Welsh Government in the dark over coverage of £109m tax rises
The Welsh Government remains in the dark about how much Wales will receive to cover the estimated £109m cost of tax rises in the public sector, a committee heard. Jayne Bryant said the UK Government has confirmed it will…
Progress on tackling fuel poverty in Wales ‘too slow,’ committee warns
Progress on reaching a target of no more than 5% of households in Wales living in fuel poverty by 2035 has been far too slow, a committee warned. Jenny Rathbone, who chairs the Senedd’s equality committee, pointed to evidence…
Wales risks ‘falling behind’ on tackling pet abduction, MS warns
A Senedd member warned Wales risks falling behind the rest of the UK on tackling pet abduction after ministers rejected calls to create a specific criminal offence. Carolyn Thomas called for a pet abduction bill to make stealing a…
Welsh Language education bill clears first hurdle
A shake-up of Welsh language education cleared the first hurdle in the Senedd despite concerns about staff shortages, teachers’ workloads and the cost to schools. Senedd members unanimously agreed the general principles of the Welsh language bill, which was part of…
Ex-First Minister calls for reform to leasehold system
Vaughan Gething called for “long-overdue” reform to the leasehold system, warning of injustice, iniquity and unscrupulous landlords fleecing households. The former first minister said new leasehold properties are still being created in Wales following a significant increase over the past…
Senedd debates calls for right to adequate housing
The Senedd debated calls to enshrine a right to adequate housing into Welsh law. Siân Gwenllian warned Wales’ housing crisis is getting worse, with no signs of improvement, as she set out the case for a bill to incorporate…
COVID-19 still causing people to suffer, Senedd hears
As many as 100,000 people in Wales, including 4,500 children, could still be suffering from long Covid nearly five years after the pandemic struck, the Senedd heard. Hefin David warned Covid has not gone away, with many thousands of…
Welsh Conservative Leader resigns after narrowly surviving vote of no confidence
Andrew RT Davies announced his intention to stand down as leader of the Conservatives in the Senedd after narrowly surviving a vote of no confidence. Mr Davies won the vote among the Tory group, 9-7, but offered his resignation…
Tourism tax ‘ill thought out and unnecessary,’ warns Conservative Senedd members
Conservative Senedd members warned “ill thought out and unnecessary” plans for a tourism tax will make people think twice about holidaying in Wales. Peter Fox raised concerns about visitors being priced out after the Welsh Government unveiled a tourism bill,…
Concerns over cancer centre procurement process
A consortium was selected to build a cancer centre amid concerns about the involvement of construction companies caught colluding on bids for other projects, a committee heard. The public accounts committee scrutinised representatives of Velindre University NHS Trust over…