Eluned Morgan’s fifty-sixth session as first minister - the penultimate FMQs before the dissolution of the Senedd ahead of the election on May 7 - comes to a close.

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Conservative Gareth Davies asks what steps is the Welsh government taking to reduce fly-tipping and littering.

Eluned Morgan replies, "we all hate seeing litter on our streets, and the increase in fly-tipping is something that we absolutely need to clamp down on. That's why the Welsh Labour government has provided funding to help local authorities go after fly-tippers and support those communities fed up with litter-strewn streets. Now, we've given more support to local councils to try and catch the fly-tipping culprits, with new cameras. People can access litter-picking equipment from over 200 litter hubs across Wales, and we're making sure that producers are contributing to the solution."

Gareth Davies says "we can rightly be proud of progress on recycling, but we can't claim to have a strong environmental record if people are seeing their streets and neighbourhoods becoming visibly filthier year after year. It's affecting community pride, local businesses and the image we present to visitors".

Councils are the primary enforcement bodies for most fly-tipping offences, while Natural Resources Wales investigates larger scale cases and incidents on the land it manages.

Fly-tipping is a criminal offence, under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

The courts currently have various powers available to tackle fly-tipping, including imprisonment and fines.

The Labour Welsh government wants Wales to become a zero waste nation by 2050 and recently advised councils against collecting general waste more frequently than once every three or four weeks., external

Image source, Nathan Dixon

Image source, Nathan Dixon

Image source, Nathan Dixon

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Reform MS Laura Anne Jones says "after 27 years of Labour-Plaid governance in Wales it’s embarrassing that we're having to go back to basics as much as we are. People can't access NHS dentists, they're waiting far too long to see a GP, and many are still sitting on waiting lists for unacceptable amounts of times. The current situation is certainly nothing to be proud of. Reform will ensure that people get the basic, decent healthcare, free at the point of delivery, that they deserve and they work hard to pay for."

She asks, "do you agree with me that your government has run out of ideas, and it's time to hand over the batten to a Reform government that people in Wales can trust to get things moving again?"

Eluned Morgan replies, "we have delivered quite remarkably, I think, in terms of the numbers of people who've been helped in the NHS over the past five years. If you just look at what we've done in relation to dentistry, half a million new NHS dental appointments because we changed the contract, and that has made a difference, I think, to the people in Wales. On top of that, 2.75 million appointments every month [in the NHS in Wales] in a population of 3 million people. These are not small numbers. There are huge numbers of people who are being helped and supported."

She warns if people vote for Reform on May 7, "let me be clear that there could be trouble ahead".

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Conservative Tom Giffard asks "what discussions has the Welsh government had with the Welsh Rugby Union regarding their proposed reorganisation of regional rugby?"

Eluned Morgan replies, "we have encouraged the WRU to make sure it listens carefully to the views of clubs, players, fans and all those with an interest in proposals to change the professional game. The future of the game is a matter for the WRU, and we all want to see Wales thrive again as a successful rugby nation."

Tom Giffard says "all those living in Swansea and in the surrounding area are pretty united around the fact that the Welsh Rugby Union have made a complete mess of this reorganisation of Welsh rugby, reducing the number of rugby regions from four to three. This past week, you will have seen a set of leaked minutes from a meeting between the Welsh Rugby Union and Swansea Council confirming that their plan is to close down the Ospreys rugby region by the end of the 2026-27 season. Now, this has been horribly dealt with all the way through. Fans have been left completely in the dark, had to work out what was going on through leaked memos and internal discussions that are going on, and it's completely unacceptable. I do think that if any other cultural organisation in Wales was due to close and constituents were being treated in this way, the Welsh government, rightly, would be calling it out."

While the meeting referred to by Tom Giffard was meant to be confidential, Swansea council said it had no alternative but to provide a version of what they say happened, external. This followed comments by the WRU chief executive Abi Tierney that no decision on Ospreys' professional future had been taken, a claim Swansea council dispute.

