Cabinet meeting: 4 December 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
• Rachel Garside Jones, Director Co-operation Agreement Unit
• Andrew Jeffreys, Director Treasury (item 4)
• Emma Watkins, Deputy Director Budget and Government Business (item 4)

1.1 Cymeradwyodd y Cabinet gofnodion y 27 Tachwedd / Cabinet approved the minutes of 27 November.

2.1 The First Minister informed Cabinet that he was chairing the meeting from London, as earlier that day he been a guest speaker at the Resolution Foundation Conference.

3.1 Cabinet considered the Plenary Grid and noted that voting time was scheduled for 6:15pm on Tuesday and around 6.25pm on Wednesday.

4.1 The Minister for Finance and Local Government introduced the paper, which asked Cabinet to agree the 2024-2025 Draft Budget package, including the proposed MEG allocations.

4.2 Through this budget process, ministers had identified revenue savings and reached a point where the proposed MEG allocations could be presented to Cabinet prior to publication of the Draft Budget on 19th December.

4.3 It was recognised that the implications of the extremely disappointing Autumn Statement and the less than favourable outlook by the OBR, had resulted in unparalleled tests for Ministers in the final year of the comprehensive spending review period.

4.4 The settlement from the UK government had resulted in minimal consequential funding to allocate, and the majority of the funding available related to non-domestic rates. Cabinet had agreed the previous week an alternative approach to that in England, which would enable Welsh Ministers to allocate some of these funds to public sector spending.

4.5 Cabinet put on record its thanks to all those involved in the intense period of work to finalise the Draft Budget for 2024-2025.

4.6 It was recognised that all ministers had taken difficult decisions that would have an impact on spending commitments.

4.7 Cabinet agreed the Draft Budget for 2024-25, along with the MEG allocations.

Cabinet Secretariat
December 2023