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. The Presiding Officer invited party spokespeople to ask questions to the Cabinet Minister 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 14.26

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

To ask the Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing

Heledd Fychan (South Wales Central): Will the Cabinet Secretary outline what steps the Welsh Government is taking following the publication of the recommendations of the Cwm Taf Morgannwg Safeguarding Board’s report on the killing of June Fox-Roberts?

To ask the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs

Delyth Jewell (South Wales East): What action will the Welsh Government take to ensure Welsh Water’s £24.1million penalty is accompanied by long-term improvements in reducing pollution and leaks?

The item started at 15.26

Answered by the Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing

Heledd Fychan (South Wales Central): Will the Cabinet Secretary outline what steps the Welsh Government is taking following the publication of the recommendations of the Cwm Taf Morgannwg Safeguarding Board’s report on the killing of June Fox-Roberts?

Answered by the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs

Delyth Jewell (South Wales East): What action will the Welsh Government take to ensure Welsh Water’s £24.1million penalty is accompanied by long-term improvements in reducing pollution and leaks?

The item started at 15.49

John Griffiths made a statement on - Undy AFC win the Spirit of Grassroots Football Award 2024 from the FAW (20 September).

Joel James made a statement on - 125 years of Cardiff City FC

NDM8683 Carolyn Thomas (North Wales)

To propose that the Senedd:

Notes the report of the Petitions Committee, ‘Freedom to thrive: Free and accessible public transport for young people’, which was laid in the Table Office on 23 May 2024.

Note: The response of the Welsh Government to the report was laid in the Table Office on 2 October 2024.

The item started at 15.52

NDM8683 Carolyn Thomas (North Wales)

To propose that the Senedd:

Notes the report of the Petitions Committee, ‘Freedom to thrive: Free and accessible public transport for young people’, which was laid in the Table Office on 23 May 2024.

Note: The response of the Welsh Government to the report was laid in the Table Office on 2 October 2024.

The motion was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

NDM8685 Jenny Rathbone (Cardiff Central)

To propose that the Senedd:

Notes the Equality and Social Justice Committee report, “Sound the Alarm: the Governance of Fire and Rescue Services”, laid on 6 June 2024.

Note: The response from the Welsh Government to the report was laid in the Table Office on 2 October 2024.

The item started at 16.16

NDM8685 Jenny Rathbone (Cardiff Central)

To propose that the Senedd:

Notes the Equality and Social Justice Committee report, “Sound the Alarm: the Governance of Fire and Rescue Services”, laid on 6 June 2024.

Note: The response from the Welsh Government to the report was laid in the Table Office on 2 October 2024.

The motion was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

 

NDM8682 Carolyn Thomas (North Wales)

To propose that the Senedd:

Notes the petition ‘Stop Natural Resources Wales closing Bwlch Nant yr Arian, Coed y Brenin & Ynyslas visitor centres’ which received 13,247 signatures.

Supporting documents

Correspondence from Natural Resources Wales to Petitions Committee

The item started at 17.03

NDM8682 Carolyn Thomas (North Wales)

To propose that the Senedd:

Notes the petition ‘Stop Natural Resources Wales closing Bwlch Nant yr Arian, Coed y Brenin & Ynyslas visitor centres’ which received 13,247 signatures.

The motion was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

 

NDM8686 Heledd Fychan (South Wales Central)

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes the report 'Falling Short: The deepening school funding crisis in Wales' by the NAHT which states that the educational landscape in Wales is currently facing a harrowing funding crisis.

2. Regrets that as a result of Welsh Government mismanagement and underfunding:

a) Wales saw its worst ever PISA results in 2022;

b) it has missed its target for the recruitment of secondary school teachers for the past eight years;

c) outdated and discredited guidelines on teaching reading skills have negatively impacted literacy skills; and

d) the number of vacancies as a result of a skills shortage in Wales reached a peak of 20,630 in 2022.

3. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) immediately honour the commitment made by Labour in Wales in their 2024 General Election manifesto to provide additional funding for education;

b) reverse the 6 per cent cut in expenditure per pupil within the education budget, as noted by the NAHT, as a first step in supporting teachers and pupils and raising attainment levels; and

c) define how many more teachers will be funded by Labour in Wales' promise, and when they will start teaching in classrooms.

Falling Short: The deepening school funding crisis in Wales

The following amendment was tabled:

Amendment 1 Jane Hutt (Vale of Glamorgan)

Delete all and replace with:

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes the NAHT report 'Falling Short: The deepening school funding crisis in Wales', and recognises the pressures on school and local authority budgets.

2. Thanks Wales’s dedicated teachers and school staff for their hard work, and welcomes the Welsh Government’s response to the fifth report of the Independent Welsh Pay Review Body, which includes a 5.5 per cent pay rise for teachers.

