Welsh Government Draft Budget 2026-27

The Welsh Government must lay its draft budget for the next financial year before the Senedd to allow scrutiny of its proposals by the Finance Committee. Other Senedd Committees may also consider the draft budget before it is finalised.

 

The Welsh Government published its outline draft budget on 14 October 2025 and its detailed draft budget on 3 November 2025.

 

Each year, the Finance Committee undertakes several engagement activities to gather views on where the Welsh Government should prioritise spending in its forthcoming budget. The Committee published its summary engagement report on the Draft Budget 2026-27 (PDF, 5MB) on 9 July 2025.

 

Providing information to the Committee

Interested parties are invited to submit written evidence to the Committee’s consultation. Further information is available on our consultation webpage.

 

 

 

 

Committee reports and responses

 

¬¬¬Finance Committee

 

Evidence Session	Date, Agenda and Minutes	Transcript	Video
Session 1:   Mark Drakeford MS, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language, Welsh Government.   Andrew Jeffreys, Director Treasury, Welsh Government.   Jodye Kershaw, Head of Budget Policy & Delivery, Welsh Government.	16 October 2025	Read transcript	Watch on Senedd.tv
Session 2:   David Phillips, Associate Director, Institute for Fiscal Studies.   Dr Ed Poole, Senior Lecturer, Wales Governance Centre (Wales Fiscal Analysis).   Guto Ifan, Lecturer, Wales Governance Centre (Wales Fiscal Analysis).	22 October 2025	Read transcript	Watch on Senedd.tv
Session 3:   Adrian Crompton, Auditor General for Wales, Audit Wales.   Dave Thomas, Director, Audit Wales.   Matthew Mortlock, Director, Audit Wales.	5 November 2025	Read transcript	Watch on Senedd.tv
Session 4:   Derek Walker, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales.   Marie Brousseau-Navarro, Deputy Commissioner and Director for Health, Office of the Future Generations Commissioner.	13 November 2025	Read transcript	Watch on Senedd.tv
Session 5:   Steffan Evans, Chief Executive Officer, Bevan Foundation.   Simon Hatch, Director, Citizens Advice Cymru.   Dr Jessica Laimann, Policy and Public Affairs Manager, Women’s Equality Network (WEN) Wales / Wales Women’s Budget Group (WWBG).	13 November 2025	Read transcript	Watch on Senedd.tv
Session 6:   Professor Melanie Jones, Wales Productivity Forum.   Professor Arnab Bhattacharjee, National Institute of Economic and Social Research.	20 November 2025	Read transcript	Watch on Senedd.tv
Session 7: Marc Strathie, Devolved senior policy advisor, Institute of Directors.   Josh Miles, Head of Wales, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Wales.   Sara Jones, Head of the Welsh Retail Consortium.	20 November 2025	Read transcript	Watch on Senedd.tv
Session 8:   Professor David Miles, Budget Responsibility Committee Member, Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).   Tom Josephs, Budget Responsibility Committee Member, Office for Budget responsibility (OBR).	1 December 2025	Read transcript	Watch on Senedd.tv
Session 9:   Mark Drakeford MS, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language, Welsh Government.	1 December 2025	Read transcript	Watch on Senedd.tv

 

The Finance Committee laid its report on 15 December 2025 (PDF 3.5MB). The Welsh Government responded to the report on 23 January 2026 (PDF 332KB).

 

 

Correspondence

 

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>>>Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language: Gender Budgeting - 19 January 2026

>>>Response from the Office for Budget Responsibility to the Finance Committee's report recommendation - 16 January 2026

>>>Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language: Welsh Government's Barnett formula consequentials arising from the UK Government's autumn budget - 15 January 2026

>>>Letter from the Chair of the Finance Committee to the Office for Budget Responsibility- 7 January 2026

>>>Future Generations Report 2025 recommendations response from Welsh Government- 3 November 2025

>>>Welsh Government Draft Budget 2026-27: Discussion with Welsh Youth Parliament Members- 16 October 2025

>>>Letter from the Chair of the Finance Committee to the leader of the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA)- 30 October 2025

>>>Letter from the Chair of the Finance Committee to the director of the Welsh NHS Confederation- 30 October 2025

>>>Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language: Strategic Integrated Impact Assessment (SIIA) Review- 7 August 2025

>>>Letter to the Llywydd and Chair of Business Committee: Welsh Government Draft Budget Timetable 2026-27 - 11 July 2025

>>>Letter from the Llywydd and Chair Of the Business Committee: Budget Timetable 2026-27 -10 July 2025

>>>Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language: Welsh Government Draft Budget 2026-27 Timetable – 1 July 2025

