Siambr · Joshua Kim
Written questions
41 written questions on record from the Seventh Senedd on, newest first. Page 1 of 1.
WQ100895 · Tabled · Answered
What discussions has the Cabinet Minister had with the UK Government about recognising additional professions, including chiropractors regulated by the General Chiropractic Council, as allied health professions in Wales?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
I have not had any discussions with the UK Government regarding the recognition of additional professions, including chiropractors regulated by the General Chiropractic Council, as Allied Health Professions in Wales.
The Allied Health Professions are an established group of professions within the health and social care workforce. Chiropractors are not currently recognised as Allied Health Professionals in Wales and are not routinely employed within NHS Wales services.
The Welsh Government has no current plans to review this position.
WQ100881 · Tabled · No answer published
What is the latest average caseload for children's social workers in each Welsh local authority, and what was the corresponding figure in each of the previous three years?
To be answered by: Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
WQ100880 · Tabled · No answer published
What was the total expenditure on international recruitment of healthcare professionals into NHS Wales in 2025-26, including recruitment, relocation, immigration and associated support costs, and what is the equivalent budget for 2026-27?
To be answered by: Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
WQ100879 · Tabled · No answer published
How many nurses recruited to NHS Wales through the all-Wales international recruitment programme in 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26 remain employed by NHS Wales, broken down by year and health board?
To be answered by: Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
WQ100878 · Tabled · No answer published
How many applications for Welsh Government financial support from businesses in the defence and security sectors are currently paused or deferred pending publication of the Welsh Government's ethical defence framework, and what is the aggregate value of those applications?
To be answered by: Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy
WQ100877 · Tabled · Answered
What criteria does the Welsh Government use to define a Wales-based supplier when measuring progress towards its programme for government ambition to increase public procurement spend with Wales-based suppliers towards 70 per cent, including in relation to ownership, headquarters, employment and operational presence in Wales?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Finance
Our current methodology defines a Wales-based supplier using the supplier invoice address recorded in financial systems. Ownership, headquarters, employment and operational presence are not currently factors used in this measure.
We recognise that supplier address alone does not capture the full economic value generated through public procurement. That is why we are developing a broader measure of Welsh economic value to provide greater insight into the economic and social benefits of public spending and the value retained within Wales.
WQ100876 · Tabled · Answered
What is the number of full-time equivalent Welsh Government civil servants whose principal role relates to constitutional reform, further devolution or the proposed national commission on the constitution, and what is the total annual salary cost of those posts?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
Details of spending on constitutional reform were published on 7 August 2026 in response to FOI 27168. The response provides a detailed breakdown of expenditure incurred during the financial year 2025-26 and includes information on staff costs, travel and subsistence costs and the other main areas of expenditure from within that budget. The FOI response also includes figures from other areas of activity, including borders, criminal justice delivery, justice transformation, offender learning, and Senedd reform.
WQ100747 · Tabled · Answered
What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the potential Barnett consequentials arising from the UK Government's proposed National Care Service for England, and what consideration has been given to using any additional funding to advance its commitment to establish a National Care Service in Wales?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Finance
At this stage, the UK Government has announced its intention to establish a National Care Service in England but has not yet published sufficient detail to enable an assessment of any potential Barnett consequentials.
The UK Government has indicated that implementation of the proposed National Care Service would begin in the next Parliament, following the next General Election. The UK Government has also said the funding arrangements are linked to changes to the State Pension Triple Lock that would not take effect until April 2030.
The Welsh Government is committed to moving towards a National Care Service and will use our existing resources to strengthen social care through consistent standards, improved data collection and better supporting the workforce.
WQ100738 · Tabled · Answered
How will UNISON's September 2026 estimate that local authorities in Wales face a collective funding gap of £269 million in 2027-28 inform the Welsh Government's budget planning for local government for 2027-28?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Finance
The Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning is working closely with local authorities and the WLGA to understand the financial pressures facing the sector. We are meeting the Finance Sub Group of the Partnership Council on 8 October to discuss their financial forecasts for 2027-28 and beyond, which will help inform the Welsh Government's budget planning.
WQ100722 · Tabled · Answered
What operational objectives underpin the Welsh Government’s policy of seeking full devolution of justice, what measurable outcomes are those objectives intended to improve, and what evidence supports its position?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
The devolution settlement should continue to evolve where there is a clear case that doing so would improve accountability, effectiveness and delivery.
