First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth is set to face the weekly Senedd question time today, hours after it was announced his party has agreed a deal with Labour to pass the supplementary budget. The agreement allows Plaid Cymru, as a minority government, to secure the votes needed to pass the budget.
Budget deal details
The supplementary budget, comprising £433m in year spending adjustments, had been put to a vote in the Senedd in July. However, Plaid Cymru suffered a humiliating defeat after failing to secure support from opposition parties. As a minority government, it requires backing from other parties to pass laws and votes.
The finance minister, Elin Jones, and First Minister Mr ap Iorwerth both conceded that their party had lessons to learn following that defeat. The failure centred on Labour's disagreement with Plaid over the level of funding allocated for additional learning needs (ALN) provision in Wales.
Additional learning needs funding
It is estimated that at least 40,000 children and young people in Welsh schools have additional learning needs. There have been warnings that the system is struggling to cope with demand, with costs rising to £1bn a year.
Welsh Labour criticised Plaid Cymru earlier this year for not initially including a specific commitment to increase funding for ALN in the supplementary budget. After repeated heated arguments, Labour had rejected a £120m deal across three years, favouring £100m. Under the new agreement, £60m a year has been agreed between Labour and Plaid.
Other topics at question time
The First Minister will also face questions on school transport, energy, and the efficiency of the Senedd, as well as questions on as-yet-undisclosed topics from opposition party leaders. Live updates are being provided as events unfold.
