Welsh Conservatives have today repeated calls for the ministerial silence on Awema to be broken 'once and for all'.

The group has joined other opposition parties in tabling an urgent question on the issue and Shadow Minister for Finance, Paul Davies AM, will later ask for guarantees that this kind of funding scandal can never happen again.

The Wales Audit Office report into the Welsh Government's relationship with Awema highlighted weak government performance in the management and coordination of the association's funding.

Mr Davies said:

"It's about time ministers spoke up and took some responsibility for this fiasco.

"Closing ranks and hiding behind locked doors only serves to confirm further weakness.

"Welsh taxpayers deserve an apology for the catalogue of errors in the government's handling of Awema.

"Minister after minister had a part to play in this disaster and recognition of a lazy attitude towards the public purse is now sorely needed."

Leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Assembly, Andrew RT Davies AM, said:

"It's time ministers broke their silence on Awema once and for all.

"This lazy Labour cabinet holes itself up on issues of national importance far too often.

"While the pantomime ministers are happy to dismiss responsibility and shriek with horror at difficult UK government decisions, they repeatedly lock their doors and shun the spotlight on issues that call their leadership into question.

"The First Minister should say sorry for this shambles and give a guarantee that it won't happen again."