THE WELSH GOVERNMENT’S draft budget has sparked debate, with the Welsh Liberal Democrats labelling it a “missed opportunity” for failing to deliver on childcare, while Labour officials defend their record on supporting families.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have argued that the government missed a “golden opportunity” to support Welsh families during the ongoing cost-of-living crisis while delivering a boost to the Welsh economy. They claim that high childcare costs are forcing more parents out of work, and the extra £20 million allocated in the budget will only “paper over the cracks.”

The Liberal Democrats have proposed a universal offer of 30 hours of funded childcare per week for all children in Wales aged 9 months to 4 years. Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS expressed disappointment, stating:

“Instead of taking this opportunity to steer Welsh families away from sky-rocketing childcare costs, the Welsh Government has instead left them to fend for themselves. Thousands of people from across Wales are being forced to make the difficult choice between paying out of pocket for childcare or leaving work.

This shouldn’t be the case. We want to see a universal offer of 30 hours of funded childcare per week for every single child in Wales between the ages of 9 months and 4 years old. By taking away the burden of childcare costs, we can help people get back into work, which will give our economy a huge boost.

The UK Labour Government has been talking about encouraging more economic growth, but it appears as though their colleagues in Cardiff Bay didn’t get the message.”

However, the Welsh Government has countered these claims, highlighting existing childcare support schemes and their broader efforts to ease financial pressures on families. A Welsh Government spokesperson said:

“Our government remains committed to supporting families across Wales. Our existing childcare offer provides up to 30 hours a week of funded childcare for working parents of 3- and 4-year-olds during term time, which we extended to include support during the school holidays.

In addition, we are investing £20 million to enhance childcare provision further, ensuring families who need it most can access support. We are continually working to develop policies that benefit Welsh families and strengthen our economy.”

The debate comes amid growing scrutiny of government policies as families grapple with the rising cost of living. Critics and supporters alike will be watching closely to see how the draft budget evolves and whether further measures are introduced to address childcare costs.

PLAID CYMRU called for Wales to be given parity with Scotland on devolved powers.

Rhun ap Iorwerth warned Wales remains the “poor relation” among devolved nations in policy areas ranging from rail, justice and tax to welfare benefits and the Crown estate.

He said: “Our democratic rights as parliamentarians in Wales can’t be considered to be inferior when compared to legislators in other devolved legislatures. But that is the position that we currently find ourselves in.”

Leading a debate, Mr ap Iorwerth warned billions of pounds-worth of investment is being withheld because of a lack of powers over rail infrastructure.

The Plaid Cymru leader criticised Eluned Morgan for “batting away” questions deemed to be beyond the powers of the Senedd “week after week” at First Minister’s questions.

He said: “Let me decode what she is saying: ‘I’d rather not cause a problem for Keir Starmer than try to do what’s right by the people of Wales.’ It’s weak, it’s weak, it’s weak.”

Mr ap Iorwerth accused Labour of talking the talk on pushing the boundaries of devolution but “remaining resolutely passive when it comes to actually agitating for change”.

He : “If the union is to prove its worth … then at the very least, surely, Wales deserves parity of status with Scotland.

“And regardless of our differences on the ultimate constitutional journey for Wales … it is inconceivable that any party purporting to represent the interests of our nation should not support this very basic principle.”

He added: “The real danger is that any snail-paced incremental change – Labour’s general state of constitutional being – is watered down even further to satisfy party orders.

The Conservatives’ Paul Davies called for a focus on making better use of the powers already devolved rather than “tinkering” and “pushing for more”.

He said: “It’s also very much our view that Wales should not just be a carbon copy of Scotland just because Plaid Cymru says so.

“And to be frank, Plaid aren’t interested in having the same amount of powers as Scotland; they want independence, and we all know that that will in turn destroy the United Kingdom.

“That is their objective; that is their objective, the destruction of the United Kingdom.”

Criticising constitutional naval-gazing, Mr Davies added: “We have to urgently address the apathy for the Senedd by getting on with the job of delivering on the people’s priorities.”

Adam Price said he had never heard such a passionate defence of the status quo.

