Women's health 'not funded enough in Wales'

Women's health is not getting enough funding despite First Minister Eluned Morgan making it a top priority, politicians have said.

The Senedd's health committee said £3m set aside for a women's health plan in the Welsh government budget "falls short" of what is needed.

Politicians will vote on the spending plans on Tuesday, ahead of a final vote in March.

The Welsh government said it would consider the committee's report.

Separately, the Welsh Parliament's finance committee said the Welsh budget was "riddled with empty words" and the cost of living crisis should be a "higher priority".

Labour needs to convince at least one opposition MS to pass the budget, around half of which is spent on health care.

Ministers are in talks with Welsh Lib Dem leader Jane Dodds to get her on board.

Welsh Tories called for the "woeful" budget to be voted down in Tuesday's vote, while Plaid Cymru said the committee's report was "damning".

In a report, the health committee also raised concerns about funding to keep people healthy, social care and mental health.

With more than £12bn going to the government's health department, it said spending £3m on a recently-announced women's health plan was "insufficient".

"At just a small fraction of the overall health budget, this funding falls short of what is needed to meaningfully address the health needs of women across Wales," the health committee said.

Mental health spending has been protected, but the committee said it was "unclear" how it would be distributed.

It also said it was "extremely concerned" about higher wage bills for care companies as a result of the UK government's National Insurance hike. If businesses cannot continue it will have a knock-on for the NHS.

Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford published his draft £26bn budget in December.

Under the proposals, all government departments would see a funding increase in 2025-26, in stark contrast to the 2024-25 budget which imposed cuts on all departments apart from health.

The new budget benefits from increased funding from the new Labour government in Westminster.

Announcing the plans, Drakeford said the budget "provides us with optimism about a brighter future".

However, according to the Senedd's finance committee, which has been scrutinising the plans, it was "unclear whether the measures proposed match up to that rhetoric".

"Today's report outlines serious concerns about the proposed budget and provides clear recommendations for the Welsh government to consider," said the committee's chairman, Peredur Owen Griffiths, of Plaid Cymru.

"If the upcoming budget is meant to signal a new start and a break from austerity, unfortunately there's quite some work still to do."

The report claimed the cost of living crisis had "become entrenched in the daily lives of many across Wales" and the Welsh government was "pivoting away from providing acute cost of living support".

"We know that the cost of living challenges that many people face haven't gone away and our message to the Welsh government is clear: now is not the time to be cutting back on supporting vulnerable people," Griffiths said.

The report, which makes 39 recommendations, was backed by all four members of the committee including both Labour MSs.

It called for more money to be spent on preventative measures to tackle poverty and health issues, accusing the government of being "more focused on firefighting issues… at the expense of longer term, strategic budgeting".

The committee also raised concerns around the upcoming hike in National Insurance contributions to be paid by employers - an announcement made in the chancellor's budget in Westminster.

The UK government has promised the Welsh government money to cover the extra cost for public sector employers in Wales, but it still is not known how much would be made available or if it would stretch to cover the increased bills for third sector organisations that provide services to the public sector.

Drakeford said he did not expect to know how much money he would get from Westminster until "May or June", however the committee called for an update "as a matter of urgency".

Without a majority in the Senedd, Labour would need to strike a deal with another party to get the budget through.

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds told Radio Wales Breakfast on Monday she was not currently in a position to back the Welsh budget.

She did not rule out her position changing, but said her priorities were social care, childcare and local authority funding.

While Tuesday's vote would not have any binding consequences, a defeat for the government would highlight the pressure it was under ahead of the final crucial vote in March.

The Welsh government said: "We will carefully consider the finance committee's report ahead of our proposed final budget, which will be laid later in February."

Welsh Conservatives shadow cabinet secretary for finance, Sam Rowlands, said: "Labour's woeful budget will not fix a broken Wales. It must be voted down."

The MS added: "The budget lacks long-term planning and it's clear they have abdicated responsibility to the most vulnerable. Labour deserves to lose this budget vote and must be turfed out of office as soon as possible.

"A first step to easing the cost of living for those currently being let down by Labour, would be to restore payments to pensioners by introducing a Welsh winter fuel allowance, paid for by slashing the Welsh Labour government's inflated spending on central bureaucracy."

Plaid Cymru spokesperson for finance, Heledd Fychan, added: "This is a damning report, echoing Plaid Cymru's concerns that this is a budget devoid of principle and purpose. It fails to tackle the crises facing our NHS, councils, and higher education."

She added there was "widespread worry about the impact of the UK government's hike in employer National Insurance contributions".

"Labour in Westminster's refusal to fully reimburse Welsh public sector employers, as recently admitted by the cabinet secretary for finance himself, will leave our councils bearing the brunt."