Agenda and minutes

This meeting was held in a hybrid format, with some Members in Siambr Hywel, Tŷ Hywel 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 2 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 after question 2.

The Presiding Officer will call party spokespeople to ask questions without notice to the Cabinet Secretary after Question 3. 
View Questions

The item started at 14.19
Questions 2 to 9 were asked. Question 1 was withdrawn. The Presiding Officer invited party spokespeople to ask questions to the Cabinet Secretary after question 3.

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

Samuel Kurtz (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire): What measures is the Welsh Government taking to contain bluetongue disease, and to support farmers and livestock markets, in light of the two confirmed cases in Wales?

The item started at 15.09
Answered by the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs 
Samuel Kurtz (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire): What measures is the Welsh Government taking to contain bluetongue disease, and to support farmers and livestock markets, in light of the two confirmed cases in Wales? 

The item started at 15.30 

Jenny Rathbone made a statement on Irene Steer – the first female Welsh Olympian to win a gold medal. 

Llyr Gruffydd made a statement on the Marine Conservation Society’s Beach clean campaign. 

The item started at 15.35 

NNDM8994 Elin Jones (Ceridigion)  

To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Order 17.3, elects Alun Davies (Welsh Labour) as a member of the Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee.  

The motion was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

The item started at 15.35 

NNDM8993 Elin Jones (Ceredigion)  

To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Order 7.9, appoints Lesley Griffiths (Welsh Labour) as a Member of the Senedd Commission.  

The motion was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36. 

NDM8981 Mick Antoniw (Pontypridd)  

To propose that the Senedd: 

1. Notes a proposal for a Bill on fly-tipping to make polluters pay for clear-up costs and to strengthen deterrents. 

2. Notes that the purpose of this Bill would be to strengthen legislation and reform the law on fly-tipping in respect of: 

a) requiring offenders to meet the full costs of investigations and clear-ups undertaken by the local authority, Natural Resources Wales or private individuals; 

b) requiring magistrates to order vehicle confiscations in all instances of proven fly-tipping; 

c) providing appropriate training to magistrates to improve understanding of the full impact of fly-tipping on communities, the environment and public health; and 

d) placing a statutory requirement on local authorities to investigate all instances of fly-tipping. 

Co-submitters  

Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy) 
Jane Dodds (Mid and West Wales) 
Carolyn Thomas (North Wales) 

The item started at 15.35 

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

NDM8981 Mick Antoniw (Pontypridd)   

To propose that the Senedd:  

1. Notes a proposal for a Bill on fly-tipping to make polluters pay for clear-up costs and to strengthen deterrents.  

2. Notes that the purpose of this Bill would be to strengthen legislation and reform the law on fly-tipping in respect of:  

a) requiring offenders to meet the full costs of investigations and clear-ups undertaken by the local authority, Natural Resources Wales or private individuals;  

b) requiring magistrates to order vehicle confiscations in all instances of proven fly-tipping;  

c) providing appropriate training to magistrates to improve understanding of the full impact of fly-tipping on communities, the environment and public health; and  

d) placing a statutory requirement on local authorities to investigate all instances of fly-tipping.  

Co-submitters   

Janet Finch-Saunders (Aberconwy)  
Jane Dodds (Mid and West Wales)  
Carolyn Thomas (North Wales)  

The result was as follows: 

For	Abstain	Against	Total
34	15	0	49

The motion was agreed. 

NDM8987 Carolyn Thomas (North Wales)  

To propose that the Senedd: 

Notes the petition ‘P-06-1489 Legislate to ensure swift bricks are installed in all new buildings in Wales’ which received 10,934 signatures. 

The item started at 16.00 

NDM8987 Carolyn Thomas (North Wales)   

To propose that the Senedd:  

Notes the petition ‘P-06-1489 Legislate to ensure swift bricks are installed in all new buildings in Wales’ which received 10,934 signatures.  

The motion was agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36. 

