Speeches and questions

4 March 2026, Plenary

Short Debate: How can Wales protect, enhance, and enshrine our world-leading cultural organisations for the enrichment of the people of Wales and beyond?

Yes, certainly. I think we've got Julie Morgan first, followed by Peter Fox, followed by John Griffiths, and then Jane Dodds and Heledd Fychan.

4 March 2026, Plenary

Short Debate: How can Wales protect, enhance, and enshrine our world-leading cultural organisations for the enrichment of the people of Wales and beyond?

For the musicians and teachers of Wales, and across the arts and music services, today we now see music GCSE's take-up improve, and it is right that our teachers are recognised and that their passion and commitment are recognised fully. Thank you for that…

4 March 2026, Plenary

Short Debate: How can Wales protect, enhance, and enshrine our world-leading cultural organisations for the enrichment of the people of Wales and beyond?

Thank you all very much.

4 March 2026, Plenary

Short Debate: How can Wales protect, enhance, and enshrine our world-leading cultural organisations for the enrichment of the people of Wales and beyond?

I could have done. The critical importance of the safeguarding of the Wales national music plan. The basic elements of these are critical. Because, Members, we have so much to be proud of, which includes the huge passion of our growing army of artists and…

4 March 2026, Plenary

Short Debate: How can Wales protect, enhance, and enshrine our world-leading cultural organisations for the enrichment of the people of Wales and beyond?

Diolch, Llywydd. Thank you very much. I'm honoured to table this short debate today and wish, once again, to underscore the critical importance of safeguarding and protecting our unique artistic legacy and heritage, the importance to Wales of our…

4 March 2026, Plenary

Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government

Diolch. Thank you for that response, Cabinet Secretary. Last week, it was announced that Welsh Government is providing an additional £30.9 million to local authorities to deliver regeneration projects that will transform town centres across Wales. This is in…

4 March 2026, Plenary

Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government

9. What support is the Welsh Government providing to local authorities to transform town centres in Islwyn? OQ63930

3 March 2026, Plenary

The Road Traffic (Vehicle Emissions) (Fixed Penalty) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2026

Thank you very much. In regard to your last point, how will these measures—as you've just pointed out and spent some time outlining to this Chamber—impact people like me, who undergo biological immunotherapy for very serious respiratory diseases and those…

26 February 2026, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee

SLCM on the Public Office (Accountability) Bill: evidence session with Huw Irranca-Davies MS, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs

Thank you, Chair.

26 February 2026, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee

SLCM on the Public Office (Accountability) Bill: evidence session with Huw Irranca-Davies MS, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs

Fine. So, within that forum—to interrupt you again for speed, really—you would anticipate and expect that issues raised by Welsh public bodies will be addressed then by the UK Government?

26 February 2026, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee

SLCM on the Public Office (Accountability) Bill: evidence session with Huw Irranca-Davies MS, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs

So, in regard to that then, to just press this a little bit more, is Welsh Government content—you say that you are content—with how the UK Government is addressing issues that have been raised by Welsh public bodies, or are you doing that, in terms of the…

26 February 2026, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee

SLCM on the Public Office (Accountability) Bill: evidence session with Huw Irranca-Davies MS, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs

—Cabinet Secretary, in regard to what you've just said, you feel that the UK Government, then, is consulting Welsh public bodies sufficiently, or is it that you don't feel that that's their role?

26 February 2026, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee

SLCM on the Public Office (Accountability) Bill: evidence session with Huw Irranca-Davies MS, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs

If I cut across you—

26 February 2026, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee

SLCM on the Public Office (Accountability) Bill: evidence session with Huw Irranca-Davies MS, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs

Turning to engagement and consultation, and some of this we've touched upon already, but, in more depth, is the Welsh Government now content with the level of engagement from the UK Government on this important Bill?

4 February 2026, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee

Scrutiny of Accounts - Welsh Government 2024-25: evidence session with Dr Andrew Goodall, Permanent Secretary - Welsh Government

Very briefly, you mentioned earlier the WEFO staff in terms of that virement, would those be anything to do with those 98 appointments, or is that separate because it would have been too big?

4 February 2026, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee

Scrutiny of Accounts - Welsh Government 2024-25: evidence session with Dr Andrew Goodall, Permanent Secretary - Welsh Government

OK, thank you. Diolch.

4 February 2026, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee

Scrutiny of Accounts - Welsh Government 2024-25: evidence session with Dr Andrew Goodall, Permanent Secretary - Welsh Government

I remember now.

4 February 2026, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee

Scrutiny of Accounts - Welsh Government 2024-25: evidence session with Dr Andrew Goodall, Permanent Secretary - Welsh Government

In what area?

4 February 2026, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee

Scrutiny of Accounts - Welsh Government 2024-25: evidence session with Dr Andrew Goodall, Permanent Secretary - Welsh Government

Very, very briefly, obviously, there's a whole suite of actions, monitoring, around this, and, obviously, as you said, you're taking it very seriously in terms of what's been put in place. But is there any clarity on what the actual issue was?

4 February 2026, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee

Scrutiny of Accounts - Welsh Government 2024-25: evidence session with Dr Andrew Goodall, Permanent Secretary - Welsh Government

Okay, thank you.

4 February 2026, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee

Scrutiny of Accounts - Welsh Government 2024-25: evidence session with Dr Andrew Goodall, Permanent Secretary - Welsh Government

That's a really good example, thank you. And finally, in terms of the legacy issues with the systems that we have, and the holy grail of AI in terms of how that's going to transform every single organisation, how is that going to—? What's the vision there in…

4 February 2026, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee

Scrutiny of Accounts - Welsh Government 2024-25: evidence session with Dr Andrew Goodall, Permanent Secretary - Welsh Government

Okay. And finally, then—[Interruption.] Oh, right. Sorry, Dean.

4 February 2026, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee

Scrutiny of Accounts - Welsh Government 2024-25: evidence session with Dr Andrew Goodall, Permanent Secretary - Welsh Government

Thank you for that. And then, very simplistically, how is the scorecard driving that productivity? You've mentioned a number of different initiatives, in a sense. How would you summarise the driving of productivity through the scorecard?

4 February 2026, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee

Scrutiny of Accounts - Welsh Government 2024-25: evidence session with Dr Andrew Goodall, Permanent Secretary - Welsh Government

Thank you. I'm going to move on then to the performance framework, which we've touched upon. How does the introduction, as we've just started that topic, of the balanced scorecard for the performance framework drive improvements in the productivity of the…

4 February 2026, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee

Scrutiny of Accounts - Welsh Government 2024-25: evidence session with Dr Andrew Goodall, Permanent Secretary - Welsh Government

And then one more, in terms of the issues with the data held on your system about staff Welsh language skills. As of 31 March last year, those had not been addressed. Has that been dealt with?