Labour MS says health secretary tried to avoid Senedd committee

Wales' health secretary has been accused by a Labour colleague of trying to "avoid" appearing in front of a Senedd committee.

A letter written to Wales' first minister expressed "disappointment and frustration" at the difficulty in getting Jeremy Miles to give evidence to the committee about his work in charge of the country's health system.

Miles, who is standing down as the MS for Neath at the next Senedd election, has since agreed to give evidence - but a second Labour MS has told the BBC they thought Miles had to be "dragged kicking and screaming" to the committee.

The Welsh government said it had offered dates for Miles to the committee, and declined to comment further.

Buffy Williams, Labour MS for Rhondda, wrote the letter to First Minister Eluned Morgan in her capacity as chair of the Senedd's children, young people and education committee.

The committee's three Labour members include former First Minister Vaughan Gething, who went head-to-head with Miles in the 2024 Welsh Labour leadership campaign which Gething won.

Miles then played a role in forcing Gething to quit four months later when he and other ministers resigned from government following criticism of donations to Gething's leadership campaign.

Williams wrote in the letter that Miles, children's minister Dawn Bowden and mental health minister Sarah Murphy had all been invited to the committee.

Miles initially confirmed attendance but then the Welsh government requested that only the minister for children should appear - a move which she said "surprised" the committee.

The committee told the Welsh government that it needed the cabinet secretary to attend, but was then told the original date was no longer available. The MSs offered an alternative date and made clear it was flexible.

Williams said members were "frustrated" when they then told that "because of the forthcoming dissolution [the end of the Senedd term before the next election]; the calls on cabinet secretary and minister's diaries; the committee's remit; and ministerial portfolios that the view remained that the minister for children and social care should come rather than all three".

"Reading between the lines, it seemed that the cabinet secretary would not be available for any date we offered", the letter said.

Williams wrote there was a clear "desire to avoid" attending when it offered an alternative date.

Williams added that the committee believed the children's minister alone would not be able to address questions on "a whole swathe of significant children's health policy".

The letter called on the first minister to "agree with us this is not acceptable".

After BBC Wales contacted the Welsh government about the letter, it said: "We advised the committee that we would provide available dates by... [Monday earlier this week] which we have now done."

A separate Labour MS told the BBC that the minister was only attending "because he's been dragged kicking and screaming".

They said it had been "quite disrespectful to the committee" and said they had never seen a Labour chair write a letter like it.

A Welsh government spokesperson declined to comment on the separate Labour MS's remarks.