The First Minister has been challenged to provide a clear date for when two-year NHS waiting lists will be eliminated in Wales.
During the final Senedd plenary session before the eight-week summer recess, opposition leader Dan Thomas accused Rhun ap Iorwerth of failing to “do the detail” on health, transport, and childcare.
Reform’s Mr Thomas questioned why different cabinet ministers had provided conflicting timescales for tackling the backlog.
He said: “During the election campaign, the First Minister said that two-year waits would be eradicated within a matter of months, and then his new health minister said that they would be eradicated by the end of the four-year term. I then asked the First Minister who was right, and in a very long-winded answer, he said that he was.
“But then, just a couple of weeks ago, his finance minister, on BBC Walescast, said that two-year waits would be gone in 12 months – so, in other words, a year. Now, a year is a lot longer than a matter of months.
“So, can the First Minister finally give us some more detail: by which month will two-year waits be finally eradicated in Wales, as they are in England?”
Mr ap Iorwerth dismissed the row over the timeline as a “philosophical debate” and insisted his administration was actively delivering results.
He said: “The actions that government is taking are aligned with bringing down those two-year waits as quickly as we can. We want to do it in months.
“That is precisely what we set out to do before coming in to government, and what we are actively delivering now in government.”
Mr Thomas also pressed the Mr ap Iorwerth on the cost of Plaid Cymru’s flagship childcare policy – and accused the First Minister of failing to “do the detail”.
“We know this figure is somewhere in Plaid Cymru HQ,” said Mr Thomas. “What are the initial costings of Plaid Cymru’s childcare offer?”
Mr ap Iorwerth clarified that £55 million had been allocated in the supplementary budget to fund the first phase of the rollout, which will complete the 12.5 hours offer for two-year-olds within this financial year.
“Now, that is what is being done. I literally cannot give you more detail than that. It’s the money, it’s the timescale, and it’s going to be done within this financial year.”
“Crisis”
Welsh Labour leader Ken Skates accused the Welsh Government of being “pretty much silent” during recent wildfires in north Wales, as the First Minister defended his cabinet’s response.
Welsh Labour leader Ken Skates, who represents the Fflint Wrecsam constituency, said: “Over the past few days, a crisis developed, the like of which I fear we will see again and again.
“Homes were evacuated, schools were closed, hundreds of acres of land was scorched, and businesses hit.
“Now, thanks to our emergency services the loss of human life was averted. First Minister, who is responsible in your government for responding to such events?”
The First Minister clarified it is a “cross-government” response, with some ministers directly involved in working with emergency services.
He continued: “These fires may have started yesterday, but they are caused by man-made climate change that all of us across government are committed to addressing.”
Calling for a dedicated minister for north Wales, Mr Skates said: “This week, the Welsh Government has been pretty much silent in north Wales and about north Wales whilst these fires have taken place.
“More people may be left homeless in weeks and months to come with further extreme heat predicted, and that means that businesses will also be hit, likely events will be cancelled.”
He asked the First Minister what his government will do to support businesses and homeowners impacted by the wildfires.
Mr ap Iorwerh said his government “will do everything we can and already have done” to support those affected – and thanked the emergency services.
“Another row about rubbish receptacles”
Welsh Conservative leader Darren Millar quizzed the First Minister on the Welsh Government’s deposit return scheme.
The scheme, scheduled to start in October, will see customers pay a small deposit when buying drinks in single-use containers. This deposit is refunded when the empty container is returned to a shop.
Unlike the rest of the UK, the Welsh Government plans to include glass in its scheme.
Mr Millar argued including glass will push up costs for businesses, manufacturers, and consumers, and said 90% of glass in Wales is already recycled through kerbside collections.
He questioned why householders should have to “drive with their cars full of bottles back to the shops” rather than using their usual home recycling bins.
The First Minister noted that the Conservatives have previously supported the deposit return scheme with glass.
He said: “Why is it that the Conservatives said they supported including glass? Why is it that the last Senedd voted for the inclusion of glass, which is something that this government is respecting in taking this matter forward?
“It is because it does go further than recycling. It is the reuse. It is about that environmental responsibility.
“It is about also being a trailblazer, because there’s an agreement in principle in other parts of the UK to progressing with glass. We can be the ones showing the way.”
Responding in the Senedd, the First Minister dismissed warnings from large manufacturers about massive price increases, saying “the sums don’t add up.”
Mr ap Iorwerth added that small retailers who lack the physical space for return machines will be exempt from the scheme.