Siambr · Sarah Cooper-Lesadd
Written questions
68 written questions on record from the Seventh Senedd on, newest first. Page 1 of 2.
WQ99646 · Tabled · Answered
What steps is the Welsh Government taking to ensure that people living with diabetes in Wales have access to the latest diabetes technologies and how will access to continuous glucose monitoring be prioritised for existing pump users and long-term Type 1 diabetes patients?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
Updated guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) requires the NHS in Wales to offer hybrid closed loop systems to most people with type 1 diabetes. This innovative technology combines sensors, pumps, and delivery control software to enhance day-to-day glucose management and support overall improvements in quality of life. Many more people are now eligible for these devices, as well as individuals on legacy systems or those who will be newly diagnosed in the years ahead.
NICE has recognised the scale of the transition required to this new technology and has allowed the NHS to implement the recommendation over a five-year period. This will provide the NHS with the opportunity to manage its available capacity, provide training to staff and patients, and procure the devices.
Health boards remain responsible for providing care in accordance with the NICE technology appraisal for hybrid closed loop systems. NHS Performance and Improvement has been working with health boards in Wales to improve access to these devices by targeting those who will benefit most. In the first instance, children and young people under 25, and women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy. While people are waiting to access hybrid closed loop systems, health boards continue to help people manage their diabetes using existing prescribed treatment and devices.
An all-Wales procurement has been undertaken by the NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership to put in place a National Framework for Diabetes Technology. This will support equitable access to evidence-based diabetes technologies and improve the cost-effectiveness of procurement. Health boards can purchase diabetes technology from the range of approved suppliers in the Framework, including continuous glucose monitors, with a choice of devices determined by a combination of clinical need, patient preference, safety, ability to use the technology, and expected benefit.
WQ99645 · Tabled · Answered
What plans are in place to evaluate and approve the Medtronic Simplera/Instinct continuous glucose monitoring system for use within NHS Wales, and what is the anticipated timescale for its availability to Welsh patients?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
Updated guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) requires the NHS in Wales to offer hybrid closed loop systems to most people with type 1 diabetes. This innovative technology combines sensors, pumps, and delivery control software to enhance day-to-day glucose management and support overall improvements in quality of life. Many more people are now eligible for these devices, as well as individuals on legacy systems or those who will be newly diagnosed in the years ahead.
NICE has recognised the scale of the transition required to this new technology and has allowed the NHS to implement the recommendation over a five-year period. This will provide the NHS with the opportunity to manage its available capacity, provide training to staff and patients, and procure the devices.
Health boards remain responsible for providing care in accordance with the NICE technology appraisal for hybrid closed loop systems. NHS Performance and Improvement has been working with health boards in Wales to improve access to these devices by targeting those who will benefit most. In the first instance, children and young people under 25, and women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy. While people are waiting to access hybrid closed loop systems, health boards continue to help people manage their diabetes using existing prescribed treatment and devices.
An all-Wales procurement has been undertaken by the NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership to put in place a National Framework for Diabetes Technology. This will support equitable access to evidence-based diabetes technologies and improve the cost-effectiveness of procurement. Health boards can purchase diabetes technology from the range of approved suppliers in the Framework, including continuous glucose monitors, with a choice of devices determined by a combination of clinical need, patient preference, safety, ability to use the technology, and expected benefit.
WQ99644 · Tabled · Answered
Will the Welsh Government commit to a target of reducing the average time to diagnose endometriosis in Wales to one year or less by 2030?
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.
WQ99405 · Tabled · Answered
What are the terms of reference for the review of the Corporate Parenting Charter and will it consider whether corporate parenting duties should be placed on a statutory footing for devolved Welsh bodies?
Answered by Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health
Although the Corporate Parenting Charter is not under review, there is ongoing engagement with organisations on progress with delivery of the Charter and the Pledges. We will continue to keep the position on placing corporate parenting duties on a statutory footing for devolved Welsh bodies under review.
