Cabinet meeting: 12 June 2023

• Rt. Hon. Mark Drakeford MS (Chair)
• Lesley Griffiths MS
• Rebecca Evans MS
• Vaughan Gething MS
• Jane Hutt MS
• Julie James MS
• Jeremy Miles MS
• Eluned Morgan MS
• Mick Antoniw MS

• Hannah Blythyn MS
• Dawn Bowden MS
• Lynne Neagle MS
• Julie Morgan MS
• Lee Waters MS

Officials

• Andrew Goodall, Permanent Secretary
• Des Clifford, Director Office of the First Minister
• Rebecca Dunn, Head of Cabinet Division
• Toby Mason, Head of Strategic Communications
• Rory Powell, Head of First Minister’s Office
• Jane Runeckles, Special Adviser
• Madeleine Brindley, Special Adviser
• Alex Bevan, Special Adviser
• Daniel Butler, Special Adviser
• Ian Butler, Special Adviser
• David Davies, Special Adviser
• Kate Edmunds, Special Adviser
• Sara Faye, Special Adviser
• Sam Hadley, Special Adviser
• David Hooson, Special Adviser
• Clare Jenkins, Special Adviser
• Owen John, Special Adviser
• Phillipa Marsden, Special Adviser
• Tom Woodward, Special Adviser
• Christopher W Morgan, Head of Cabinet Secretariat (minutes)
• Damian Roche, Cabinet Secretariat
• Catrin Sully, Cabinet Office
• Kathryn Hallett, First Minister’s Office
• Helena Bird, Permanent Secretary’s Office
• Tracey Burke, Director General Climate Change & Rural Affairs
• Jo-Anne Daniels, Director General Education, Social Justice and Welsh Language
• Reg Kilpatrick, Director General, COVID-19 recovery and Local Government
• Tim Moss, Chief Operating Officer
• Andrew Slade, Director General, Economy, Treasury and Constitution
• Dianne Dunning, Deputy Director Legal Services
• Pier Bisson, Director European Transition, Constitution and Justice (item 4) 
• Will Whiteley, Deputy Director Senedd Reform (item 4)
• Tom Jackson, Head of Senedd Reform Policy and Legislation (item 4)
• Steffan Bryn, Special Adviser (item 4)
• Charlie Thomas, Head of Legislative Programme & Governance Unit (item 5)
• Dylan Hughes, First Legislative Counsel (item 5)
• Nick Jones, Legislation Programme Manager (item 5)

1.1 Cymeradwyodd y Cabinet gofnodion y 5 Mehefin / Cabinet approved the minutes of 5 June.

British Irish Council

2.1 The First Minister informed Cabinet that he would be attending the British Irish Council in Jersey on Thursday of that week. The topic of the summit was housing and energy policy and there would also be a discussion on political developments. In the margins of the summit the First Minister would be meeting the Taoiseach and Tanaiste, along with separate meetings with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations and the First Minister of Scotland.

3.1 Cabinet considered the Plenary grid and noted that voting time would be around 5.35pm on Tuesday and approximately 6:25pm on Wednesday.

3.2 The Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales and Trefnydd reminded Cabinet that the annual joint meeting of the Senedd and the Welsh Youth Parliament would be taking place on Wednesday 21st June.

4.1 The Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution introduced the paper, which asked Cabinet to agree the policies to be provided for in the Senedd Reform legislation and the approach to legislating for gender quotas and the 2026 Senedd election.

4.2 Following on from the Co-operation Agreement proposals for Senedd Reform, the Senedd’s Special Purpose Committee had made its recommendations in May 2022 and the Government responded in July 2022, with a commitment to bring forward the necessary legislation.

4.3 The Senedd Reform Bill would provide for 96 Members, elected via a proportional list system and allocated by using the D’Hondt formula. The Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales would be renamed and would be instructed to undertake boundary reviews to pair the proposed 32 UK Parliamentary seats for Wales to create 16 Senedd constituencies, with 6 members.

4.4 The legislation would also include measures in relation to the publication of data on the diversity of candidates, while encouraging political parties to publish diversity and inclusion strategies. In addition, there would be provision for an increase in the number of Welsh Ministers from 12 to 17 and a power for the Welsh Government to increase the maximum to 19, with the approval of the Senedd. This would be in addition to the posts of First Minister and Counsel General. The number of Deputy Presiding Officers would be increased to 2.

4.5 Cabinet approved the paper.

5.1 The First Minister introduced the paper, which asked Cabinet to agree the Bills that should be included in the third year of the Government’s legislative programme. Ministers were also asked to approve the legislative priorities for subsequent years of the legislative programme and agree that these should be announced to the Senedd before the summer recess.

5.2 Cabinet approved the paper.

Cabinet Secretariat
June 2023