Rt Hon MS, Prif Weinidog: I
attended the 45th British-Irish Council (BIC) Summit, hosted by
the Government of Guernsey on 910 July 2026.
A joint communiqué outlining the matters discussed and agreed at
the Summit, together with the list of attendees has
been published.
The theme of the Summit was Nurturing Beginnings: Strengthening
Early Years and Family Support for Happy, Healthy Childhoods and
Lifelong Wellbeing. Discussions focused on the shared ambition
across BIC member administrations to ensure children have the
best possible start in life through effective early years
support, childcare provision and family services. This gave the
opportunity to exchanged evidence, experience and best practice
on supporting children and families, improving outcomes through
early intervention, tackling child poverty and ensuring services
are accessible and joined up.
I outlined the Welsh Government's child-centred and preventative
approach to early years and family support, including our focus
on tackling child poverty, improving access to childcare,
strengthening family support services and supporting bilingual
provision from the earliest stages of a child's development. I
welcomed the opportunity to continue sharing evidence and best
practice with partners across these islands on common interest
and shared challenges.
The Summit included a discussion on latest political
developments. I provided an overview of the Welsh Government's
priorities for the current Senedd term, including reducing NHS
waiting lists, tackling child poverty and the cost of living,
raising educational standards, supporting jobs and economic
growth, and delivering greater fairness for Wales.
Emphasis was placed on the importance of securing the fiscal
flexibilities and constitutional powers needed to improve
outcomes for people in Wales, including further devolution in
areas such as policing, justice, rail, water and the Crown
Estate. The Welsh Government's ambition to halve the productivity
gap with the rest of the UK and establish a Development Agency
for Wales to help ensure prosperity is felt in all parts of Wales
was also highlighted.
The discussion provided an opportunity to reiterate the Welsh
Government's commitment to maintaining the closest possible ties
with the European Union. I noted the impact that an increasingly
volatile international environment, including the conflicts in
Ukraine and the Middle East, is having on communities, public
services and economic resilience, and the importance of
cooperation between governments in responding to these
challenges.
In the margins of the Summit, I met with the Chief Secretary to
the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon MP. Discussions focused on fair
funding for Wales and the constitutional powers needed to improve
outcomes for people in Wales, including the devolution of rail,
policing and justice. The case for greater parity between Wales
and Scotland in areas of devolved responsibility was also
highlighted.
Bilateral meetings also took place with representatives of the
Scottish Government, Isle of Man Government, Government of
Guernsey and Northern Ireland Executive, focused on strengthening
relationships, exchanging views on current priorities and
exploring areas of mutual interest and cooperation.
The next BIC Summit will be hosted by the UK Government.