WQ99365 · Tabled · Answered
Will the Welsh Government confirm a) the Welsh Government's current position on NHS access to tirzepatide for weight management, b) what eligibility criteria apply, and c) how the timeline for availability in Wales compares with England?
Answered by Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health
The current guidance, eligibility and approach are set out in the Welsh Health Circular WHC/2025/043. This gives direction to Health Boards regarding the prescription of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss and the eligibility criteria that has been expanded to cover a larger cohort of people, in line with guidance from the Society for Endocrinology. We will consider extending eligibility to further cohorts in due course, and any decisions will be communicated to Members in the appropriate manner.
The NHS in England currently prescribes weight loss medications to patients living with obesity who meet specific criteria. Detailed information about these medications can be found in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines [NG246]. Given the potentially very large eligible cohort and the variation between providers in the availability of the wrap-around infrastructure required to deliver its recommendations, NICE has extended the implementation period for tirzepatide for managing overweight and obesity in adults, providing up to 12 years to implement the recommendations in full. NICE has also indicated that it will evaluate any relevant evidence generated during the initial guidance implementation period of up to 3 years and review the effectiveness of the initial approach adopted in England. NICE may then set a revised timeline for the second phase of the guidance implementation period.
WQ99364 · Tabled · Answered
What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the impact on low income and disabled people of GP practices charging fees for supporting letters, including letters required to access suitable or social housing?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
GP practices in Wales hold General Medical Services (GMS) contracts with Local Health Boards. The GMS contract defines the NHS services that practices are required to provide.
Requests for supporting letters, reports or professional opinions for third parties, including those required for suitable or social housing applications, fall outside the scope of the GMS contract. GPs may charge fees for these non-contractual services.
Previous administrations did not undertake specific assessments of the impact of such charges on low income or disabled people, but in line with our commitment to addressing health inequalities we will keep the option of doing so under consideration. Patients also have a statutory right to access information held within their medical records, including through a Subject Access Request, free of charge.
WQ99193 · Tabled · Answered
What is the maximum permissible delay between a ministerial meeting taking place and its detail being published in the transparency logs, and what steps are being taken to ensure records are released within the same quarter?
Answered by First Minister
The Welsh Government aims to publish details of Ministerial meetings on a quarterly basis and there are no plans to change these arrangements.
WQ99192 · Tabled · Answered
Will the Welsh Government extend transparency requirements regarding external meetings to include those conducted by Special Advisers, and will these records include a distinct description of the subject matter discussed?
Answered by First Minister
The Welsh Government publishes details of Ministerial meetings and there are no plans to change these arrangements.
WQ99188 · Tabled · Answered
What processes are in place to proactively monitor whether Senedd-funded support staff, IT infrastructure, and parliamentary allowances are being used by Members of the Senedd to produce regular political content for external commercial media publications, and has any compliance advice has been issued regarding the recently announced monthly Plaid Cymru column by the National?
Answered by Senedd Commission
Members are personally responsible for complying with the Rules and Guidance on use of Senedd Resources, as required by the Code of Conduct, and that responsibility extends to work done by their staff.
Members are the employers of their staff and must ensure they and their staff act within both the Code and the Rules.
The Commission ICT service backs-up digital transactions and would comply with any investigations using the detailed reporting facility available to it, should an electronic audit trail be requested by the Police, Electoral Commission or Standards Commissioner.
WQ99055 · Tabled · Answered
What mechanisms or specific pay-scale exemptions exist within the Welsh civil service to allow for the short-term recruitment of specialist project-management, investment, and technology experts at competitive commercial rates?
Answered by First Minister
Substantive response.
WQ99054 · Tabled · Answered
Will the Cabinet Minister outline the projected delivery phases for the proposed live priorities dashboard, and confirm whether the transition from retrospective local government data to live central feeds is structured over a multi-year horizon?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
The priorities dashboard will be delivered in phases, with an initial version published by the end of the first 100 days of this government. The first iteration will set out the key measures that will be used to assess progress against the government’s priorities, drawing on the best available data. Future phases will focus on improving the dashboard’s functionality, widening the range of measures, and moving towards more timely data feeds where possible. This is expected to take place continuously over the term of the Senedd, with ongoing improvements as data becomes available. This approach will also draw on engagement with a range of partners across the wider data landscape.