3. Recognises that, despite the brutal impact of 14 years of Conservative government on Wales’s public finances, the Welsh Government has:

a) introduced the new Curriculum for Wales and a new system of supporting learners with additional learning needs, both of which put the learner at the centre of the education system;

b) implemented a whole school approach to support children and young people with their mental health and wellbeing; and

c) protected funding for core public services in 2024-25 through a 3.3 per cent uplift to local authority budgets and maintaining direct grant funding to schools including the Pupil Development Grant which supports learners from low-income households.

4. Supports boosting standards in schools and colleges as a Welsh Government priority, including a focus on improving national consistency and providing more support for literacy and numeracy. 

5. Supports targeting teacher recruitment in shortage subject areas such as maths, sciences and modern foreign languages, and Welsh-medium education.

The item started at 17.38

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

A vote was taken on the motion without amendment:

NDM8686 Heledd Fychan (South Wales Central)

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes the report 'Falling Short: The deepening school funding crisis in Wales' by the NAHT which states that the educational landscape in Wales is currently facing a harrowing funding crisis.

2. Regrets that as a result of Welsh Government mismanagement and underfunding:

a) Wales saw its worst ever PISA results in 2022;

b) it has missed its target for the recruitment of secondary school teachers for the past eight years;

c) outdated and discredited guidelines on teaching reading skills have negatively impacted literacy skills; and

d) the number of vacancies as a result of a skills shortage in Wales reached a peak of 20,630 in 2022.

3. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) immediately honour the commitment made by Labour in Wales in their 2024 General Election manifesto to provide additional funding for education;

b) reverse the 6 per cent cut in expenditure per pupil within the education budget, as noted by the NAHT, as a first step in supporting teachers and pupils and raising attainment levels; and

c) define how many more teachers will be funded by Labour in Wales' promise, and when they will start teaching in classrooms.

Falling Short: The deepening school funding crisis in Wales

For	Abstain	Against	Total
23	0	25	48

The motion without amendment was not agreed.

The following amendment was tabled:

Amendment 1 Jane Hutt (Vale of Glamorgan)

Delete all and replace with:

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes the NAHT report 'Falling Short: The deepening school funding crisis in Wales', and recognises the pressures on school and local authority budgets.

2. Thanks Wales’s dedicated teachers and school staff for their hard work, and welcomes the Welsh Government’s response to the fifth report of the Independent Welsh Pay Review Body, which includes a 5.5 per cent pay rise for teachers.

3. Recognises that, despite the brutal impact of 14 years of Conservative government on Wales’s public finances, the Welsh Government has:

a) introduced the new Curriculum for Wales and a new system of supporting learners with additional learning needs, both of which put the learner at the centre of the education system;

b) implemented a whole school approach to support children and young people with their mental health and wellbeing; and

c) protected funding for core public services in 2024-25 through a 3.3 per cent uplift to local authority budgets and maintaining direct grant funding to schools including the Pupil Development Grant which supports learners from low-income households.

4. Supports boosting standards in schools and colleges as a Welsh Government priority, including a focus on improving national consistency and providing more support for literacy and numeracy. 

5. Supports targeting teacher recruitment in shortage subject areas such as maths, sciences and modern foreign languages, and Welsh-medium education.

A vote was taken on amendment 1:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
25	0	23	48

Amendment 1 was agreed.

A vote was taken on the motion as amended:

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes the NAHT report 'Falling Short: The deepening school funding crisis in Wales', and recognises the pressures on school and local authority budgets.

2. Thanks Wales’s dedicated teachers and school staff for their hard work, and welcomes the Welsh Government’s response to the fifth report of the Independent Welsh Pay Review Body, which includes a 5.5 per cent pay rise for teachers.

3. Recognises that, despite the brutal impact of 14 years of Conservative government on Wales’s public finances, the Welsh Government has:

a) introduced the new Curriculum for Wales and a new system of supporting learners with additional learning needs, both of which put the learner at the centre of the education system;

b) implemented a whole school approach to support children and young people with their mental health and wellbeing; and

c) protected funding for core public services in 2024-25 through a 3.3 per cent uplift to local authority budgets and maintaining direct grant funding to schools including the Pupil Development Grant which supports learners from low-income households.

4. Supports boosting standards in schools and colleges as a Welsh Government priority, including a focus on improving national consistency and providing more support for literacy and numeracy. 

5. Supports targeting teacher recruitment in shortage subject areas such as maths, sciences and modern foreign languages, and Welsh-medium education.

For	Abstain	Against	Total
25	0	23	48

The motion as amended was agreed.

The item started at 18.35

NDM8684 Sian Gwenllian (Arfon)

Filling the gaps: the case for training dentists in Bangor

The item started at 18.37

NDM8684 Sian Gwenllian (Arfon)

Filling the gaps: the case for training dentists in Bangor