The rationale for devolution includes constitutional, practical and operational service delivery reasons. The Silk Commission, the Thomas Commission and the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales considered a wealth of evidence and demonstrated conclusively that the current justice system arrangements create duplication, bureaucracy, confusion and unnecessary cost, while preventing a genuinely joined-up approach to prevention, diversion and rehabilitation.
The Welsh Government and Welsh academics have been working with the Ministry of Justice for a period of years to pursue the disaggregation and publication of justice related data that has previously been published on an England and Wales basis, to get a clearer picture of the impact of the justice system and its operation within Wales. Annual publications commenced in 2025.
In January 2025, the previous Government, with agreement from Plaid Cymru, commissioned a research programme to provide evidence and analysis on the operation of the justice system in Wales. Among other things, the research programme also aims to address evidence gaps arising from the limited availability of disaggregated Welsh justice data. The programme will identify, collate and analyse relevant data to inform current practice and policy development, as well as helping inform the decisions on measurable outcomes that might be monitored as a benchmark for the effectiveness of devolution.
WQ100721 · Tabled · Answered
What operational objectives underpin the Welsh Government’s policy of seeking full devolution of rail infrastructure, what measurable passenger outcomes are those objectives intended to improve, and what evidence supports its position?
Answered by Deputy Minister for Transport
The Welsh Government’s long-term ambition is the full devolution of rail infrastructure so that services, infrastructure, investment and accountability can be aligned more effectively in Wales and borders. The objective is to secure the levers needed to improve passenger outcomes through greater integration of track and train, and investment decisions that better reflect Welsh priorities.
The Core Valley Lines demonstrate the benefits that can be achieved when responsibility for infrastructure and operations is brought together. Through integrated planning and delivery, the programme has supported major network transformation, including new trains, increased service frequencies and the development of a metro-style network designed around passenger needs. This provides a positive example of how closer track and train integration can support a more reliable, attractive and passenger-focused railway.
Building on this experience, the Welsh Government has commissioned Transport for Wales to undertake detailed technical and operational work on further rail devolution. This work is assessing the evidence to identify the arrangements that would deliver the greatest benefits for passengers and the people of Wales.
WQ100659 · Tabled · Answered
What assessment has the Cabinet Minister made of the implementation and impact of the All-Wales Headache Toolkit since its launch in February 2023, including its impact on the diagnosis, referral and treatment of people living with migraines?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
The Welsh Government’s aim is to ensure that people of all ages who are living with, or affected by, a neurological condition — including headache disorders — have timely and equitable access to high-quality services that support them to live well. This aim is set out in the Quality Statement for neurological conditions.
Health boards and NHS trusts are expected to use Quality Statements to guide the planning and delivery of high-quality services. This includes ensuring services are aligned with clinical standards and guidelines, and working with relevant partners in Wales, and across the border in England where appropriate, to strengthen pathways of care.
The All-Wales Headache Toolkit was launched in February 2023 to support the assessment and management of headache disorders across Wales and promote more consistent care. While a formal assessment of the toolkit's impact on the diagnosis, referral and treatment of people living with migraine has not been undertaken, the Neurological Conditions Network has identified potential value in reviewing and refreshing the toolkit to promote awareness and support its integration into routine clinical practice.
To further support improvements in care, the Network published Primary Care Advice and Guidance sheets for headache in 2025. These resources are intended to support community-based management and help improve the appropriateness of referrals to secondary care and Improved data on service activity and patient outcomes will help support future consideration of the impact of initiatives such as the All-Wales Headache Toolkit.
WQ100475 · Tabled · Answered
What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the one-off and recurring costs of any new Welsh policing bodies or functions required as a result of devolving policing, and how would these be funded?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
This government’s position is clear – justice and policing should be fully devolved to Wales, as it is in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Devolving policing has been the recommendation of a series of independent commissions, dating back to the Silk Commission in 2014. Those commissions considered the potential cost implications, among others, in reaching their clear conclusions, noting that we are currently incurring unnecessary costs and disruption by the day-to-day management of the tensions between devolved and non-devolved agendas. Devolution can help us reduce this friction and divert resources into service delivery.
Preparing for the Devolution of Policing in Wales, authored by Carl Foulkes and Emma Ackland in March 2024, explored the opportunities and challenges of a devolved policing model for Wales. This report, commissioned by the previous Welsh Government, considered which functions currently provided on an England and Wales basis might continue to be provided through existing arrangements, and which might be delivered through separate Welsh provision. The report made several recommendations, which are being considered alongside the changing policing landscape.