WQ98998 · Tabled · Answered
What assessment has the Cabinet Minister made of whether Wales has the statistical infrastructure necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of its major public programmes, and what plans does he have to consolidate fragmented datasets across the Government?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
Substantive response
WQ98996 · Tabled · Answered
What assessment has the Cabinet Minister made of the consistency and comparability of early years and developmental outcome data collected across the twenty-two local authorities in Wales?
Answered by Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Substantive response
WQ98995 · Tabled · Answered
Will the Cabinet Minister confirm whether a consistent, national framework for measuring early years developmental outcomes exists across all twenty-two local authorities, and if not, when one will be established?
Answered by Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Substantive response
WQ98994 · Tabled · Answered
What mechanism does the Welsh Government currently have, or plan to introduce, to assess whether the expansion of the childcare offer is improving children's development outcomes, and will this mechanism be in place before, or after, the next phase of the expansion?
Answered by Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Substantive response
WQ98965 · Tabled · No answer published
What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the cost to maintained schools of separately procuring individual websites, and has it considered a centralised, bilingual content management platform to reduce duplication, ensure compliance with accessibility regulations, and strengthen cybersecurity across the schools estate?
To be answered by: Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
WQ98955 · Tabled · Answered
Will the Cabinet Minister provide an assurance that the Welsh Government will not seek to alter, influence, or introduce guidelines regarding internal political party nomination and listing procedures as a means of introducing an informal open-list system without passing primary legislation?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
This Government is committed to strengthening democracy in Wales. This includes working to build a cross-party majority to adopt the Single Transferable Vote for future Senedd elections.
An update on this work will be provided in due course.
WQ98953 · Tabled · Answered
Have any internal civil service working groups, external advisory panels, or secretarial teams within the Welsh Government been established since 13 May 2026 to draft, scope, or consider legislative options for electoral reform and if so, will the Cabinet Minister publish the minutes and attendance logs of any such meetings?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
This Government is committed to strengthening democracy in Wales. This includes working to build a cross-party majority to adopt the Single Transferable Vote for future Senedd elections.
An update on this work will be provided in due course.
WQ98948 · Tabled · Answered
How does the Cabinet Minister define majority, in the context of needing to secure the 64 votes required under Section 111A of the Government of Wales Act 2006, in light of the manifesto commitment to work for a cross-party majority to introduce the Single Transferable Vote system for Senedd elections?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
This Government is committed to strengthening democracy in Wales. This includes working to build a cross-party majority to adopt the Single Transferable Vote for future Senedd elections.
An update on this work will be provided in due course.
WQ98942 · Tabled · Answered
Will the Cabinet Minister confirm what progress the Welsh Government has made in delivering funded childcare places for children aged two and over, and indicate whether the rollout is almost complete?
Answered by Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Substantive response
WQ98940 · Tabled · Answered
How important does the Welsh Government consider reform of the electoral system to be for improving governance in Wales?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
This Government is committed to strengthening democracy in Wales. This includes working to build a cross-party majority to adopt the Single Transferable Vote for future Senedd elections.
An update on this work will be provided in due course.
WQ98938 · Tabled · Answered
Following the introduction of the new voting system for Senedd elections: a) what was the proportion of rejected or spoilt ballots at the 2026 election; b) what proportion had the Welsh Government forecast; c) how do both figures compare with previous elections, and d) what assessment has the Welsh Government made of any difference?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
The Welsh Government notes that the proportion of rejected or spoilt ballot papers at the most recent Senedd election in 2026 was 0.24%, compared with 0.61% of constituency ballots and 0.79% of regional ballots in the 2021 election.
