Siambr · Lindsay Whittle
Written questions
7 written questions on record from the Seventh Senedd on, newest first. Page 1 of 1.
WQ100988 · Tabled · No answer published
What discussions has the Welsh Government had about providing national guidance to local authorities on managing recessed EV charging cable channels?
To be answered by: Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning
WQ100938 · Tabled · No answer published
Further to WQ100206, when will the Welsh Government's free childcare offer for nine-month-olds be available in Caerphilly County Borough Council?
To be answered by: Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
WQ100232 · Tabled · Answered
What consideration has the Welsh Government given to introducing a routine newborn-screening programme for spinal muscular atrophy?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
Wales is not currently participating in the spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in-service evaluation. Improvements to infrastructure are required within the Newborn Bloodspot Screening Wales Programme before additional conditions can be safely introduced.
My officials are working closely with NHS partners on proposals to establish the requirements for modernising and future-proofing newborn screening infrastructure in Wales, to ensure we are well placed to respond to future screening developments and recommendations.
WQ100206 · Tabled · Answered
Will the Welsh Government provide an update on the roll-out of the free childcare programme in Nelson, Caerphilly County Borough Council?
Answered by Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Caerphilly County Borough Council has rolled out the 12.5-hour funded childcare offer to all two-year-olds in Nelson.
This phase will be rolled out across the remaining areas of the local authority from September 2026 and is expected to be available to all two-year-olds by the end of March 2027, as part of the wider expansion of funded childcare across Wales.
WQ99901 · Tabled · Answered
What plans does the Government have to improve access to mental health support for those 18 years old and improve access to local drug and alcohol support services, such as GDAS in Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni?
Answered by Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health
The all-age Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy sets out the actions we are taking across the Welsh Government and with partners to improve mental health and wellbeing, and to improve mental health services.
The Welsh Government is using our NYTH/NEST framework to bring a partnership approach to mental health and wellbeing support for babies, children, and young people. We are introducing a new young person’s engagement resource to support settings to gather children, and young people’s views on mental health and wellbeing services so their voices are informing improvement and change to services. We are also publishing podcasts discussing good practice in delivering mental health and wellbeing support.
Children and young people should get the support they need, when they need and we believe there should be no wrong door for mental health support. NHS Performance and Improvement (NHS P&I) are working with health boards to transform mental health services to provide same-day access, ensuring people of all ages can access the most appropriate form of support at the right time, without delay. A Quality Statement for Mental Health has also been published, this outlines what good mental health services should provide, and the standards people should expect.
In Wales, the seven Area Planning Boards (APBs) inform local commissioning decisions for substance misuse services and ensure that services are tailored to the specific challenges and demographics of each region. Alongside the provision of early intervention and preventative support a comprehensive and varied range of treatment interventions are funded, based on need informed through local needs assessments. Through the APB Substance Misuse Action Fund, the Welsh Government ring-fences £6.25m for children and young people.
In 2024, the Welsh Government published the Substance Misuse Treatment Framework for Children and Young People. The Framework is a guidance document and is designed to inform and assist health, social care, and criminal justice planners to design and deliver high quality treatment services, working with those at risk of initiation, or experience of historic or current problematic drug and/or alcohol use.
Further support is also available through DAN 24/7 and CALL which are free bilingual helplines funded by the Welsh Government, providing a single point of contact for anyone in Wales wanting further information or help in relation to substance misuse and mental health respectively.
WQ99900 · Tabled · Answered
What plans does the Welsh Government have in place to tackle long term issues for NHS workforce graduates finding employment in Wales, particularly in nursing fields?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
I recognise the concerns regarding employment opportunities for some newly qualified nurses in Wales. While recruitment decisions are made by individual NHS organisations, I am working closely with NHS Wales partners to maximise opportunities for graduates who wish to live and work in Wales.
In response to the challenges experienced by some nursing graduates this year, I convened a Graduate Summit in June. Following the Summit, Welsh Government, NHS Wales, HEIW, universities and professional bodies agreed a series of immediate and longer-term actions to support graduates into employment and strengthen workforce planning.
Organisations across NHS Wales continue to work together to implement these actions. Since the Summit, additional Band 5 nursing opportunities have been identified, meaning vacancies are now available for around 92% of nursing graduates. Graduates are also being supported with professional registration, wellbeing, career planning and employment advice, while longer-term work is underway to improve workforce intelligence and better align future training commissions with workforce demand.
My priority remains to support newly qualified nurses into employment wherever possible, retain their skills within Wales, and reduce the risk of similar challenges arising in future.
WQ99899 · Tabled · Answered
What work is the Welsh Government undertaking to review access to dentistry in Wales since new changes were brought in via the new NHS dentistry contract in April 2026?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
As with any major reform full impact will take time to assess. We are confident though that the new contract arrangements are delivering more preventative care and NHS capacity is being directed towards those who need it most.
A contract monitoring and evaluation group has been established which includes representatives from Welsh Government, Health Boards and the Welsh General Dental Practice Committee. We will continue working closely with these stakeholders to monitor progress, so any lessons are learnt and improvements implemented for the benefit of patients and the dental profession.
Official verbatim record: each question and answer as the Record prints it. Answers are signed with a job title, as published.