, Plenary
Debate: The Draft Budget 2023-24
Diolch, and thank you to all colleagues for what I think has been a really helpful debate. We've heard so many different priorities coming forward: dentistry, building safety, the health Minister’s six priorities for health, the EMA, social care workforce…
, Plenary
Debate: The Draft Budget 2023-24
Diolch. I'm pleased to open this afternoon's debate on the Welsh Government's draft budget for 2023-24. Since we first had the opportunity to debate the draft budget in the Senedd on 13 December, Senedd committees have been busy scrutinising our spending…
, Plenary
The Landfill Disposals Tax (Tax Rates) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2022
I'll just take the opportunity to thank both committees for their work. I think the important points that both Chairs have made this afternoon go certainly well beyond the scope of the narrow regulations that we are discussing this afternoon, but I think the…
, Plenary
The Landfill Disposals Tax (Tax Rates) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2022
The Landfill Disposals Tax (Tax Rates) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 relate to setting the 2023-24 tax rates for landfill disposals tax. They were made using the made affirmative procedure. These regulations set the standard, lower and unauthorised…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
I think that the additional funding, I hope, that we're providing to the real living wage within social care will have a big impact, I hope, in terms of recognising that workforce, because that, obviously, is one of our key areas of concern at the moment. But…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
So, the invest-to-save programme has been refocused towards children leaving care, so there are specific programmes looking to support those, so that's our focus now of the invest-to-save programme. That's not to say that health boards can't see the benefit…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
Learning from best practice is always something that we would want to encourage, but the health Minister will be closer to the systems that they have in place for sharing best practice, so, when she writes on the other issues, I'll make sure that everything…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
Again, if there was more funding to provide, we obviously would look to do that, because public services are our priority for the budget, but I think that we've again provided the best possible settlement for the health service that we could, in the…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
So, I will, perhaps, again, ask the health Minister to include that in her response to you, but what I will say is that she has written to all the health boards, setting out her priorities over the coming three years. And she's very clear in that letter that…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
So, we're closely monitoring NHS financial positions, and we do that on a monthly basis. That's done through the Minister for Health and Social Services, because, obviously, she has her own team of finance officials within the department, and that's done, as…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
Andrew's going to start on this one.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
So, you will have seen the statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services yesterday agreeing Health Education and Improvement Wales's education and training plan 2023-24 for healthcare professionals in Wales. There will be a £17.8 million increase…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
It has to be, because that's the budget. We could always do more more quickly, we could provide more services, we could provide better services, we could provide quicker services if we did have additional funding. We've spoken lots of times about how, over…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
So, I think that transformation has to be part of our core work, because we always need to be moving forward. So, I know that the Minister for Health and Social Services will be really keen to talk to her committee about the transformation programme. I think…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
So, two things to say there, the first being that I met with a group of five different organisations working in the children and young people sector—and, having heard your description of the issues, I think that perhaps we've met and spoken to the same…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
So, we definitely see this as being a step on that journey towards sustainability. So, the additional funding that we've provided through the three-year spending review and this year's funding as well. And, as I say, it's not all about funding; it's about…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
The budget does provide—. And let's remember again, this is part of the three-year spending review, so in the original spending review, we did announce significant additional funding for social care. So, in this budget, we've provided an additional £70…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
So, in my local government role, I meet regularly with the health Minister to discuss concerns relating to social services, although social services overall are of course the responsibility of the health Minister and the Deputy Minister for Social Services…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
No. So, as I say, when we wrote to local authorities with the proposed settlement, it was clear in that letter that we would expect local authorities to include teachers' pay within that, and we were also clear around some of the other things that we would…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
Just who's going to pay for it.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
Yes. The expectation is that teachers' pay will be met from within the settlement that we've provided. I know that Jeremy has been meeting with teachers' unions representatives, today, I believe. So, I haven't had a chance to hear how those meetings have…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
Yes, it does seem to be a very significant issue in some areas, made worse, I think, by the difficulties in recruiting bus drivers for school transport. That's something I know is of concern.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
On the first point about learner travel and the challenges there, I was asked a similar question in the Local Government and Housing Committee last week, and I was able to tell them that the Deputy Minister for Climate Change has this within his portfolio…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
So, I think that, having reflected on discussions that we've had in the Chamber recently—and I know that the committee is interested in this as well—I might seek to have a discussion in the first instance with the finance sub-group, or ask members of the…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24: Evidence session 8
We'll definitely go and have a look at this further and have some further discussions with the local government finance officials as well.
