16315 7 2026-10-13T13:30:00 778363 0 En 2026-10-13T13:45:00 http://www.senedd.tv/en/16315?startPos=900&l=en 261013-0 C 12153 12153 Helen Jenner https://business.senedd.wales/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=12153 Jenner, Hellen Closing motorway junctions doesn't make the traffic disappear; it simply moves the problem elsewhere, and restricts emergency services trying to carry out their duties. First Minister, Newport needs a long-term solution that improves capacity, not measures that redistribute congestion into residential communities. So, I'll ask you a straightforward question and I expect a straightforward answer: does your Government intend to press ahead with building an M4 relief road around Newport during this Senedd term, yes or no?   16315 7 2026-10-13T13:30:00 778369 1 En 2026-10-13T13:45:30 http://www.senedd.tv/en/16315?startPos=930&l=en 261013-0 C 2717 2717 Rhun ap Iorwerth https://business.senedd.wales/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=2717 First Minister of Wales ap Iorwerth, Rhun I described in the Senedd last week the multi-phase approach that we are taking to addressing an issue that previous administrations chose not to. Inaction, we have decided, is not an option for this new Plaid Cymru Government. Therefore, we will press ahead with a number of short-term measures in order to strengthen the infrastructure that is in place now. And we are embarking right away with a piece of work to look at what is that engineering solution that will help then bring together a package that will deal with a) the blight that is the Brynglas situation for the people of Newport, and the blockage that is in place for the people and the economy of the wider south Wales region. 16315 7 2026-10-13T13:30:00 778374 2 En 2026-10-13T13:46:17 http://www.senedd.tv/en/16315?startPos=977&l=en 261013-0 C 12153 12153 Helen Jenner https://business.senedd.wales/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=12153 Jenner, Hellen Well, it's a 'no', and it's a shame to see that you're determined to continue Mark Drakeford's war on motorists. Nothing changes, does it? The cosy Cardiff consensus continues. Speaking of which, First Minister, throughout the Senedd election, you promised Wales you would deliver change, but we've learned this morning that you've done a deal with Labour to push through your failed supplementary budget. When Labour were in power, it was your party that was propping them up, voting through their budgets as they destroyed our public services. Now you're in power, it's Labour who are nodding along as your Government sends millions of pounds abroad while our NHS suffers. When you said you'd deliver change, people expected you to change more than just the seating plan in the Chamber. And I know a few things about seating plans. So, First Minister, how much longer will the people of Wales have to wait for a Government prepared to deliver real change? 16315 7 2026-10-13T13:30:00 778380 3 En 2026-10-13T13:47:13 http://www.senedd.tv/en/16315?startPos=1033&l=en 261013-0 C 2717 2717 Rhun ap Iorwerth https://business.senedd.wales/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=2717 First Minister of Wales ap Iorwerth, Rhun The seating plan on that side of the Chamber seems to be changing every week. [Laughter.] And I would suggest that maybe she doesn't make herself too comfortable where she is either. We have an agreement in place on the supplementary budget and I'm grateful, on an issue that Reform also wanted us to deliver on, which is ALN. The irony, Llywydd—it's just that Reform enjoys shouting from the sidelines rather than wanting to contribute to the future of Wales: the fact that this Government has decided to make good on the wishes of the people of the north-west of Wales on the Menai crossing. That this Government is taking action after years of inaction around the M4. I go back to the second question asked. This ultimately is around dog-whistle politics for Reform. They talk about the risk of importing criminals. And absolutely, we need to take measures to make sure that we keep our citizens safe. But what about the risk of importing doctors? What about the risk of importing nurses? What about the risk of importing people who want to contribute to the life and the future of Wales in a way the benches over there have very, very little interest in doing? 16315 7 2026-10-13T13:30:00 778388 4 Cy 2026-10-13T13:48:47 http://www.senedd.tv/en/16315?startPos=1127&l=en 261013-0 C 5053 5053 Huw Irranca-Davies https://business.senedd.wales/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=5053 Llywydd Irranca-Davies, Huw Leader of Welsh Labour now—Ken Skates.  16315 7 2026-10-13T13:30:00 778389 5 En 2026-10-13T13:48:49 http://www.senedd.tv/en/16315?startPos=1129&l=en 261013-0 C 267 267 Ken Skates https://business.senedd.wales/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=267 Skates, Ken Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, some here will doubtless work tirelessly to destroy and sabotage devolution, but Welsh Labour firmly believes in making it work for the people of Wales, and we're proud to have fought for and secured an extra £60 million for children with additional learning needs for this financial year. That's a 50 per cent increase on two weeks ago, and it's £60 million more than at the start of the summer. But, of course, this is only the first step. We believe that more funding should be made available for ALN, and we've made it clear that not a penny of this £60 million should come from elsewhere within the education budget, and we've argued successfully that there needs to be a long-term sustainability plan for further education in Wales. First Minister, will you confirm these commitments today? And also, will you commit to getting the extra £60 million that Welsh Labour has fought for to schools and to children as soon as possible? 