That said, decisions on where functions should ultimately sit will need to be made in the light of the arrangements for police service delivery in England and Wales at that point in time. Significant changes to policing are being proposed by the UK Government. The UK Government White Paper From Local to National, published in January 2026, set out a series of radical reforms to policing services, structures and governance arrangements. This includes the abolition of Police and Crime Commissioners from 2028 and the establishment of a National Police Service, whose functions remain under consideration by the Home Office. The White Paper also included notification that other significant changes would follow independent reviews – for example:
All the above changes have the potential to affect how functions are best allocated after devolution, what new bodies might be required, and the costs involved. The exact functions and bodies that would be transferred will be identified and agreed in conjunction with the UK Government under any devolution agreement. What is clear is that the UK Government is already proposing significant changes with cost and disruption factored in, so this is the best time for devolution - have one round of significant change, use the same legislative vehicles, and build devolution into the rebuild of the services' structures and governance at the same time.
The financial implications will need to be discussed in detail with the UK Government as part of the devolution negotiations. With the devolution of policing, there will need to be an adequate budget transfer to ensure that policing services continue to deliver effectively for the people of Wales. We are clear that Wales should not be short changed. Information about any agreed funding transfer will be published.
WQ100474 · Tabled · Answered
Will the Welsh Government outline a) which functions currently provided on an England-and-Wales basis by bodies such as the College of Policing would continue to be provided through existing arrangements and b) which would require separate Welsh provision, under its proposals for the devolution of policing?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
This government’s position is clear – justice and policing should be fully devolved to Wales, as it is in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Devolving policing has been the recommendation of a series of independent commissions, dating back to the Silk Commission in 2014. Those commissions considered the potential cost implications, among others, in reaching their clear conclusions, noting that we are currently incurring unnecessary costs and disruption by the day-to-day management of the tensions between devolved and non-devolved agendas. Devolution can help us reduce this friction and divert resources into service delivery.
Preparing for the Devolution of Policing in Wales, authored by Carl Foulkes and Emma Ackland in March 2024, explored the opportunities and challenges of a devolved policing model for Wales. This report, commissioned by the previous Welsh Government, considered which functions currently provided on an England and Wales basis might continue to be provided through existing arrangements, and which might be delivered through separate Welsh provision. The report made several recommendations, which are being considered alongside the changing policing landscape.
That said, decisions on where functions should ultimately sit will need to be made in the light of the arrangements for police service delivery in England and Wales at that point in time. Significant changes to policing are being proposed by the UK Government. The UK Government White Paper From Local to National, published in January 2026, set out a series of radical reforms to policing services, structures and governance arrangements. This includes the abolition of Police and Crime Commissioners from 2028 and the establishment of a National Police Service, whose functions remain under consideration by the Home Office. The White Paper also included notification that other significant changes would follow independent reviews – for example:
All the above changes have the potential to affect how functions are best allocated after devolution, what new bodies might be required, and the costs involved. The exact functions and bodies that would be transferred will be identified and agreed in conjunction with the UK Government under any devolution agreement. What is clear is that the UK Government is already proposing significant changes with cost and disruption factored in, so this is the best time for devolution - have one round of significant change, use the same legislative vehicles, and build devolution into the rebuild of the services' structures and governance at the same time.
The financial implications will need to be discussed in detail with the UK Government as part of the devolution negotiations. With the devolution of policing, there will need to be an adequate budget transfer to ensure that policing services continue to deliver effectively for the people of Wales. We are clear that Wales should not be short changed. Information about any agreed funding transfer will be published.
WQ100473 · Tabled · Answered
What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the transitional and recurring costs of devolving policing to Wales, and will it publish a breakdown of the anticipated UK Government funding transfer and any additional funding that would be required from Welsh Government resources?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
This government’s position is clear – justice and policing should be fully devolved to Wales, as it is in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Devolving policing has been the recommendation of a series of independent commissions, dating back to the Silk Commission in 2014. Those commissions considered the potential cost implications, among others, in reaching their clear conclusions, noting that we are currently incurring unnecessary costs and disruption by the day-to-day management of the tensions between devolved and non-devolved agendas. Devolution can help us reduce this friction and divert resources into service delivery.
Preparing for the Devolution of Policing in Wales, authored by Carl Foulkes and Emma Ackland in March 2024, explored the opportunities and challenges of a devolved policing model for Wales. This report, commissioned by the previous Welsh Government, considered which functions currently provided on an England and Wales basis might continue to be provided through existing arrangements, and which might be delivered through separate Welsh provision. The report made several recommendations, which are being considered alongside the changing policing landscape.