NDM8988 Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire)  

To propose that the Senedd: 

1. Notes the Labour Market Overview published by the Office for National Statistics on 16 September 2025. 

2. Regrets that under the Welsh Government: 

a) Wales’s unemployment rate has increased; 

b) Wales’s employment rate has decreased and is the lowest in the United Kingdom; 

c) Wales’s economic inactivity rate has increased and is the highest in Great Britain; and 

d) Welsh wage packets are the lowest in the United Kingdom. 

3. Calls on the Welsh Government to create more jobs in Wales and boost growth by: 

a) cutting the basic rate of income tax by 1 pence; 

b) scrapping business rates for small businesses; 

c) axing the tourism tax before it comes into force; 

d) levelling-up the whole of Wales with adequate levels of investment for all parts of the country; 

e) calling on the UK Government to drop the increase in Employer's National Insurance Contributions and to reverse inheritance tax changes which are adversely impacting Welsh family firms and family farms; and 

f) scrapping the default 20mph speed limit to get Wales moving. 

Labour Market Overview 

The following amendments were tabled:  

Amendment 1 Jane Hutt (Vale of Glamorgan)   

Delete all after point 1 and replace with: 

Notes the Welsh Government publication Labour market overview: September 2025.  

Welcomes that under the Welsh Government: 

a) Wales’s unemployment rate is lower than the UK rate; 

b) the employment rate gap between Wales and the UK has narrowed over the period since devolution; 

c) a range of support is in place to help economically inactive people return to work—particularly those facing complex barriers such as disability, long-term health conditions, or caring responsibilities; and 

d) in 2024, median gross weekly earnings for full-time adults working in Wales were higher than the North East of England, East Midlands, Northern Ireland and Yorkshire and the Humber. 

Labour market overview: September 2025 

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

Amendment 2 Heledd Fychan (South Wales Central)   
Delete all after point 2(d) and replace with:  
Regrets the detrimental impact of decisions made by successive Westminster Governments on the Welsh economy, including: 

a) the ongoing impact of Brexit, which has inflicted a £4 billion hit on the Welsh economy and is a major barrier to business growth;  

b) the ongoing impact of austerity measures on public finances;   

c) the failure to deliver a fair funding formula for Wales, despite cross-party support for this in the Senedd; 

d) the failure to deliver promises to provide the Senedd with greater flexibilities to manage its budget;  

e) the failure to devolve the Crown Estate to enable Wales to profit from its own natural resources; 

f) the failure to provide Wales with its fair share of HS2 consequentials;  

g) the failure to redistribute wealth evenly across the UK; and  

h) overseeing reckless fiscal policies, such as the Liz Truss mini budget, that have caused significant hardship for Welsh households.      

Believes that both the previous Conservative UK Government and the current Labour UK Government have repeatedly and emphatically demonstrated their lack of commitment to advancing Wales's financial and economic interests. 

Calls on the Welsh Government to boost jobs and growth by: 

a) showing it has influence within the ‘partnership of power’ by forcing the UK Labour Government to engage seriously with reforming Wales’s funding arrangements;    

b) make representations to the UK Labour Government to reverse the increase to employer National Insurance contributions;    

c) make representations to the UK Labour Government to rejoin the EU single market and customs union to promote economic growth; 

d) make representations to the UK Labour Government to reverse inheritance tax changes affecting Welsh family farms;    

e) demand full compensation from the UK Labour Government for costs incurred from designing and constructing redundant border infrastructure at Welsh ports, and invest the proceeds to support Welsh trade; and 

f) utilise new powers provided through the Local Government Finance Act to create preferential business rate multipliers for SMEs. 

The item started at 16.29 

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

A vote was taken on the motion without amendment: 
NDM8988 Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire)   

To propose that the Senedd:  

1. Notes the Labour Market Overview published by the Office for National Statistics on 16 September 2025.  

2. Regrets that under the Welsh Government:  

a) Wales’s unemployment rate has increased;  

b) Wales’s employment rate has decreased and is the lowest in the United Kingdom;  

c) Wales’s economic inactivity rate has increased and is the highest in Great Britain; and  

d) Welsh wage packets are the lowest in the United Kingdom.  

