Cabinet meeting: 31 March 2025

• Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS (Chair)
• Huw Irranca-Davies MS
• Jayne Bryant MS
• Mark Drakeford MS
• Rebecca Evans MS
• Jane Hutt MS
• Julie James MS
• Jeremy Miles MS
• Lynne Neagle MS
• Ken Skates MS
   
• Dawn Bowden MS
• Sarah Murphy MS
• Vikki Howells MS
• Jack Sargeant MS

Officials

• Andrew Goodall, Permanent Secretary
• Rachel Garside-Jones, Director First Minister’s Group
• Rebecca Dunn, Deputy Director Cabinet Division
• Victoria Jones, Principal Private Secretary First Minister
• Toby Mason, Head of Strategic Communications
• Sinead Gallagher, Deputy Director Cabinet Office
• Wayne David, Special Adviser
• Sarah Dickins, Special Adviser
• Madeleine Brindley, Special Adviser
• Ian Butler, Special Adviser
• Haf Davies, Special Adviser
• Victoria Evans, Special Adviser
• David Hooson, Special Adviser
• Kirsty Keenan, Special Adviser
• Jackie Jones, Special Adviser
• Stephen Jones, Special Adviser
• Philippa Marsden, Special Adviser
• Martha O’Neil, Special Adviser
• Maddie Rees, Special Adviser
• Victoria Solomon, Special Adviser
• Mary Wimbury, Special Adviser
• Christopher W Morgan, Head of Cabinet Secretariat (minutes)
• Damian Roche, Cabinet Secretariat
• Helena Bird, Permanent Secretary’s office
• Kath Hallett, First Minister’s office
• Tracey Burke, Director General Climate Change & Rural Affairs
• Sioned Evans, Chief Operating Officer
• Judith Paget, Director General Health and Social Services
• Andrew Slade, Director General Economy, Energy and Transport
• Nia James, Director Legal Services
• Liz Lalley, Director Risk Resilience, Community Safety & North Wales
• Piers Bisson, Director European Transition, Constitution and Justice (item 4)
• Charlie Thomas, Deputy Director Legislation Division (item 4)
• Gian Marco Currado, Director Rural Affairs (item 5)
• Nic Shilton, Head of Food Technology, Clusters and Innovation (item 5)
• Anna Adams, Deputy Director Tax Strategy & Intergovernmental Relations (item 6)
• Tom Nicholls, Chief Economist (item 6)
• Anne Layzell, Head of Cabinet Communications (item 7)
• Peter Kellam, Head of the Armed Forces Branch (item 7)

1.1 Cymeradwyodd y Cabinet gofnodion y 24 Mawrth 2025 / Cabinet approved the minutes of 24 March 2025.

St David’s Awards

2.1 The First Minister reflected on the St David’s Awards ceremony the previous week.

Committee for the Scrutiny of the First Minister

2.2 The First Minister informed Cabinet she had attended the Senedd’s Committee for the Scrutiny of the First Minister the previous Friday.

3.1 Cabinet considered the Plenary Grid and noted that voting time was scheduled for 6:35pm on Tuesday and would be around 5.25pm on Wednesday. This week would be the last Plenary meetings in the Senedd building before moving to Siambr Hywel after Easter, to allow refurbishment to take place ready for the expanded 7^th Senedd.

4.1 The Counsel General and Minister for Delivery introduced the paper, which asked Cabinet to confirm Year 5 of the Government’s Legislative Programme ahead of the First Minister’s statement, scheduled for 29 April.

4.2 Cabinet welcomed the paper.

4.3 Cabinet approved the paper.

5.1 The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs introduced the paper, which asked Cabinet to approve the Wales Community Food Strategy (CFS).

5.2 This work was one more step towards encouraging more people to grow, buy, and eat local. In turn it would help address some of the most persistent modern-day challenges, such as food poverty, the prevention of diet related ill-health, and opportunities for green growth in local economies.

5.3 It was clear about the breadth of work already being delivered, supporting a number of organisations and initiatives, such as FareShare and Big Bocs Bwyd.