>>>Letter to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language: Proposed changes to the Budget Process Protocol and supplementary budget procedures - 1 July 2025

>>>Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language: Barnett Consequentials 2025-26 – 24 June 2025

>>>Letter to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language Re: Consultation with Senedd Committees on documentation supporting Draft Budget scrutiny  - 16 June 2025

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¬¬¬Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee

Correspondence

 

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>>>Letter to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs and the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery, 12 December 2025 (PDF 109KB)

>>>Letter from the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs and the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery, 17 November 2025 (PDF 291KB)

>>>Letter to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs and the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery, 16 September 2025 (PDF 142KB)

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¬¬¬Health and Social Care Committee

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>>>Health and Social Care Committee: Report on the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2026-27 (PDF 477KB) -15 December 2025.

>>>Health and Social Care Committee: Welsh Government Response (PDF 971KB) -26 January 2026

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Correspondence

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¬¬¬Local Government and Housing Committee

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>>>Local Government and Housing Committee: Report on the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2026-27 (PDF 729KB)

>>>Local Government and Housing Committee: Welsh Government Response (PDF 439KB)

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Correspondence

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¬¬¬Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee

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>>>Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee report: Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2026-27 (PDF 514KB)

>>>Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee: Welsh Government Response (PDF 576KB) – Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs

>>>Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee: Welsh Government Response (PDF 364KB) – Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales

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Correspondence

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¬¬¬Children, Young People and Education Committee

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>>>Report of the Children, Young People and Education Committee: Welsh Government Draft Budget 2026/27 (PDF 274KB)

>>>A response from the Welsh Government was received on 26 January 2026 (PDF 295KB)

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Welsh Government Committee papers’

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>>>Welsh Government Committee papers [Health] – 19 November 2025 (PDF 330KB)

>>>Welsh Government Committee Paper [Education] – 27 November 2025 (PDF 711KB)

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Correspondence

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>>>Letter to the Chair of the Children, Young People and Education Committee from Medr – 7 January 2026 (PDF 133KB)

>>>Letter to the Chair of the Children, Young People and Education Committee from the Cabinet Secretary for Education – 16 December 2025 (PDF 435KB)

>>>Letter to the Chief Executive of Medr from the Chair of the Children, Young People and Education Committee – 10 December 2025 (PDF 99KB)

>>>Letter to the Chair of the Children, Young People and Education Committee from the Welsh Government – 9 December 2025 (PDF 197KB)

>>>Information from the Taith Programme - 2 December 2025 (PDF 113KB)

>>>Letter to the Chair of the Children, Young People and Education Committee from CollegesWales – 24 November 2025 (PDF 176KB)

>>>Letter to the Cabinet Secretary for the Health and Social Care, Minister for Children and Social Care and Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing from the Chair of the Children, Young People and Education Committee – 20 November 2025 (PDF 139KB)

>>>Letter to the Chair of the Children, Young People and Education Committee from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care – 12 November 2025 (PDF 179KB)

>>>Letter to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care from the Chair of the Children, Young People and Education Committee – 28 October 2025 (PDF 104KB)

>>>Letter to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and the Minister for Further and Higher Education from the Chair of the Children, Young People and Education Committee - 23 July 2025 (PDF196KB)

>>>Letter to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Minister for Children and Social Care and Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing  from the Chair of the Children, Young People and Education Committee - 23 July 2025 (PDF 195KB)

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¬¬¬Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee

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>>>Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport and International Relations Committee: Report on the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2026-27 (PDF 928KB)

>>>Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee: Welsh Government response – Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language

>>>Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee: Welsh Government response – Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership

Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee: Welsh Government response – First Minister

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Correspondence

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¬¬¬Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee

Report

The Committee published its report – Scrutiny of the Welsh Government's Draft Budget 2026-27 on 15 December 2025 (PDF 496KB).

The Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning responded to the report on 23 January 2026 (PDF 245KB).

The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs responded to the report on 26 January 2026 (PDF 139KB).

 

 

Welsh Government evidence papers

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>>>Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs (PDF 451KB)

>>>Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning (PDF 669KB)

>>>Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (PDF 465KB)

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Correspondence

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>>>Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning and the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership - 11 December 2025 (PDF 223KB)

>>>Letter from the Chair to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning - 20 August 2025 (PDF 241KB)

>>>Letter from the Chair to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs - 20 August 2025 (PDF 241KB)

>>>Letter from the Chair to the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership - 20 August 2025 (PDF 215KB)

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¬¬¬Equality and Social Justice Committee

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>>>The Equality and Social Justice Committee laid its report on 15 December 2025 (PDF 477KB). The Welsh Government responded to the report on 23 January 2026 (PDF 199KB).

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Correspondence

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