National Assembly for Wales

Details of Ministerial visits are published quarterly on the Welsh Government website.

Surplus office space in the Llandudno Junction office has already been utilised by public sector tenants. We currently have 8 different public sector bodies leasing space in the building with a further large tenant looking to occupy early next year.

Substantive response

Substantive response

Details of Ministerial visits are published quarterly on the Welsh Government website.

The ‘Food and Fun’ School Holiday Enrichment Programme (SHEP) is a school-based scheme that provides healthy meals, food and nutrition education, physical activity and enrichment sessions to learners in areas of socio-economic disadvantage for a minimum of 12 days during the school summer holidays. The programme is managed by the Welsh Local Government Association.

Since its establishment in 2015, 833,520 places have been funded to support families over the summer holidays.

I am pleased that, in line with the Programme for Government commitment to “build on” programme, the total number of places the Welsh Government has funded across Wales has increased, each year, over the last three years. A full breakdown of places by local authority is set out below.

The ‘Food and Fun’ School Holiday Enrichment Programme (SHEP) is a school-based scheme that provides healthy meals, food and nutrition education, physical activity and enrichment sessions to learners in areas of socio-economic disadvantage for a minimum of 12 days during the school summer holidays. The programme is managed by the Welsh Local Government Association.

Since its establishment in 2015, 833,520 places have been funded to support families over the summer holidays.

I am pleased that, in line with the Programme for Government commitment to “build on” programme, the total number of places the Welsh Government has funded across Wales has increased, each year, over the last three years. A full breakdown of places by local authority is set out below.

Details of Ministerial visits are published quarterly on the Welsh Government website.

The recently published Independent Water Commission Report was jointly commissioned by the Welsh Government and UK Government and is the most extensive review of the water sector in Wales and England since privatisation. The report has recognised that the environmental objectives of the Water Framework Directive are unlikely to be met. The report also notes that shortcomings in the 2017 Regulations have contributed to this failure. It recommends the need to consult on reforming the 2017 Regulations to bring them in line with public and environmental expectations.  We are currently considering the recommendations set out in the report and will provide further detail on our intended approach this Autumn.

The indicative economic assessment of the 170kg/N/ha/yr limit was published alongside the review on 31 March. It can be found using the following link:

Annex C: indicative economic assessment of the 170kg/N/ha/yr limit of the Control of Agricultural Pollution Regulations | GOV.WALES

Repair and reuse hub data covering the tonnages of the materials diverted from waste into preparation for reuse is collected alongside local authority waste and recycling data. Local authorities are not, however, required to log the number of items or repairs undertaken. The 2024-25 data is currently undergoing end of year validation by NRW and will be published once that process has been completed.

In partnership with the voluntary sector, The Welsh Government has also funded Repair Café Wales to support a network of repair cafes across Wales. The following table shows the number of active repair cafés during the financial year 2024-25 by local authority, together with the number of repairs achieved by each local authority area.

Using the Farnham Repair Café’s Carbon Calculator, Repair Café Wales calculated that those repairs have saved an average of 262,048.5kg CO₂e emissions), and prevented 28,035kg of items being thrown away. The average financial saving calculated by Repair Café Wales is £83.38 per item based on the assumption that someone would buy a new item if the broken item had not been fixed.

Repair and reuse hub data covering the tonnages of the materials diverted from waste into preparation for reuse is collected alongside local authority waste and recycling data. Local authorities are not, however, required to log the number of items or repairs undertaken. The 2024-25 data is currently undergoing end of year validation by NRW and will be published once that process has been completed.

In partnership with the voluntary sector, The Welsh Government has also funded Repair Café Wales to support a network of repair cafes across Wales. The following table shows the number of active repair cafés during the financial year 2024-25 by local authority, together with the number of repairs achieved by each local authority area.

Using the Farnham Repair Café’s Carbon Calculator, Repair Café Wales calculated that those repairs have saved an average of 262,048.5kg CO₂e emissions), and prevented 28,035kg of items being thrown away. The average financial saving calculated by Repair Café Wales is £83.38 per item based on the assumption that someone would buy a new item if the broken item had not been fixed.

I will write to you as soon as possible with a substantive response and a copy of the letter will be published on the internet.

The table below details the location by Local Authority area where this information is readily available. Figures have been provided by the Local Places for Nature Scheme Managers.

a) There are currently 22 Local Food Partnerships in Wales, one in each Local Authority area. The Local Food Partnerships are at different stages and levels of development.

b) Welsh Government has provided funding to our delivery partner Food Sense Wales to support building the capacity of Local Food Partnerships. Welsh Government funding supports Local Food Partnerships with longer term planning, developing strategic relationships with Public Bodies and Public Services Boards (PSBs), and facilitating new local supply opportunities. A report on the position of Local Food Partnerships across Wales during 2024/25 is available here: PartnershipsReportENG.pdf

c) Local Food Partnerships engage with Food Sense Wales both individually and through a network Community of Practice which meets regularly. Local Food Partnerships also engage with the Welsh Local Government Association for monitoring and administering Welsh Government funding. More widely, Local Food Partnerships have engaged with relevant Welsh Government support, including the Horticulture Cluster, which is delivered through the Food & Drink Wales Business Cluster programme.   