That said, decisions on where functions should ultimately sit will need to be made in the light of the arrangements for police service delivery in England and Wales at that point in time. Significant changes to policing are being proposed by the UK Government. The UK Government White Paper From Local to National, published in January 2026, set out a series of radical reforms to policing services, structures and governance arrangements. This includes the abolition of Police and Crime Commissioners from 2028 and the establishment of a National Police Service, whose functions remain under consideration by the Home Office. The White Paper also included notification that other significant changes would follow independent reviews – for example:
All the above changes have the potential to affect how functions are best allocated after devolution, what new bodies might be required, and the costs involved. The exact functions and bodies that would be transferred will be identified and agreed in conjunction with the UK Government under any devolution agreement. What is clear is that the UK Government is already proposing significant changes with cost and disruption factored in, so this is the best time for devolution - have one round of significant change, use the same legislative vehicles, and build devolution into the rebuild of the services' structures and governance at the same time.
The financial implications will need to be discussed in detail with the UK Government as part of the devolution negotiations. With the devolution of policing, there will need to be an adequate budget transfer to ensure that policing services continue to deliver effectively for the people of Wales. We are clear that Wales should not be short changed. Information about any agreed funding transfer will be published.
WQ100392 · Tabled · Answered
What steps is the Welsh Government taking to ensure that all pupils receive effective CPR training before leaving school, and how is the delivery of lifesaving skills currently monitored across schools?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
The Health and well-being Area within the Curriculum for Wales includes learning and experience around critical-thinking skills necessary to consider decision-making, including risks, for learners and others. Schools should therefore consider how learners can safely intervene to support others who may be at risk, including through the development of lifesaving and first aid skills.
The Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust works directly with schools to develop CPR skills among teachers and learners through its Save a Life Cymru programme. Further information can be found at: Shoctober - Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust
Local authorities support schools to meet the expectations of the Curriculum for Wales through advice, professional learning, collaborative networks and access to relevant resources and partner support. The Welsh Government does not collect data on CPR training.
WQ100382 · Tabled · Answered
Will the Cabinet Minister provide the average number of scheduled operating sessions undertaken per week by a full-time equivalent consultant surgeon, broken down by health board and surgical specialty?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
The Welsh Government does not hold this information centrally.
Information on scheduled operating sessions undertaken by consultant surgeons is held locally by individual health boards as part of their workforce, job planning and operational management arrangements. The availability and configuration of operating sessions can vary between specialties, organisations and individual job plans.
The productivity and utilisation of theatre capacity are monitored routinely through NHS Wales performance and improvement arrangements. NHS Performance and Improvement works with health boards to review theatre productivity, efficiency and performance metrics to support service improvement and recovery of planned care services.
Members seeking detailed information on the average number of scheduled operating sessions undertaken by full-time equivalent consultant surgeons, broken down by health board and surgical specialty, may wish to approach health boards directly, as they are responsible for holding and managing this operational information.
WQ100381 · Tabled · Answered
What assessment has the Cabinet Minister made of the reasons for variation in secondary-care referral rates between health boards, including whether lower referral rates in some areas reflects unmet clinical need?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
The Welsh Government monitors variation in secondary care referral rates through established NHS Wales performance and improvement arrangements. Referral activity and variation are reviewed regularly at both organisational and specialty level to understand patterns of demand, access and clinical practice.
This work is supported by the Clinical Implementation Networks, which bring together clinicians from across Wales to review variation in practice, compare services against evidence-based best practice and identify opportunities for improvement. Where variation suggests potential service risks, concerns about access or unwarranted variation between organisations, these issues are explored directly with health boards and clinical teams. Where necessary, matters can be escalated through to Welsh Government oversight arrangements.
Referral rates must be considered alongside a wider range of information, including population need, demographic factors, disease prevalence, service configuration, clinical pathways and patient outcomes.
In addition, as part of the 100-day plan, an independent review has been commissioned of NHS performance, including the impact on waiting times and patient access to care. The review will help strengthen understanding of variation across the system and identify opportunities to improve performance, reduce unwarranted variation and ensure patients receive timely access to treatment based on clinical need.
