Nearly half of Senedd staff are suffering significant stress, with a “worrying” workload fuelled by the Welsh Parliament’s expansion weighing on their well-being, a committee has heard.

Manon Antoniazzi, the Senedd’s chief executive, told the public accounts committee that 47 per cent of staff are suffering from stress – a statistic that has proven “stubborn to shift”.

Ms Antoniazzi said the Senedd commission has developed a wellness strategy and targeted support for services under strain.

She said overall staff sickness has decreased significantly, from 8.6 days for each employee last year to 6.4 now.

But Ms Antoniazzi recognised a rise in absences due to mental health in the staff survey, attributing this largely to personal reasons rather than work-related stress.