Cabinet meeting: 20 November 2023

• Rt. Hon. Mark Drakeford MS (Chair)
• Rebecca Evans MS
• Vaughan Gething MS
• Lesley Griffiths MS
• Jane Hutt MS
• Julie James MS
• Jeremy Miles MS
• Eluned Morgan MS
• Mick Antoniw MS
• Hannah Blythyn MS
• Dawn Bowden MS
• Julie Morgan MS
• Lynne Neagle MS

Apologies

• Lee Waters MS

Officials

• Andrew Goodall, Permanent Secretary
• Des Clifford, Director Office of the First Minister
• Rebecca Dunn, Head of Cabinet Division
• Toby Mason, Head of Strategic Communications
• Rory Powell, Head of First Minister’s Office
• Jane Runeckles, Special Adviser
• Madeleine Brindley, Special Adviser
• Alex Bevan, Special Adviser
• Daniel Butler, Special Adviser
• Ian Butler, Special Adviser
• Kate Edmunds, Special Adviser
• Sara Faye, Special Adviser
• Sam Hadley, Special Adviser
• David Hooson, Special Adviser
• Clare Jenkins, Special Adviser
• Owen John, Special Adviser
• Phillipa Marsden, Special Adviser
• Tom Woodward, Special Adviser
• Christopher W Morgan, Head of Cabinet Secretariat (minutes)
• Damian Roche, Cabinet Secretariat
• Catrin Sully, Cabinet Office
• Kathryn Hallett, First Minister’s Office
• Helena Bird, Permanent Secretary’s Office
• Helen Lentle, Director Legal Services
• Tracey Burke, Director General Climate Change & Rural Affairs
• Jo-anne Daniels, Director General, Education Social Justice & Welsh Language
• Reg Kilpatrick, Director General, Covid Recovery and Local Government
• Tim Moss, Chief Operating Officer
• Judtih Paget, Director General Health and Social Services
• Andrew Slade, Director General, Economy, Treasury and Constitution
• John Howells, Director Climate Change Energy and Planning (item 4)
• Christine Wheeler, Deputy Director Climate Change and Fuel Poverty (item 4)
• Mark Alexander, Deputy Director Land Management Reform (item 5)
• Rachel Garside-Jones, Director Co-Operation Agreement Unit (item 5)

1.1 Cymeradwyodd y Cabinet gofnodion y 13 a 16 Tachwedd / Cabinet approved the minutes of 13 and 16 November.

Interfaith Council for Wales Anniversary event

2.1 Ministers reported on their attendance at the Interfaith Council for Wales Anniversary 20+ Event, which had taken place in Cardiff the previous Thursday. It had been an evening of entertainment and celebration to coincide with International Interfaith Week.

Visit of the Clintons to Swansea University

2.2 The First Minister informed Cabinet that he and the Minister for Climate Change had attended a Leadership for Future Generations event in Swansea University, also on the previous Thursday. Guests of honour had been former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who had lent her name to the university’s School of Law, and her husband, former President, Bill Clinton. The events had been well attended, with an audience of 600 people for the discussion on current global challenges.

3.1 Cabinet considered the Plenary Grid and noted that regular voting time was scheduled for 4:10pm on Tuesday, this would be followed by Stage 3 of the Environment (Air Quality and Soundscape) (Wales) Bill, where there would be voting throughout on the amendments. Voting time would be around 5.55pm on Wednesday.

4.1 The Minister for Climate Change introduced the paper, which asked Cabinet to agree to lay the statutory response to the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) progress report on climate mitigation and note the risks and actions falling to portfolios from the Committee’s report on adaptation.

4.2 Ministers were also asked to agree to publish a consultation on a Just Transition framework.

4.3 The first policy in Net Zero Wales was to ensure a fair and just transition with the move to a low carbon economy. The paper included a proposed consultation on a Just Transition Framework, with an associated toolkit. This consultation had been informed by a Call for Evidence which concluded on 15 March.

4.4 The framework intended to set a shared vision of the way Wales would deliver the changes needed for net zero. It indicated how coordination and coherence could be brought to the way people think and respond to changes. It also provided a source of information and guidance to enable those driving the change to do so in a way that sought to address current inequalities and avoided creating new inequalities.

4.5 This framework was intended to help policymakers and businesses in Wales with their thinking and action.

4.6 The CCC progress report for Wales published in June 2023 acknowledged positive steps taken in Wales, such as on skills, jobs and public engagement.

4.7 Cabinet welcomed the paper and recognised that Climate Change was having an impact on weather patterns in Wales, with increased periods of torrential rain, and more periods of intense heat which could lead to drought conditions. This was already having implications for people’s health, with increased demand on services and would likely have an impact on government policies.

4.8 Ministers agreed that to increase the reliance on renewable energy, the UK Government would have to overhaul the grid infrastructure.

4.9 Cabinet approved the recommendations within the paper.

5.1 The Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales and Trefnydd introduced the paper, which asked Cabinet to note the progress made with the design of the Sustainable Farming Scheme and the intention to consult on this and other elements of farm support at the end of the year.

5.2 The paper outlined the progress made with the design of the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS), informed through modelling, co-design and stakeholder feedback.

5.3 The scheme was founded on the Agriculture (Wales) Act 2023 and the 4 Sustainable Land Management objectives and was consistent with the government’s obligations under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, helping to contribute to the well-being goals and the Environment (Wales) Act 2016.

5.4 The SFS was intended to be the main source of future government support for farmers in Wales, replacing the Basic Payment Scheme (PBS).

5.5 Cabinet approved the paper and noted the plans to consult on farm support at the end of the year.

Cabinet Secretariat
November 2023