, Plenary
Legislative Consent Motion: The Armed Forces Bill
To conclude, I believe that support for the armed forces community should unite us all in this Chamber. To recognise the positive effects of this Bill, I recommend that the Senedd supports the Bill and gives its consent. Thank you.
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Legislative Consent Motion: The Armed Forces Bill
Diolch yn fawr, Ddirprwy Lywydd. In closing this debate, I'd like to thank both the committees and the Members for their contributions to today's debate. I think holding this debate today ensures that the Senedd's views are heard and represented in the…
, Plenary
Legislative Consent Motion: The Armed Forces Bill
Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd. I move the motion, and I recommend that the Senedd does consent to the relevant provisions in the Armed Forces Bill 2026, as is outlined in the legislative consent motion laid for this Bill. The Bill introduces provisions…
, Plenary
The Child Minding and Day Care Exceptions (Revocation and Transitional Provision) (Wales) (Amendment) Order 2026
Thank you very much for the contributions, and I'm grateful for the Legislation Committee's work. As I mentioned, this is a focused and technical instrument that does not reopen or alter the policy contained in the principal 2026 exceptions Order. So, its…
, Plenary
The Child Minding and Day Care Exceptions (Revocation and Transitional Provision) (Wales) (Amendment) Order 2026
Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd, and I move the motion to approve the Child Minding and Day Care Exceptions (Revocation and Transitional Provision) (Wales) (Amendment) Order 2026. This is a short and technical amending instrument that is required to keep…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice
We are, as I said, already making progress on the preparation of that implementation of the Cynnal pilot, the Welsh child payment. We have heard views and evidence on how such a payment could make a real tangible difference to families, so we want to make…
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Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice
Thank you very much for that question.
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Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice
Tackling child poverty is central to our programme for government. We are already delivering on our commitments on free school meals and the childcare offer, as well as developing our Cynnal child payment. Our new child poverty strategy will include clear…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice
I'd like to clarify the reason why it says 'seek to pilot': it's because there's a very important decision that needs to be made by the UK Treasury, because what we don't want to do with Cynnal is make families worse off. We want to make them better off. So…
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Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice
Thank you for the question.
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Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice
Thank you very much. I think that using that example you used there in terms of Aberporth, somewhere that I'm sure a number of us have visited—a very beautiful place, a pretty place, but there is something hidden, isn't there? And Welsh Government recognises…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice
We recognise that rural families can face additional barriers, including restricted access to employment, services and transport, as well as higher costs. That is why our programme for government includes a commitment to legislate for rural-proofing, helping…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice
I fully recognise those concerns. I'm sure that they are familiar to us all. Those services are crucial to our communities, particularly for people who perhaps can't use public transport or there is no transport available to take them to the next town. They…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice
I just want to let the Member know that I actually met with the Post Office, with Post Office Ltd, yesterday. Again, as I said, they provided reassurance to maintain the network, as is their duty. I'm pleased to say that the Post Office Ltd confirmed to me…
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Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice
Thank you, Lindsay, for the question. First of all, I want to acknowledge the concern when a community loses services. I know a number of us have seen this in our communities over the years, on the high street in terms of banks specifically, and, in the same…
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Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice
Post office services play a vital role in supporting communities. These matters, of course, are reserved and are the responsibility of the UK Government, and that Government has stated that their aim is to retain as many branches and services as possible.
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice
We are committed to ensuring that childcare expansion works for families in all parts of Wales, and that's including rural communities, where provision can be more dispersed and can be more fragile. So, we already have some flexibility in the system through…
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Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice
Thank you very much for that supplementary question.
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Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice
Thank you. Yes, flexible childcare is crucial, I think, in order to support families with the cost of living, across Wales and in every area, in order to enable parents, as I mentioned, to take up more opportunities to work, to study or to increase their…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice
Thank you very much for the question. Using the additional funding we announced earlier this year, I am delighted that Powys is able to roll out the first phase of the Government funded childcare offer of 12.5 hours of quality childcare for all two-year-olds…
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Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice
Well, I'm glad that you agree with me and I hope you were listening carefully to the action we are taking on affordable childcare. That's why it's one of our main priorities as a Government and one of the main policies that, of course, I'm working on. It's a…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice
Diolch. The Member is absolutely right as regards economic prosperity. Making sure that we have well-paid jobs and jobs that pay fairly and have fair work conditions is absolutely key to making sure that we can lift families out of poverty. But I do reject…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice
That is absolutely our intention. You will know, as the former Chair—. I think you conducted an inquiry when you were Chair of the Children, Young People and Education Committee in the Senedd before last. I think you did an inquiry on outreach and on how that…
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Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice
I just want to reflect first of all that there seems to be the suggestion that there's some kind of malign motivation behind the fact that we want to evolve this model, and there absolutely isn't. Local authorities, of course, have been engaged with us from…
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Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice
We are of course, as I'll reiterate again, absolutely committed to upholding the principles of the armed forces covenant, ensuring fair access to healthcare, housing, employment, education, skills and training for veterans and their families. The covenant is…
