Eluned Morgan’s seventeenth session as first minister comes to a close.

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Liberal Democrat Jane Dodds - whose vote is likely to be crucial in getting the Welsh government budget through the Senedd in March - asks "how is the Welsh government helping childcare providers to support children with additional learning needs?"

She says "more children are presenting themselves with additional learning needs at an earlier age, and there are delays in diagnosis which leave many without vital support. Without these early assessments, childcare providers must take full responsibility, without the necessary specialist resources to give children the best start in life."

She calls on the first minister to "commit to increase funding for childcare settings and invest in speech and language therapists so the children receive the support that they need and the diagnosis that they need more quickly".

The first minister says there are over 21,000 learners with individual development plans, a 124% increase since 2018, and that funding in this area has increased 55% - by £200m - since 2018.

She adds, "there has been a significant increase in the number of people recruited to this area. Specifically, when it comes to speech and language therapists, it is a very challenged area across the whole of Wales, but there has been an increase in the number of people training in those areas in the past few years."

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Conservative Sam Rowlands welcomes the progress on the Wrexham-Flintshire investment zone.

But he says "there are also more opportunities", and he calls on the first minister to "support those greater opportunities, because the nature of the investment zone on the border with England - there are opportunities with Merseyside, with Manchester and Cheshire to have more cross-working for economic growth in that part of the UK."

The first minister replies, "I will celebrate with you the fact that we now have that investment zone presence in north Wales and a real opportunity, I think, in terms of releasing up to £160 million worth of funding, along with the retention of non-domestic rates growth to develop infrastructure, skills and to attract investment."

She adds, "I think we've got to recognise that all across in particular that north-eastern zone, there is a lot of movement cross-border. That is not something we should fight; it's something that we should embrace. I think it's in all of our interests to make sure that we develop and grow together and certainly, I'm sure that the minister for north Wales [Ken Skates] is very keen on making sure that that development continues and we know in relation to things like rail development that we want to see much closer co-operation when it comes to working together to drive productivity, to drive investment into those areas."

Last week Chancellor Rachel Reeves claimed government backing for the zone, first announced last year, would attract £1bn to the area. Backed by the likes of Airbus and JCB, Reeves said the investment would create up to 6,000 jobs.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Plaid Cymru MS Delyth Jewell expresses concerns about "clinical governance" at surgeries managed by a GP management company that has been criticised by patients, doctors and by the first minister.

Safety, staffing and supply concerns at surgeries managed by Leicestershire-based eHarley Street were revealed by BBC Wales at the end of last year - prompting criticism from Eluned Morgan.

Delyth Jewell says "I've spoken to a doctor who worked in one of the surgeries as a locum, who said that patients were presenting with five or six different problems, because they'd been waiting so long to get an appointment, they didn't know when their next would be, and the doctor felt worried that, because of the extra pressure on them, because they were running so late, they were worried they could make a mistake and they told me they didn't feel safe. Surely that isn't any way to treat doctors or patients, and yet surgeries, including Bryntirion in Bargoed, Tredegar and Aberbeeg are only being monitored."

The first minister replies she is "pleased" that Aneurin Bevan University Health Board has said it will take over running of Brynmawr Medical Practice from the beginning of March.

She adds, "what is happening now is the partnership have agreed to a review, sequentially, of each of the other practices... They are going to be looking at contractual compliance, making sure that they see stability, and if they're not coming up to scratch, I am sure that the health board will do what is necessary to make sure that provision is there for the local community, as is their responsibility."

The Welsh surgeries managed by eHarley Street are:

• Brynmawr Medical Practice
• Blaenavon Medical Practice
• Pontypool Medical Centre
• Bryntirion Surgery, Bargoed
• Tredegar Health Centre
• Aberbeeg Medical Practice
• Gelligaer Surgery, Hengoed
• Lliswerry Medical Centre, Newport
• The Corporation Road Surgery, Cardiff.

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth claims the Labour Welsh government is "lurching from one crisis to another".

He lists, "400 jobs on the brink at Cardiff University, the National Museum Wales closed, cuts to the Arts Council of Wales, the loss of a national theatre, a world-renowned music department going, the land of song being silenced on Labour's watch. And at the height of an NHS nursing crisis, Labour's message is that it doesn't care about those who want to make a career out of caring for others."

