Cabinet meeting: 24 November 2025

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

Officials

• Andrew Goodall, Permanent Secretary
• Rachel Garside-Jones, Director Office of the First Minister and Delivery
• Rebecca Dunn, Head of Cabinet Division
• Victoria Jones, Principal Private Secretary First Minister
• Sinead Gallagher, Deputy Director Cabinet Office
• Luke Young, Special Adviser
• Sarah Dickins, Special Adviser
• Madeleine Brindley, Special Adviser
• Haf Davies, Special Adviser
• Victoria Evans, Special Adviser
• David Hooson, Special Adviser
• Nadila Hussein, Special Adviser
• Kirsty Keenan, Special Adviser
• Jackie Jones, Special Adviser
• Stephen Jones, Special Adviser
• Philippa Marsden, Special Adviser
• Tal Michael, Special Adviser
• Mary Wimbury, Special Adviser
• Christopher W Morgan, Head of Cabinet Secretariat (minutes)
• Damian Roche, Cabinet Secretariat
• Helena Bird, Permanent Secretary’s office
• Carwyn Wycherley, Cabinet Office
• Kath Hallett, First Minister’s office
• Tracey Burke, Director General Climate Change & Rural Affairs
• Andrew Slade, Director General Economy, Energy and Transport
• Judith Paget, Director General Strategy
• Jacqueline Totterdell, Director General Health and Social Care
• Emma Williams, Director General Education, Culture & Welsh Language
• Nia James, Director Legal Services
• Andrew Jeffreys, Director Treasury
• Alyson Francis, Director - Housing & Regeneration (item 4)
• Katy Hossack, Deputy Director - Covid-19 Inquiry (item 4)
• Mike Connolly, Deputy Director, Community Safety Division (item 5)
• Peter Kellam, Head of the Armed Forces Branch (item 5)

1.1 Cymeradwyodd y Cabinet gofnodion 17 Tachwedd 2025 / Cabinet approved the minutes of 17 November 2025.

UK government Budget

2.1 The First Minister informed Cabinet that she would be speaking with the Chancellor of the Exchequer later that afternoon, in advance of the UK government’s Budget on Wednesday of that week. The First Minister also spoken to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

Investment Summit and British Irish Council

2.2 The First Minister reminded Cabinet the Investment Summit would be taking place the following week at the Celtic Manor in Newport. Wales would be hosting over 170 new potential investors from across 24 countries from Sunday.

2.3 Later that week the First Minister would also be hosting the British-Irish Council.

3.1 Cabinet considered the Plenary Grid and noted the oral statement on NHS Waiting Times had been withdrawn and would be rescheduled in January. Voting time was scheduled for 5:50pm on Tuesday and would be around 6:10pm on Wednesday.

4.1 The First Minister referred to the publication of the UK COVID-19 Inquiry’s second report, which had been published the previous Thursday, and invited Alyson Francis, who led the Inquiry preparations within the government, to provide Cabinet with an overview of the findings.

4.2 The report focused on Module 2ABC and set out findings and recommendations on core UK decision-making and political governance during the pandemic. This was the second of 10 reports expected from the Inquiry.

4.3 During the Module 2B hearings in Wales, 14 Welsh Government witnesses gave oral evidence over 3 weeks in February and March 2024. This included many current and former ministers and civil servants. The government also submitted more than 70 witness statements and disclosed thousands of documents.

4.4 The report had been split into 2 volumes, introduction and key events from January 2020 to May 2022 and key themes, lessons and recommendations. There were 19 recommendations, 14 of which applied to all 4 nations, with the remainder for the UK government and the Northern Ireland Executive.

4.5 The evidence from across the 4 nations was woven together throughout the report and drew out the strengths of the Welsh Government’s response, which included the Cabinet structure for decision making, inclusive engagement with delivery partners and local government and transparent public messaging.

4.6 In her statement introducing the report the Chair indicated the response of all 4 governments in the UK repeatedly amounted to a case of “too little too late”. There was also some criticism of action taken in Wales, such as lessons not being learned from the first lockdown, and insufficient attention being given to the prospect of a second wave.

4.7 The government would now begin preparing its reply to the report, working with other governments across the UK to align responses to those recommendations directed at the 4 nations. Even though the Inquiry had set a requirement for the response to issue within 6 months of publication, the government would aim to publish before the pre-election period.

4.8 Cabinet welcomed the update, and the First Minister would be delivering an Oral Statement to the Senedd the following day.

5.1 The First Minister informed Cabinet she had been at RAF Valley with the Prime Minister on the day he announced plans for broadening the Armed Forces Covenant. Wales had a significant veteran population, around 115,000, along with approximately 3,000 serving personnel, which was a higher proportion, based on the population, than England. As a result, there was strong public support for the Armed Forces Community.

5.2 The First Minister invited the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales to set out the anticipated changes within the UK Armed Forces Bill, which would result in the statutory duty of due regard in relation to the Armed Forces Covenant applying directly to Welsh Ministers, along with all governments within the UK.

5.3 The Bill was expected to be introduced before the end of the year or in early 2026 and would come into force in 2027. The provisions would reflect the UK government’s manifesto commitment to put the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law.

5.4 This legal duty would require governments to demonstrate a due regard for the Armed Forces Community in planning, delivering and reviewing policy, in effect, applying an armed forces focus on activity broadly across government.

5.5 Statutory guidance for the Armed Forces Covenant had been in place since 2022 and had been applied to the Welsh Government’s approach to Health, Housing and Education.

5.6 There had been a wide range of activity conducted across these policy areas, including Welsh Government funding for initiatives such as Veterans NHS Wales in Health, the Armed Forces Liaison Officers and support for Service Children in Education. There had been positive cross-party support for these, and other initiatives developed by the government in support of the Armed Forces community in Wales.

5.7 The expansion of the Armed Forces Covenant was not about requiring special treatment or new initiatives but about ensuring the Armed Forces community was not disadvantaged as a result of their service and that special consideration may sometimes be appropriate. It was about a proportionate, consistent and evidenced approach to considering the needs of the community.

5.8 The implementation of the Armed Force Covenant would be a matter for the next administration, and the paper was very much about raising awareness to allow the government to collectively prepare for change and set the conditions for success.

5.9 Cabinet welcomed the paper and reaffirmed the commitments to the principles of the covenant to support planning for the new duty and agreed officials should consider how this might be applied within their portfolio areas.

5.10 The government was already active in supporting the community in Wales, such as specialist mental health provision in health boards.

5.11 Cabinet approved the paper.

Cabinet Secretariat
November 2025