3. Calls on the Welsh Government to create more jobs in Wales and boost growth by:  

a) cutting the basic rate of income tax by 1 pence;  

b) scrapping business rates for small businesses;  

c) axing the tourism tax before it comes into force;  

d) levelling-up the whole of Wales with adequate levels of investment for all parts of the country;  

e) calling on the UK Government to drop the increase in Employer's National Insurance Contributions and to reverse inheritance tax changes which are adversely impacting Welsh family firms and family farms; and  

f) scrapping the default 20mph speed limit to get Wales moving.  

Labour Market Overview  

 

For	Abstain	Against	Total
13	0	36	49

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 the Welsh Government publication Labour market overview: September 2025.  

Welcomes that under the Welsh Government: 

a) Wales’s unemployment rate is lower than the UK rate; 

b) the employment rate gap between Wales and the UK has narrowed over the period since devolution; 

c) a range of support is in place to help economically inactive people return to work—particularly those facing complex barriers such as disability, long-term health conditions, or caring responsibilities; and 

d) in 2024, median gross weekly earnings for full-time adults working in Wales were higher than the North East of England, East Midlands, Northern Ireland and Yorkshire and the Humber. 

Labour market overview: September 2025 

A vote was taken on amendment 1: 

For	Abstain	Against	Total
24	0	25	49

Amendment 1 was not agreed. 

Amendment 2 Heledd Fychan (South Wales Central)   
Delete all after point 2(d) and replace with: 
 
Regrets the detrimental impact of decisions made by successive Westminster Governments on the Welsh economy, including: 

a) the ongoing impact of Brexit, which has inflicted a £4 billion hit on the Welsh economy and is a major barrier to business growth;  

b) the ongoing impact of austerity measures on public finances;   

c) the failure to deliver a fair funding formula for Wales, despite cross-party support for this in the Senedd; 

d) the failure to deliver promises to provide the Senedd with greater flexibilities to manage its budget;  

e) the failure to devolve the Crown Estate to enable Wales to profit from its own natural resources; 

f) the failure to provide Wales with its fair share of HS2 consequentials;  

g) the failure to redistribute wealth evenly across the UK; and  

h) overseeing reckless fiscal policies, such as the Liz Truss mini budget, that have caused significant hardship for Welsh households.      

Believes that both the previous Conservative UK Government and the current Labour UK Government have repeatedly and emphatically demonstrated their lack of commitment to advancing Wales's financial and economic interests. 

Calls on the Welsh Government to boost jobs and growth by: 

a) showing it has influence within the ‘partnership of power’ by forcing the UK Labour Government to engage seriously with reforming Wales’s funding arrangements;    

b) make representations to the UK Labour Government to reverse the increase to employer National Insurance contributions;    

c) make representations to the UK Labour Government to rejoin the EU single market and customs union to promote economic growth; 

d) make representations to the UK Labour Government to reverse inheritance tax changes affecting Welsh family farms;    

e) demand full compensation from the UK Labour Government for costs incurred from designing and constructing redundant border infrastructure at Welsh ports, and invest the proceeds to support Welsh trade; and 

f) utilise new powers provided through the Local Government Finance Act to create preferential business rate multipliers for SMEs. 

A vote was taken on amendment 2: 

For	Abstain	Against	Total
11	0	38	49

Amendment 2 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. 

NDM8990 Rhun ap Iorwerth (Ynys Môn) 

To propose that the Senedd: 

1. Condemns the stubborn levels of child poverty in Wales which currently stands at 32 per cent. 

2. Regrets that Wales is predicted to have the highest child poverty rates across the UK by 2029. 

3. Commends the Scottish Government for introducing the Scottish Child Payment, a policy projected to lift 60,000 children out of poverty in 2025–26 and to position Scotland as the only UK nation expected to see an overall reduction in child poverty rates by 2029. 

4. Notes: 

a) Plaid Cymru’s commitment to implement Cynnal, a child payment for Wales as a government priority; and 

b) that Policy in Practice have identified that the most powerful and effective intervention designed to reduce poverty is a direct child payment. 

5. Calls on the Welsh Government to: 

a) implement a child payment; and 

b) re-commit to eradicating child poverty with measurable statutory targets. 

Policy in Practice report 

The following amendments were tabled:  

Amendment 1 Jane Hutt (Vale of Glamorgan)   

Delete all after point 1 and replace with: 

Believes that ending child poverty must be an absolute priority for all levels of government. 

