Siambr · Nick Carter
Written questions
17 written questions on record from the Seventh Senedd on, newest first. Page 1 of 1.
WQ100554 · Tabled · Answered
What consideration has the Welsh Government given to the need for speech and language therapy through the medium of Welsh?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
The Welsh Government fully recognises the importance of ensuring that people are able to access speech and language therapy services through the medium of Welsh. Through our Welsh language plan for health and social care – More than just words – people accessing speech and language therapy are identified as one of the priority groups for whom language can be a matter of clinical need and a key component of person-centred care.
Health boards have a responsibility to ensure people can access services in Welsh, including through the consistent delivery of the Active Offer.
We are supporting the development of Welsh-medium provision across speech and language therapy through a range of measures, including workforce planning, training, and service improvement.
For example: We have supported the development of a bilingual speech and language therapy degree programme at Wrexham University, commissioned through Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) which helps ensure opportunities for students to train through the medium of Welsh, and directly supports the future Welsh-speaking speech and language therapy workforce in Wales.
WQ100553 · Tabled · Answered
What discussions has the Cabinet Minister had with animal welfare charities to improve pet friendly provisions within the private rented sector?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning
As set out in the First Minister’s legislative statement on 14 July, strengthening rights for renters in Wales is a priority for this government and we are taking a phased legislative approach, aiming to protects tenants, tackle poor practice, and make renting more secure and affordable. We are currently considering which additional renters’ rights and protections are required in Wales, and I can confirm we will be exploring provisions in relation to pets.
WQ100317 · Tabled · Answered
What data does the Welsh Government hold on the number of Welsh speakers living with aphasia following a stroke in each health board area?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
The Welsh Government does not centrally hold or collect specific data on the exact number of Welsh speakers living with aphasia following a stroke.
While the Welsh Government tracks general stroke admissions and performance measures through the NHS Wales Performance and Improvement, individual patient clinical sub-categories, such as aphasia combined with specific language profiles like Welsh-language proficiency, are managed at the local health board level rather than recorded in central national datasets.
WQ100390 · Tabled · Answered
What consideration has the Cabinet Minister given to increasing the small business rates-relief threshold to reflect cumulative inflation since it was frozen in 2018?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Finance
The Welsh Government has not considered increasing the rateable value thresholds used to determined eligibility for the relief in line with inflation. Rateable values do not increase annually in line with inflation. They are reviewed during revaluations of the whole tax-base, which may result in an increase, decrease or no change at an individual property level.
WQ100410 · Tabled · Answered
Has the Cabinet Minister requested the decision record and supporting evidence for the level 3 escalation from NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee meeting on 24 August 2026 including what changed between the paper published on 24 August describing the Welsh Gender Service as a potential service of concern and the subsequent level 3 intervention?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality, and I met with the NHS Wales Joint Commissiong Committee (NWJCC) on 4 September. The purpose of the meeting was to seek clarity on the Committee’s decision to pause gender-affirming surgery and referrals for surgery. I received assurance that this was a clinically-led decision due primarily to the data showing higher rates of referral from Wales but lower rates of progression to some surgeries. It is important that the NWJCC understands the reasons for this, and that is the purpose of the urgent clinical review of patients on the waiting list.
I also received assurance that this is a pause, not a stop. I expect the urgent clinical review to be undertaken at pace to minimise disruption for patients.
I have also written to the Chair of Cardiff and Vale University Health Board to seek further assurance on the support being provided for those affected by the pause.
I have been clear that whilst this process needs to be evidenced and clinically led, disruption for individuals on the waiting list must be minimised. I expect both the NWJCC and the health board to take forward any required actions as a priority.
The NWJCC is responsible for ensuring the quality and safety of the services that it commissions. NWJCC Committee papers and Sub Committee papers are published here Committee Meeting Papers - NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee. We expect the related impact assessments and information relating to the escalation of the service to level 3 to be published in the Joint Committee papers later this month (September).
WQ100379 · Tabled · Answered
When will new vape packaging and retail display regulations come into force in Wales, and what representations is the Welsh Government making to the UK Government on restricting vape flavours, following the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health's August 2026 review on the impact of vaping on children and young people?
Answered by Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health
The Welsh Government is committed to preventing children and young people from taking up vaping, while recognising that vaping can have a role in supporting adult smokers to quit. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s systematic review on the impact of vaping on children and young people reinforces the importance of taking further action to reduce the appeal and accessibility of vaping products to children, highlighting significant health consequences across a number of domains.
