The Welsh Lib Dems have launched their manifesto in Cardiff for the 7 May Senedd election.

Here are some of the the key pledges.

• Party leader Jane Dodds says her party would not support any government that "spends money on independence", effectively ruling out a deal with Plaid Cymru if it comes to power.
• The party will deliver free childcare from nine months old, 30 hours a week, 48 weeks a year, with Dodds saying the the policy is the "single most significant way" of reducing child poverty in Wales.
• The promise of a Royal College of Carers to help ease the pressure on a social care system in "crisis". Dodds says it is the "biggest challenge Wales faces, and we will meet it." She pledged to invest £300 into social care if her party is elected.
• The Lib Dems say they would increase school and college funding per pupil above the rate of inflation every year. They also say there should be at least one Welsh medium and one English medium point of education within an hour's drive in rural areas and 30 minutes in urban areas by 2035.

Our live coverage is now coming to an end. You can read more about today's launch here.

Paying for older people's carepublished at 12:03 BST

12:03 BST

India Pollock
Wales social affairs correspondent

The question of how we pay for the care of vulnerable older people has crashed election campaigns in Westminster in previous years.

Wales has the fastest-growing proportion of older people in the UK and the Welsh Lib Dems say it is time to be "honest" with voters about how care is paid for.

They say they would raise the Welsh rate of income tax by 1p in the pound for "an emergency period" to invest in social care, if Westminster does not reform Wales' funding formula and does not tax banks and large social media companies.

Image source, Getty Images

Independence comments catch the eyepublished at 11:56 BST

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Tomos Morgan
Wales correspondent

One of the most interesting parts of Dodd's speech was her party's stance on not spending a penny on Wales leaving the UK.

The party are referring to Plaid and the Greens, but of course it looks like Plaid and Reform will be vying to be the largest party in Wales.

It is unlikely either party will be getting a majority, after changes were made to the voting system, meaning a deal will be required.

The Lib Dems have drawn some lines in the sand today by saying they will not help if a party is looking at independence.

However you have to bear in mind that it previously said it will not work with Reform.

Big questions about scheme for studying abroadpublished at 11:44 BST

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Bethan Lewis
Wales family and education correspondent

There are big questions about the future of the Taith programme, which was set up after the UK pulled out of Erasmus+ to give young people opportunities to study abroad.

Now the UK is rejoining Erasmus there are doubts about whether Taith should carry on.

But the Lib Dems say they'd carry on investing in it alongside membership of the EU programme.

The current system of student finance for Welsh students was introduced under a Lib Dem education minister.

The party says "the most generous" system in the UK should continue for Welsh students "no matter where they study", but that's at a time when there are big questions about the affordability of the system.

Which pledges will survive post-election negotiations?published at 11:42 BST

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Gareth Lewis
Wales political editor

It will be interesting to see what the number-crunchers make of the Lib Dems’ plans.

Amongst its pledges are a hospital repair or rebuilding programme - but the manifesto does not say how much this would cost or what the party is willing to spend.

Similarly its offer of 30 hours a week, 48 weeks a year of childcare for 9-months to four years old does not come with a price tag. That said it would not be cheap.

There is also a pledge to spend £400m on town centres and permanently freeze business rate relief for retail, hospitality and leisure.

And with the Lib Dems the question is always there: what would they be prepared to ditch in any post-election negotiations?

What will they prioritise with health?published at 11:39 BST

11:39 BST

Owain Clarke
Wales health correspondent

Like several other parties the Welsh Lib Dems are promising to "repair, replace and upgrade" aging hospital buildings and infrastructure - sighting the University Hospital in Wales in Cardiff and Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest as in need of particular attention.

While those two hospitals alone have racked-up serious repair costs of £170m - according to our analysis the bill for the entire Welsh NHS is a staggering £1bn.

But the party is also pledging to invest heavily in community and preventative care, as well spending to "fix the crisis" in social care to "save the NHS".

Many health care Royal Colleges and think tanks would support those aims - and while such transformation might make the health service more sustainable down the line - the costs, at least initially, could be huge.

With the next Welsh government's budget expected to be tight - the question is what will the party prioritise?

Support for social care workerspublished at 11:37 BST

11:37 BST

India Pollock
Wales social affairs correspondent

There have long been calls for the social workforce to have the same pay and progression as those who work in the NHS.

The Lib Dems say they will support a foundation of a Royal College of Care Workers to improve professional recognition, standards and progression.

No mention of pay equity in the manifesto though or how to increase the number of care workers, of which there currently is a shortage - the latest Social Care Wales data shows there are more than 5,000 vacancies in the sector.

Detailed health and social care planpublished at 11:36 BST

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Jenny Rees
Wales health correspondent

While there are several manifesto pledges aimed at health and social care, very few come with detailed explanations about how they will be achieved.

For example, there's a bold promise to guarantee that 100% of cancer patients will start treatment within the target of 62-days from an urgent referral, with the introduction of a national cancer plan.

What makes it bold is that the current target is 75% but the achieved figures have languished around 57% for some time, and there's little detail about what a plan would contain to make that leap.

Likewise a promise of guaranteeing everyone with an urgent dental need access to an NHS dentist doesn't set out how that will be done, at a time when a new contract has meant some in the profession are handing back their NHS contracts.

However, their manifesto does include a tangible investment in 5,000 new or refurbished "nursing-care placements" to help "end corridor care" and "bring down waiting lists" suggesting that these placements would offer a step-down facility to allow more patients to be discharged from overcrowded hospitals.

