The Welsh Minister for Children and Social Care, Dawn Bowden has issued a written statement on the progress of Wales' Integrated Community Care System (ICCS). The statement highlights significant advancements, including an annual investment exceeding £250m through various funds such as the Housing with Care Fund, Integration and Rebalancing Capital Fund, and Health and Social Care Regional Integration Fund. Notable achievements include support for over 600,000 people through the Regional Integration Fund, 70 capital schemes via the Housing with Care Fund, and 25 additional schemes through Integrated Rebalancing Care Funding. The ICCS aims to deliver seamless health, social care, and third sector services in communities, emphasising a preventative approach and reducing hospital admissions. The statement underscores the crucial role of the seven Regional Partnership Boards in leading this transformation and shaping national care models.

The Welsh Government has announced an additional £10m investment to accelerate the development of affordable housing schemes across Wales. This funding will support 16 ready-to-start projects, resulting in 238 new homes. The initiative is part of a larger investment strategy, which includes a further £30m from the 2025-2026 Social Housing Grant budget. The Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, Jayne Bryant, emphasised that this investment will contribute to the government's target of 20,000 new low-carbon social homes for rent during the current Senedd term. Additionally, the Transitional Accommodation Capital Programme (TACP) for 2025-2026 will reopen with an indicative allocation of £100m, demonstrating the government's commitment to addressing housing needs in Wales.

The Welsh Government has allocated £90m in low-interest loans to registered social landlords to assist in the delivery and improvement of affordable housing. These loans, ranging from £5m to £10m, aim to support the construction of 277 affordable homes, with 119 expected to be completed during the current Senedd term, and to facilitate improvement works on 4,397 existing homes.

The Welsh Government has announced an agreement with Plaid Cymru that will enable the 2026–27 budget to pass and secures £300m in additional investment for public services across Wales. The agreement comprises three funding elements: (1) £112.8m in additional funding for local government, representing a 4.5% increase to the local government settlement; (2) £180m in additional funding for health and social care, equivalent to a 3.6% increase and (3) £120m in capital funding available for the next government to allocate following the Senedd election. The agreement will be reflected in the final budget, which will be published on 20 January 2026, alongside other allocations made by the Welsh Government that are not part of the agreement.

The Welsh Government has announced that they have invested more than £5m in the Wales and West Housing’s Colchester Avenue development which will provide 50 innovative and energy efficient homes. The Welsh Government has said these homes will be at an affordable social rent in Penylan, Cardiff. These newbuild homes will be built to meet the Welsh Development Quality Requirements 2021 which sets out minimum functional quality standards.

The Welsh Government has announced the integration of the Centre for Digital Public Services (CDPS) into the Welsh Government by April 2026, alongside multiple AI initiatives. The Welsh Government has secured £440k from the UK Government's Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund and £26m from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) for data research. New projects include AI scribe tool evaluation, public sector training programmes and development of local authority guidance. The Strategic AI Advisory Group will meet later this month to discuss AI skills and priorities for Wales.

The Welsh Government has announced a new support programme for Additional Learning Needs (ALN) following a review of ALN legislation. The programme includes a new parent and carer toolkit, additional national support for educational institutions and a consultation on national ALN data collection. An independent review of ALN advocacy provision will be led by Gareth Morgans. The government will allocate £8.2m in additional funding this year to local authorities and education settings, supplementing £150m revenue investment over four years and £170m capital funding for ALN infrastructure improvements.

The Welsh Government has announced that the new Health and Social Care (Wales) Bill has been laid in the Senedd on 20 May 2024, aiming to remove private profit from the care of looked after children and enabling those receiving continuing NHS healthcare, to request direct payments. The Bill will also make some other amendments to the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 and the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016.

The Welsh Government's Minister for Further and Higher Education, Vikki Howells, has announced a package of measures to support the higher education sector in Wales and across the UK. The announcement includes £18.5 million in additional capital funding for universities to support estate maintenance and digital projects, aimed at reducing operating costs and improving sustainability. A further £1.5 million has been allocated in the draft budget for activities to improve participation in higher education, alongside £500,000 for the Global Wales programme to support international recruitment.

The Welsh Government has announced that all five schools identified in Wales as containing Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) have reopened to all pupils. The Welsh Government has said that Wales had ‘a lot fewer instances of RAAC in schools’ compared with England, which had 231 schools affected and Scotland, which had 39.

The Welsh Government has announced that the Health and Social Care (Wales) Bill received Royal Assent. The legislation prohibits profit-making from children's residential and foster care services in Wales, requiring these services to be provided exclusively by public sector, charitable or not-for-profit organisations. Wales becomes the first UK nation to implement such restrictions. The Act also introduces direct payments within National Health Service (NHS) continuing healthcare, enabling disabled people and those with long-term conditions to exercise greater control over their care arrangements. The legislation aims to ensure care funding is reinvested into children's welfare rather than distributed as shareholder profits.

The Welsh Government has announced that the Planning (Wales) Bill and the supplementary Planning (Consequential Provisions) (Wales) Bill have been approved by Senedd Cymru. The Bills aim to bring together fragmented planning legislation into a single, bilingual and coherent framework, modernising its structure while preserving the existing legal effect. A four-week intimation period now applies before the Bills may receive Royal Assent and become Acts of the Senedd. During this period, the Counsel General for the Welsh Government or the Attorney General for the UK Government may refer the Bills to the Supreme Court under section 112 of the Government of Wales Act 2006 (GoWA 2006).