WQ100380 · Tabled · Answered
What consideration has the Cabinet Minister given to introducing a broader national performance dashboard alongside waiting-list statistics, including measures of diagnostic access, referral rates, deterioration while waiting, emergency admission while waiting and patient outcomes?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
The Welsh Government recognises the value of a broad range of performance measures alongside waiting time statistics. Diagnostic waiting time data are already published through StatsWales Diagnostic services: pathway waiting times, grouped weeks waiting, October 2009 onwards | StatsWales, while NHS Wales also uses a wider set of management information, including referral activity, demand trends and operational performance to support service delivery. NHS Wales organisations own this information.
However, not all management information is collected or assured to the standards required for publication as official statistics. Any expansion of national performance reporting would need to ensure data are sufficiently robust, consistent and meet the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value required for accredited official statistics by the Office for Statistics Regulation.
WQ100360 · Tabled · Answered
What assessment has the Cabinet Minister made of the number and proportion of GP practices in each health board area that are formally compliant with the national access standards but still require patients seeking same-day appointments to contact the practice at or around 8am?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
The national access standards focus on ensuring patients can access appropriate care in a timely way, while allowing practices flexibility to organise appointment systems to meet local needs.
Practices across Wales use a range of access routes, including telephone, online and care navigation systems, to help patients access the right care from the right professional at the right time.
Responsibility for ensuring GP practices meet the national access standards, including arrangements for same-day access, rests with health boards, which are responsible for monitoring compliance and supporting practices to deliver services in line with those standards.
WQ100346 · Tabled · No answer published
Which organisations have received funding under the Welsh Government’s Increasing Immigration Legal Advice Provision in Wales scheme for 2026–29, and how much funding has each organisation been awarded?
To be answered by: Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
WQ100263 · Tabled · Answered
What measurable objectives has the Cabinet Minister set for the town centre taskforce and by when does he expect to assess whether those objectives have been achieved?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning
The Town Centre Taskforce is an independent time-limited Task and Finish group, and its role is to consider the challenges facing town centres and provide practical recommendations to Welsh Ministers. As an independent body, the Taskforce has not been set detailed measurable objectives at the outset, its work will be to explore the issues facing town centres, identify priorities, and develop recommendations for Ministerial consideration. It is anticipated that these recommendations will inform future policy and decision-making relating to town centres in Wales. The Taskforce is expected to conclude its programme of work and submit its recommendations to Welsh Ministers in Spring 2027.
WQ100262 · Tabled · Answered
What reforms to non-domestic rates does the Welsh Government intend to implement during this Senedd term, and what assessment has it made of the effect of those reforms on the overall rates burden faced by Welsh businesses?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Finance
Our manifesto included a range of specific commitments related to the reform of the non-domestic rates system. I will set out further details on our proposals in due course. Any legislation required to give effect to confirmed changes would be accompanied by a Regulatory Impact Assessment.
WQ100261 · Tabled · Answered
Does the Government envisage the Wales Pension Partnership lending to the Development Bank on normal commercial risk-adjusted terms or on preferential terms?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Finance
The Local Government Pension Scheme is not devolved. The UK Government statutory guidance is that any investment by Local Government Pension pools, including the Wales Pension Partnership, would be made in accordance with its fiduciary duties and investment objectives, and on a basis that is consistent with delivering appropriate risk-adjusted returns for scheme members.
WQ100260 · Tabled · Answered
What is the Government's estimate of the net fiscal benefit of Crown Estate devolution after accounting for the Treasury block-grant adjustment and the operating costs of Crown Estate Cymru?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Finance
The precise fiscal implications of devolving the Crown Estate, including any consequential adjustment to the Welsh block grant and operating costs, would be subject to negotiation with HM Treasury as part of any transfer. Devolution will allow the Welsh Government’s budget to benefit from future growth in Crown Estate assets and income streams in Wales, as is already the case for the Scottish Government.
WQ100136 · Tabled · Answered
Will the Cabinet Minister provide a breakdown of whether private-sector employers in Wales is headquartered in Wales, elsewhere in the UK or outside the UK for the following enterprise sizes; micro (0–9 employees), small (10–49), medium (50–249) and large (250+)?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy
Data on employment in Welsh businesses by headquarters location is not currently published but could be requested from the Office for National Statistics.
Data on business ownership for UK and non-UK owned business is available in the size analysis of businesses by ownership data. We also produce data on foreign ownership by country on an ad-hoc basis, with the most recently published data covering 2024.
WQ100094 · Tabled · Answered
What assessment has the Cabinet Minister made of a) the rate at which businesses in Wales progress from micro to small, small to medium and medium to large enterprises, and b) the principal barriers preventing Welsh businesses from scaling up?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy
The Welsh Government does not hold analysis that directly tracks the rate at which individual businesses in Wales move between size bands, such as from micro to small, small to medium, or medium to large enterprises.