While there was no forecast ahead of time, we welcome that fewer ballots were rejected or spoilt at the most recent election.
WQ98919 · Tabled · Answered
What assessment has the Cabinet Minister made of the legislative viability of the Government's proposed electoral system reforms, given the statutory requirement for a two-thirds majority in the Senedd, and what consensus-building protocols are in place to ensure departmental resources are not expended on non-viable constitutional proposals?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
This Government is committed to strengthening democracy in Wales. This includes working to build a cross-party majority to adopt the Single Transferable Vote for future Senedd elections.
An update on this work will be provided in due course.
WQ98918 · Tabled · Answered
What guidance or criteria does the Welsh Government have defining the operational boundaries of a caretaker government, specifically regarding restrictions on major fiscal commitments and significant policy announcements during periods of political transition?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
The Government produces guidance for Welsh Government staff during pre-election periods.
Elections to Senedd Cymru May 2026: guidance for Welsh Government staff [HTML] | GOV.WALES
WQ98917 · Tabled · Answered
Does the Welsh Government intend to produce a document equivalent to the UK Cabinet Manual, setting out the conventions governing the operation and formation of the Welsh Government?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
The Government has published a Welsh Government Cabinet Handbook.
Cabinet handbook | GOV.WALES
WQ98963 · Tabled · Answered
What proportion of the Cabinet Minister's departmental budget is allocated to civil service delivery versus constitutional policy development?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
The budget I am responsible for is not split on a simple basis between civil service delivery and constitutional work. This reflects that all parts of the Welsh Government are focused on delivery and on ensuring that policy development, constitutional work and corporate functions support better outcomes for people and public services across Wales.
Expenditure is managed across a range of integrated programme, staffing and corporate support lines that contribute to both operational delivery and policy functions. Detailed allocations are set out within the Welsh Government’s annual Budget and Main Expenditure Group (MEG) arrangements, rather than by individual ministerial function.
WQ98957 · Tabled · Answered
Does the Welsh Government intend to introduce a single bill covering Senedd review arrangements, local government electoral reform, and gender representation, or will these matters will be brought forward as separate, distinct pieces of legislation?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
This government wants to strengthen our democratic institutions and further improve diversity of representation amongst elected representatives. An update on this work will be provided in due course.
WQ98950 · Tabled · Answered
Will the Cabinet Minister a) ensure that the proposed terms of reference for the National Commission for Wales are limited to manifesto commitments of independence planning and devolution of the Crown Estate, rail and justice; and b) rule out extending its remit to include reviews of Senedd voting systems?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
The current devolution settlement is in urgent need of reform so that it improves outcomes for people in Wales. The Welsh Government is taking forward an ambitious programme of constitutional reform, including establishing a new National Commission for Wales. I shall set out the Commission’s remit in due course.
WQ98949 · Tabled · Answered
Will the Cabinet Minister set out the projected budget for the National Commission for Wales for the next financial year and confirm whether any funding is allocated to citizens’ assemblies, public roadshows or consultations on the Single Transferable Vote (STV)?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
The government shall set out its spending plans before the Senedd for all portfolios, including constitutional reform, in the usual way later this year.
WQ98941 · Tabled · Answered
How far in the process of establishing the expert steering group and childcare taskforce is the Welsh Government, and what stage should have been reached according to the planned timetable?
Answered by Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Substantive response
WQ98939 · Tabled · Answered
What proportion of the Cabinet Minister’s departmental resources is currently devoted to electoral-system reform, including consideration of the single transferable vote?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
Resources are allocated in line with the government’s priorities across Welsh Government as a whole.
WQ98925 · Tabled · Answered
What resources has the Cabinet Minister dedicated to constitutional and governance reform, as opposed to longer-term constitutional ambitions such as independence?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
The government shall set out its spending plans before the Senedd for all portfolios, including constitutional reform, in the usual way later this year.
