Welsh government under pressure to say when childcare will be expanded

The Welsh government will come under pressure on Wednesday to reveal a timetable and full costs for its flagship childcare policy.

Reform UK has tabled a vote in the Senedd demanding more details of how First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth plans to roll out and pay for his expansion of early years care to babies aged nine months.

It could be the first time the Plaid Cymru-led administration loses a vote in the Senedd since it came into power last month, with opposition parties expected to unite behind the demand.

Plaid said an expert group had been set up to oversee how the scheme will be phased in, and has promised an update before the summer recess in July.

Reform's Welsh leader Dan Thomas said: "Before the election, Plaid Cymru repeatedly claimed this policy was fully costed. If that is the case, there should be no difficulty in publishing the figures."

"We support the current childcare offer, it's means tested, it's fair and it's fully costed," Thomas told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"All parties want to help families but we may disagree on how we want to do it".

Thomas accused the Plaid Cymru of being "unprepared" and "hiding something", adding: "They've been in power for a month, it's time to explain how they will fund their flagship policy."

He said Reform Wales was calling on the Welsh government to publish full costings and an implementation timetable for its childcare offer within its first 100 days in office, adding "the people of Wales deserve delivery, not vague promises and unanswered questions".

Reform has tabled a motion for debate on Wednesday calling on the Welsh government "to publish the full costings and timetable for the introduction of their childcare offer".

It is thought that should an amendment by Labour about the importance of childcare pass, the motion may be agreed by the Senedd with the support of Reform, the Welsh Conservatives, Welsh Labour and Welsh Liberal Democrat Jane Dodds.

The motion, if it passes, is not binding on the government to act.

Plaid Cymru's own amendment says the government is committed to update the Senedd "on the initial costings and phasing for the expansion of universal childcare before the summer recess".

Plaid won the 7 May election promising to expand childcare to 20 hours a week for 48 weeks a year, for children from nine months old to four years.

So far the government has been unable to give a specific date for when the free childcare policy will begin, although it has promised to complete the roll-out before the next Senedd election in 2030.

The policy is thought to cost £400m a year by the end of the four-year parliament term.

Plaid has faced criticism from Labour and others that it has not spelled out what it would cut from the Welsh government budget to pay for it.

Deputy First Minister Sioned Williams told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast on the roll-out would be phased over the next four years but would move quickly.

According to Williams, actions promised for the first 100 days since the election were already under way.

"We will give families clear time-lines as soon as we possibly can," she said.

"This is a complex piece of work and we need to plan the resources to deliver on this commitment."

A Plaid spokesperson said: "Families in Wales pay the highest childcare costs in the UK and have been let down by Labour who were content to see that situation continue.

"Reform, meanwhile, did not consider childcare enough of a priority to make a single manifesto pledge.

"Our 100-day plan included a commitment to establish an expert group to set out the phased delivery of our expanded childcare offer.

"That group is now in place and will work alongside the childcare taskforce to oversee early modelling and the phased rollout of the expansion, which will be delivered at pace - helping to reduce costs for families, support parents into work and give every child the best possible start in life."