However, wider business demography data provides some indication of change in the overall composition of the Welsh business base. This suggests the number of medium-sized businesses in Wales increased between 2019 and 2025, and that medium-sized firms accounted for a slightly larger share of the Welsh business population over that period.
In relation to the barriers preventing Welsh businesses from scaling up, research by Economic Intelligence Wales and the Scale Up Institute points to a range of factors. These include leadership and management capacity, succession planning, workforce and skills shortages, awareness of available business support, access to finance and credit constraints, low growth ambitions among some small and medium-sized enterprises, and wider structural factors affecting the Welsh economy. Recent Economic Intelligence Wales research has also highlighted weaknesses in succession planning among many Welsh SMEs. This underlines the importance of long-term business planning and organisational capacity in supporting sustainable growth.
WQ100093 · Tabled · Answered
What definition does the Welsh Government use for a Welsh-owned or Welsh-headquartered business when developing economic policy, and what data does it hold on employment and turnover attributable to such businesses?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy
The ONS defines a "business headquarters" (or head office) as the central location of an enterprise where the principal operational functions, strategic decision-making, and executive management take place.
For statistical purposes, Welsh Government analysis defines a Welsh business as all businesses with activity in Wales (local units with turnover or employment greater than 0) regardless of whether their headquarters are based in Wales or elsewhere.
Welsh business data is available through the “Size analysis of Welsh businesses” publication which contains estimates of all businesses present in Wales including small businesses below the VAT and PAYE thresholds. Welsh Government also holds a data extract of the Inter-departmental business register (IDBR) which only includes business above the VAT/PAYE thresholds and the level of employment and turnover from these businesses.
When developing policy, the Welsh Government want to see businesses where strategic control is exercised from Wales and where a significant proportion of profits, management and social value are retained and invested in Wales. This aligns with the Foundational Economy mission statement objectives around local ownership, wealth circulation, local supply chains and economic resilience.
WQ100092 · Tabled · Answered
Will the Cabinet Minister provide the latest available breakdown of private-sector employment in Wales by enterprise size; micro (0–9 employees), small (10–49), medium (50–249) and large (250+)?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy
The size analysis of businesses data contains enterprise counts, employment and turnover of Welsh businesses by business size up to 2025. This data includes all private sector enterprises (companies, sole-proprietorships, partnerships, private non-profit making bodies and mutual associations) plus public corporations and nationalised bodies. Local and central government organisations are excluded.
Data is not published for employment in private sector enterprises only broken down by enterprise size.
WQ100076 · Tabled · Answered
What action will the Welsh Government take through its forthcoming national cancer strategy to achieve the 80 per cent breast-screening uptake target and reduce inequalities in uptake between communities?
Answered by Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health
Substantive response
WQ99975 · Tabled · Answered
What assessment has the Cabinet Minister made of the impact of non-domestic rates on the financial sustainability of post office branches, particularly small and rural branches?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Finance
There are existing arrangements in the non-domestic rates system which continue to support post offices in Wales. Enhanced Small Business Rates Relief applies to post offices, where those with a rateable value up to £9,000 receive full (100%) relief and those with a rateable value between £9,000 and £12,000 receive 50% relief.
In addition, a lower retail multiplier applies in Wales from 1 April 2026. The retail multiplier is intended to help re-balance the non-domestic rates system in favour of small to medium sized shops, through a 30% reduction in liability. This also applies to post offices, recognising the broader retail service they provide.
WQ99873 · Tabled · Answered
What consideration has the Cabinet Minister given to establishing a compensation or transition-support scheme for greyhound trainers, kennel staff, stadium employees and other workers whose livelihoods will be adversely affected by the Prohibition of Greyhound Racing (Wales) Act 2026, and when will details of any such support be published?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability
Enforcement costs are considered in the Explanatory Memorandum, incorporating the Regulatory Impact Assessment and Explanatory Notes, which was updated prior to Royal Assent.
Those who will be impacted by the ban deserve clarity and support. Through the Greyhound Racing Ban Implementation Group, we have ensured that those affected will have access to tailored support, including Working Wales’ ReAct+ programme, so that they have the training, advice and assistance needed to move into new opportunities.