WQ98920 · Tabled · Answered
What civil service reform metrics has the Welsh Government established to measure administrative efficiency within the Welsh Government?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
Responsibility for the detailed management and reform of the Civil Service sits with the Permanent Secretary. We meet regularly and will continue to discuss these matters as part of our ongoing engagement.
The Welsh Government monitors administrative efficiency through its corporate balanced scorecard and wider performance reporting arrangements. This includes indicators such as sickness absence, payment performance and the timeliness and quality of ministerial correspondence, which are reviewed regularly to inform improvement. A subset of these metrics is published externally through the Welsh Government’s annual accounts and performance reporting.
This approach continues to be developed as part of ongoing work to strengthen efficiency and effectiveness across the organisation.
WQ98915 · Tabled · Answered
What plans does the Welsh Government have to introduce a strict statutory timeframe for residency requirements for candidates standing in Senedd elections, in order to ensure parity with local government election rules and prevent institutional gaming of the electoral system?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
The government will set out its legislative priorities in due course.
WQ98914 · Tabled · Answered
What assessment has the Cabinet Minister made of the resilience of the Welsh Civil Service during periods of protracted government formation or political transition at Westminster, and what protocols are in place to ensure administrative continuity in cross-border public services?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
The Welsh Government keeps the resilience of the Civil Service under continual review. Established arrangements, grounded in UK Civil Service constitutional conventions and robust continuity planning, ensure the Civil Service remains impartial, operational and able to maintain essential government business, public services and intergovernmental engagement without interruption during times of transition.
WQ98913 · Tabled · Answered
What is the Cabinet Ministers strategy for implementing the recommendations of the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales, specifically regarding the urgent need to place intergovernmental relations on a firm, statutory footing?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
The Welsh Government is committed to implementing the recommendations of the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales. We will establish a new National Commission for Wales to support this work, including overseeing progress on further devolution, engaging the public in a national conversation on Wales’s constitutional future, and strengthening the evidence base for further reform.
In line with the Commission’s recommendations, we will press the UK Government to strengthen both the structures that underpin inter-governmental co-operation and the Sewel Convention, by placing them on a firm statutory footing.
WQ98912 · Tabled · Answered
How does the Welsh Government ensure that the needs of care-experienced children and young people are being met within the complaints and Ombudsman systems considering it holds no information on the complaints made by or on behalf of them?
Answered by Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health
The operation of complaints procedures for services supporting care experienced children and young people is a matter for the relevant service providers and, where appropriate, the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.
The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales is independent of the Welsh Government and responsible for investigating complaints about public services.
WQ98883 · Tabled · Answered
What discussions has the Welsh Government had with Great Western Railway regarding the extension of pay-as-you-go contactless ticketing to Bridgend and the wider Pen-y-bont area?
Answered by Deputy Minister for Transport
Great Western Railway currently refuse to allow passengers to use Transport for Wales’ innovative and beneficial pay-as-you-go ticketing offer to travel on their services to Bridgend or to other stations in South East Wales.
The benefits to passengers from all services in South East Wales accepting pay-as-you-go ticketing would be significant. Welsh Government and Transport for Wales are continuing to engage with both the UK Government and Great Western Railway to strongly encourage uptake of this ticketing offer.
WQ98882 · Tabled · Answered
Will the Government explore using the planning system to support care leavers, including whether the community infrastructure levy or S106 can be used to secure housing, work experience or employment opportunities for care-experienced young people?
Answered by Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health
Section 106 can be used to secure provision of affordable housing for those in need of housing, which could include care leavers who are registered for housing support with their local authority.
It would not be appropriate for the planning system to require employment opportunities or work experience in considering the acceptability of built development. However, many developers have a commitment to employ local people or apprentices, which could be available to care leavers.
Outside of the Planning System there are a number of initiatives being delivered by Government to assist and support care leavers to find work.
Through Jobs Growth Wales Plus, we offer tailored support for 16 to 19-year-olds, including training, work experience and financial help with costs like travel and childcare, so care leavers are not held back from taking part.
