion was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

 

The item started at 17.43

 

NDM9165 Buffy Williams (Rhondda)

Active valleys, healthier lives - how grassroots and community sports can change lives.

The item started at 17.48

NDM9165 Buffy Williams (Rhondda)

Active valleys, healthier lives - how grassroots and community sports can change lives.