National Assembly for Wales

We have provided £2 million of matched funding to the Association of British Ports Port Talbot and to Milford Haven Port Authority, under the Marine Energy Programme, to kick start the process of strengthening port infrastructure. 

Under the Growth Deal we have invested £35 million into a support package towards expanding Holyhead port and £60 million into the Pembroke Dock Marine programme which supports zero carbon marine energy innovation whilst also helping tackle climate change.

So far, a total of 26 groups and organisations across Wales have received funding under our Culture Grant Scheme for Grassroots Organisations. The awards ranged from £3,170.00 to £30,000. Further awards for the 2024/25 financial year are expected shortly.

City & Growth Deals are financial agreements between the Welsh Government, UK Government and a city or region. Deals, led by Regional Delivery Partners, have identified their priorities to drive sustainable economic growth through regional collaboration.

The four Deals have committed to deliver over £6bn of investment into the Welsh economy alongside a suite  of outcomes and indicators including 39,000 jobs. Welsh Government regional leads meet regularly with Deals to review and report on performance against the agreed outcomes. Annual assurance reviews provide partners and stakeholders with ongoing independent assessment throughout the life of the Deals.

City & Growth Deals are financial agreements between the Welsh Government, UK Government and a city or region. Led by Regional Delivery Partners each Deal has set out the outcomes and benefits they will achieve.

The four Deals have committed to deliver over £6bn of investment into the Welsh economy alongside a suite of outcomes and indicators including 39,000 jobs. Welsh Government regional leads meet regularly with Deals to review and report on performance against the agreed outcomes. Annual assurance reviews provide partners and stakeholders with ongoing independent assessment throughout the life of the Deals.

In March 2023 Agile Cymru launched a specific funding initiative to encourage economic co-operation in the Irish sea space and support the Irish Sea Framework. This has supported the following nine projects:

Substantive response

Substantive response

The current outbreak in Aneurin Bevan University Health Board area is worrying. The health board is working with Public Health Wales (PHW) to contain the outbreak, through isolation, contact tracing, and other measures.

We have been clear with health boards that every opportunity must be taken to increase MMR uptake to protect local populations and help prevent future outbreaks.

The best way to protect against the spread of measles is by having a complete course of the MMR vaccine – that’s two doses. In February, a Welsh Health Circular was issued requiring health boards to ensure 90% of pupils in every school in Wales is fully vaccinated by 31 July 2024. This was accompanied by a letter to Directors of Education seeking their support with messaging the importance of vaccination and facilitating catch-up activity in schools. At the same time, the Chief Medical Officer for Wales issued a public call-to-action asking parents to check their children’s vaccination status and to come forward where children are not fully vaccinated.

Further communication and engagement with the public about the importance of the MMR vaccine has been undertaken and more is planned in the coming weeks and months. The NHS Executive’s vaccination programme has produced a national communications plan, bringing together all the work being done by health boards, PHW and the Welsh Government.

The current outbreak in Aneurin Bevan University Health Board area is worrying. The health board is working with Public Health Wales (PHW) to contain the outbreak, through isolation, contact tracing, and other measures.

We have been clear with health boards that every opportunity must be taken to increase MMR uptake to protect local populations and help prevent future outbreaks.

The best way to protect against the spread of measles is by having a complete course of the MMR vaccine – that’s two doses. In February, a Welsh Health Circular was issued requiring health boards to ensure 90% of pupils in every school in Wales is fully vaccinated by 31 July 2024. This was accompanied by a letter to Directors of Education seeking their support with messaging the importance of vaccination and facilitating catch-up activity in schools. At the same time, the Chief Medical Officer for Wales issued a public call-to-action asking parents to check their children’s vaccination status and to come forward where children are not fully vaccinated.

Further communication and engagement with the public about the importance of the MMR vaccine has been undertaken and more is planned in the coming weeks and months. The NHS Executive’s vaccination programme has produced a national communications plan, bringing together all the work being done by health boards, PHW and the Welsh Government.

We continue to provide sustained funding to health boards to provide mental health support. The mental health ring fence for all health boards has increased to £800m in 2024/25 (from £774m in 2023/24). For Hywel Dda University Health Board their annual allocation is £99.2m.

