First minister grilled on Plaid Cymru co-operation agreement

Mark Drakeford said the fundamentals of the three-year agreement between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru remain intact.

He told a scrutiny committee Labour has long had to work with others because the party has never won a majority in a Senedd election.

He pointed out he has been involved in every deal “in one way or another” since the partnership agreement with the Lib Dems in 2000.

The first minister told MSs the 2021 deal benefits from that experience as he raised the importance of a document on mechanisms for delivering the agreement.

He said policy work on the 46 commitments has progressed and ministers are moving to the implementation phase of the three-year programme.

He told members: “We’re not marriage guidance counsellors so I can’t promise that people don’t occasionally take a different view … but the fact that we have got a way of resolving those issues, I think has worked really well.”

Labour’s David Rees questioned whether the 2021 budget deal is taking priority over, and funding away from, other aspects of the Welsh Government’s programme.

The first minister said money for the cooperation agreement is ring-fenced.

Rhun ap Iorwerth stressed that cooperation agreement commitments make up a relatively small percentage of the Welsh Government’s £20 billion budget.

Mr Drakeford said part of the agreement is that Plaid Cymru has an opportunity to influence the wider budget beyond the 46 commitments.

Labour’s John Griffiths asked about a commitment to end homelessness amid concerns about the housing support grant being frozen at £167 million, to which Mr Drakeford replied: “Yes, it is frozen at that level but that level is considerably higher than it was the year before.”

He said a white paper on ending homelessness includes ambitious policy proposals.

Warning that the number of homeless people is “scarily high”, Mr Drakeford stressed the importance of increasing the supply of housing.

Pressed about a disagreement on providing free school meals during holidays, Plaid Cymru leader Mr ap Iorwerth stressed that it lies outside the cooperation agreement.

Pressed about concerns surrounding plans to reform the Senedd, Mr Drakeford stressed that the changes will require a supermajority of two-thirds support from MSs.

He said: “Reform is a package deal, it isn’t just a series of unconnected individual strands.

“What we will need to look at in any proposals for change is not just how that particular idea might alter Senedd reform – but how any change would impact the whole package.”

He said compromise is the only way of achieving change: “If anybody thinks they’re going to get everything exactly as they would prefer it, they’re going to be disappointed.”

Mr Iorwerth agreed, saying Wales is democratically short changed and “it’s time we put that right with a Senedd that can meet aspirations”.