For those who need more intensive support, Communities for Work Plus provides one-to-one mentoring and practical help to overcome barriers and progress into sustainable employment.
Apprenticeships provide accessible opportunities for a wide range of learners, including care-experienced young people. They offer fully funded pathways across a broad range of sectors, enabling individuals to gain skills, qualifications and paid employment.
We work with Medr, training providers and employers to promote inclusive access to apprenticeships, including for those from under-represented or disadvantaged backgrounds. The programme aims to be flexible and responsive to the needs of learners and employers, supporting wider ambitions to increase participation in learning and remove barriers to progression into employment.
WQ98881 · Tabled · Answered
What is the Government doing to address the lack of placement sufficiency that sees children placed in care at crisis points, such as being moved at short notice on a Friday evening?
Answered by Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health
The Welsh Government is taking a range of actions to address the lack of placement sufficiency which can result in children being placed in care at crisis points, including unplanned moves at short notice. At the core of the response is a strategic focus on improving placement sufficiency across Wales. This includes working in partnership with local authorities to strengthen planning and forecasting of demand for care placements. By improving data collection and analysis, the Government is supporting authorities to better anticipate children’s needs and ensure that appropriate placements are available in advance, rather than relying on emergency arrangements.
A key area of intervention is investment in expanding the availability of local, high‑quality placements. This includes supporting the development of foster care capacity and encouraging the growth of provision that enables children to remain closer to their home communities. Increasing local capacity reduces the likelihood of children being moved at short notice or placed far from their support networks. Alongside this, we driving forward reforms linked to the “eliminating profit” agenda in children’s social care. This programme is intended to rebalance the market, reduce reliance on private providers where supply may be unstable or costly, and place greater emphasis on not‑for‑profit and public sector provision. The intention is to create a more sustainable and planned system of care, where placements are available based on need rather than crisis purchasing.
We are also promoting regional collaboration between local authorities. Through regional partnership arrangements, authorities are being encouraged to pool resources, share placement capacity, and develop joint commissioning approaches. This helps to reduce competition between authorities for limited placements, which can contribute to last‑minute placements and instability for children.
Workforce development is another important element. Recruitment and retention challenges in foster care and residential services directly affect placement availability. The Government is supporting initiatives to grow the workforce, improve conditions, and enhance training, recognising that sufficient and skilled carers are essential to a stable placement system.
In addition, there is a focus on improving practice to prevent crises arising in the first place. This includes strengthening early intervention and edge‑of‑care services to support families and reduce the need for children to enter care in emergency situations. Where children do need to enter care, clearer planning and better coordination aim to ensure that placements are arranged in a more managed and child‑centred way.
The Government is also working with local authorities to improve placement matching processes. Better matching ensures that placements are suitable and stable, reducing the likelihood of breakdowns that can lead to emergency moves, including those occurring at unsociable times such as Friday evenings.
Finally, there is ongoing oversight and engagement with local authorities on performance and sufficiency. Through the Health and Social Care (Wales) Act 2025 local authorities are required to take all reasonable steps to secure suitable accommodation for looked after children; prioritising options within or near to their area; and using only local authority or not-for-profit providers. The 2025 Act also requires local authorities to prepare and publish an annual sufficiency plan setting out the steps it will take to secure suitable accommodation. These plans must be submitted to Welsh Ministers for approval before publication so that the Welsh Government can ensure that sufficiency duties are being met and that improvement actions are taken where gaps are identified.
Taken together, these measures aim to shift the system away from reactive, crisis‑driven placements towards a more planned, stable, and sustainable model of care, in which children experience fewer disruptive moves and receive support in appropriate settings at the right time.
WQ98880 · Tabled · Answered
What information are local authorities required to provide to the Welsh Government on the care placement of siblings together or apart, and how is that reported?
Answered by Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health
The Welsh Government does not collect data on the number of sibling groups of children looked after by Welsh local authorities who are placed separately. This information is held at a local authority level.
