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Summary

  • Mark Drakeford faces questions from MSs, just days before the council elections.

  1. Hwyl fawrpublished at 14:42 British Summer Time 3 May 2022

    The thirteenth FMQs of 2022 comes to a close.

    Thanks for following - join us again next week.

    The Senedd will once again be lit tonight in the blue and yellow colours of Ukraine鈥檚 flag as a sign of solidarity with Ukraine and its people.

    Senedd CymruImage source, Senedd Cymru
  2. Ramadan: breaking the fastpublished at 14:37 British Summer Time 3 May 2022

    The first minister joins John Griffiths in sending best wishes - Eid Mubarak - to Muslims who have have spent the past month abstaining from eating and drinking from dawn until sunset.

    Ramadan is the holiest month in the Islamic lunar calendar.

    They end the fast every day with an iftar meal where families and communities come together.

    Around 1.5bn Muslims observe Ramadan around the world.

    lftar is a time for people to come together during Ramadan whether at home or at the mosqueImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    lftar is a time for people to come together during Ramadan whether at home or at the mosque

  3. Degree apprenticeshipspublished at 14:33 British Summer Time 3 May 2022

    Conservative James Evans calls on the Welsh Government to do more to increase the number of degree apprenticeships across Wales.

    The first minister replies, "over 1,200 degree apprenticeships have been taken up during the first three years of the programme in Wales. Our focus for expansion will prioritise areas that address skills gaps, boost productivity and contribute to our net-zero ambitions."

    Mark Drakeford
    Image caption,

    Mark Drakeford

  4. 'Clean up the way football clubs buy and sell players'published at 14:22 British Summer Time 3 May 2022

    Regarding the oversight of the new England football regulator, Jenny Rathbone emphasises the need to "clean up the way football clubs buy and sell players".

    She refers to the death of Emiliano Sala - the Argentine footballer was on his way to joining his new club Cardiff City from French club Nantes in a club record 拢15m deal when the plane crash happened over the English Channel in January 2019.

    The first minister says that FIFA now acknowledge that as far as agents are concerned, there is a "law of the jungle, with conflicts of interest rife and exorbitant commissions".

    He says the UK government must "work with others to bring the operation of football agents back under a significant and defensible regulatory regime".

    Emiliano Sala had just signed with Cardiff City before the crashImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Emiliano Sala had just signed with Cardiff City before the crash

  5. Non-symptomatic transmission of Covidpublished at 14:08 British Summer Time 3 May 2022

    Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price also focuses on by Lord Justice Bean and Mr Justice Garnham, who found the decisions of the then health secretary in England, Matt Hancock to make and maintain a series of policies contained in documents issued on 17 and 19 March and 2 April 2020 were unlawful.

    They ruled this was on the grounds the drafters of those documents failed to take into account the risk to elderly and vulnerable residents from non-symptomatic transmission.

    Mr Price said the failure to recognise the risk of asymptomatic transmission had "fatal consequences".

    "The science of asymptomatic transmission wasn't different here in Wales compared to England."

    The first minister replies these "absolutely proper issues deserve to be heard in the detail that they would require with the forensic examination that the inquiry will provide".

    "And then we will see whether the decisions that were made here in Wales in the state of knowledge at the time, with the evidence and advice that we had available to us, whether those decisions were defensible or not."

    Adam Price
    Image caption,

    Adam Price

  6. More calls for a Wales-specific Covid inquirypublished at 13:55 British Summer Time 3 May 2022

    Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, refers to the fact that UK government policies on discharging untested patients from hospital to care homes in England at the start of the Covid pandemic were ruled unlawful by the High Court.

    The first minister says Wales took no participation in the case but will submit evidence to the UK inquiry on the pandemic.

    Mr Davies says Welsh patients were exposed to greater risks because it took Wales two weeks to "catch up" with tests after they were introduced over the border.

    Mr Davies reiterates his call for a Wales-specific inquiry, and asks: "Is it the case first minister that you are blocking this inquiry happening here in Wales because you have a fear of scrutiny or just arrogance that your position is right and it shouldn't be scrutinised by an independent inquiry here in Wales?"

    Mr Drakeford replies: "An independent inquiry focused only on Wales would never be able to make sense of exactly the sort of decisions to which he has pointed."

    Welsh ministers followed the same advice as the UK government, he adds. "You cannot understand the decisions made in Wales by divorcing those decisions from the UK context, the UK advice, the UK level of understanding at the time and the way that was available here in Wales."

    A public inquiry to "learn lessons" from the pandemic for the future is due to be begin next year.

    Its mandate includes looking at how well prepared the UK was for a pandemic and how the NHS has coped with it.

    Andrew RT Davies
    Image caption,

    Andrew RT Davies

  7. As local elections loom...published at 13:42 British Summer Time 3 May 2022

    During the final days of campaigning for the local elections, MSs exchange views on several individual councils.

    Voting will take place in each of Wales' 22 local authorities on Thursday, 5 May with a total of 1,234 councillors to be elected.

    Election graphic
  8. 'Cost of living crisis'published at 13:33 British Summer Time 3 May 2022

    The Llywydd (presiding officer) Elin Jones conducts a ballot to determine the names of members who may table questions to the first minister and Welsh ministers. Each member may enter their name into a ballot.

    Alun Davies, the Labour MS for Blaenau Gwent, asks "what support is the Welsh Government providing to assist households in Blaenau Gwent with the current cost of living crisis".

    Funding schemes are available from both the Welsh and UK governments, aimed at taking pressure off families as the cost of essential bills continues to increase.

    First Minister Mark Drakeford says the Welsh Government has invested more than 拢380 million in a package of support for low income households.

    The first minister joins Mr Davies in calling for a windfall tax on oil and gas companies.

    BP's profits for the first three months of this year have more than doubled after oil and gas prices soared. The energy giant reported an underlying profit of $6.2bn (拢4.9bn) compared to $2.6bn in the same period last year - ahead of expectations.

    CashImage source, Getty Images
  9. Croesopublished at 13:13 British Summer Time 3 May 2022

    Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the thirteenth session of First Minister's Questions in 2022.

    The meeting is held in a hybrid format, with some members in the Siambr (Senedd chamber) and others joining by video-conference.

    Senedd