Following Royal Assent of the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 on 29 April 2026, and as a result of close collaboration between the four nations, a UK-wide consultation on proposals to regulate tobacco, vaping and nicotine product packaging, vape device appearance and retail displays was launched on 10 July 2026. The consultation closes on 2 October 2026. The proposals include mandating plain white packaging for vaping products, restrictions on packaging and vape device appearance, limits on flavour descriptors, and restrictions on the display of vaping products in retail premises.
No commencement date has yet been set for any regulations implementing changes to packaging, appearance and retail display requirements. The timetable of implementation will depend on consideration of consultation responses, further policy development and the preparation and passage of secondary legislation. The Welsh Government will continue to work closely with the UK Government and the other devolved governments to progress this work as quickly as is practicable.
The consultation includes proposals to restrict flavour descriptors. These include requiring a single, lead recognised flavour; restricting hyphenated or combined flavour names; prohibiting concept or sensory descriptions; and restricting food and drink categories that particularly appeal to children. The consultation does not, however, propose restrictions on the ingredients used in vapes or on the flavours that may be sold.
Whilst the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 includes powers enabling the Secretary of State to make regulations about the substances that may be included in, and the flavour of, vaping products, Baroness Merron confirmed during the passage of the Act through Parliament the UK Government’s commitment to consult on regulating flavour descriptors as a first step before considering broader restrictions on flavoured ingredients.
To support policy development on potential future regulations on tobacco, vapes and nicotine products, including vape ingredients and flavours, the UK Government ran a call for evidence between October and December 2025. I am aware the UK Government intends to consult on this area as soon as is practicable following the conclusion of the current consultation on packaging, appearance and display. Whilst this work is progressing, I will continue to make clear the need for robust action to protect children and young people from nicotine addiction and from vaping products designed or marketed in ways that appeal to them.
Before the Secretary of State makes regulations on product requirements, including provision about the substances and flavours of vaping products, the Secretary of State must obtain the consent of the Welsh Ministers, if the regulations contain provision which would be within the legislative competence of Senedd Cymru if contained in an Act of the Senedd. Accordingly, the Welsh Ministers will have an important role in the consideration of any future regulations relating to vaping product requirements. The Welsh Government will continue to work closely with the UK Government and the other devolved governments to ensure that future policy development is informed by the best available evidence and supports our shared objective of protecting children and young people from the harms associated with vaping.
WQ100378 · Tabled · Answered
Has the Welsh Government calculated how much child benefit is unclaimed by eligible families, and what initiatives has it considered to help those eligible to claim money that would support families and local economies?
Answered by Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
As child benefit is a non-devolved benefit delivered by the UK Government, we do not routinely hold data on eligibility and take-up. However, we know from analysis undertaken by stakeholders such as Policy in Practice that many families in Wales are not claiming all their entitlements including Child Benefit.
Income maximisation is a key commitment for Welsh Government in terms of tackling poverty. We are delivering a range of policy initiatives to ensure that people in Wales are aware of and can access their full financial entitlements which includes non-devolved benefits such as Child Benefit. The initiatives include a national benefit take-up communications campaign, free training for frontline staff, data analysis to identify households that may not be claiming what they are entitled to, alongside advice and support to help people navigate the claiming process.
WQ100357 · Tabled · Answered
What consideration has the Welsh Government given to encouraging the use of flipped learning techniques in school sixth forms and further education colleges, specifically for the teaching of maths and other STEM subjects?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Welsh Government supports pedagogical practice through professional standards, workforce development and guidance, in partnership with Medr. Sixth forms and further education colleges retain responsibility and exercise their professional judgement for all pedagogical decisions, in response to individual learner needs.
WQ100356 · Tabled · Answered
What is the Welsh Government doing to ensure the efficient transfer of patient data between Velindre University NHS Trust and Cardiff and Vale University Health Board to improve patient outcomes?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
Substantive response
WQ100319 · Tabled · No answer published
How is the Welsh Government working with NHS health boards and trusts to ensure there are the same level of doctors on duty in hospitals at weekends as there are during the working week?
To be answered by: Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
WQ100318 · Tabled · Answered
Beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i wella a gwarchod ansawdd dŵr Afon Taf?
Official English translation
What is the Welsh Government doing to improve and protect the water quality of the River Taff?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability
Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn gwella ac yn diogelu ansawdd y dŵr yn Afon Taf drwy waith partneriaeth gyda Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru (CNC), Dŵr Cymru, awdurdodau lleol a rhanddeiliaid eraill.