The former Plaid Cymru leader asked: “Why defend that status quo? Look at Wales as it is. You talk about broken public services. Look at the criminal justice system. That’s a public service. You’re right, it’s broken but not because of any decision made in this chamber.”

Labour’s Mike Hedges warned: “Wales has had three devolution settlements and we’re no closer to a long-term settlement than we were before the first.”

The former council leader suggested more devolution within Wales, saying: “The question should be where decisions are best made and it isn’t always in Cardiff.”

Mr Hedges added: “Everything does not have to be devolved to Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland or the English city regions at the same time. “

Responding to the debate on December 11, Huw Irranca-Davies raised concerns about a “for Wales, see Scotland”-style approach.

The Deputy First Minister told the Senedd that the Welsh Government’s guiding principle will always be what is in the best interests of the people of Wales.

He said: “We don’t want to copy and paste the devolution settlement from somewhere else,” adding: “That would actually be imitation, not devolution.”

Mr Irranca-Davies pointed out that the Welsh Government accepted the recommendations of the independent commission on the constitutional future of Wales.

In the final Senedd vote of 2024, members rejected the Plaid Cymru motion, 37-12, before a version as amended by the Welsh Government was agreed 26-12 with 11 abstaining.

AS MANY as 100,000 people in Wales, including 4,500 children, could still be suffering from Long Covid nearly five years after the pandemic struck, the Senedd heard.

Hefin David warned Covid has not gone away, with many thousands of people who feel like a forgotten group still suffering from the effects today.

Dr David, who represents Caerphilly, recalled meeting Lee David Bowen, an opera singer from Trethomas, who suffered from Long Covid.

He said: “I’m glad to say he’s back now, singing, and very successfully so – he’s been in the West End. But when I met him, he was a shadow of that person.

“The effect it had on his body, on his voice and on his brain was tragic to see, and though he has made what can only ever, we feel, be a partial recovery, we have seen that recovery.”

Leading a debate on December 11, he praised Gareth Yanto Evans, from the Long Covid Support charity, who has been instrumental in keeping Long Covid on the agenda.

Dr David warned of a lack of data on Long Covid, with Wales not taking part in a survey in March that showed 3.3% of people in England and Scotland were living with the condition.

He told the Senedd: “If we were to use that data to extrapolate similar numbers for Wales, it would equate to at least 100,000 people, including 4,500 children – and this is likely to underestimate the true scale of the problem.”

Dr David called for a public health campaign to highlight the danger of repeated Covid infections which increases the chance of developing Long Covid.

He said people with Long Covid are not necessarily classified as clinically vulnerable, so many are unable to access booster vaccines.

Dr David quoted a friend as saying: “We feel like a forgotten group, and it will hopefully get people realising the devastation it causes. People think that Covid is a thing of the past, but I’ve suffered since being hospitalised with Covid in March 2020.

“Frontline workers, teachers, NHS staff and carers have been particularly hit by this – many losing their careers and income. We were not protected.

“Many are being refused ill health retirement as permanence of the condition cannot be proved. I have had to give up my career as a college lecturer as chronic fatigue, brain fog, and dysphagia meant I can no longer teach, despite reducing my hours.”

Dr David raised concerns about the Welsh Government’s Adferiad (Recovery) Long Covid programme which offers physiotherapy, occupational therapy and counselling.

He said: “These interventions alone are insufficient to completely rehabilitate patients. In some cases, patients are being prescribed with exercise which can cause long-term harm.”

Responding for the Welsh Government, Jeremy Miles warned Wales was still experiencing waves of the infection and new variants of the virus.

The health secretary said Long Covid can manifest in many ways, with more than 200 symptoms reported to date, and have a profound impact on people’s lives.

Mr Miles, who was appointed in September, stated the Welsh Government has increased annual funding for health boards to deliver the Adferiad programme locally to £8m a year.

He said additional funding will widen access to recovery services to other similar conditions such as fibromyalgia, myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome.

In closing, he told the Senedd: “We will continue to focus on this important consequence of the pandemic and we will work with the NHS to meet people’s individual needs.”