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 Minister after Question 2.

View Questions

The item started at 13.30

Questions 1-3 and 5-9 were asked. Question 4 was withdrawn. The Presiding Officer invited party spokespeople to ask questions to the Minister after question 2.

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

View Questions

The item started at 14.20

Questions 1-5 and 7-9 were asked. Question 6 was withdrawn. The Presiding Officer invited party spokespeople to ask questions to the Minister after question 2.

The item started at 15.13

Answered by the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism

Heledd Fychan (South Wales Central): Will the Minister make a statement about the UK Government's decision not to include Six Nations rugby in the free-to-air category for broadcasting purposes?

Answered by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change

Natasha Asghar (South Wales East): Will the Minister make a statement on the planned review of 20 mph speed limits?

The item started at 15.39

Jayne Bryant made a statement on - Royal Gwent and St Woolos Cardiology Fund have supported patients in Newport and the surrounding area for over forty years – they have relaunched as ‘Be Heart Happy’ (18 January).

John Griffiths made a statement on - Lliswerry Runners’ Lliswerry 8 race (21 January).

Sioned Williams made a statement on - 15th anniversary of the death of Paul Ridd. The Paul Ridd Foundation helps improve health outcomes for people with a learning disability in Wales.

 

Luke Fletcher (South Wales West): Job losses at Tata Steel and the future of the steel industry in Wales

The item started at 15.44

 

NDM8448 Mabon ap Gwynfor (Dwyfor Meirionnydd)

To propose that the Senedd: 

1. Notes that:

a) charitable hospice care providers play a vital role in providing essential care and support to people affected by terminal illness across Wales;

b) the charitable hospice sector provides care for more than 20,000 people each year with their services supporting dying people to stay in their own homes and reduce hospital admissions, delivering better outcomes for individuals and the NHS;

c) rising staff and energy costs, workforce pressures, and increasing demand for complex care pose an existential threat to the sustainability of the sector;

d) 90 percent of hospices are budgeting for a deficit in 2023/24 and drawing on reserves to meet the shortfall; and

e) demand and need for palliative care is set to grow significantly as the population ages and more people are living longer with multiple chronic conditions.

2. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) commit to working with the sector to address the immediate funding challenges, including ensuring a fair salary offer for the hospice workforce, equivalent to the Agenda for Change increases, so there is parity with NHS colleagues;

b) develop a long-term sustainable funding solution in partnership with the sector, including a new national funding formula, workforce plan, and palliative and end-of-life care service specification; and

c) extend the Welsh Government’s end-of-life care funding review, which is due to conclude in January 2024, if this is not feasible in this timescale.

Supporters

Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)

Cefin Campbell (Mid and West Wales)

Jane Dodds (Mid and West Wales)

Mark Isherwood (North Wales)

Peredur Owen Griffiths (South Wales East)

Sioned Williams (South Wales West)

The item started at 17.15

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

NDM8448 Mabon ap Gwynfor (Dwyfor Meirionnydd)

To propose that the Senedd: 

1. Notes that:

a) charitable hospice care providers play a vital role in providing essential care and support to people affected by terminal illness across Wales;

b) the charitable hospice sector provides care for more than 20,000 people each year with their services supporting dying people to stay in their own homes and reduce hospital admissions, delivering better outcomes for individuals and the NHS;

c) rising staff and energy costs, workforce pressures, and increasing demand for complex care pose an existential threat to the sustainability of the sector;

d) 90 percent of hospices are budgeting for a deficit in 2023/24 and drawing on reserves to meet the shortfall; and

e) demand and need for palliative care is set to grow significantly as the population ages and more people are living longer with multiple chronic conditions.

2. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) commit to working with the sector to address the immediate funding challenges, including ensuring a fair salary offer for the hospice workforce, equivalent to the Agenda for Change increases, so there is parity with NHS colleagues;

b) develop a long-term sustainable funding solution in partnership with the sector, including a new national funding formula, workforce plan, and palliative and end-of-life care service specification; and

c) extend the Welsh Government’s end-of-life care funding review, which is due to conclude in January 2024, if this is not feasible in this timescale.

Supporters

Adam Price (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)

Cefin Campbell (Mid and West Wales)

Jane Dodds (Mid and West Wales)

Mark Isherwood (North Wales)

Peredur Owen Griffiths (South Wales East)

Sioned Williams (South Wales West)

The result was as follows:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
32	12	0	44

The motion was agreed.

NDM8458 Delyth Jewell (South Wales East)

To propose that the Senedd:

Notes the report of the Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee ‘Behind the scenes: The creative industries workforce’, which was laid in the Table Office on 18 October 2023.

Note: The response of the Welsh Government to the report was laid in the Table Office on 17 January 2024.

This item was postponed until 31 January 2024.

NDM8459 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Recognises the vital role that councils play in delivering public services across Wales and the funding challenges they face.

2. Acknowledges that the Welsh Government is receiving record levels of funding from the UK Government.

3. Notes that councils have over £2.75 billion in useable reserves.

4. Regrets that councils are consulting on council tax rises of up to 25 per cent for the 2024-2025 financial year.

5. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) commission an independent review of the Welsh local government funding formula;

b) work with local authorities to use their useable reserves to keep council tax as low as possible; and

c) require any local authority proposing a council tax rise of over 5 per cent to hold a local referendum and obtain a yes vote before implementing the proposed rise.

