Wales’ new Deputy First Minister faces questions for the first time in Plenary

Ella Groves, ICNN Senedd Reporter

Wales’ Deputy First Minister said transgender people “feel under siege” as she faced questions on gender identity guidance in schools and the implementation of single-sex spaces during her first appearance at Questions to the Deputy First Minister.

Serving as both Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and Equality, Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd MS Sioned Williams was questioned by opposition politicians on Wednesday, June 10, about the Welsh Government’s response to the Cass Review and the implementation of the Supreme Court’s ruling on single-sex spaces.

The session opened with questions from Reform UK MS Catherine Cullen, who asked how the Welsh Government would work with education ministers to prioritise “objective, evidence-based safeguarding standards” in Welsh schools.

She said: “We sit here today with one non-negotiable duty: the absolute safety of Welsh children in schools.

“When the Cass review explicitly warned that social transition – that is, changing a child’s name, pronouns or uniform at school – is not a neutral act and carries severe psychological risks, Plaid Cymru voted against these recommendations.”

She continued: “[Plaid’s] manifesto demands a demedicalised self-declaration system that actively pushes gender identity theories through the school system.

In response, Ms Williams said the Welsh Government remained committed to improving literacy and numeracy standards and stressed the importance of creating a supportive environment in which all children can fulfil their potential.

She told members that education officials had developed draft guidance for schools on supporting transgender, non-binary and gender-questioning learners and said the Cabinet Secretary for Education and the Welsh Language recognised the need to proceed with “leadership and sensitivity”.

Questions then turned to the implementation of single-sex spaces following the Supreme Court’s ruling on the definition of sex under the Equality Act.

Reform UK MS Art Wright asked about the Welsh Government’s plans to implement single-sex spaces across Wales, while Conservative MS Natasha Asghar accused the previous Labour administration of “dragging its heels” in responding to the judgment.

Ms Asghar said she had received correspondence from a Welsh Government employee claiming staff were still working under policies that allowed “men who identify as women to use women’s single-sex spaces from the first day of self-identification”.

The Casnewydd Islwyn member said: “A government cannot pick and choose which laws it follows, yet that is exactly what seems to be happening within the Welsh Government itself.”

Responding, Ms Williams said the Welsh Government respected the Supreme Court ruling and was working to ensure devolved policies and practices complied with the law.

“This work has to be done carefully and consistently, and across a range of devolved areas,” she said.

However, the Deputy First Minister also emphasised that the Equality Act continues to protect people with the protected characteristic of gender reassignment from discrimination and harassment.

She added: “This is a community that feels under siege at the moment, and we must be sensitive to that.

“We need to look at the practical steps that we can take whilst complying with the Supreme Court ruling, and then, in seeing the code of practice that will come forward, if it is passed in Westminster, we will need to consider how we do that.”

Ms Williams said work was continuing across government departments to ensure Welsh Government policies comply with the law while maintaining protections for transgender people.

Food Poverty

Wales’ Deputy First Minister also reaffirmed her support for universal free school meals during the session, after Senedd members raised concerns about food poverty and access to nutritious food for children.

Huw Thomas, MS for Caerdydd Penarth, drew attention to the work of the previous Labour Government in introducing universal free school meals for primary school children across Wales.

Mr Thomas said: “For too many of our pupils, this is the only proper meal of the day that they have every day – hugely important – and yet we know that food costs have risen dramatically in recent years.

“So, my question is: when councils tell Welsh Government what the cost of supplying these meals are, will you accept and respect their advice and fund it, or else risk affecting the quality and provenance of the food served to our young people?”

Ms Williams agreed that free school meals play a vital role in supporting children and families.

She said the scheme “really does help”, allowing children to receive the “nutritious hot meal that they so desperately need”.

While noting that responsibility for free school meals sits within the education portfolio, the Deputy First Minister said she would ensure the concerns raised were discussed within government.

The discussion also turned to nutrition during pregnancy and early childhood.

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds said access to nutritious food in a child’s earliest years is critical to healthy development.

She said: “We know how important nutritious food is in brain development in babies, both in pregnancy and in those first 1,000 days.

“Key nutrients such as vitamin D are absolutely essential, and if you are poor and you are not able to afford a full range of nutritious food, then that hampers that child’s development from the very, very early point.”

Ms Dodds asked what steps the Welsh Government was taking to ensure babies and young children have access to healthy food during their first 1,000 days.

Responding, Ms Williams said she “wholeheartedly” agreed about the importance of nutrition in the early years.

She pointed to the Healthy Start scheme, which provides support for low-income pregnant women and families with young children, describing pregnancy as a “crucial part” of ensuring lifelong health.

The Deputy First Minister also highlighted the nursery milk scheme, which provides children under the age of five in approved childcare settings with a free daily portion of milk.

Ms Williams said ensuring children have access to nutritious food from pregnancy through early childhood remains an important part of tackling inequality and improving long-term health outcomes in Wales.