In 2023/24 the increases have included £26.5m allocated to health boards through Service Improvement Funding which has been used to support improvements in mental health services and we have also provided additional funding to support the roll out of NHS 111 press 2 for urgent mental health support. For Hywel Dda University Health Board, this has equated to an additional allocation of over £3.6m per annum.

I regularly meet with the Chair and Chief Executive of Transport for Wales where we discuss a range of issues, including the importance of ensuring a positive passenger experience when using stations. We require Transport for Wales to deliver a high level of service quality at their stations and trains, including the regular monitoring of station cleanliness.

We will be updating guidance on speed limits following on from the clarified guidance on 20mph. Priority will be given to guidance for speed limits where people live on roads currently higher than 30mph.

On the 29 April I confirmed and committed £20m for two new funding schemes to assist Welsh farmers investment in on-farm infrastructure, – the ‘Nutrient Management Investment Scheme’ and the Small Grants - Yard Coverings scheme’. 

This package of measures is part of the commitment under the Co-operation Agreement with Plaid Cymru, to work with the farming community in the deployment of the regulations to improve water and air quality.

These schemes will help farmers to better-manage clean and dirty water separation, easing slurry storage capacity requirements.  By enhancing nutrient storage and management, it enables farmers to apply slurry at the most appropriate times, when the risk of polluting our water courses and rivers is reduced.  Both schemes will also support rainwater harvesting equipment to save water for on-farm use and will help farmers build resilience to extreme weather conditions resulting from climate change.

The support has been increased to provide a maximum 50% contribution towards certain project costs.  Detailed guidance will be available shortly with both schemes open for applications by the summer.

Additionally, we have four other complimentary schemes with synergies for managing water resources.

Our Woodland Creation schemes provide opportunities to plant new woodlands, which helps to slow flows, absorb water, and prevent soil erosion.  Similarly, the Small Grants – Environment scheme also provides tree planting options, including hedgerow creation, as well as soft engineering of riverbanks, in field ditches, and pond restoration options.

Our Growing for the Environment scheme provides options to conserve water in the soil through establishment of mixed leys, leading to less flooding and drought extremes, as well as support for cover crops and undersowing established maize to preserve soils and protect water courses by preventing run-off.

Our National Peatlands Action Programme (NPAP) is undertaking targeted restoration of peatlands across Wales.  Restoring peatland hydrology will help to better-regulate water flows over farmland, leading to less peak flows and downslope flooding.  The NPAP is already exceeding the original restoration targets with c.3,000ha delivered in the first 4 years and plans are in place to upscale delivery over the coming years.

While these schemes are focused on the predominantly wetter weather conditions Wales observes, contingency measures are in place to prepare for prolonged dry conditions.  The Welsh Government’s Drought Liaison Group meets regularly to share situational updates, inform contingency planning, and agree actions to effectively manage water supplies and protect the environment, should dry weather conditions risk impacting our natural environment or water resources.

Given that the wind farm in question is in my constituency, I have not in my capacity as Cabinet Secretary had any meetings with local residents to discuss the proposals.

Given that the wind farm in question is in my constituency, I have not, in my capacity as Cabinet Secretary, had any meetings with Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council or Bridgend County Borough Council in relation to the proposals.

Provision of clinical veterinary services comes from private veterinary practices, and is not the responsibility of the Welsh Government. There is a legal obligation for veterinary practices to provide a 24 hour service and this requirement is overseen by the profession’s regulator, The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

I am aware that out of hours service provision is a challenge for many veterinary practices, who work exceptionally hard to meet this high level of service for their clients.

While not the responsibility of the Welsh Government, we do support the veterinary practice network in Wales in several ways.  For example, sponsoring the two Veterinary Delivery Partners in Wales, which provide significant income to farm veterinary practices, maintaining the network of Official Veterinarians who undertake work on behalf of Welsh Ministers and support for vets through a number of mentoring and training initiatives.

The bi-lateral Inter-Ministerial Group on Work and Pensions was formed last year and met for the first time on 6^th November 2023. Terms of Reference and Communique for the inaugural meeting can be found on the UK Government website: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/dwp-and-welsh-government-interministerial-group-on-work-and-pensions

Following recent Ministerial changes in both the UK Government and the Welsh Government, officials are currently liaising on agenda and timing for a meeting to take place next month.