16315 7 2026-10-13T13:30:00 778394 6 En 2026-10-13T13:49:46 http://www.senedd.tv/en/16315?startPos=1186&l=en 261013-0 C 2717 2717 Rhun ap Iorwerth https://business.senedd.wales/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=2717 First Minister of Wales ap Iorwerth, Rhun As I said previously, I'm very pleased that an agreement has been reached, and I thank those who engaged very constructively with us to get us to a point where we both now are able to move to release money  16315 7 2026-10-13T13:30:00 778361 7 En 2026-10-13T13:50:00 http://www.senedd.tv/en/16315?startPos=1200&l=en 261013-0 C 2717 2717 Rhun ap Iorwerth https://business.senedd.wales/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=2717 First Minister of Wales ap Iorwerth, Rhun to release money for additional learning needs services—an area on which we both have common ground. It was a manifesto commitment of mine to move towards sustainability within ALN. That hasn't changed. We want to pursue that sustainability. The discussions that we have been having, without going into confidential issues, have been very much about how we are able to release this money, which doesn't come from elsewhere in the education budget. This is mature, positive working, and it has led to what we both wanted to happen—and others in this Chamber—which is the strengthening of ALN provision. 16315 7 2026-10-13T13:30:00 778367 8 En 2026-10-13T13:50:39 http://www.senedd.tv/en/16315?startPos=1239&l=en 261013-0 C 267 267 Ken Skates https://business.senedd.wales/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=267 Skates, Ken Absolutely, First Minister. Welsh Labour will never fold. We will stand firm in our positions, unlike parties—[Interruption.]—unlike parties that have no principles—[Interruption.]—that have no values, that have no direction, but have plenty of different leaders, it seems. First Minister, of course, ALN-related provision and home-to-school transport are costing more and more each year. It's now reached around £200 million for the taxpayer—money that is coming from education budgets. Now, it may come as a surprise to the vocal crew on the other side of this Chamber, but their leader at a UK level, when he went to Kent, said that spending on home-to-school transport was ridiculous. Actually, he used more profound terms. He said that the way that he would cut it is to stop providing it, to make parents drive or walk their children to school. Is that the policy of Reform here, First Minister, do you think? And, First Minister, would you agree to a more sensible approach, a more intelligent approach, one that was started by the Welsh Labour Government, where we composed an expert panel, a cross-party, cross-departmental group, to look at how we can reduce costs for home-to-school transport whilst improving the amount of home-to-school transport that can be provided to young people? 16315 7 2026-10-13T13:30:00 778375 9 En 2026-10-13T13:51:54 http://www.senedd.tv/en/16315?startPos=1314&l=en 261013-0 C 2717 2717 Rhun ap Iorwerth https://business.senedd.wales/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=2717 First Minister of Wales ap Iorwerth, Rhun I certainly agree with the comments made that there is an ideological drive to push down public transport by the Reform benches, and they don't seem to care who that impacts. I think we have seen in recent weeks around the ALN funding issue that we are able to reach a positive place through co-operation, and I'm always interested in looking at how we can co-operate across the Senedd in finding ways to spend public money well on ALN needs, on public transport and on learner transport. It is through that co-operation that we will get better results.  16315 7 2026-10-13T13:30:00 778378 10 Cy 2026-10-13T13:52:42 http://www.senedd.tv/en/16315?startPos=1362&l=en 261013-0 C 5053 5053 Huw Irranca-Davies https://business.senedd.wales/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=5053 Llywydd Irranca-Davies, Huw Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Darren Millar.  16315 7 2026-10-13T13:30:00 778379 11 En 2026-10-13T13:52:35 http://www.senedd.tv/en/16315?startPos=1355&l=en 261013-0 C 171 171 Darren Millar https://business.senedd.wales/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=171 Leader of the Welsh Conservatives Millar, Darren Diolch, Lywydd. Look, Labour didn't fold, they collapsed. Isn't that the case? First Minister, people across Wales are facing a cost-of-living crisis, yet senior managers in the public sector and in publicly funded organisations are enjoying pay packets that people in our country could only dream of. And what's really galling is that the worse their organisations seem to perform, the better the pay packet seems to be. Let's take Transport for Wales, for example. Last year, it was one of the worst performing rail companies across the whole of the United Kingdom in terms of cancellations, yet its chief executive is earning nearly £0.25 million every single year. Then there's Cardiff Airport. It currently receives £20 million per year in annual subsidy from the Welsh Government just to stay afloat, yet its latest financial statements show that its highest paid director received a package of more than £275,000 per year. And in north Wales, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has the worst performing emergency departments and longest waiting times in the country, yet its chief executive is earning a salary of £262,500 per year. It's scandalous. So, do you agree with me, First Minister, that these salaries are now completely out of control, they bear no relationship to the performance of their organisations, and that no-one in the public sector or in a publicly funded organisation should be rewarded for failure? 16315 7 2026-10-13T13:30:00 778382 12 En 2026-10-13T13:54:11 http://www.senedd.tv/en/16315?startPos=1451&l=en 261013-0 C 2717 2717 Rhun ap Iorwerth https://business.senedd.wales/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=2717 First Minister of Wales ap Iorwerth, Rhun I must say at the outset that there's a real irony here, isn't there, that the Conservatives choose to focus on high salaries when tax cuts for the highest earners are always among the driving forces of the Conservatives' agenda, which does nothing whatsoever to help people in Wales who are living with the challenges of the cost-of-living crisis. Across the public sector, we need to make sure that we have the right people in the right place. That does absolutely involve paying them the right sums of money. But all I can tell you is that this new Government, through our work on effectiveness and efficiency, will do everything that we can to make sure that the public pound in Wales is driven as far as it possibly could. Securing that value for money