Substantive response

Statistics on prescriptions are published on our StatsWales website: Prescribing

The latest published statistics show that in the financial year 2023-24, 84,922,673 items were prescribed by all primary care practitioners in Wales, through the NHS.

All items prescribed through the NHS in Wales have been free since 2007. Between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2024, a little over 1.3 billion items have been prescribed by all primary care practitioners in Wales, through the NHS.

At the end of May 2025, there were 1,901 pathways waiting more than two years at the outpatient stage in Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

There were a total of 6,530 pathways waiting more than two years for all stages of treatment, which includes the 1,901 waits for outpatient appointments.

While the figures quoted in your question are wrong, the position at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board is not acceptable and urgent improvement is needed.

The Acorn Consortium is responsible for ensuring the quality of building work and compliance with health and safety at the site of the new Velindre Cancer Centre. 

Under the Construction, Design and Management (CDM) Regulations 2015, health and safety at the site is the legal responsibility of the contractor, as is the case with all construction sites.

To aid in the quality management, there has been a joint appointment (between Acorn and the Velindre University NHS Trust) of an independent tester who monitors quality of works at the site and is responsible for certifying the building as being compliant with all aspects of the specification and the wider contract. 

This type of appointment is seen as best practice in public-private partnership construction builds. Under the Welsh Government’s Mutual Investment Model (MiM) policy, the authority also appointed a qualified construction surveyor on behalf of both the NHS trust and the government to assure quality during the construction phase.

Health and Safety observations are reported to the Trust Public Scrutiny Committee – the papers for which are publicly available.  

I have acknowledged the British Society of Haematology report, which has been shared with Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) who are responsible for developing the annual education and training plan for healthcare professionals.

Workforce planning, recruitment, and retention remain the responsibility of individual health boards. HEIW works in close collaboration with health boards to ensure that education and training provision is aligned with current and future workforce needs.

Supporting a sustainable haematology workforce in Wales is a priority area based on current workforce data and retirement projections. Haematology is a small training programme and any increase in training posts needs to be phased to ensure sustainable quality and supported training capacity.

I have acknowledged the British Society of Haematology report, which has been shared with Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) who are responsible for developing the annual education and training plan for healthcare professionals.

Workforce planning, recruitment, and retention remain the responsibility of individual health boards. HEIW works in close collaboration with health boards to ensure that education and training provision is aligned with current and future workforce needs.

Supporting a sustainable haematology workforce in Wales is a priority area based on current workforce data and retirement projections. Haematology is a small training programme and any increase in training posts needs to be phased to ensure sustainable quality and supported training capacity.

I have acknowledged the British Society of Haematology report, which has been shared with Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) who are responsible for developing the annual education and training plan for healthcare professionals.

Workforce planning, recruitment, and retention remain the responsibility of individual health boards. HEIW works in close collaboration with health boards to ensure that education and training provision is aligned with current and future workforce needs.

Supporting a sustainable haematology workforce in Wales is a priority area based on current workforce data and retirement projections. Haematology is a small training programme and any increase in training posts needs to be phased to ensure sustainable quality and supported training capacity.

There are no current plans to extend the relevant provisions within the Health and Social Care (Wales) Act 2025 to other children’s services or beyond children’s services. Implementation of these elements of the Act is ongoing and moving forward we will review their impact before considering whether any further changes are needed. There are also fundamental, material, structural and other differences between children’s and adult social care to consider.

The loss of a baby during pregnancy or shortly after birth is a deeply traumatic experience. Bereavement care has been embedded into national maternity and neonatal policy, ensuring that parents can access the support they need at any time, free of charge, through a compassionate, structured, and well-funded system.

The first Welsh NHS Psychology-led bereavement service for those who experience the death of a baby, either in pregnancy or up to 28 days following the birth of their baby, launched in Cardiff and Vale University Health Board in October 2024. As we approach a year of the service being in place, we will consider the effectiveness of the service and its suitability to roll out across Wales.

Substantive response

The Welsh Government legal charge against the assets of Adventure Parc Snowdonia Ltd did not hold a specific value. The charge related directly to the loan secured against the assets of the business which varied in value over time in response to the accrual of interest or the repayment of the debt. This security has now been discharged as a result of the repayment in full of the loan.

Welsh Government has not acted on the legal charge in light of Adventure Parc Snowdonia Ltd selling its assets in Dolgarrog. The sale resulted in the repayment in full of the outstanding loan, including accrued interest owed to Welsh Government and the charge was released as a result.

