, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 8
Can I thank you for that, and just add that we might have had an economic policy that was moving jobs to people, but we've had the reality of the growth of the cities along the coast and the decline in population, and certainly a decline in jobs, in the south…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 8
And finally from me, we've spent a lot of money on public transport. Are you happy that the share between buses and rail is going to stay at that level, or can you see an increase in bus support? Because the constituency that I live in has one railway station…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 8
Thank you. The Bevan Foundation welcomed the funding for the social housing grant and transitional accommodation capital programme. But it highlighted—and I agree with them entirely—that there’s a shortage of council housing in Wales. That is not necessarily…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 8
It could be a manifesto commitment by one or more parties. What is the status of the two remaining gender budgeting pilots, and what are the timelines for publishing the results? And how are you going to reflect the outcome in future budgets?
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 8
The Bevan Foundation noted the usefulness of the role of the Wales expert group on the cost-of-living crisis in engaging with Welsh Ministers on different priorities. Given that the cost-of-living crisis has certainly not gone away, do you think there is a…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 8
Thank you. The same question regarding baby bundles.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 8
On the first two questions, the answer is either 'yes' or 'no'. Is phase 3 of Flying Start being funded in next year’s budget?
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 8
There are no constraints on ICT expenditure by amount available. The NHS has got a very poor record of ICT upgrades. The money could be very well spent there, and that could actually improve productivity. I agree with what you said about artificial…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 8
The big thing is the price of houses. That is the driving factor, surely, Minister? It's not a minor tax that adds a small amount to the cost; it's the increasing cost of houses, which is being driven by the failure to build enough houses. So, I'm bemused by…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Active Travel: evidence session with the Welsh Local Government Association
Diolch, Cadeirydd.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Active Travel: evidence session with the Welsh Local Government Association
Maybe, for that, I'm sure most local authorities would be much happier with more capital for other projects, but that's outside our remit here today. Do you think—and you talked about the Vale of Glamorgan—there would be benefit in a regionally based approach…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Active Travel: evidence session with the Welsh Local Government Association
And me. The next question is: is the capital-revenue split about right? I know that you can use revenue to support capital.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Active Travel: evidence session with the Welsh Local Government Association
Every time you start giving money out, and I won't go into the standard spending assessments, you always have winners and losers—you have happy and unhappy people. The Welsh Government appear, as far as I'm aware—tell me if I've got this wrong—to be now…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Active Travel: evidence session with the Welsh Local Government Association
Yes, please.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Active Travel: evidence session with the Welsh Local Government Association
Thank you for that. It sounded very informative.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Active Travel: evidence session with the Welsh Local Government Association
Thank you. The active travel fund is the largest single area of dedicated expenditure. It's been operating for some time. Is it operating effectively?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Active Travel: evidence session with the Welsh Local Government Association
Would you find it helpful to have a Welsh Government review of exactly where each local authority was and what can be done to identify good practice in one, and then provide that information to another?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Active Travel: evidence session with the Welsh Local Government Association
Moving on, again for individual councils: how would you respond to the suggestion in the auditor general’s report that national policies intended to support active travel do not always play through to local decisions?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Active Travel: evidence session with the Welsh Local Government Association
I'm sorry.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Active Travel: evidence session with the Welsh Local Government Association
Sorry, my question—. Sorry, apologies, I don't know what went wrong; I did ask you those questions in Welsh initially, but it seemed to work much better in English.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Active Travel: evidence session with the Welsh Local Government Association
Yes, share people who are experienced in certain areas—for you and them to share expertise. Gwynedd is just the other side of the bridge. They will be employing people in Caernarfon; you'll be employing people ar yr ynys, on the island—isn't it possible for…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Active Travel: evidence session with the Welsh Local Government Association
I'll do it in English. Is it possible for you to share with Gwynedd?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Active Travel: evidence session with the Welsh Local Government Association
Is it possible to share with Gwynedd?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Active Travel: evidence session with the Welsh Local Government Association
Is it possible to share with Gwynedd?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
Active Travel: evidence session with the Welsh Local Government Association
Thank you, because that leads me very nicely on to my next question. The use of external consultants; when you haven't got sufficient capacity inside organisations, do you use external consultants? Are they very expensive and is it value for money?