WQ98879 · Tabled · Answered
What information does the Welsh Government collect regarding how many children with care-experienced parents are currently on child protection registers?
Answered by Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health
Children’s names are added to the Child Protection Register in Wales following child protection enquiries and a multi-agency decision at a Child Protection Conference. This decision is made where there is evidence that a child has suffered, or likely to suffer, significant harm and is judged to be at continuing risk of abuse, neglect or harm.
The Welsh Government does not collect or hold data on whether parents of children placed on the Child Protection register are care experienced.
WQ98878 · Tabled · Answered
What is the Welsh Government's assessment of how its current arrangements compare to the child death review and notification systems operating in England?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
The Child Death Review Programme collects information on all deaths of children in Wales, as well as Welsh-resident children who die elsewhere. The programme is managed by Public Health Wales and analyses national and regional patterns and trends to identify factors contributing to these deaths, with the aim of informing interventions that may help prevent future child deaths.
The programme covers deaths of children who are live born, where the death occurred after 1 October 2009 and before the child’s 18th birthday and where the child is either normally resident in Wales or dies within Wales. This includes children who are under local authority care and placed outside of Wales, or those who may temporarily reside outside of Wales for healthcare or education purposes.
The Procedural Response to Unexpected Deaths in Childhood (PRUDiC) sets a minimum standard for a response to unexpected deaths in infancy and childhood. It describes the process of communication, multidisciplinary collaboration and information sharing following the unexpected death of a child. The PRUDiC applies to all deaths in children from birth until their 18th birthday whether from natural, unnatural, known or unknown causes, at home, in hospital or in the community. The aim of the PRUDiC is to ensure that the response to unexpected deaths is safe, consistent and sensitive to those concerned.
Data generated through the PRUDiC is used by the Child Death Review Programme to determine patterns and trends pertaining to child deaths in Wales, and to inform thematic reviews to identify opportunities for future prevention.
Findings from the Child Death Review Programme are published regularly and shared with the Welsh Government through routine reporting and engagement meetings, enabling ongoing oversight of emerging trends. Where areas of concern are identified, targeted or rapid reviews may be commissioned to inform timely action. In addition, PRUDiC reviews are managed through safeguarding structures, with relevant issues escalated via the National Safeguarding Service
into safeguarding case review processes, ensuring that learning is systematically captured to support ongoing service improvement.
The process for reviewing child deaths in Wales is not directly comparable to that in England. It provides a coherent, proportionate and nationally consistent approach to understanding and preventing child deaths, with an emphasis on population-level insight and early identification of emerging risks. While structured differently from England, it enables effective national oversight and supports targeted action to reduce preventable child deaths across Wales.
WQ98877 · Tabled · Answered
Will the Welsh Government commit to notifying the relevant Minister of every death of a care-experienced person, as happens in England, and if not, why does Wales have a weaker oversight than England on this?
Answered by Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health
Section 125 of the Social Services and Well-Being (Wales) Act 2014 places a duty on the local authority to notify Welsh Ministers of the death of a child who is looked after.
The duty to notify the Secretary of State and Ofsted where a care leaver has died was introduced in 2023 in England and sits within statutory guidance rather than primary legislation. Local authorities in England should notify the Secretary of State of the death of a care leaver whereas they must notify the Secretary of State of the death of a looked after child.
Local authorities are required to keep in touch with all care leavers up the point they reach age 21, and to make their best efforts to contact all care leavers aged 21 to 24 annually to remind them they remain eligible for support. However, if a young person chooses not to take up support after the age of 21 the local authority may no longer be aware of a care leaver’s whereabouts or circumstances and therefore their death; as a result the Secretary of State is only notified of known deaths of care leavers.
We do not have an equivalent expectation of local authorities in relation to notification of the death of a care leaver in Wales; however this does not preclude local authorities from collecting this information locally.
