, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Weather, wildfires, drought and resilience
Thank you very much for those questions. The Member is right: we thank the whole team in fire and rescue, and it is those behind the scenes, those control staff and support teams. He's also right in pointing to the cumulative nature of the threat that we…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Weather, wildfires, drought and resilience
'Absolutely' is the short answer. I forget the name of the summit—it was held in London last week—where representatives of 70 nations were there specifically looking at wildfires and how Governments and the public services and fire and rescue services should…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Weather, wildfires, drought and resilience
Diolch yn fawr iawn, and I'm glad you recognise that by me making the statement that we hold this at the very highest level of importance in Government. I can assure you that I was very much at the heart of the Government response alongside other Ministers…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Weather, wildfires, drought and resilience
Thank you very much for that. The Member makes the case that this isn't something that we can now view as something happening over there, you know, in another part of the world. And we all watched in—. It was frightening seeing what was happening in Bordeaux…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Weather, wildfires, drought and resilience
Diolch yn fawr iawn. The Member speaks of her experience in her community. Thanks to all Senedd Members of all parties who responded to concerns in their own communities. We are there. We are able to share information and provide support in all sorts of…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Weather, wildfires, drought and resilience
I agree on not having identified this enough as a risk. One of the elements of the work that I have engaged with very, very positively since coming into this role is the resilience work. I've tried to make sure that I am kept very, very well briefed on the…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Weather, wildfires, drought and resilience
Thank you for that series of really constructive questions, I think. Yes, our thanks to the emergency services made again very, very clearly, and I hope they genuinely do hear that, because I know there were some very exhausted women and men out there through…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Weather, wildfires, drought and resilience
I certainly associate myself, as I echoed in my opening remarks, with that deep sense of thanks to everybody that was involved in the response through what was a very difficult summer that was challenging in a host of different ways. The health impact…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Weather, wildfires, drought and resilience
Thank you very much for those comments and questions.
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Weather, wildfires, drought and resilience
Llywydd, I'm not sure where to begin, to be honest with you. We are responding to challenges that we've faced in many parts of our nation and the multitude of agencies that came together to tackle those, in very difficult circumstances, and the role that the…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Weather, wildfires, drought and resilience
On 22 October, I will convene the Wales climate change and resilience summit, focusing on wildfires. It must be focused on practical action. It will provide an opportunity to learn from the recent wildfires, examine the role of land management and consider…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Weather, wildfires, drought and resilience
Individual responsibility is only part of the answer, and we must consider land management, infrastructure resilience, public services preparedness and the support available to communities before, during and after extreme weather events. That is why climate…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Weather, wildfires, drought and resilience
In an emergency, Government must act quickly, must act calmly and decisively, and that is what we did. But responding to an emergency is only part of our responsibility. We must also learn and strengthen our readiness for the future. The Cabinet Minister for…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Weather, wildfires, drought and resilience
Understandably, there has been considerable interest in the use of helicopters and wider aerial support, and aerial support can be valuable in particular circumstances, but it forms only one part of a wider response. It is not a panacea. Its use depends on…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Weather, wildfires, drought and resilience
Those standard, long-established arrangements brought together fire and rescue services, Natural Resources Wales, the military and other partners too. They enabled decisions to be taken quickly, resources to be co-ordinated effectively, and support to be…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Weather, wildfires, drought and resilience
These risks are connected. Climate resilience cannot be the concern for one service, or one part of public services, one organisation or one part of Government only. It is a shared national priority. That's why we have started work on Wales's first climate…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Weather, wildfires, drought and resilience
Today, I want to place on record the thanks of the Welsh Government—and, I believe, the whole Senedd—to everyone who responded in such difficult circumstances, including our firefighters, emergency responders, the armed forces, public services, volunteers and…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Weather, wildfires, drought and resilience
Thank you, Llywydd. Over recent weeks, we have seen first-hand the impact of our changing climate. This summer has been the hottest on record. Wildfires and droughts have left their mark on communities across Wales. They have affected families, farmers and…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I am very happy to confirm that. When we look across the range of the Government's work, we're looking at partnership. All of the ideas and all of that understanding doesn't just come from the Government's benches; it comes from engaging with others and…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
It's a lesson. [Laughter.] In 2026–27, we are providing £9.1 million to Third Sector Support Wales, helping organisations access support on volunteering, governance, sustainable funding and engagement. The voluntary sector and volunteers themselves will be…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
[Inaudible.]—question 12, you don't prepare.
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I think it's always important, where there are contentious issues or issues of concern to parents, that they are given reassurance at all times. The first thing to say is that whilst, yes, RSE is mandatory for three to 16-year-olds, it's not the same…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
In our first 100 days, our national support programme for curriculum and assessment design has provided expert coaching and learning through national events to, I understand, over 250 schools and 340 practitioners across Wales. We have committed to reviewing…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
We've made it very, very clear that, yes, this will be judged on clinical evidence. That's what this is about. This hasn't been about Ministers making decisions, this has been the joint commissioning committee. There's a real irony, though, isn't there, about…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Strengthening the governance of the NHS is very, very important for my health team and all of us in Government, with actions having already been undertaken as part of the first 100 days plan. This includes ensuring patients have full confidence that concerns…
