, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language: Welsh language communities
Thank you very much to Adam Price. Adam has already said what I'd intended to say, because behind recommendation 16 is the argument as to whether we want to see brand-new bodies being created, or do we have something in place already where we can make…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language: Welsh language communities
I thank Rhys for those questions. The growth in Welsh-medium education in the Canton area has been one of the greatest success stories over recent decades. I remember chairing a meeting of the first group in one of the new schools in Canton, where there…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language: Welsh language communities
That's where the Simon Brooks report is going to help us to provide opportunities where people already speak Welsh on a daily basis, and to enhance their opportunities to continue to do that for the future, but also to create further opportunities for people…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language: Welsh language communities
'give new energy to our efforts to promote the language', 'We must foster people’s desire and confidence to learn and to use the language...as a normal part of everyday life.'
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language: Welsh language communities
I'd like to thank Alun Davies for that contribution. Of course I agree with him when he says that we should thank Simon Brooks and the other 10 members of the group that drew up this report. There will be a response to each of the recommendations. I'm not…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language: Welsh language communities
Thank you very much for the questions, of course. I think the point is that the 'Welsh Language Communities Housing Plan' report has created a lot more work, so I have tried to report back on the specific work on the plan, but also to demonstrate how that…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language: Welsh language communities
Dirprwy Lywydd, thank you very much. Thank you to Tom Giffard for that constructive contribution and for the questions as well. Of course, I agree on the first point that he made about the importance of the use of the Welsh language. That's what we were…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language: Welsh language communities
Thirdly, we have established an affordability and second homes pilot scheme in the Dwyfor area in partnership with Cyngor Gwynedd, Eryri National Park, Grŵp Cynefin and Adra housing association. The pilot trials several interventions to manage the number of…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language: Welsh language communities
Thank you very much for the opportunity to make a statement to the Senedd this afternoon to update Members on the work that has been done over the past few months, and to set out my vision for the coming months too. It is almost two years since we published…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language: Welsh language communities
Well, Llywydd, shwmae, su'mae.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session
Members of the committee will be very well aware of the huge pressures that were in last year’s budget, and the very difficult decisions that had to be made to reduce the budgets of almost all my Cabinet colleagues. And that, inescapably, included reductions…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session
No.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session
I think the answer is 'more or less', Chair. So, the city and growth deals are jointly funded by the Welsh Government and the UK Government, and the UK Government's contribution, we are essentially a 'pass through' for that. They give the money to us, and we…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session
Well, the core Valleys lines are a new responsibility for the Welsh Government. It was negotiated, primarily, by my predecessor, during his period as First Minister. So, we took over the responsibility for the running and the maintenance of the core Valleys…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session
Yes. Chair, I'm due to meet the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales in the next round of budget discussions, and I am anticipating that the Valleys lines will be a major part of that discussion.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session
I don't think it's so much a shift in priorities as just a recognition of the fact that the core Valleys lines, which is where this money has gone to, is a programme that is more expensive than was originally anticipated. So, the impact of construction…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session
Thank you.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session
I think we do publish one table where you can do that. I think the trouble is, Mike, as you know, it's at a level of detail that a headteacher would be very unlikely to have looked at. But I think there is a table we publish that does allow you to see that…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session
Yes. Exactly. It's gone from—. It appears to have left education, but it's just arrived in another education budget. But it's also caught up in the student loan changes, which are also very significant, and Sharon will explain better than I could.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session
Well, thank you for the chance to do that. I'll try to respond to one part of it; I'll ask Sharon to deal with the student loan part of it, because that is very complicated in an accountancy way. Just picking up the point that Peter made earlier, Chair, so…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session
My discussions with my Cabinet colleagues are always about two different things. They are about in-year management—so, I will talk to all my colleagues about where they are, are they living within their means, what plans do they have to live within their…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session
We were all in the same position in that regard. Even the department of health in England didn't know. I've no doubt at all that they would have been told quietly, but they didn't know until the March budget whether they had the money for the following year.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session
At this point, there are no active plans or decisions being made of that sort.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session
I'm not in a position to rule it out at this point—
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government First Supplementary Budget 2024-25: Evidence session
What I can say is that the position is a lot better than last year. I'm not saying that health boards aren't facing some real pressures on them—they are. But when we were doing that exercise last year, it was very much driven by the fact that health boards…