WQ99870 · Tabled · Answered
What estimate has the Cabinet Minister made of the one-off and annual recurring costs to the Welsh Government and local authorities of enforcing the Prohibition of Greyhound Racing (Wales) Act 2026, broken down by a) costs of monitoring compliance, b) investigating alleged offences and c) pursuing prosecutions, and how will costs be funded?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability
Enforcement costs are considered in the Explanatory Memorandum, incorporating the Regulatory Impact Assessment and Explanatory Notes, which was updated prior to Royal Assent.
Those who will be impacted by the ban deserve clarity and support. Through the Greyhound Racing Ban Implementation Group, we have ensured that those affected will have access to tailored support, including Working Wales’ ReAct+ programme, so that they have the training, advice and assistance needed to move into new opportunities.
WQ99720 · Tabled · Answered
What consideration has the Welsh Government given to calls to reduce endometriosis diagnosis times to one year or less?
Answered by Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health
I have already provided an answer to this question under WQ99594 (answered in combination with WQ99596 and WQ99597), included below:
We recognise that diagnosis of endometriosis can take too long for too many women. We are committed to strengthening the NHS Wales Women’s Health Plan – reducing delayed diagnosis and late treatment for women and girls in areas such as endometriosis.
We are taking forward a programme of work focused on improving the pathway across primary, secondary and tertiary services. This will include work to improve workforce skills to encourage earlier recognition of symptoms and improving access to assessment and treatment to reduce diagnostic delays across Wales. As this work develops, we will give consideration to whether a target for diagnosis times is appropriate.
Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) have developed Introductory and Fundamentals endometriosis training modules which are available to all staff (and external) via Y Ty Dysgu. Further modules will be developed during 2026/27.
Participation in the modules will be monitored, and consideration will be given to what, if any, additional actions are needed to increase uptake.
The implementation of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance across key areas of women’s health is supported by the Women’s Health Network in NHS Wales Performance and Improvement. The network is working with health boards to strengthen consistency, quality, and equity of service provision across Wales, ensuring regular benchmarking of pelvic health, menopause, and menstrual health services against relevant NICE guidelines. This work will also strengthen data collection, reporting, and transparency through the establishment of system-wide oversight of progress and variation in women’s health services with the aim of improving quality and access, and ensuring that care is equitable, evidence-based, and aligned with the ambitions of the Women’s Health Plan.
WQ99721 · Tabled · Answered
What action is the Welsh Government taking to strengthen referral pathways and improve access to specialist endometriosis care, including reducing variation between health boards and ensuring that relevant NICE guidance and quality standards are consistently reflected in care pathways across Wales, regardless of postcode?
Answered by Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health
I have already provided an answer to this question under WQ99594 (answered in combination with WQ99596 and WQ99597), included below:
We recognise that diagnosis of endometriosis can take too long for too many women. We are committed to strengthening the NHS Wales Women’s Health Plan – reducing delayed diagnosis and late treatment for women and girls in areas such as endometriosis.
We are taking forward a programme of work focused on improving the pathway across primary, secondary and tertiary services. This will include work to improve workforce skills to encourage earlier recognition of symptoms and improving access to assessment and treatment to reduce diagnostic delays across Wales. As this work develops, we will give consideration to whether a target for diagnosis times is appropriate.
Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) have developed Introductory and Fundamentals endometriosis training modules which are available to all staff (and external) via Y Ty Dysgu. Further modules will be developed during 2026/27.
Participation in the modules will be monitored, and consideration will be given to what, if any, additional actions are needed to increase uptake.
The implementation of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance across key areas of women’s health is supported by the Women’s Health Network in NHS Wales Performance and Improvement. The network is working with health boards to strengthen consistency, quality, and equity of service provision across Wales, ensuring regular benchmarking of pelvic health, menopause, and menstrual health services against relevant NICE guidelines. This work will also strengthen data collection, reporting, and transparency through the establishment of system-wide oversight of progress and variation in women’s health services with the aim of improving quality and access, and ensuring that care is equitable, evidence-based, and aligned with the ambitions of the Women’s Health Plan.
WQ99283 · Tabled · Answered
What steps has the Welsh Government taken to ensure the balanced representation of relevant stakeholders on the Greyhound Racing Ban Implementation Group, including animal welfare organisations, the greyhound racing industry, owners, trainers and breeders?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability
The Implementation Group was established to support the transition to a ban and provide practical advice to Welsh Ministers. Membership was designed to ensure balanced representation. It brings together stakeholders from the greyhound racing industry, independent veterinary surgeons, local authorities and animal welfare organisations. This ensures that industry, community and welfare perspectives are reflected. The Group may invite additional organisations if further representation is required.
