, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip: The Child Poverty Strategy for Wales
Diolch. I do apologise, because I didn’t properly respond to Vikki Howells on the baby bundles pilot, and now I’m able to respond properly to you, Mabon. Thank you for that, because I think Bwndel Babi is really important, very much led by Julie Morgan…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip: The Child Poverty Strategy for Wales
Thank you very much, Jenny. I think it is really helpful that you've recognised there have been changes as a result of all the impacts of your committee report consultation, the reinforcement of children's rights. Just to say on the Welsh benefits charter…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip: The Child Poverty Strategy for Wales
Well, I hope that you will welcome Professor Rod Hick's independent academic advice. He is an expert worldwide—a globally recognised expert—on how you measure poverty. And that's really what the nub of this is about, isn't it: how do we measure the actions…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip: The Child Poverty Strategy for Wales
Well, thank you very much, Vikki Howells, and thank you for that recognition that this is a tough challenge, isn't it, in terms of tackling levels of child poverty, which of course are far too high. Reports and statistics are showing that this is across the…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip: The Child Poverty Strategy for Wales
Thank you, Heledd Fychan. I have said this in answer to more than one Senedd Member today, but we are developing a robust monitoring framework based on the national indicators of the well-being of future generations Act, as I've outlined. I've given you some…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip: The Child Poverty Strategy for Wales
Thank you very much indeed, Jayne Bryant, for your contributions, and indeed in responding to the debate of the important Equality and Social Justice Committee. I think you do focus on key aspects of work in terms of your inquiries. I’ll pick up first of all…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip: The Child Poverty Strategy for Wales
Diolch yn fawr, Sioned Williams, and thank you for your comments and questions today. I'm glad that you do recognise that some of the key points that were raised in the consultation, and, indeed, in the inquiry by the Equality and Social Justice Committee—and…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip: The Child Poverty Strategy for Wales
Of course, the strategy sets out our ambitions for the longer term, outlines how we'll work across Government, with our partners, to maximise the impact of the levers available to us in the Welsh Government. I've said already there's an ambitious framework to…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip: The Child Poverty Strategy for Wales
Well, I have to say, I did start to wonder whether you'd actually read the child poverty strategy, Mark Isherwood, with your opening comments and points—they certainly weren't questions to me about the statement that I made this afternoon and the child…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Social Justice and Chief Whip: The Child Poverty Strategy for Wales
Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Today, we are publishing the child poverty strategy for Wales as a cross-cutting, whole-of-Government policy document that sets out our priorities for meaningful action to tackle child poverty and improve the lived experience of…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2024-25: Ministerial evidence session
It's pretty clear, isn't it, why it hasn't happened. We've got a £1.3 billion cut to our budget. My budget is £139 million, and I've had to take £7.5 million out of the PCSOs budget. The money isn't there. Of course, we would like to be able to do these…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2024-25: Ministerial evidence session
Oh yes, the impact assessment is part of it.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2024-25: Ministerial evidence session
Earlier on, you were asking, right at the start, about big decisions, in a way, we've had to make, and a big decision was reducing the PCSOs budget. It's still over £15 million that we're putting into the PCSOs budget, but we've made that reduction of £7.5…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2024-25: Ministerial evidence session
Because we haven't reduced the budget. We're building the team. They are critically important, as you say, to every Minister, to make sure we've got that granularity of equality impact. I have to say, also— because we know this committee is very interested in…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2024-25: Ministerial evidence session
Well, this, I would beg to say, is not really for the budget today. I'm very happy to come back and talk more about the—
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2024-25: Ministerial evidence session
Well, thank you for that question, and, in fact, I've covered this in my written evidence, in paragraphs 68 and 69, about the equality, race and disability units, and, actually, have given some indication of what they've already done in my written…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2024-25: Ministerial evidence session
This is protected specifically for those third sector organisations—over £8 million. So, all the specialist services are protected by this protection of the overall budget.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2024-25: Ministerial evidence session
Well, we do fund the Welsh refugee consortium, which is a consortium of organisations, with the Welsh Refugee Council being one of them. Chair, can I come back with a breakdown of that funding, because, actually, my question, in a sense, would be—? My…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2024-25: Ministerial evidence session
Well, where are we now? We're in January, so we're working on the solution for a sustainable model, and I certainly hope, you know, by the time we get to the points of budgets—draft budgets—we'll be able to clarify where we are on it.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2024-25: Ministerial evidence session
Absolutely. It was a 'welcome ticket', and that's what it should be—a welcome to Wales. It was introduced as part of the response to the war in Ukraine and was part of the bus transition fund, so I'm working closely with the Deputy Minister for Climate Change…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2024-25: Ministerial evidence session
Thank you, Jane. Sorry, for coming in too soon, too quickly. I mean that the capital hasn't been spent—it's the capital that hasn't been spent. Obviously, we've got revenue funding support for our Gypsy, Roma, Traveller communities in terms of the…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2024-25: Ministerial evidence session
No, there are no applications for this financial year from local authorities. So, my meetings with local authorities—it's a statutory responsibility, it's their responsibility. My meetings with local authorities over the past six months in particular have…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2024-25: Ministerial evidence session
There have been no applications from local authorities across the whole of Wales for capital funding in this financial year.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2024-25: Ministerial evidence session
Thank you. And this is, again, a key priority for me. So, I've been meeting local authorities over the last six months, accompanied by officials, Amelia John particularly, to consider their GTAAs, their Gypsy and Traveller accommodation assessments, to bring…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2024-25: Ministerial evidence session
Thank you for that question. Yes, we’re moving at pace through the disability rights taskforce, so we’ve got three working groups under way, and all the work streams are going to conclude by March 2024, so that we can move to that draft action plan. I think…
