The Welsh Government has published a written statement providing a six-month update on its response to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 1 report, ‘The resilience and preparedness of the United Kingdom’. The statement sets out the progress made since January 2025 in strengthening emergency preparedness and resilience in Wales. It confirms that several recommendations have been implemented and outlines the actions taken to improve governance, risk assessment, data and evidence, and cross-government coordination. Further detail is provided in an accompanying annex.

The Welsh Government has published a written statement by Minister for Health and Social Services, Eluned Morgan MS, announcing the launch of a consultation on proposed health impact assessment regulations. The consultation includes the draft regulations under consideration and provides clarity on the reasoning behind the proposed regulations. The consultation addresses what is to be considered; to whom the regulations apply; when the regulations will apply; how a health impact assessment should be conducted; publishing a health impact assessment and the role of Public Health Wales. The consultation closes on 29 March 2024.

The Welsh Government has published a statement on residential special schools in Wales, in which Deputy Minister for Social Services, Julie Morgan, has noted that the schools have been defined as ‘special school residential services’, a regulated service, under the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016. This follows the recommendation made in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse that all residential special schools be inspected against the same standards used when regulating Welsh residential care homes.

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies MS, has released a statement introducing The Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) (Wales) Regulations 2024 to prohibit the supply (including for free) of single-use vapes in Wales. The Regulations will be coming into force on 1 June 2025.

The Welsh Government has published its strategic policy on carbon capture and storage (CCS), establishing a framework to support the deployment of CCS infrastructure in four specific circumstances, including where CCS: (1) makes a measurable contribution to decarbonisation targets and objectives; (2) supports and accelerates the transition from fossil fuels; (3) prioritises emissions avoidance; and (4) contributes to sustainable economic growth. The policy does not introduce new evidence requirements but provides additional context for existing consenting regimes, including those relating to planning, environmental permitting and licensing. It specifies that developers are required to evidence emissions reductions only at the facilities they operate, in line with existing consenting requirements, and are not required to provide evidence of net global emissions reductions. Additional guidance will be issued to clarify evidence requirements and explain how the policy integrates with existing consenting regimes. The policy applies solely to capture and storage considerations, with CO₂ utilisation to be addressed under a separate policy. Alongside this, the Welsh Government has published a summary of responses to its December 2024 consultation on its preferred policy for CCUS.

The Welsh Government has published a strategic priorities and objectives statement (SPS) to Ofwat, issued under section 2B of the Water Industry Act 1991. This statement sets out the Welsh Government’s strategic priorities for the transition to a new regulatory framework for water in Wales, building on the SPS of July 2022. It outlines a three-phase transition plan: (1) legislative change from 2026 to around 2028–29; (2) establishment of a new Welsh economic regulator for water from 2028 to the early 2030s and (3) full operation from the mid-2030s onwards. Across these phases, two transition periods will be in place to ensure uninterrupted regulatory oversight of Welsh water companies. The SPS expects Ofwat to maintain effective regulation throughout the transition, comply with the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 and collaborate with the Welsh Government, Natural Resources Wales, the Drinking Water Inspectorate and the Consumer Council for Water to facilitate the transition to a new regulator. It also highlights the importance of preparing for Price Review 2029, with Ofwat expected to ensure that it reflects Welsh priorities for affordability, resilience and environmental outcomes. The SPS also emphasises the need for strong governance and accountability, with Ofwat's decisions expected to align with Welsh Government policy positions on fairness, sustainability and public value.

The Welsh Government has published a collection of guidance on meeting building control requirements for higher-risk buildings in Wales, alongside guidance on lapse of building control approval and transitional arrangements for the new building control regime coming into force on 1 July 2026. The guidance covers building control approval for higher-risk buildings, preparing information for a building control approval application, applying for a completion certificate, keeping information about a higher-risk building through the ‘golden thread’, making changes to a higher-risk building project, operating a mandatory occurrence reporting system, and the criteria for determining whether new or existing buildings fall within the higher-risk building regime.

The Welsh Government has published a summary of responses for the consultation titled ‘Ending Homelessness Outcomes Framework’. In total, 55 responses were submitted by public sector, Third Sector, representative organisations and individual respondents. 28 responses were provided without a name or organisation or by those wishing for their responses to be treated anonymously. The Welsh Government has made changes to the Framework in response which include using 12 months as an appropriate timeframe to measure repeat homelessness and as the timeframe for sustaining tenancies; providing a definition of ‘at risk’ groups in Annex 1 of the Framework; introducing two new indicators under to measure the threat and prevention of homelessness for children and young people; and a review and update of the Framework in line with the whitepaper on ending homelessness in Wales.

The Welsh Government has published a summary of responses to its consultation on proposed changes to part 6 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 Code of Practice (looked after and accommodated children). The consultation sought views on a first phase of revisions, including proposals to introduce a dedicated corporate parenting chapter; strengthen the embedding of the voice of the child across care and support planning, placements and review processes; update guidance on placement moves and review meetings; and revise terminology to reflect legislative and policy developments since the Code was last updated in 2018. The Welsh Government reports strong support for measures to strengthen participation and the voice of the child, as well as broad backing for the establishment of corporate parenting panels, accompanied by calls for clearer guidance and accountability. It also notes that respondents expressed mixed views on the introduction of the term ‘community parenting’, with some favouring its inclusive framing and others cautioning that it could create confusion or risk diluting statutory responsibilities. Respondents generally supported a hybrid national and local approach to providing information for care leavers and endorsed the use of both quantitative indicators and qualitative feedback to measure progress. Given that many respondents felt unable to comment fully without sight of the complete draft Code, the Welsh Government intends to publish a second consultation on the full revised Code of Practice.

The Welsh Government has published a summary of responses to its consultation on draft statutory guidance under the Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Act 2023 (SPPP(W)A 2023). Responses indicated general support for the policy approach, alongside comments on clarity, proportionality, potential administrative burden and implementation. The government states that it will revise the guidance to improve clarity, include additional examples and supporting materials and strengthen alignment with existing legislation, while retaining wording where required by the SPPP(W)A 2023. Final guidance will be published in due course and annual reporting requirements will apply from after April 2027.

The Welsh Government has published a summary of responses to its January 2025 consultation on Wales' first Timber Industrial Strategy. A total of 128 responses were received, covering key priority areas: increasing timber supply, enhancing forest resilience, improving resource efficiency, building confidence in market demand, and developing sector capacity. The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs will review stakeholder feedback with the aim of publishing the final strategy in summer 2025. Details of priority actions for the 2025/26 financial year will also be set out. The strategy will support the delivery of the Woodlands for Wales strategy, with a particular focus on developing a competitive and integrated forestry sector.

The Welsh Government has published a summary of consultation responses for the consultation on proposals to add to the categories of those required to register with the Education Workforce Council (EWC). Welsh Minister for Education and Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles MS has noted that there was overall support for the proposed legislation addressing inconsistencies in present requirements and requiring additional groups, such as community-based adult learning practitioners and senior staff in Further Education Institutions, to register with the EWC. Miles has said that the proposed legislation will therefore remain unchanged and will be brought forward in spring 2024.