The Group’s aims are to safeguard greyhound welfare during the transition, mitigate impacts, identify best practice, and support the transition away from greyhound racing. Further details are available on the Group’s webpage.
WQ99282 · Tabled · Answered
Will the Cabinet Minister confirm the remit and objectives of the Greyhound Racing Ban Implementation Group?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability
The Implementation Group was established to support the transition to a ban and provide practical advice to Welsh Ministers. Membership was designed to ensure balanced representation. It brings together stakeholders from the greyhound racing industry, independent veterinary surgeons, local authorities and animal welfare organisations. This ensures that industry, community and welfare perspectives are reflected. The Group may invite additional organisations if further representation is required.
The Group’s aims are to safeguard greyhound welfare during the transition, mitigate impacts, identify best practice, and support the transition away from greyhound racing. Further details are available on the Group’s webpage.
WQ99110 · Tabled · Answered
Will the Cabinet Secretary commit to publishing regular progress reports on reducing baby loss and improving bereavement care, to ensure transparency and accountability?
Answered by Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health
MBRRACE-UK is the national audit programme that collects data and publishes annual reports on all late foetal losses, stillbirth and neonatal deaths across the UK. This work forms part of the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP), funded by the Welsh Government and NHS England.
Our National Framework for the Delivery of Bereavement Care sets clear expectations for how organisations should respond to all forms of bereavement. It guides Health Boards and partners in providing consistent, person‑centred support and in addressing gaps in current provision, including support for people affected by pregnancy or baby loss.
Implementation of all bereavement pathways are monitored through the NHS Performance Framework, with Health Boards submitting six‑monthly progress reports. We also maintain regular engagement with Health Boards through the Wales‑wide Bereavement Leads Forum, which promotes consistency, shares best practice, and helps ensure that services continue to improve in line with the needs of bereaved families. Progress has been shared previously through written statements. We will consider the best approach to sharing future progress as the NHS implements the five new National Bereavement Care Pathways for baby loss that will be published imminently.
WQ98977 · Tabled · Answered
How is the Welsh Government assessing the impact of artificial intelligence on employment patterns across Wales?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy
The Welsh Government is assessing AI’s impact on employment through a baseline and ongoing monitoring approach. A review via the Workforce Partnership Council established an initial evidence base by surveying workers’ awareness, perceived risks and expected workplace changes, designed to be repeated over time. This is complemented by wider labour‑market analysis (including ONS surveys on job risk and business adoption) to identify sectors most exposed to automation, job displacement and skills gaps.
This evidence feeds into a broader strategic and governance framework set out in the AI Plan for Wales, where employment impacts are monitored through ongoing policy delivery. The Welsh Government has established an Office for AI and a Strategic AI Advisory Group to coordinate analysis and draw on expertise from academia, industry and the public sector, while embedding worker voice via social partnership structures and ethical guidance on workplace AI.
WQ98893 · Tabled · Answered
How will the Welsh Government measure progress in reducing disparities in mental health outcomes between young men in the most and least deprived communities in Wales?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
One of the key goals of the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 is to create a Healthier Wales, which is measured through the Wellbeing of Wales National Indicators.
National Indicator 29 is the “Mean mental wellbeing score in Wales”, and the milestone associated with the indicator is “to improve adult and children’s mean mental wellbeing and eliminate the gap in adult and children’s mean mental wellbeing between the most deprived and least deprived areas in Wales by 2050”.
The Welsh Government is required by the Act to collect and report this information and does so through the National Survey for Wales. Fieldwork is currently underway to collect survey data for the 2026-27 survey year and, due to its new design, the sample size is expected to be much larger from this survey year onwards. This is expected to allow more detailed breakdowns of mean mental wellbeing scores, including by deprivation, sex and age.
WQ98773 · Tabled · Answered
What percentage of adults in Wales are assessed as lacking basic financial literacy skills, and what progress has the Welsh Government made to improve this over the past five years?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Welsh Government does not hold specific data on financial literacy skills of adults in Wales.
Welsh Government recognises the importance of financial literacy, which is a mandatory part of the Curriculum for Wales for learners aged 3 to 16. We will publish a new Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Plan later this year, which will take a clear, system-wide focus on higher standards, stronger teaching and better support, so every learner can achieve in literacy and numeracy - including financial literacy - and no learner is left behind.
Official verbatim record: each question and answer as the Record prints it. Answers are signed with a job title, as published.