Opposition leader Dan Thomas, of Reform, clashed with the First Minister over further devolution for Wales.
Describing devolution as a ‘distraction,’ Mr Thomas called on his Plaid Cymru counterpart to share why his priorities were ‘so out of touch’ with the Welsh public.
He said: “On the campaign trail, nobody said to me they wanted rail or the crown estate or justice devolved. They were concerned about the NHS, education, and transport.”
In response, the First Minister said he was ‘rather surprised that this party [Reform], that was meant now to embrace devolution and want to make it work for Wales, is now openly coming out and saying they are effectively against devolution.’
Mr ap Iorwerth said young people in particular ‘absolutely understand the injustice of HS2’ and explained: “If we had devolution of rail and the funding that comes with it we could build infrastructure that could give our young people a future here in Wales, because we’re investing in the things that matter to them.
On Tuesday, June 23, the Welsh Government published its first supplementary budget, setting out its spending plans for 2026/27.
A supplementary budget is a formal legislative proposal that allows in-year adjustments and new spending allocations to the Welsh Government’s previously agreed budget.
Referring to the extra money promised to the NHS in the budget – £145 million – the Welsh Conservatives leader, Darren Millar, told the Siambr Wales does not need simply a ‘sticking-plaster approach’ to the NHS.
He called on the First Minister to ‘guarantee’ the funding allocation specified in the supplementary budget would ‘permanently reduce waiting times in Wales.’
Mr ap Iorwerth agreed with the Conservative leader, saying that in recent years Wales has seen numerous ‘sticking plaster solutions’ when what it needed was long-term solutions.
He said: “We made this a priority through the election campaign, and we’re doing it now in government – that it’s not just about bringing down waiting times and saying, ‘Phew, right, what next?'”
