“I was so pleased to announce a £500 bonus for healthcare workers” – Vaughan Gething’s speech at Welsh Labour’s Senedd campaign pledge launch

18 Mar 2021

I’m delighted to speak at today’s campaign launch. It will come as no surprise that I will talk about our incredible NHS. It is hard to overstate the respect and affection that Welsh Labour and the people of Wales have for our NHS. That was true before the pandemic –…

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Full Speech: Mark Drakeford unveils new pledges to move Wales forward

18 Mar 2021

Mark Drakeford’s speech Welsh Labour Election Launch 2021 Friends and colleagues – good morning. Ffrindiau a chydweithwyr – bore da As I listened to each of the speakers just now I’m reminded – once again – just how fortunate we are as a party. Fortunate to have such a strong…

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Extra £15.7m to increase contact tracing workforce in Wales

16 Nov 2020

  Welsh Labour’s Health Minister, Vaughan Gething has announced an extra £15.7m to nearly double the Covid-19 contact tracing workforce in Wales for the winter. The funding will increase the number of contact tracing staff in Wales from 1,800 to 3,100 in time for an expected rise in demand in…

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Additional £10 million is made available for arts and culture in Wales

11 Nov 2020

  Following high demand for funding support across the arts and cultural sectors, the Welsh Labour government has made a further £10.7 million available to support organisations and individuals during the pandemic, taking the total funding package available through the Cultural Recovery Fund to £63.7 million. This is in addition…

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Major new employer incentives to boost apprentice recruitment

11 Nov 2020

  Welsh Labour Economy Minister Ken Skates has announced that businesses in Wales will be able to claim up to £3,000 for each new apprentice they hire under the age of 25. The £3,000 incentive, aimed at helping Wales to recover from impact of COVID-19, will be available to businesses…

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No End of Year Exams for GCSE, AS and A-Level learners

11 Nov 2020

  Welsh Government has confirmed that learners in Wales taking GCSEs, AS levels or A-levels in 2021 will have end of year exams replaced by teacher-managed assessments. The Welsh Government will work with schools and colleges to take forward teacher-managed assessments. These will include assessments that will be externally set…

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£3m to support mental health services for most vulnerable

05 Nov 2020

  Additional funding of nearly £3million will support some of the most vulnerable mental health service users in Wales during the Covid-19 pandemic. Welsh Labour’s Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Eluned Morgan, has vowed to provide a ‘helping hand’ to those looking for work or permanent accommodation, who may be struggling…

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Eluned Morgan and Joyce Watson head list of Welsh Labour Regional Candidates

30 Oct 2020

Welsh Labour’s Wellbeing Minister Eluned Morgan, and Mid and West Wales MS Joyce Watson head up the list of Welsh Labour regional candidates for the 2021 Senedd election. Fifty five per cent of Welsh Labour regional candidates are women. Thirty per cent of candidates are Black, Asian or minority ethnic…

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Extra £10m package to help protect jobs

23 Oct 2020

  Welsh Labour Finance Minister Rebecca Evans has today called on employers to use extra Welsh Government funding to protect workers at risk of falling through a gap in UK government wage support schemes. The Minister has backed these calls with an extra £10m package to help protect workers not…

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£300m support for businesses during Firebreak

20 Oct 2020

  The Welsh Labour Government is doubling the third phase of its Economic Resilience Fund, making nearly £300 million available to support businesses that continue to be affected by COVID-19. In September, Welsh Labour Economy Minister Ken Skates announced £140 million would be made available under the third phase of…

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Marcus Rashford MBE backs Welsh Government decision to ensure free school meal provisions for every school holiday until Easter 2021

15 Oct 2020

  The Welsh Government has guaranteed free school meal provision for all school holidays up to and including Easter 2021, thanks to £11m funding confirmed yesterday. The move has been backed by Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford saying he welcomed ‘the Welsh Government’s swift response to this urgent need in…

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£320m boost to support post-Covid recovery

06 Oct 2020

  Wales will build a new future out of the coronavirus pandemic, the Welsh Labour Government announced today, providing £320 million towards the immediate reconstruction work. Welsh Labour Counsel General Jeremy Miles MS said although coronavirus is still very much with us, part of our response must be to prevent…

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£140 million to support Welsh businesses

30 Sep 2020

  £140 million of new Welsh Government funding will help businesses, including hard hit industries like tourism & hospitality, to deal with the economic challenges of coronavirus (COVID-19) and the UK’s impending exit from the EU, Economy Minister Ken Skates has announced. The funding from the third phase of the…

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£420,000 ensures access to free school meals for shielding or self-isolating pupils

23 Sep 2020

The Welsh Government will ensure all pupils entitled to free school meals will continue to receive provisions if they are shielding or have to self-isolate thanks to £420,000 of funding. Ensuring the continuation of free school meal provision has been a key priority for the Welsh Government as it has…

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£14 million funding package for Wales’ sport and leisure sector

18 Sep 2020

£14 million of new Welsh Government funding will help Wales’ Sport & Leisure sector survive through Covid-19 and beyond. The ‘Sport and Leisure Recovery Fund’ will support the sector with the ongoing challenges resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic and provide longer-term sustainability. The fund is intended to provide essential support…

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State-of-the-art hospital to open four months early

27 Aug 2020

  A brand new hospital for Wales will open four months ahead of schedule Welsh Labour Health Minister, Vaughan Gething has confirmed today. The Grange Hospital will officially open mid-November this year, instead of the originally planned date in March 2021. The new facility based in Cwmbran, which has received…

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Major funding boost for COVID-19 testing

18 Aug 2020

  Welsh Labour Health Minister Vaughan Gething has announced nearly £32m to speed up result turnaround times. The investment in Public Health Wales laboratory services will deliver faster results for contact tracing and ensure Wales is prepared for any increases in cases during the autumn and winter. The money will…

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New support package to protect renters and combat homelessness

14 Aug 2020

  Welsh Labour Minister for Housing and Local Government, Julie James, has confirmed up to £50 million to support projects across Wales, providing people with safe and secure homes to make sure they do not fall into homelessness and no-one is forced back onto the streets. The Welsh Labour Government…

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New £800m fund to protect our NHS and prepare for winter

03 Aug 2020

  A new £800m stabilisation package to help the Welsh NHS to continue to respond to and recover from the impact of the coronavirus crisis has been announced today. This latest package takes the total amount of Welsh Government Covid-19 support for NHS organisations to more than £1.3bn. A new…

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Securing the future of Wales’ culture sector

30 Jul 2020

  The Welsh Government is investing £53 million to help Wales’ diverse culture sector deal with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The fund will be delivered jointly with the Arts Council of Wales and has a “cultural contract” at its heart to help the sector emerge from the pandemic…

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