The draft budget, published on 19 Dec, has been criticised by Plaid Cymru and student representatives as cuts will affect parents and students.
By Ka Long Tung
A total of £3.5m will be cut from a free baby bundles programme making it no longer universal.
Yet, it is unclear who will be eligible to receive one.
The Social Justice Minister Jane Hutt said in May that the baby bundle is a universal offer for every baby born in Wales, but following the draft budget announcement on Wednesday, the provision will be cut back.
“From extolling its virtues, to scaling back their ambition considerably, the Welsh Government’s change of direction on the successful baby bundle scheme is extremely disappointing,” said Sioned Williams MS, Plaid Cymru spokesperson for social justice.
In Scotland, a Baby Box of essentials is made available to claim for every newborn. Items include clothes, a bath towel, a changing mat, books, etc.
The baby bundle was piloted in a Swansea hospital between September 2020 and March 2021 which the Welsh government described as “successful” and “welcomed by all parents that took part.”
However, according to the draft budget, the Welsh Government will cut £3.5m from the programme: “We are moving from a universal to a more targeted model to ensure it can reach those expectant parents in most need of support,” they said.
“What with the delays to the child poverty strategy, the scrapping of free school meals during the holidays, and now the limits being placed on which babies will be eligible for a Baby Bundle, their poor record speaks for itself,” said Williams.
Cuts are also seen in higher education, which will particularly hit students from poorer backgrounds.
The draft budget states that £9.6m of postgraduate grants will be reprioritised. Support will only be provided through loans to new students from the 2024-25 academic year.
In a letter to Rebecca Evans, the Minister for Finance and Local Government, Micaela Panes, the vice president of postgraduate students at Cardiff University, wrote the cut “sends a distressing message to prospective Postgraduate students.”
Another £3.2m bursaries for Welsh postgraduate taught masters’ students will also be cut.
Panes said the funding not only supports underrepresented groups, but also enhances diversity and excellence in academia.
The Welsh government acknowledged the cut of funding will affect Welsh-medium provision and STEM students and said they would closely monitor the impacts of the cut.
“The potential impact on Welsh-medium provision highlights the broader repercussions of these budget cuts on the cultural and linguistic diversity of our academic institutions and raises further questions on the Government’s commitment to education in Wales,” said Panes.
Overall the budget saw the spectre of even further austerity, after 13 years where public services have already been devastated by cuts.
Wide-ranging cutbacks in flood risk management, culture and sport were also announced.
There is also the possibility of increases in the cost of NHS dental care, home care for elderly people and rail fares.
