3 March 2026 , Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery
I don't think we need to be quite as pessimistic as that. I think there's a broad acceptance that the court was successful. The issue is, as I've said on a number of occasions, whether it could be scaled up across Wales in a realistic way. My understanding is…
3 March 2026 , Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery
Diolch, Rhys. I'm actually really pleased that this is my last ever question, and so it's a great question to have as my last ever question. The Minister for Children and Social Care and I have regular updates about progress following the recommendations. The…
3 March 2026 , Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery
I'll tell you what the public can see right through, Tom, and that's the Conservatives, because as you well know, at the last election, you had no councils and no MPs in Wales, and that tells you everything about what the Welsh public thinks they can trust…
3 March 2026 , Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery
Because we made enormous strides, despite the fact that the Tory Government starved us of funds, and now we have a Government that invests in public services and understands the value of investment, so we're able to invest more to do it. In the meantime, we…
3 March 2026 , Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery
I'm very proud of what we've done in housing and homelessness in Wales. We did it against a programme of austerity from the UK Government that starved us of funding. We were not able to build the houses that we would have liked to have built, although we…
3 March 2026 , Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery
Well, one of the problems with preparing your questions in advance is when I've already discussed it at great length with the party behind me.
3 March 2026 , Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery
There we are—with the most incredible waterfall and the hydroelectric one, wasn't it? It was the most amazing example of community energy. So, it shows what's possible. But what you also learn in Government is that it's hard, and sometimes it isn't possible…
3 March 2026 , Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery
I think it is my last ever question time, actually, which is rather sad. Although I'm quite looking forward to retirement, there are lots of things I'll miss, and one of those things is the real privilege of standing in this Chamber and talking to Senedd…
3 March 2026 , Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery
Well, as I say, Adam, we obviously don't agree here. I would really hate to look at the world through your eyes. It's always so pessimistic and gloomy, and we're much more optimistic here on these benches. We have achieved an enormous amount in the last five…
3 March 2026 , Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery
Of course, I don't accept that, Adam. A nice try, I would say. We have an extensive programme for government based on our manifesto. We have delivered the vast majority of the programme for government. Of course, there's more to do. No government can solve…
3 March 2026 , Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery
Diolch, Rhys. I completely agree with you, as you know, about the legal deserts across Wales. I really welcome the Law Society's report that they issued on 2 February—you quoted some of the stats in it there. It is a matter of huge concern to us that we have…
3 March 2026 , Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery
Diolch, Rhys. Legal aid deserts are a critical challenge across Wales. Whilst legal aid is reserved to the UK Government, I continue to take every opportunity to highlight the fragility of the sector in Wales. Our single advice fund offers some support, but…
3 March 2026 , Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery
Diolch, Lindsay, for the question. Obviously, the Bill is not in force yet. We await its sealing very soon now, and I'm really delighted that the Bill went through. I'm sure you know that the Bill is aimed at ensuring that homelessness in Wales is rare, brief…
3 March 2026 , Plenary
Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery
We are committed to tackling void properties. Local authorities hold a suite of comprehensive enforcement powers and are supported by a range of Welsh Government grants to bring empty properties back into beneficial use. The Welsh Government issues the empty…
2 March 2026 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence session with the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, and the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery
That's literally the only time I've been in a committee and never opened my mouth.
2 March 2026 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence session with the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, and the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery
We're out of time, and I have to go, I'm afraid.
2 March 2026 , Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee
Evidence session with the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, and the Counsel General and Minister for Delivery
I thought it was a starter for 10. [Laughter.]
12 February 2026 , Member Accountability Bill Committee
Group 11: Conduct of Senedd Cymru elections (Amendments 33, 34, 6, 7, 35, 36, 31, 37, 38, 39)
Stage 4 is on the last Government Plenary day of the term.
12 February 2026 , Member Accountability Bill Committee
Group 11: Conduct of Senedd Cymru elections (Amendments 33, 34, 6, 7, 35, 36, 31, 37, 38, 39)
Then, turning to amendment 7, tabled by Sioned Williams, she seeks to clarify that, for the purposes of section 22, the term 'statement' 'includes images, videos or audio depicting a person that have been edited or entirely created using digital technology…
12 February 2026 , Member Accountability Bill Committee
Group 11: Conduct of Senedd Cymru elections (Amendments 33, 34, 6, 7, 35, 36, 31, 37, 38, 39)
Diolch, Cadeirydd. In my response to the Stage 1 report of this committee, I set out that I would consider the feasibility and implications of undertaking work to insert an offence into the Bill as a Stage 2 amendment. Having done so, I'm afraid I remain of…
12 February 2026 , Member Accountability Bill Committee
Group 10: Senedd Commissioner for Standards: provision relating to the Welsh language (Amendments 9, 2, 10)
Yes, please.
12 February 2026 , Member Accountability Bill Committee
Group 10: Senedd Commissioner for Standards: provision relating to the Welsh language (Amendments 9, 2, 10)
My understanding is that the commissioner has—sorry, it echoes when you do that. My understanding is the commissioner has expressed a preference for the amendment 10 route, and that's why I want to have a discussion with her before Stage 3. So, I'm not ruling…
12 February 2026 , Member Accountability Bill Committee
Group 10: Senedd Commissioner for Standards: provision relating to the Welsh language (Amendments 9, 2, 10)
Chair, I wonder if I could just say that I don't want the committee to have a misleading impression from what I said. Just to be really clear, my officials have engaged formally with the standards commissioner. I was merely pointing out that I personally had…
12 February 2026 , Member Accountability Bill Committee
Group 10: Senedd Commissioner for Standards: provision relating to the Welsh language (Amendments 9, 2, 10)
Diolch, Cadeirydd. I'm not supporting amendment 9 tabled by Sioned Williams today, which would require that when any future commissioner for standards is recruited, candidates are assessed for their knowledge and proficiency of Welsh and confirmation must be…
12 February 2026 , Member Accountability Bill Committee
Group 9: Senedd Commissioner for Standards: amendments to the National Assembly for Wales Commissioner for Standards Measure 2009 (Amendments 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
Diolch, Cadeirydd. Can I thank the Chair of the Standards of Conduct Committee for bringing forward these amendments and taking the time to discuss these issues with me? Strengthening the standards system is a key ambition behind this Bill, and I welcome the…