WQ98863 · Tabled · Answered
Is the Welsh Government engaging with counterparts in other administrations on civil service modernisation, and if so, what is it learning?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
The Welsh Government continues to engage actively with counterparts across the UK, and more widely, on civil service modernisation through a range of formal and informal networks. These include cross-government functional communities, professional networks, and senior leadership forums.
This work has been strengthened since the election through the establishment of the enhanced Cabinet Office structure to support greater alignment, movement of capability, and a sharper focus on delivery. The Cabinet Office brings together strategic direction and prioritisation, cross-government delivery coordination, national security and resilience, international relations, constitutional issues, strategic communications, the delivery of the Welsh Government’s legislative programme and the management of the Welsh Government’s finances and fiscal strategy.
Effectiveness is central to this approach and is being driven through a consistent focus on:
• strong and visible leadership
• clear accountability and organisational alignment
• effective deployment and movement of skills and capability
• high-quality use of data and evidence in decision-making
• efficient, modern systems and processes that support delivery
• a sustained focus on outcomes and impact for the people of Wales
Engagement with counterparts enables the sharing of experience and learning on key areas such as digital transformation, workforce capability, organisational design, and strengthening delivery.
We identify effective approaches from other administrations and consider how these might be adapted to the Welsh context. This includes learning in areas such as improving the use of data to support decision-making, developing professional capability, and modernising systems and processes.
Engagement remains ongoing and provides an important mechanism for ensuring that our approach in Wales reflects civil service best practice, while maintaining a sustained focus on outcomes and impact for the people of Wales.
WQ98862 · Tabled · Answered
What consideration has the Cabinet Minister given to the lessons for the Welsh civil service of the Maude reforms at a UK level?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
Cabinet Minister recognises that civil service reform at a UK level, including the Maude reforms, placed a strong emphasis on strengthening functional capability, improving efficiency, and modernising the way government operates.
In the Welsh Government, these broad principles are reflected in our own approach to organisational development and business change. We are progressing work to strengthen corporate functions, improve the use of data and digital capability, and ensure that resources are aligned more clearly to delivery priorities.
Our approach is, however, tailored to the Welsh context, including the scale of the organisation and the need to support collaborative, cross-government working to deliver ministerial priorities. This means focusing not only on efficiency, but also on integration across functions, prevention and long-term outcomes.
Responsibility for the detailed management and reform of the civil service sits with the Permanent Secretary. The Cabinet Secretary and Permanent Secretary meet regularly and will continue to discuss these matters as part of their ongoing engagement.
WQ98861 · Tabled · Answered
Will the Cabinet Minister consider an externally led and publicly published audit of the Welsh civil service, including its recruitment, senior appointments, and whether it is fit to deliver for the people of Wales?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
The Civil Service Commissioners Annual Report publishes all recruitment across the Civil Service. We continue to look at ways to ensure effective delivery for the People of Wales, however these matters are for the Permanent Secretary and we will respond to these in due course.
Substantive response
WQ98768 · Tabled · Answered
Will the Cabinet Minister confirm what methodology is in place to measure progress against the First 100 Days Plan, specifically a) what data is being collected, b) how often it is being reviewed, and c) whether the Government is using an established performance management framework or has developed its own?
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness & the Constitution
Substantive response
WQ98751 · Tabled · Answered
How many Section 22 reports has the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales laid before the Senedd in the last five years regarding non-compliance with recommendations?
Answered by Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
This is not a matter for Welsh Government.
WQ98750 · Tabled · Answered
What information does the Welsh Government hold regarding the number of complaints made to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales by or on behalf of care-experienced children and young people in each of the last three years?
Answered by Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
The Welsh Government does not hold information regarding the number of complaints made to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales. The Ombudsman’s legal functions are set out in the Public Services Ombudsman (Wales) Act 2019. The Ombudsman is independent of all government and not answerable to a government minister. The Ombudsman reports annually to the Welsh Parliament on the work done during the year, the complaints service and the use of public money.
There is more information on the Ombudsman’s website here.
Official verbatim record: each question and answer as the Record prints it. Answers are signed with a job title, as published.