The governing body intends to reduce the number of men's professional sides from four to three, with one club in the east of Wales, one in Cardiff and one in the west.

This plan has sparked turmoil, protests and legal action with the decision to move to cut a team being heavily criticised.

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Darren Millar, leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, turns to "matters of life and death".

He refers to last night's Y Byd ar Bedwar programme on S4C which revealed that almost 89,000 patients have been treated in corridors or in other non-clinical environments at Betsi Cadwaladr health board hospitals from 2022 to the end of October 2025.

The programme also revealed that, on average, patients received care in corridors for almost 10 hours at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, Bodelwyddan, last year - the longest average time of all north Wales hospitals. But the longest period that one patient stayed in a corridor was at Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor, in 2024 - for over five days.

Darren Millar asks, "will you finally accept that the NHS in Wales is in a full-blown crisis?"

Eluned Morgan says she did not watch the programme "but I have heard about the situation in Glan Clwyd. I think the situation is absolutely unacceptable. It is deeply upsetting for the people who are waiting to be treated there. Let me be clear - corridor care is unacceptable. That is the position of the Welsh government, and that is why we are trying to make sure that what we do is, first of all, to avoid people from going to hospital in the first place. We're giving far more care in the community. We've increased the number of people working in the NHS by 14 per cent in the last few years. That is not a small number. We're trying to increase the numbers of community nurses to make sure we can support people and avoid them from entering hospitals. And the fact is that we're investing in things like reablement, so that we can get people out as quickly as possible as well. There is a huge amount of investment going into that connection between the NHS and care."

Darren Millar calls on the first minister to apologise "to those people who are experiencing these problems, not just in north Wales, but around the whole of the country, in this undignified way, and to the staff who are being pushed to breaking point? Because it's not only those people who are being stripped of their dignity and having their safety compromised - those staff are suffering, too."

The first minister replies, "every day, I worry about people who have been failed by the NHS in Wales. I think about the people who are putting their heart and soul into trying to support people in our age - those over 100,000 people who are working day in, day out to try and improve the lives of people in our communities. But, yes, I worry about the people who are not getting the care that they need and deserve. The pressure on the system is quite, quite extraordinary. But I must say, I also think about those nurses in Ysbyty Gwynedd, and I think about the expansion in the number of nurses that we've seen since we have been in government. It's been quite extraordinary the way that we have increased the funding going to the NHS on the scale that we have."

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Following the sacking in January by Conservative group leader Darren Millar of his shadow health secretary James Evans for talking to Reform - a party he has since joined - the Conservatives and Plaid Cymru have 13 members each in the Senedd.

So the two parties now take turns to ask the first leader's questions to the first minister.

Plaid Cymru goes first today.

Rhun ap Iorwerth refers to the UK government's package of support for vulnerable households exposed to the recent surge in oil prices, triggered by the US-Israeli war with Iran. The Welsh government will receive £3.8m of a £53m package of support.

He seeks "an update for the Senedd as to when this funding will be shared in Wales, and does she agree with me that any delay of course would create real hardship for people as prices continue to rise on a daily basis? And whilst, of course, we need to target those most in need of help, there are many people who won't qualify for funding through the discretionary support fund, and they will still face real hardship. So, can the first minister tell us what steps she will take to urge the UK government to contribute more support for them?"

Eluned Morgan replies, "we already have a discretionary assistance fund, and the Fuel Bank Foundation, and people are able to access money there already via their local authorities. So, I think that is a message that I want to make loud and clear to the people who are struggling. That £3.8 million, which is additional - I'm very pleased I had the opportunity to speak to the prime minister last week about the need to recognise that more people in Wales, proportionately, are dependent on oil for heating their homes. That's been recognised in the amount of money we get proportionately, and that money will now be available to top up what we as a government already put in."

Rhun ap Iorwerth turns to a claim made by Eluned Morgan during last week's questions to the first minister when she said: "next week, I think, I'll be going up to Llandudno to open a new orthopaedic hub, a new surgical centre, and that is great news - another surgical hub. I think we have seven, this will be the eighth, and I think there may be another one. So, that's nine surgical hubs we're talking about in Wales."

