Carmarthenshire County Council has announced that parents and children will not suffer due to Welsh Government changes to the national school timetable.

Plaid Cymru AM for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr Rhodri Glyn Thomas last week expressed concern that parents in the county who had booked holidays based on school term times published provisionally earlier in the year by the local authority would be forced to cancel holidays - with a subsequent loss of deposits - or face being punished with a fixed penalty notice for their child's unauthorised non-attendance.

However, education chiefs in Carmarthenshire have confirmed that any holiday booked before the June 25 announcement will not lead to penalties imposed on pupils or parents.

A statement, issued by the authority, said: "In respect to Fixed Penalty Notices for non-attendance, Carmarthenshire will not issue any for families who have booked their holiday, and who can provide evidence to that effect, prior to the June 25, 2015 announcement."

As early as 2013, the Welsh Government announced plans to harmonise school holidays in Wales - ensuring all schools followed the same strict timetable.

Minister Huw Lewis announced in June that the harmonisation process would take place during the next academic year, citing "difficulties and increased costs faced by many families in having to fund additional child care costs as a result of variations in school term dates and therefore school holidays."

The move saw Rhodri Glyn Thomas urging the Welsh Government to postpone the implementation of the process for 12 months, seemingly without success.

Catherine Pickett, the Welsh Government's Schools Management and Effectiveness Division, said: "Whilst I appreciate this is challenging for some staff and parents the legislation is clear and Carmarthenshire, as is every other County Council, is bound to adopt the new dates."

"This was not a local decision but a decision made by the Education Minister."

Parents who have already booked holidays which will see their child absent from school during the rearranged term times will need to provide evidence that the trip was booked prior to June 25.