The manifesto launch comes to an end after Dodds thanks those here for attending.

Stay with us as we bring you more reaction and analysis to what the Lib Dems are promising ahead of the election.

Dodds says £300m is needed "ringfenced for social care to help get our patients... out of the door."

The party has said that if it is needed they will ask the Welsh public for another penny on income tax, which Dodds says would be needed "in order to fix the crisis in the social care".

Increase school and college fundingpublished at 11:31 BST

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Bethan Lewis
Wales family and education correspondent

Traditionally the party has prioritised keeping small rural schools open.

In this manifesto there’s a different take on that issue, saying there should be at least one Welsh medium and one English medium point of education within an hour's drive in rural areas and 30 minutes in urban areas by 2035.

The need to spend scarce resources as efficiently as possible is often given as the reason for closing small schools with low pupil numbers, and funding is currently the biggest issue for most schools across Wales.

The Lib Dems say they would increase school and college funding per pupil above the rate of inflation every year.

Image source, Getty Images

Pushed on her red lines and whether that would extend to helping Rhun ap Iorwerth becomes first minister, Dodds says the Lib Dems "won't change our minds after the election".

She says Plaid's plans for an independence commission involve "more than a penny" of funding.

"We wouldn't support any government that spends money on independence," she says.

Pushed on whether that means she would allow Reform's Dan Thomas to become first minister if Plaid does not drop the commission idea, she does not answer the question directly.

She said she was making it "really clear" what the red lines were and suggests it would be up to Plaid to find partners it might need.

Cleaning up rivers and seaspublished at 11:24 BST

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Steffan Messenger
Wales environment correspondent

The Lib Dems are positioning themselves as champions for the environment, saying this "lies at the heart of who we are".

The manifesto is unambiguous on the need for action to protect nature and fight climate change, with cleaning up rivers and seas one of the party's top five priorities.

You can imagine how asks like more cash for Natural Resources Wales, or a blue flag style water quality scheme for rivers could form part of negotiations with a future Welsh government in need of their support.

There will be questions over how they'd propose to achieve some of the more headline-grabbing pledges.

What's the time-frame for implementing a "ban" on sewage dumping, for instance - a massive, costly infrastructure project.

And where does the money come from for what appears to be a big uplift in funding committed to the environment more broadly - from increased woodland planting, a target to "double nature" by 2050 and an extra £50m a year to support nature-friendly farming.

Image source, Getty Images

Felicity Evans
Wales money editor

The Lib Dems say they want to be "honest with voters about the cost of protecting our public services".

So if the UK government does not change the way Wales is funded, the party says it would be prepared to increase Welsh rates of income tax by 1p for "an emergency period" to put an extra £300m into social care.

The party says this would take pressure off the NHS by making it easier to free up beds for people who need them.

A penny increase on each of the three income tax bands would raise around £388m in 2027-28.

But with the cost of living a top concern for Welsh voters in this election, it remains to be seen how many people might be prepared to vote for an increase in their tax bill.

The impact of the social care "crisis", Dodds says, is why beds are full in hospital wards.

"This is the biggest challenge Wales faces, and we will meet it."

She promises a "Royal College of Carers".

"If someone is ready to leave hospital, their care begins that day. Not after a funding dispute. Not after a referral. That day," she says.

She says they will be "honest" that if social care funding "requires a penny in the pound more on income tax, we will make that case to the public".

Expanding free childcare across the countrypublished at 11:17 BST

11:17 BST

Felicity Evans
Wales money editor

Like the majority of the main parties in this election, the Lib Dems are promising to expand free childcare in Wales.

In this case to 30 hours a week, 48 weeks of the year for children aged nine months to four years old.

This is a costly commitment and also logistically challenging in terms of getting qualified staff and appropriate facilities in the right places.

The fiscal landscape facing the next Welsh government is likely to be more challenging, so expensive promises beg the question of what trade-offs will be made to fund them.

A new Welsh government can slice up the resources cake anyway it wants, but if you want to give someone a bigger slice that means someone else gets a smaller one.

Dodds says she will make "homes warmer and cheaper to run" in a bid to reduce the cost of living.

"A 10-year programme to upgrade insulation and energy efficiency in homes across Wales, done properly and at scale".

Dodds says she will "press" the UK government to look at "zonal electricity pricing, including a separate Welsh zone".

"If energy is generated here, in areas rich in renewables, it should be cheaper here," she says.

Manifesto title rules out Plaid partnership?published at 11:14 BST

11:14 BST

Gareth Lewis
Wales political editor

One of the Lib Dems' "red lines" for any negotiations with another party after the election is that "not a penny" should be spent on preparation for independence.

The party clearly feels its unionist stance with a pledge to pursue more powers and funding for Wales will appeal to left-leaning voters not convinced by Plaid Cymru or the Greens, or who feel Labour has not done enough.

The title of the manifesto - "Stronger Wales in a Stronger UK" - reflects this pitch to voters.

There is some uncertainty still about whether a deal with Plaid is completely ruled out, so there will be more questions for Jane Dodds at this manifesto launch.

Dodds says Wales "is not being overwhelmed" by migrants, but is being "hollowed out".

She says Reform UK want to tell people "the problem is who is arriving".

"We are saying the problem is why our own young people feel they have to leave," she says.

Dodds promises "every young person" further education, a paid apprenticeship, a job with training or tailored support into work within three months of leaving school.

"No one left waiting. No one left without a path", she says.

She promises to "block" Plaid Cymru's plan to remove a £1,000 living costs grant for Welsh students studying in England.