He says "health professionals and experts in the field of delivering surgical expertise were quite taken aback by that statement from the first minister. We know, of course, that there has been a demand from health professionals for what Plaid Cymru is pledging to deliver, which is accredited surgical hubs, which is something specific. Can she list the nine accredited surgical hubs that she mentioned last week?"

Eluned Morgan replies, "I can, and I've been pushing them on this, because I recognise that you're getting a little bit prickly because of the 10 new surgical hubs that you're promising on top of the ones that we have already put in place. There have been new ones that have been established, for example, in Neath Port Talbot, and frankly the waiting lists in Swansea were incredibly long until that new surgical hub was opened and now that has transformed the situation in that area. That's just one of many of the seven surgical hubs that already exist. As I say, there's going to be a new one in Llandudno and a new one also in the Llantrisant area, which will be co-ordinated between the three health boards in that area: a real opportunity for us to demonstrate working together, understanding the pressures that people are under."

Plaid Cymru MS Sioned Williams questions whether the support the Welsh government provides to town centre businesses is effective.

Eluned Morgan says she acknowledges that some town centre businesses are "struggling", and points to the Welsh government’s Transforming Towns Placemaking Grant, which was extended in April 2025 for a further two years.

She adds, "an evaluation of the programme has been commissioned. On top of that, we are spending over £250 million to help nearly half of the businesses so they don't have to spend anything on permanent business rates. An additional two thirds are getting help to pay business rates. Recently, we gave additional support to pubs and restaurants, from April onwards."

Sioned Williams says "I set up a survey allowing small businesses from across South Wales West to raise issues of concern with me. Most who completed it were either sole traders or had less than five employees, predominantly operating in retail and hospitality. Sixty-four per cent of respondents said their biggest challenge was increased costs - a situation, of course, that may get worse due to the war in the middle east - and 83 per cent felt they don't get enough support, advice or information from Welsh government. Data shows us that footfall across high streets and town centres is continuing to decline, with Wales having some of the weakest footfall levels across any of the countries in the UK."

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Y Llywydd Elin Jones conducts a ballot to determine the names of members who may table questions to the first minister.

Plaid Cymru MS Llyr Gruffydd seeks information about the Welsh government’s "strategy for data centre developments".

First Minister Eluned Morgan replies, "data centres are essential digital infrastructure, and I am committed to ensuring Wales can maximise these new opportunities to drive growth and productivity. This will lead to major investment, high-value jobs, and stronger local supply chains for communities. We will also ensure that clean energy sources are developed to power these new developments."

Llyr Gruffydd, while agreeing about the necessity of data centres, questions how many long-term jobs will be created.

He says, "in the past, you have said that there will be a potential to create thousands of jobs through the AI growth zones. Now a Guardian investigation recently found that some of the job creation figures that are used in the context of these growth zones are massively overestimating the number of jobs created in the past. And whilst short-term construction jobs come with many of these developments, there is a question as to how many permanent long-term posts will be created in reality."

He calls for a "clear assessment of the economic development and community benefit in the long term of these AI growth zones in Wales, so that we can fully understand how these projects do deliver the inclusive, sustainable growth that our communities want to see, and, of course, deserve".

There are nearly 500 data centres already dotted around the UK helping to run digital services from banking transactions to online gaming, accounting for 2% of the UK's electricity demand.

But the growth of AI will increase the number of centres as more processing power is needed, and their electricity demand could increase by up to six-fold between now and 2050, according to the grid operator., external

By some analyses, the UK is already the third-largest nation for data centres behind the US and Germany. The UK government has made clear it believes data centres are central to the UK's economic future - designating them critical national infrastructure.

Image source, Senedd Cymru

Image source, Getty Images

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Eluned Morgan’s fifty-sixth session of First Minister's Questions.

This is the penultimate FMQs before the dissolution of the Senedd ahead of the election on May 7.

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

You can click on the play button above to watch the proceedings from 1.30pm.