, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Inquiry into violence against women, domestic abuse, and sexual violence—migrant women: ministerial evidence session
Thank you very much, Chair. Well, I'm the Minister for Social Justice. So, I have the prime responsibility for the violence against women and domestic abuse and sexual violence strategy, the implementation of the Act. And I really very much welcome your…
, Plenary
Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Empowering communities
Finally, can I just reassure you that the Welsh Government is supporting this motion today? I think it's the first step to us looking at a co-productive route to our new communities policy. Diolch yn fawr.
, Plenary
Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Empowering communities
Thank you very much, Huw Irranca-Davies. I'm really pleased you've made that intervention and recognised the principles not just of the Co-operative Party, which are very much hardwired into Welsh Government values and principles as well, because my third…
, Plenary
Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Empowering communities
This is a complex area in terms of developing community policy, and I want to go on to that, in terms of what this will mean in terms of delivering those services at the sharp end, and also, recognising that there are barriers, and also that this is about…
, Plenary
Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Empowering communities
Yes, of course.
, Plenary
Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Empowering communities
Diolch yn fawr, acting Presiding Officer, and can I thank Members for tabling this important debate? Just also to say, in following on from many Members who’ve spoken today, that I’m also pleased to have the opportunity to recognise the thousands of community…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Inquiry into the provision of sites for Gypsy, Roma and Travellers—evidence session 5: Minister for Social Justice
Diolch yn fawr.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Inquiry into the provision of sites for Gypsy, Roma and Travellers—evidence session 5: Minister for Social Justice
Diolch yn fawr, Mabon. I would just quickly say that we've just recently approved this partnership with the Fuel Bank Foundation, which is not just vouchers for pre-payment meters but also for off-grid, including access to Calor gas and oil. And I've already…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Inquiry into the provision of sites for Gypsy, Roma and Travellers—evidence session 5: Minister for Social Justice
Yes. It has to be ongoing. We've got opportunities to take stock, haven't we, in terms of monitoring, with the accommodation assessments coming through. But this is not just one-off, this is constant engagement from our officers. One of the things I haven't…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Inquiry into the provision of sites for Gypsy, Roma and Travellers—evidence session 5: Minister for Social Justice
I think that's a really good idea about town and community councillors, so we could add that in as well. And obviously there's lots of liaison between local authorities, unitary authorities and their town and community councils, so we could perhaps take that…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Inquiry into the provision of sites for Gypsy, Roma and Travellers—evidence session 5: Minister for Social Justice
It's in the statutory guidance, as well as in the legislation, that they should involve the Gypsy, Roma, Traveller community in their considerations of site provision, accommodation assessment et cetera. I think our anti-racist action plan measures and…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Inquiry into the provision of sites for Gypsy, Roma and Travellers—evidence session 5: Minister for Social Justice
Well, I've already mentioned my visit to Merthyr because I was very impressed with the fact that they've got designated local authority staff working with the Gypsy and Traveller community, and they obviously take this very seriously in terms of dedication to…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Inquiry into the provision of sites for Gypsy, Roma and Travellers—evidence session 5: Minister for Social Justice
Thank you.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Inquiry into the provision of sites for Gypsy, Roma and Travellers—evidence session 5: Minister for Social Justice
Do you want to come in here, Chrishan?
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Inquiry into the provision of sites for Gypsy, Roma and Travellers—evidence session 5: Minister for Social Justice
Well, I think if we perhaps go back to our anti-racist Wales action plan, at the same time as drafting that and consulting on it, we were also very concerned about this forthcoming legislation, and we did agree that we would look at the guidance on managing…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Inquiry into the provision of sites for Gypsy, Roma and Travellers—evidence session 5: Minister for Social Justice
Yes. I co-chair the policing partnership board with the First Minister, and it's a really important partnership board. Actually, the Secretary of State for Wales attends those meetings, and Kit Malthouse also attended one of our meetings recently. We discuss…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Inquiry into the provision of sites for Gypsy, Roma and Travellers—evidence session 5: Minister for Social Justice
I did respond to this in my written evidence, and I will just go back to that to say—and this is pre the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act coming into force—that we raised repeated concerns with the UK Government about the provisions on unauthorised…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Inquiry into the provision of sites for Gypsy, Roma and Travellers—evidence session 5: Minister for Social Justice
Well, it's very clearly there in the action plan that we pilot additional new ways of funding permanent provision. And I would certainly want that to include private sites.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Inquiry into the provision of sites for Gypsy, Roma and Travellers—evidence session 5: Minister for Social Justice
Well, I don't think we would want to do that. This would be going right against the whole basis of Travelling Ahead, the Housing (Wales) Act 2014, and indeed, the commitment of local communities, and local elected members, to take their responsibilities and…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Inquiry into the provision of sites for Gypsy, Roma and Travellers—evidence session 5: Minister for Social Justice
Well, the essence of the legislation is that this is a local authority statutory duty. I think, as you will, clearly, agree, local authorities have got the responsibility and they certainly will want to make the decisions, and will make the decisions, in…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Inquiry into the provision of sites for Gypsy, Roma and Travellers—evidence session 5: Minister for Social Justice
As far as I'm concerned, absolutely, Sam, if there's land that we own, or indeed other public bodies, often health and local authorities, then the local authority has got every right and opportunity to look at that land. I don't think at the moment I can say…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Inquiry into the provision of sites for Gypsy, Roma and Travellers—evidence session 5: Minister for Social Justice
I'm not sure whether we've got—. I'd have to come back to you on that point. [Interruption.] We'll come back to you, Chair, on that point, because—
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Inquiry into the provision of sites for Gypsy, Roma and Travellers—evidence session 5: Minister for Social Justice
I've given you some figures already of the sites that we've funded between 2015 and 2021, so they're on record already in terms of new sites, new pitches, both construction and also for improvement and refurbishment.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Inquiry into the provision of sites for Gypsy, Roma and Travellers—evidence session 5: Minister for Social Justice
Again, back to the anti-racist action plan, we're going to pilot additional and new ways of funding permanent provision and we're going to look at, for example, possible capital requirement for mobile home rental pilots. That's something that, again, has come…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Inquiry into the provision of sites for Gypsy, Roma and Travellers—evidence session 5: Minister for Social Justice
Thank you very much, Sam. We obviously have our capital grant, which is an annual capital grant. I think £3.5 million I said earlier on, or perhaps it was in my written evidence as well; it's £3.69 million for this financial year. That's our grant as it is at…