The first minister replies, "we recognise the extreme difficulty, in particular, in Cardiff University; I think it's a very unsettling time for staff and for students at the university. I think Cardiff is one of the jewels in the crown of our higher education sector in Wales, and we need to make sure that it's built on a solid foundation. I know that the minister responsible met with the vice-chancellor on Friday and reiterated the fact that the consultation should absolutely be fair, open and genuine, and that support should be made available for those affected. It is imperative that we and they work in social partnership. There are lots of reasons for the difficulties that universities are facing in Wales. It is not unique to Wales. We've got to take account of the fact that there are changes to visa requirements, Brexit, lots of EU structural funds - all of these things have impacted on the university."

She says she expects the "technical issue in relation to the national museum" to be resolved "over the next few days".

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Paul Davies, a former leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, stands in for current leader Darren Millar. A Welsh Conservative spokesperson has said “Darren had a longstanding commitment in the US where he will be meeting a number of high-profile politicians.”

As Paul Davies gets to his feet, “ooo… where is he?” is heard from the Labour benches.

He asks whether the first minister agrees with Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford's comment that Wales has too many hospitals and too many beds. The former Labour first minister told the "For Wales, See Wales" podcast , externalthat Wales was "over hospitalised" and that more money should be spent on primary care.

The first minister replies "we are not going to be closing hospitals in Wales. What the finance secretary was alluding to was, if he had a blank piece of paper, we would not be starting from here. And that is the case. I think we're absolutely clear in terms of our strategic health plan, we want to see a shift back into communities, we want to see far better use of digital, and we're also all aware that there are around 1,000 people in our hospitals every week who are ready to leave but they can't leave because we need that care in the community. So, shifting that into the community makes sense."

Paul Davies says it is "shocking" that the longest hospital waiting lists are continuing to rise in Wales.

He says "this really is a matter of life and death, because people are dying unnecessarily the length and breadth of Wales, families are losing loved ones prematurely, and NHS staff morale is plummeting. Under Labour, the Welsh NHS is clearly broken."

The first minister replies "I think it's really important, first, to recognise how much is being done by the NHS day in, day out. There are 2 million contacts every month in a population of 3 million people. That is a huge amount of work being done. 1.6 million people seeing their GP on a monthly basis. These are staggering statistics, and the vast majority of people in Wales are getting an excellent service."

There were 24,361 patient pathways at the end of November, an increase for a second month in a row after the Welsh government set health boards a target to cut that figure to 8,000 by March.

The overall waiting list rose to 802,268 - setting a record for a 10th month in a row.

Image source, Getty Images

The first minister confirms to Plaid Cymru MS Adam Price that the Welsh government’s planning policy position on new power lines is that, "where possible they should be laid underground".

But she warns about the high costs involved and "implications for how much people will be paying on their energy bills. So, we've got to get the balance right."

In February 2023 more than 250 people joined a public meeting at Llandovery Rugby Club, where Adam Price - Plaid Cymru leader at the time - called for a rethink by Bute Energy on its plans to connect a proposed windfarm at Nant Mithil, Powys with 60 miles (96km) of pylons across the Towy Valley to the energy network near Carmarthen.

Image source, Bute Energy

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

Conservative Tom Giffard asks how is the Welsh government working to improve transport infrastructure across the region he represents, South Wales West, and calls for junction upgrades on the M4 around Swansea.

He says "we know that this Welsh Labour government cancelled the planned M4 relief road project. But, in addition to that, we’ve also seen in the last couple of years the cancellation of key junction projects - junction upgrade projects - on the M4, including at junction 45 and junction 47 at Penllergaer. These are really important, because, as we know, a study in 2017 showed that the M4 could come to a standstill around 30 times in a day, and these junction upgrades were absolutely crucial to ensure that we keep Wales and our M4 - our main arterial road - moving."

First Minister Eluned Morgan replies "it is important to make sure we keep the traffic flowing, and that’s why there have been methods to introduce speeding limits, for example, to make sure that the flow just continues, and you don’t get that stop start that annoys us all."

She adds, "in relation to the junction upgrades, I have heard the frustrations for many people in those areas, and I’ll ask the Transport Secretary [Ken Skates] to look into that."

Image source, Senedd Cymru

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

The meeting is held in a hybrid format, with some members in the Siambr (Senedd chamber) and others joining by video-conference.

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