Mae CNC wedi nodi bod dalgylch Taf/Elái yn ddalgylch cyfle drwy eu Datganiad Ardal ar gyfer Canol De Cymru. Mae hyn yn cefnogi dull hirdymor sy’n seiliedig ar ddalgylch, wedi’i alinio â’r Cynlluniau Rheoli Basnau Afonydd, sy’n amlinellu’r camau gweithredu sydd eu hangen i wella ansawdd dŵr a statws ecolegol drwy ddod â rheoleiddwyr, awdurdodau lleol, cwmnïau dŵr, rheolwyr tir, sefydliadau amgylcheddol a chymunedau lleol ynghyd i fynd i’r afael â llygredd dŵr yn y tarddle, gwella ansawdd dŵr, adfer prosesau naturiol a chynyddu gwydnwch ecosystemau a lleihau’r risg o lifogydd.
Mae gwella ansawdd dŵr afonydd yn her gymhleth, gyda phwysau’n dod o nifer o ffynonellau. Ni all unrhyw sefydliad sengl fynd i’r afael â’r heriau hyn ar ei ben ei hun, ac er mwyn gwneud gwelliannau parhaol bydd angen camau cydgysylltiedig gan lywodraeth, rheoleiddwyr, cwmnïau dŵr, rheolwyr tir a chymunedau lleol. Er bod heriau’n parhau i fod, byddwn yn parhau i weithio gyda phartneriaid i sicrhau gwelliannau pellach i ansawdd dŵr yn Afon Taf ac afonydd ledled Cymru.
WQ100316 · Tabled · Answered
Beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i alluogi sefydliadau sector gyhoeddus gario eu tanwariant cyllid drosodd, er mwyn caniatáu buddsoddi yn y blynyddoedd ariannol dilynol?
Official English translation
What is the Welsh Government doing to enable public sector organisations to carry over any funding underspend, in order to allow investment in subsequent financial years?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Finance
The Welsh Government and its public sector organisations which fall within its budget boundary, such as NHS bodies and Welsh Government Sponsored Bodies, operate within a budgetary framework set by the UK Government. Budgets are set on an annual basis and there is limited scope for individual organisations to carry forward underspends into future years. Any underspends form part of the overall Welsh Government position and may be carried forward through the Wales Reserve, subject to fiscal framework rules.
WQ100315 · Tabled · Answered
What is the Welsh Government doing to provide greater financial security for arms-length bodies, specifically the ability to plan beyond short term annual spending reviews?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Finance
Despite facing an extremely challenging fiscal context, we are committed to providing greater medium-term financial certainty wherever possible to our arms-length bodies, to support effective planning and delivery of services. We will publish our Draft Budget on 17 November 2026, which will set out a multi-year budget aligned to the spending review settlement. This will provide a longer-term funding framework than has been given in recent years and will help public bodies to plan and prioritise activity over a multi-year period.
WQ100274 · Tabled · Answered
What is the Welsh Government doing to tackle NHS waiting lists?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
Reducing NHS waiting lists and improving timely access to care remains one of the Welsh Government's highest priorities.
We have recently announced an additional £145 million investment in NHS Wales, including £100 million specifically to support reductions in waiting times, £25 million to expand surgical and diagnostic capacity, and £20 million for essential estate improvements. This investment is being linked directly to delivery and is intended to accelerate reductions in the longest waits, increase planned care activity and reduce overall waiting list size.
Alongside this investment, we have introduced a clinically led Planned Care Reset and Delivery Plan which focuses on increasing sustainable capacity, improving productivity, expanding diagnostics, strengthening referral management and ensuring patients who have waited longest are treated more quickly. Health Boards are expected to work collaboratively to maximise available capacity and deliver sustained improvements in performance.
The approach includes increasing surgical activity, including through dedicated surgical hubs and additional theatre capacity, improving access to diagnostic tests, and redesigning pathways so that patients receive the right advice, assessment and treatment at the earliest opportunity. Referrals are being reviewed earlier and follow-up arrangements modernised, helping to release clinical capacity for patients waiting for their first appointment.
We are also strengthening national oversight and accountability arrangements. Health Boards receiving additional funding are required to demonstrate delivery against agreed trajectories, show that activity is additional and contributing to reductions in waiting times, and provide evidence of productivity improvements and service transformation.
Through this combination of additional investment, increased capacity and service improvement, our objective is to eliminate the longest waits and continue reducing the overall waiting list, while delivering sustainable improvements for patients across Wales.
WQ100248 · Tabled · Answered
How is the impact of public investment in culture currently being measured by the Welsh Government?
Answered by Trefnydd, Chief Whip and Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport
The Welsh Government routinely undertakes proportionate, relevant and robust evaluations of its investments in culture. As part of developing the new Culture and Sport Strategy for Wales we have placed a clear focus on evidence. The strategy will be based on a root and branch reassessment of the challenges and opportunities facing these sectors, identifying the outcomes we want to achieve and how progress and impact will be monitored and evaluated.