5.4 In developing the strategy, the government had conducted extensive research and stakeholder engagement, including surveys of public and community food stakeholders, food chain systems mapping, and a series of targeted stakeholder meetings and expert focus groups. Stakeholder engagement had consistently stressed the importance of more people growing, buying and eating local, which would help deliver the well-being objectives and achieve a healthier Wales.

5.5 It was intended that publication of the CFS would be accompanied by an Oral Statement to Plenary, which had been scheduled for 29 April.

5.6 Cabinet welcomed the paper and agreed the Strategy would empower local food producers and partnerships, whilst helping to tackle both food, fuel and child poverty. Furthermore, this would strengthen community food resilience through local growing and horticulture. There were also important links with the work to promote healthy eating in schools. The Pippin project, currently in 3 local authority areas, was developing into a successful scheme for schools to grow and consume their own produce.

5.7 Cabinet approved the paper.

6.1 The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language provided Cabinet with an update on the UK government’s Spring Fiscal Event, which had been delivered by the Chancellor of the Exchequer the previous week. The Statement had provided an update to 2025-2026 Budgets and revised the envelope for the Spending Review, in response to a challenging economic forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

6.2 The OBR’s judgement was that the Chancellor would not meet her fiscal rules and that the headroom outlined in the Autumn Statement was no longer available.

6.3 In terms of implications for the Welsh Government Budget, the Spring Statement contained an additional £14 million revenue and £2 million capital in 2025-2026. This related to a Department for Education construction skills package and funding for England local authorities through a top-up to the Local Government Financial Settlement.

6.4 However, the Welsh Government would only receive a Barnett share of the funding provided to UK departments to meet the additional employer National Insurance costs. This resulted in a gap of almost £70 million and put further pressure on the Welsh Budget. As this would be a recurring cost, it would be difficult to meet this shortfall from in-year reserves. There would be further advice to Cabinet on this in due course.

6.5 In terms of welfare, there would be a disproportionate impact in Wales, with a higher percentage of Personal Independence Payment claimants than England. This would also impact the wider economy. Therefore, the government’s focus would continue to be encouraging people to claim what they were entitled to, with an additional £1.4 million investment to help people take up benefits not being claimed.

6.6 The in-year position was being monitored, with an expectation that the carry forward into the Wales Reserve would be close to its maximum of £350 million. However, there were still some uncertainties that could affect the position, particularly in respect of Cardiff Airport. Furthermore, there were around £85 million of pressures being reported for the new financial year.

6.7 In addition, funding commitments were being made for future years, where there was currently no budget. To help monitor and manage these financial risks and pressures, there would be some additional measures for the clearance of MAs.

6.8 Cabinet discussed the impact of the welfare changes and welcomed the additional funding to encourage benefit take up and recognised that the new ways of data linking would help streamline the process. It was noted the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions had now responded to the First Minister regarding the need for a Welsh specific assessment on the welfare changes.

6.9 It was recognised the increase in Employers National Insurance would have an impact on delivery partners in Wales, such as both the Social Care and Third Sectors and Arm’s Length Bodies. It was accepted the Welsh Government could not be more generous in covering costs than UK Ministers. It was noted that clarity was required on the status of Further Education Institutions.

6.10 It terms of the expected increase in capital expenditure by the UK government, it was noted a ‘meet the buyer’ event was being arranged to encourage Welsh businesses to bid for new defence contracts, and any consequentials could be directed towards increased spending on the digitalisation of services.

7.1 The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip provided Cabinet with an update on the plans to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.

7.2 On Friday the previous week, the Cabinet Secretary had represented the government at the Together Coalition campaign’s launch of activities to commemorate VE and VJ Days at Cardiff Castle.

7.3 In terms of VE Day, there would be 4 days of events across the UK from the May Bank Holiday weekend. In addition to the community focused events, such as street parties, planned for the Bank Holiday, the First Minister would be making an oral statement to the Senedd on 6th May, followed by a service at Llandaff Cathedral on 7th May.

7.4 On 8th May there would be a service at Westminster Abbey, with a Cenotaph commemoration followed by a BBC concert on Horse Guards Parade. In Wales, there would be a Royal British Legion event at the Senedd.

Cabinet Secretariat
March 2025