As you know, Cardiff Airport is run at arms-length and Ministers do not now intervene, and have never intervened, in the airport’s commercial operating matters. The Airport executive team is leading on the commercial negotiations with the airline regarding the resumption of the Doha service.

Former First Ministers and Ministers have taken the opportunity when in market to support the resumption of the Doha route as part of wider programme of activities to promote Wales’ values and trade and investment opportunities with global partners like Qatar Airways in line with the Welsh Government’s International Strategy.

As stated previously, we would very much welcome the resumption of the route when the time is right for both the Airport and the operator.

We do not hold information about the number of premises that have benefitted from gigabit broadband through all publicly or commercially funded roll-outs broken down in this way. However, data is available on the Ofcom website, through their Connected Nations reports, that provides information about gigabit broadband broken down by local authority for each of the last five years.

The high-quality performance of the planning service is an important priority for all of us. All service users expect a system which balances timeliness, efficiency and results in outcomes which deliver the high-quality places our communities and economy need.

The Planning Performance Framework has been re-introduced, and from 1 April 2025 will monitor and report on the efficiency of service delivery in Local Planning Authorities and other stakeholders, including the Welsh Ministers.

Local Planning Authorities must make balanced decisions in the wider public interest. This includes considering the impact of proposed developments when assessed against all relevant matters. Local Planning Authorities are required by law to have regard to several such assessments. 

Delays can take place for a range of reasons.

Where decisions are delayed and applicants consider this is unreasonable, they have the right to appeal to the Welsh Ministers on the grounds of non-determination. 

This does not detract from the duty of Local Planning Authorities to reach such decisions in a timely and efficient manner.  I have reintroduced the Planning Performance Framework. Welsh Government will resume annual reporting on the operational performance of Local Planning Authorities and other stakeholders, including the Welsh Ministers, from April 2025. 

For a range of reasons, the Welsh Government does not routinely undertake an economic impact assessment for every individual decision in every individual Local Planning Authority that is experiencing a delay in determination.  

Further to the response to WQ93032, please find below updates for those Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) where there have been changes regarding Local Development Plan (LDP) preparation timetables:

* Denotes a replacement LDP (‘LDP2’) has been adopted

Tidy Towns Funding by authority is set out in the table below.

On 16^th July, I published the Summary of Responses and Next Steps to the White Paper on Adequate Housing, Fair Rents, and Affordability. As identified in the report, officials are working with Rent Smart Wales and other stakeholders to improve data collection. Rent Smart Wales collects significant data on the Private Rented Sector, including property conditions, energy efficiency, and enforcement activity, which is published on Rent Smart Wales property dashboards: Properties Dashboard - Rent Smart Wales.

Local authorities in Wales are responsible for managing data on social housing waiting lists.

The Welsh Government does not routinely collect or verify data on social housing waiting lists. We are exploring the feasibility of collecting estimates of households on social housing waiting lists through a future Housing Survey and will update on this in due course.

The Welsh Government does not hold the information requested. English Housing Associations owning or managing homes in Wales are regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing under the English regulatory regime.

From 2011 to the end of the previous iteration of the Nest scheme in 2024 (latest figures), 61,283 lower income households in Wales had benefitted from home energy efficiency measures. This is broken down by Local Authority areas as follows:

A new iteration of the Nest Scheme began in April 2024, and we will report on the progress of year one in the autumn.

Welsh Government guidance recommends that a local authority issues a letter to a household notifying them that they are ‘minded to’ find them intentionally homeless. We do not collect data in relation to the number of ‘minded to’ letters issued.

The latest full year of data suggests that 90 households were found to be intentionally homeless in 2023-24, compared to 93 households in 2022-23 and 72 households in 2021-22.

Substantive response

Substantive response

This financial year 25/26, Welsh Government have funded an LGBI initiative enabling Local Authorities in Wales to be able to access up to £120m of additional funding over 2 years to fix and prevent potholes. £25m has been provided this financial year (25/26) for the fixing and prevention of potholes on the strategic road network.

We are beginning to receive LGBI figures from LA’s and so far in the 1st quarter they have fixed or prevented 18,781 potholes.

In the 1st quarter on the SRN 5130 potholes were fixed or prevented. In the first month of the 2nd quarter already over 13,000 potholes have been fixed or prevented.

We do not hold information on the pothole numbers that local authorities fix and prevent as part of their business as usual from other funding sources. 

My written statement on 17 July outlined key actions underway to make our transport networks accessible for everyone. While I referenced some overarching measures that benefit all travellers, the purpose of the statement was not to detail the specifics of individual schemes or programmes.

I wrote to you prior to the release of my written statement on 18 June to indicate I would be announcing the procurement of an Employer’s Agent for the scheme. In response to your OQ62945 of 2 July, at that time I advised construction of the Llandeilo scheme could commence in 2029, subject to the successful completion of all statutory procedures, which may include a public local inquiry.