Supports the Welsh Government’s commitment to using all the devolved levers available to their full extent and taking a leadership role in coordinating wider action to end child poverty, as set out in the Child Poverty Strategy. 

Notes that the Welsh Government: 

a) has repeatedly called for an end to the two-child limit and welfare benefit cap; 

b) does not currently have the powers to legislate for a child payment; 

c) supported the Welsh Benefits Charter, adopted by all 22 local authorities in Wales, that provides real support for people to maximise their family income; and 

d) will be publishing a progress report on the Child Poverty Strategy later this year. 

Child Poverty Strategy for Wales 

Welsh Benefits Charter 

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

Amendment 2 Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire) 

Delete all after point 2 and replace with: 

Further regrets that Welsh families pay the highest childcare costs in Great Britain, which contributes to child poverty. 

Believes that taxpayer money is better spent on improving childcare in Wales and on improving the Welsh economy to lift more families out of poverty. 

Calls on the Welsh Government to: 

a) use consequential funding from the UK Government to ensure Welsh families receive the same amount of childcare support that families in England receive; and 

b) re-commit to eradicating child poverty with measurable statutory targets. 

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: 

NDM8990 Rhun ap Iorwerth (Ynys Môn)  

To propose that the Senedd:  

1. Condemns the stubborn levels of child poverty in Wales which currently stands at 32 per cent.  

2. Regrets that Wales is predicted to have the highest child poverty rates across the UK by 2029.  

3. Commends the Scottish Government for introducing the Scottish Child Payment, a policy projected to lift 60,000 children out of poverty in 2025–26 and to position Scotland as the only UK nation expected to see an overall reduction in child poverty rates by 2029.  

4. Notes:  

a) Plaid Cymru’s commitment to implement Cynnal, a child payment for Wales as a government priority; and  

b) that Policy in Practice have identified that the most powerful and effective intervention designed to reduce poverty is a direct child payment.  

5. Calls on the Welsh Government to:  

a) implement a child payment; and  

b) re-commit to eradicating child poverty with measurable statutory targets.  

Policy in Practice report  

For	Abstain	Against	Total
11	0	38	49

The motion without amendment not agreed. 

The following amendments were tabled: 

Amendment 1 Jane Hutt (Vale of Glamorgan)   

Delete all after point 1 and replace with: 

Believes that ending child poverty must be an absolute priority for all levels of government. 

Supports the Welsh Government’s commitment to using all the devolved levers available to their full extent and taking a leadership role in coordinating wider action to end child poverty, as set out in the Child Poverty Strategy. 

Notes that the Welsh Government: 

a) has repeatedly called for an end to the two-child limit and welfare benefit cap; 

b) does not currently have the powers to legislate for a child payment; 

c) supported the Welsh Benefits Charter, adopted by all 22 local authorities in Wales, that provides real support for people to maximise their family income; and 

d) will be publishing a progress report on the Child Poverty Strategy later this year. 

Child Poverty Strategy for Wales 

Welsh Benefits Charter 

A vote was taken on amendment 1: 

For	Abstain	Against	Total
24	1	25	50

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 2 Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire) 

Delete all after point 2 and replace with: 

Further regrets that Welsh families pay the highest childcare costs in Great Britain, which contributes to child poverty. 

Believes that taxpayer money is better spent on improving childcare in Wales and on improving the Welsh economy to lift more families out of poverty. 

Calls on the Welsh Government to: 

a) use consequential funding from the UK Government to ensure Welsh families receive the same amount of childcare support that families in England receive; and 

b) re-commit to eradicating child poverty with measurable statutory targets. 

A vote was taken on amendment 2: 

For	Abstain	Against	Total
13	12	24	49

Amendment 2 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. 

The item started at 18.07

NDM8989 Joyce Watson (Mid and West Wales) 

Eager about beavers: down-streaming the managed reintroduction of beavers in Wales 

The item started at 18.17 

NDM8989 Joyce Watson (Mid and West Wales)  

Eager about beavers: down-streaming the managed reintroduction of beavers in Wales