The Welsh Government collects evidence about the cultural organisations we support, primarily collected via the yearly statutory Welsh Public Library Standards, bi-annual Museum Spotlight Survey, and yearly UK Archive Sector Survey. The Arts Council for Wales surveys its portfolio organisations and collects data on the number of arts events run, and demographic engagement. Sport Wales runs regular surveys and tracks activity levels in Wales via the Sport and Active Lifestyles Survey and School Sport Survey.
WQ100219 · Tabled · Answered
Beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i adolygu os oes gan ddiffoddwyr tân yr offer gwarchod addas, y gallu arbenigol angenrheidiol fel hofrenyddion a chyfleusterau lles digonol yn ystod digwyddiadau brys fel y tanau gwyllt diweddar?
Official English translation
What is the Welsh Government doing to review whether firefighters have suitable protective gear, the necessary specialist capability such as helicopters and sufficient welfare facilities during an emergency such as the recent wildfires?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning
It is for each Fire and Rescue Service to provide firefighters with appropriate personal protective equipment and welfare facilities. While the recent outbreaks of wildfire have placed the Service under exceptional strain, I am not aware of any significant concerns about this particular issue.
Helicopters can make a useful contribution to tackling wildfires in some cases, by complementing the ground-level firefighting operations which will always be necessary. However, the commercial capability to undertake aerial firefighting in the UK is currently very limited, and in recent weeks demand has significantly exceeded supply in Wales and elsewhere. I and my officials have had extensive recent discussions with the Fire and Rescue Services about this issue, but the only sustainable solution is likely to mean increasing civilian or military capabilities at a UK level.
Welsh text as published
Pob Gwasanaeth Tân ac Achub unigol sy’n gyfrifol am ddarparu cyfarpar diogelu personol priodol a chyfleusterau lles i ddiffoddwyr tân. Er bod y digwyddiadau diweddar o danau gwyllt wedi rhoi’r Gwasanaethau o dan straen aruthrol, nid wyf yn ymwybodol o unrhyw bryderon sylweddol ynghylch y mater penodol hwn.
Mewn rhai achosion, gall hofrenyddion gyfrannu’n fuddiol o ran mynd i’r afael â thanau gwyllt, a hynny drwy ategu’r gweithrediadau diffodd tân ar lawr gwlad a fydd bob amser yn angenrheidiol. Fodd bynnag, mae’r gallu masnachol i gynnal gweithrediadau diffodd tân yn yr awyr yn gyfyngedig iawn yn y DU ar hyn o bryd, ac yn ystod yr wythnosau diwethaf, mae’r galw wedi bod yn sylweddol uwch na’r cyflenwad yng Nghymru a mannau eraill. Yn ddiweddar, rwyf i a’m swyddogion wedi cynnal trafodaethau helaeth â’r Gwasanaethau Tân ac Achub ynglŷn â’r mater hwn, fodd bynnag, mae’n debygol mai’r unig ddatrysiad cynaliadwy yw cynyddu galluoedd sifil a milwrol ar lefel y DU.
WQ100200 · Tabled · Answered
Beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i sicrhau bod gan bobl ar draws Cymru fynediad i wasanaethau iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol yn yr iaith Gymraeg?
Official English translation
What is the Welsh Government doing to ensure that people across Wales have access to health and social care services through the medium of Welsh?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
Mwy na geiriau / More than just words is the Welsh Government’s plan to strengthen Welsh language services in health and social care. It is underpinned by the principle of the Active Offer (where people are able to access services in Welsh without having to ask for it) – and has a specific focus on strengthening leadership; workforce planning; increasing the skills of the current and future workforce; sharing good practice; and ongoing monitoring and reporting.
Mwy na geiriau / More than just words priorities are aligned with the Welsh Language Standards – to support the delivery of Welsh language services and ensure people can access safe, equitable and person-centred care.
Welsh text as published
Mwy na geiriau yw cynllun Llywodraeth Cymru i gryfhau gwasanaethau Cymraeg mewn iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol. Yn sail iddo mae egwyddor y Cynnig Rhagweithiol (lle gall pobl dderbyn gwasanaethau yn Gymraeg heb orfod gofyn amdanynt) - ac mae yna ffocws penodol ar gryfhau arweinyddiaeth; cynllunio’r gweithlu; cynyddu sgiliau’r gweithlu presennol a’r dyfodol; rhannu arfer da; a monitro ac adrodd parhaus.
Mae blaenoriaethau Mwy na geiriau wedi’u halinio gyda Safonau’r Gymraeg - i gefnogi darpariaeth gwasanaethau Cymraeg a sicrhau fod pobl yn gallu cael mynediad i ofal diogel a chyfartal sy’n canolbwyntio ar yr unigolyn.
Official verbatim record: each question and answer as the Record prints it. Answers are signed with a job title, as published.