Cabinet meeting: 29 June 2026

• Rhun ap Iorwerth MS (Chair)
• Sioned Williams MS
• Mabon ap Gwynfor MS
• Anna Brychan MS
• Heledd Fychan MS
• Llŷr Gruffydd MS
• Siân Gwenllian MS
• Rt. Hon. Elin Jones MS
• Adam Price MS
• Dafydd Trystan Davies MS
• Rt Hon. Elfyn Llwyd

Officials

• Andrew Goodall, Permanent Secretary
• Rachel Garside-Jones, Director Office of the First Minister
• Jo Salway, Director Cabinet Office
• Toby Mason, Director Strategic Communications
• Carwyn Wycherley, Deputy Head of Cabinet Office
• Aled ap Dafydd, Senior Special Adviser
• Elin Roberts, Senior Special Adviser
• Emily Edwards, Senior Special Adviser
• Francess Ifan, Senior Special Adviser
• Jonathan Evershed, Special Adviser
• Guto Ifan, Special Adviser
• Luke Nicholas, Special Adviser
• Damian Roche, Cabinet Secretariat (minutes)
• Katie Mason, Cabinet Secretariat
• Christopher W Morgan, Cabinet Secretariat (minutes)
• James Oxenham, Cabinet Secretariat
• Pier Bisson, Director Constitution (items 4)
• Sophie Brighouse, Deputy Director Legislative Programme & Governance Unit (item 4)
• Gian Marco Currado, Director Rural Resilience (item 5)
• David Lloyd-Thomas, Head of Rural Resilience Inter-Ministerial Relations (item 5)

1.1 Cabinet approved the minutes of 15 June.

Extreme weather

2.1 The Prif Weinidog put on record his thanks to policy and communications teams for the coordinated response to the effects of the extreme heat the previous week. Implementing emergency arrangements early and working with partners, including public Health Wales, NHS Performance and Improvement and the Met Office, had enabled close monitoring of pressures while helping to protect the vulnerable and reinforcing the advice to the public.

2.2 The extreme heat had created significant pressures across Wales, affecting the NHS, the Welsh Ambulance Service and wider public services, as well as causing disruption to schools.

International engagement

2.3 The Prif Weinidog informed Cabinet he had attended the sixth Ireland-Wales Ministerial Forum, the previous Wednesday, hosted by Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee TD. During the visit to Ireland, he had also met the Uachtarán, Catherine Connolly, and the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin. This visit was just ahead of Ireland taking up the EU Presidency.

2.4 On Thursday, the Prif Weinidog had met the EU Ambassador in London, along with EU Heads of Mission, where he set out his ambitions for closer alignment with Europe, particularly around culture and the economy.

2.5 This was in line with the Prif Weinidog’s ambition for this to be the most international facing Welsh Government by working proactively with partners to highlight Welsh values and culture across the world, while improving the lives of people at home.

3.1 Cabinet considered that week’s Plenary grid and noted that a statement on improving leadership and performance at Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board had been added to Tuesday’s agenda.

4.1 The Prif Weinidog introduced the paper, which asked Cabinet to agree the government’s early legislative priorities and proposed a discussion of the wider programme.

4.2 Cabinet welcomed the paper and agreed it was important to build consensus in the Senedd around the proposed legislation.

4.3 Cabinet approved the paper.

5.1 The Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability introduced the paper, which asked Cabinet to note the commitment for a new statutory duty on rural proofing and agree there should be work across portfolios to meet that objective.

5.2 There was a need to bring a new and stronger focus on rural Wales, to address the challenges that people, businesses and communities often faced. In rural areas, costs could be higher, infrastructure weaker, services sparser and remoter, and people’s incomes often lower.

5.3 There was a wide range of activity in other areas of the UK, with more resource and, potentially, more integrated approaches, with rural focus better embedded from policy to delivery, with both Northern Ireland and Scotland having specific rural related legislation.

5.4 Cabinet welcomed the paper and agreed it was important to introduce a statutory duty to help support rural communities.

5.5 Cabinet approved the paper.

Cabinet Secretariat
June 2026