, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2022-23
Those Ministers will work with their officials and others to put in place a pipeline of projects—put in those projects that are most urgent at the front of the list, and they will manage that programme then in discussion with the relevant partners. So, yes…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2022-23
Yes, I think it's fair to say that. We can get a note from the education Minister about the programme itself. Either that it'll take longer to complete the programme or less will be completed, but we will still spend the amount that we'd originally allocated.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2022-23
I think you could probably look at the education and schools programme as an example of where we've set out a budget that we will spend, but we'll get less for that money. So, it's less about managing the money over financial years, but more about overall…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2022-23
I think the real big challenges are related to inflation. The biggest, I think, would probably be public sector pay, and that, obviously, is directly related to inflation. And then energy costs. The UK Government has introduced some measures to assist with…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2022-23
Great. Thank you very much for the question and for the chance to talk about our supplementary budget with committee today. So, yes, it's absolutely the case that inflation is meaning that portfolio Ministers are having to manage their budgets very carefully…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Second Supplementary Budget 2022-23
Yes, Rebecca Evans, Minister for Finance and Local Government.
, Plenary
The Non-Domestic Rating (Multiplier) (Wales) Regulations 2023
Yes, please. I am disappointed that the Conservatives are not supporting the freeze to the multiplier, because, of course, the alternative is that the multiplier rises in line with the consumer prices index, which would obviously be very bad news for…
, Plenary
The Non-Domestic Rating (Multiplier) (Wales) Regulations 2023
Shall I respond to the debate, Llywydd?
, Plenary
The Non-Domestic Rating (Multiplier) (Wales) Regulations 2023
Diolch. I move the motion to approve the Non-Domestic Rating (Multiplier) (Wales) Regulations 2023. The regulations set the non-domestic rating multiplier for 2023-24. On 12 December, I announced the decision to freeze the multiplier for 2023-24. It will…
, Plenary
Short Debate: The structure of public services in Wales: Have we got it right?
Thank you, and thank you very much to Mike Hedges for bringing forward this interesting debate today and, of course, to Alun Davies for his thought-provoking comments as well. How we work together across our public services is what makes us different here in…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Yes, I'm very grateful for the question. I think that, perhaps, it would be better directed at the Minister with responsibility for this area, but I will do my best and point the Member towards the important work that we have been doing through the young…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
The Welsh Government has committed an extra £36 million over the next two years, with the goal of delivering 125,000 apprenticeships by 2027. Apprenticeship policy is the responsibility of the Minister for Economy.
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Well, I can confirm that officials have met with the chief executive officer of 2 Sisters and are continuing the dialogue to pull all possible levers to offer support to people affected by the recent developments. And, of course, our officials are working…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
In 2023-24, the council will receive £123.7 million through the local government settlement—an increase of 7.9 per cent. While the council will still have to make some difficult decisions in the face of the current rates of inflation, this is a better…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
I think the Welsh Government has a responsibility to be honest to people in Wales that it is a fact that our budget is not rising in line with inflation, and I think that's a fact. Nonetheless, Welsh Government is doing absolutely everything that it can in…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
The Government is providing unhypothecated revenue funding of over £5.5 billion and £180 million of capital funding in 2023-24 in support of local authority services. While this is a significantly better settlement than authorities had anticipated…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
In prioritising public services, including local government, in our budget settlement, we've always been clear at every step that it still will mean a difficult set of decisions for local government to take. I know that local government leaders have been…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
The Welsh Government is supportive of local authorities working in collaboration to improve services and provide value for money, including via shared services. Corporate joint committees provide an important new vehicle to support strategic regional…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
So, the majority of the Welsh Government’s financial support for public libraries is distributed through the local government core settlement, which colleagues will remember is uplifted by 7.9 per cent in our budget for next year. No authority will see an…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
It was lovely to hear those examples of the ways in which libraries in Islwyn are innovating, and I’m aware of some other examples as well locally in your area, including a knit and natter group, toddler time, a Lego club, and Blind Date With A Book, in…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Local authorities are responsible for the provision of a library service. The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 requires authorities to provide a comprehensive and efficient service. The Welsh Government supports local library provision through a capital…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Well, it is frustrating to have these questions from the Conservative benches when our own budget hasn't been uplifted in line with inflation but yet we're asked to uplift the budgets of other organisations in line with inflation, which is just impossible…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
Well, there was a 10 per cent uplift to the national park authorities' core grants, taking it to just over £10 million in 2021-22, and that has been maintained into 2022-23. And the aim of that was to provide greater resilience following the pandemic and also…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
As part of the 2022-25 spending review, an additional £9 million revenue and close to £90 million capital has been allocated to enhance green spaces. This includes funding for a new national park. Spending decisions in relation to national parks are, of…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government
So, in respect of the evidence base that we currently use, we already take into account behavioural impacts in our Welsh rates of income tax ready reckoner, which you'll find on the Welsh Government's website. That shows that, for example, were we to raise…