The following amendments were tabled:

Amendment 1 Lesley Griffiths (Wrexham)

Delete points 1 and 2 and replace with:

Recognises the vital role local authorities play in delivering public services across Wales, the significant increases in the local government settlement over the past 2 years, the protection of the 3.1 per cent increase for 2024-25, and the funding challenges authorities nevertheless face.

Acknowledges that the Welsh Government budget for 2024-25 is now worth up to £1.3 billion less in real terms than when it was set in 2021.

Amendment 2 Peredur Owen Griffiths (South Wales East)

Delete all after point 2 and replace with:

Regrets:

a) the chronic underfunding of Wales by successive UK governments which impacts local authority budgets; and

b) estimates of a £750 million funding gap by 2027 which will further entrench deprivation and inequality.

Believes that local government finances in Wales are on an unsustainable trajectory without a fair funding model from Westminster.

Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) formally request the UK Government to review the Barnett funding model on the basis of Welsh societal needs to support all budget areas, including local authority funding;

b) urgently bring forward detailed plans which will put local authorities and all public services on a sustainable footing; and

c) provide guidance on how the current Revenue Support Grant floor relates to the local government settlement for 2024-25, and develop a strategy to ensure that the Revenue Support Grant is applied consistently through subsequent financial years.

Calls on the UK Government of the day to always implement a fair funding formula which enables the Welsh Government to adequately fund local authorities.

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

Amendment 3 Lesley Griffiths (Wrexham)

Delete point 5 and replace with:

Notes that the Welsh Government will:

a) continue to develop and maintain the Welsh local government funding formula in partnership with local government; and

b) continue to recognise the importance of local democratic decision making on council budgets and public services.

The item started at 17.54

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

A vote was taken on the motion without amendment:

NDM8459 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Recognises the vital role that councils play in delivering public services across Wales and the funding challenges they face.

2. Acknowledges that the Welsh Government is receiving record levels of funding from the UK Government.

3. Notes that councils have over £2.75 billion in useable reserves.

4. Regrets that councils are consulting on council tax rises of up to 25 per cent for the 2024-2025 financial year.

5. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) commission an independent review of the Welsh local government funding formula;

b) work with local authorities to use their useable reserves to keep council tax as low as possible; and

c) require any local authority proposing a council tax rise of over 5 per cent to hold a local referendum and obtain a yes vote before implementing the proposed rise.

For	Abstain	Against	Total
12	0	32	44

The motion without amendment was not agreed.

The following amendments were tabled:

Amendment 1 Lesley Griffiths (Wrexham)

Delete points 1 and 2 and replace with:

Recognises the vital role local authorities play in delivering public services across Wales, the significant increases in the local government settlement over the past 2 years, the protection of the 3.1 per cent increase for 2024-25, and the funding challenges authorities nevertheless face.

Acknowledges that the Welsh Government budget for 2024-25 is now worth up to £1.3 billion less in real terms than when it was set in 2021.

A vote was taken on amendment 1:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
23	0	21	44

Amendment 1 was agreed.

Amendment 2 Peredur Owen Griffiths (South Wales East)

Delete all after point 2 and replace with:

Regrets:

a) the chronic underfunding of Wales by successive UK governments which impacts local authority budgets; and

b) estimates of a £750 million funding gap by 2027 which will further entrench deprivation and inequality.

Believes that local government finances in Wales are on an unsustainable trajectory without a fair funding model from Westminster.

Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) formally request the UK Government to review the Barnett funding model on the basis of Welsh societal needs to support all budget areas, including local authority funding;

b) urgently bring forward detailed plans which will put local authorities and all public services on a sustainable footing; and

c) provide guidance on how the current Revenue Support Grant floor relates to the local government settlement for 2024-25, and develop a strategy to ensure that the Revenue Support Grant is applied consistently through subsequent financial years.

Calls on the UK Government of the day to always implement a fair funding formula which enables the Welsh Government to adequately fund local authorities.

A vote was taken on amendment 2:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
10	0	34	44

Amendment 2 was not agreed.

Amendment 3 Lesley Griffiths (Wrexham)

Delete point 5 and replace with:

Notes that the Welsh Government will:

a) continue to develop and maintain the Welsh local government funding formula in partnership with local government; and

b) continue to recognise the importance of local democratic decision making on council budgets and public services.

A vote was taken on amendment 3:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
32	0	12	44

Amendment 3 was agreed.

A vote was taken on the motion as amended:

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Recognises the vital role local authorities play in delivering public services across Wales, the significant increases in the local government settlement over the past 2 years, the protection of the 3.1 per cent increase for 2024-25, and the funding challenges authorities nevertheless face.

2. Acknowledges that the Welsh Government budget for 2024-25 is now worth up to £1.3 billion less in real terms than when it was set in 2021.

3. Notes that councils have over £2.75 billion in useable reserves.

4. Regrets that councils are consulting on council tax rises of up to 25 per cent for the 2024-2025 financial year.

5. Notes that the Welsh Government will:

a) continue to develop and maintain the Welsh local government funding formula in partnership with local government; and

b) continue to recognise the importance of local democratic decision making on council budgets and public services.

For	Abstain	Against	Total
23	0	21	44

The motion as amended was agreed.

The item started at 19.00

NDM8457 Altaf Hussain (South Wales West)

A burning issue: tackling oesophageal and stomach cancer in Wales.

The item started at 19.04

NDM8457 Altaf Hussain (South Wales West)

A burning issue: tackling oesophageal and stomach cancer in Wales.