DRAFT spending plans by the Welsh Government for the coming financial year - which are coming along with a raft of cuts to public services - have been debated by MSs.

Rebecca Evans said the Welsh Government’s 2024-25 settlement is worth up to £1.3 billion less in real terms than when it was set in the 2021 spending review.

Wales’ finance minister told the Senedd: “In making this draft budget, we have had to take incredibly difficult decisions, and they are the most stark and painful since devolution.

“We have worked over many months to radically reshape our budget so that we can focus funding on the services that matter most to people.”

She told MSs that the unprecedented pressure on budgets means ministers are considering whether to increase charges for NHS dental care, university tuition fees and domiciliary care.

Peter Fox, the Conservatives’ shadow finance minister, raised concerns about an “astounding” 8.8 per cent cash cut to the mental health budget.

He said: “We have heard so many times in this chamber from ministers about the importance of mental health, so this simply doesn't make sense.”

Mr Fox also accused ministers of neglecting social care, saying: “You cannot keep passing this huge pressure to councils to deal with.”

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth criticised an “outdated” funding formula which fails to take needs into account, claiming that Sir Keir Starmer seems to care little about underwriting a fair deal for Wales.

He said: “The black hole in this budget, more than any in the age of devolution, has exposed the damaging premium we pay for the supposed insurance policy offered by the union.”

Janet Finch-Saunders, Conservative MS for Aberconwy, raised concerns about an increase in homelessness support from £46 million to £215 million.

Calling for more homes to be built, she said: “It's insane that in this day and age you're prepared to throw money at keeping people in hotel rooms and B&Bs.”

Samuel Kurtz raised concerns that the rural affairs budget has seen a cut of £62 million.

The Conservative said: “These wider cuts will have serious implications for the industry as we look towards the start of the sustainable farming scheme in January 2025.”

Jane Dodds, the Liberal Democrats leader in Wales, raised alarm about plans to consider raising public service fees like dentistry charges.

She said: “Thousands are already struggling to access local NHS dentistry, and facing dental emergencies by paying substantial sums, or travelling long distances, or even attempting DIY treatment.”

Alun Davies, a Labour backbencher, who represents Blaenau Gwent, accused opposition MSs of seeking to spend money that does not exist.

He said Wales is dealing with the consequences of “one of the most economically illiterate UK Governments in history”.

Mr Davies called for a new needs-based formula to redistribute funding in the UK and an independent budget office to prevent Westminster from “short-changing” Wales.

Adam Price said Wales is living through a time of 'hyper-austerity', with real-term public spending growing by three per cent per person over the past 14 years.

The ex-Plaid Cymru leader said that’s the slowest rate of growth in modern Welsh history.

“We're going backwards,” he warned. “And that's why everything, from our town centres to public transport to the NHS, feel fragile, hollowed out, broken… “Those working in our public services are exhausted and those who depend upon them are on the brink.”