Eluned Morgan’s forty-second session as first minister comes to a close.

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Plaid Cymru MS Luke Fletcher asks what steps are being taken to promote and safeguard firefighters’ health.

Eluned Morgan says all three fire and rescue services in Wales ensure that all serving firefighters receive annual fitness checks and three-yearly medical examinations.

Luke Fletcher adds, "when I last raised this issue back in June, it was confirmed that the Chief Medical Officer for Wales had been asked to produce advice on the available evidence, and that a report was expected before the end of the year. We're now several months on, firefighters and their representatives are still waiting for clarity on when that work will be completed, and what form it will take. I can almost hear the scraping of feet being dragged on this issue."

Eluned Morgan replies, "the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council has considered new evidence since its position paper. They're content that the position has not changed. A number of significant reviews have already looked into the risks for firefighters. As you say, the chief medical officer has been asked to provide advice to ministers based on the available evidence."

Earlier this year Luke Fletcher led a debate in the Senedd on a cross-party motion, external in which members called for annual health checks for firefighters in Wales, with a study showing instances of cancer are up to 323 per cent higher than the general population. Senedd members voted 30-0 in favour of the motion, with 14 Labour members abstaining.

Image source, Getty Images

Conservative Joel James raises concerns by the Society of Radiographers (SoR) that some high-street clinics are putting lives at risk by allowing unqualified non-specialists to carry out baby scans.

The trade union says its members have seen examples of pregnant women being incorrectly diagnosed with serious health conditions and given dangerous advice, while other expectant mums have been sent to hospital after being told an abnormality meant they would need to end the pregnancy only to find their baby was completely healthy.

Eluned Morgan says "private sonography and 3D baby scans carried out by non-medical practitioners currently fall outside the scope of the regulatory framework in Wales, and the public should be aware of that. We strongly encourage all expectant parents to use NHS or medically-supervised services for baby scans, and this is the best way to ensure your safety and to receive accurate, reliable information."

A BBC investigation in 2020 uncovered similar failures in the diagnosis of serious medical issues during private baby scans.

It heard reports of women who were bleeding and in pain being accepted for scans, rather than being told to contact their doctor.

Image source, Getty Images

Labour's Jenny Rathbone asks "what consideration has the Welsh government given to developing a heat network across south Wales?"

Eluned Morgan replies, "I think it makes perfect sense to explore options to access cheap energy where it's available locally, and I'm really pleased that the Cardiff heat network will go live, funded by a grant both from the UK government and an interest-free loan from the Welsh government, totalling over £15 million. It's investment like this that will help to create 20,000 jobs that will make clean power and economic opportunities in every part of Wales."

Jenny Rathbone explains, "the Senedd, the Wales Millennium Centre and Cardiff and Vale College are all benefitting from the roll-out of this mini heat network, and similar small-scale schemes have been developed by Newport and Ceredigion councils."

But she warns, "unless the public sector is fully behind this long-term strategy for cheaper, greener electricity, the private sector is prioritising Worthing in England over Newport in Gwent. And unfortunately, unlike in England and Scotland, we have no Welsh green heat network".

Pioneering research has found that the activity of traffic, businesses, and people on Cardiff's streets has caused what has been described as "thermal pollution", meaning water underground is unusually warm - about 12C (54F).

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Plaid Cymru MS Peredur Owen Griffiths asks "what is the Welsh government doing to ensure that veterans in Wales receive consistent and effective support after leaving the armed forces?"

Eluned Morgan replies, "I'm very proud that the Welsh government supports jobs fairs and conferences across Wales regularly attended by veterans, service leavers and employers, and armed forces liaison officers do provide live support to our armed forces community."

Peredur Owen Griffiths says the mental health service Veterans NHS Wales, which marks its 15th anniversary this year, "still has no dedicated female mental health peer mentor. The Female Veterans Alliance has called for this for some time, and its need has been backed up with evidence gathered over a series of workshops with stakeholders, yet we are still without one."

Eluned Morgan says "I'm sorry to hear that there's no dedicated female peer mentor when it comes to mental health, and I think that is something that should be corrected, and I will pursue that issue."

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth points out that a target to eradicate child poverty in Wales by 2020 was dropped in 2016.

He says when the Labour Welsh government dropped the target "it said that the actions of the UK government on welfare reform were to blame. Now, if the two-child cap is to be removed now, what will the first minister's reasoning be now for not setting new, bold and ambitious child poverty targets?"

Labour chancellor Rachel Reeves has suggested she could remove the two-child limit on working-age benefits introduced under the Conservatives in 2017.

Eluned Morgan replies, "we in Wales are doing what we can in order to support child poverty rates in Wales - to improve those. You can see that in the fact that, actually, since 2022, we've invested £7 billion in supporting the poorest communities in Wales. Just to give you an example, the education maintenance allowance - we've increased that from £30 per week to £40 a week."

Rhun ap Iorwerth adds, "charities and sector leaders demand targets. If the UK government is taking welcome but belated action, the first minister is rapidly running out of excuses."

Image source, Senedd Cymru

On Armistice Day, Darren Millar, leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, pays tribute to "the sacrifice and service of those who gave so much to fight for the freedoms that we all enjoy today" and to the "skilled men and women in Wales" who work in the defence industry.

He calls for Wales to "get the investment that it deserves as a result of the increase in the UK government's expenditure on defence".

Eluned Morgan says "it was a huge privilege for me to have led the nation at the memorial event on Sunday to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in previous wars".

Around 5% of the UK population lives in Wales, while Welsh personnel make up around 6% to 7% of the UK armed forces.

"We deserve, we need and we expect to get our fair share of the defence budget," says Eluned Morgan.

Darren Millar turns to the latest labour market statistics for Wales, external, covering September 2025, which he describes as "dire".

He says, "they show that Wales has the highest unemployment rate in the United Kingdom - a rate that is up by 50 per cent since Labour took office in July 2024, and which is now at a 10-year high. And it's not just the fault of Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves, because the Welsh Labour government has supported national insurance increases for employers; you've slowed our economy down with 20 mph speed limits; you've allowed excessive council tax increases to be imposed upon our citizens, and they've gone unchecked; and you've legislated and paved the way for yet more Welsh taxes on motorists and tourists. It is very clear to me that your plan isn't working. When will you change course and back our pro-growth, pro-business and low-tax plans for Wales?"

Wales’ unemployment rate has risen to 5.7%, up from 4.9% the previous month.

Eluned Morgan replies, "much of the issue in relation to control of some of those things are related to things like Brexit, which you supported, related to things like tariffs that the United States have imposed. We have a higher manufacturing base in Wales, so that affects our exports more than it does those of the south-east, and we've seen, just this week, the impact on places like Aston Martin."

She adds, "the ONS [Office for National Statistics] says that the labour force survey is not reliable data, when it comes to Wales. The data that we use is the annual population survey, which stood at 4.1 per cent, which put us, actually, slightly in a better place than the United Kingdom. Let me just also make the point that we have supported 43,000 jobs across Wales this Senedd term [since 2021]. So, where we can intervene, where we can make a difference, we are."

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Labour's Mike Hedges asks "what measures is the Welsh government taking to increase Wales’ gross value added?"

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes regional gross value added (GVA) figures, measuring how much money is generated through goods produced and services delivered.

Gross value added per head in Wales is approximately three-quarters of the UK figure.

Eluned Morgan says "creating more wealth in Wales is one of my top priorities. Whilst we don't have all the levers needed to make this happen at our disposal, we're making the most of the powers we do have, through investments in infrastructure, skills, inward investments, exports and business growth initiatives."

Mike Hedges stresses the importance of universities.

He calls on the Welsh government "to promote spin-offs from university research, especially in green energy, ICT, including computer games, and life sciences... There are huge opportunities in these areas that we need to take. These are areas of high salaries and the opportunity to produce fast growth. For the Welsh economy to grow, we need support and investment into our universities."

Eluned Morgan says universities are "not just centres of learning but they are engines of our new economy" and she highlights an upcoming investment summit in December.

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Llywydd Elin Jones conducts a ballot to determine the names of members who may table questions to the first minister.

Conservative Mark Isherwood asks "how is the Welsh government intending to make public transport more accessible for all?"

First Minister Eluned Morgan refers to the "travel for all", external strategy, which seeks to improve access and inclusion across transport in Wales. It aims to:

• "remove barriers to accessibility
• "embed inclusivity when developing and delivering policies, services, and infrastructure
• "attract people to use our transport networks in Wales
• "enhance the travel experience for everyone using our networks."

Mark Isherwood calls for a pause on building “shared use bus boarders” or “floating” bus stops which can be dangerous particularly to blind and partially-sighted bus-users, where passengers board and alight directly into a cycle track shared between pedestrians and cyclists.

The first minister confirms "we're reviewing 27,000 bus stops across Wales when it comes to accessibility".

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Eluned Morgan’s forty-second session of First Minister's Questions.

The Siambr (Senedd chamber) has closed for renovations until March 2026, as work is underway on altering it to accommodate the 96 Members who will be chosen in the next Senedd election in May 2026.

So the 60 MSs are meeting in Siambr Hywel, the original debating chamber that housed the then National Assembly for Wales from 1999 to 2006.

The meeting is held in a hybrid format, with some members in Siambr Hywel and others joining by video-conference.

You can click on the play button above to watch the proceedings from 1.30pm.