, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 7
Thank you so much for your time. As with all our witnesses this morning, we've run over time, but it's always because there's so much to say. We're very grateful to you for making the time. Obviously, as I mentioned earlier, there will be a transcript…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 7
Okay, thank you very much, and, finally, something that we should have talked about in a previous question, really. It's around the child poverty strategy that was published in 2024. Does this budget go far enough to support that strategy?
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 7
Okay, thank you. Just looking at something that's close to the heart of this committee, tax and stuff that we look at—and we take a keen interest in tax policy—are there any Welsh taxes that you think need a greater focus on? You had a conversation with Sam…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 7
Thank you for that. I know it's not necessarily your area of expertise on that aspect, but I appreciate your thoughts on that. A couple of questions to finish off, more around the budget improvement impact advisory group and how that engages with Welsh…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 7
Of course, yes. But from a broader point around gender budgeting and some of the things that Mike was talking about, transport in particular—. Generalising an awful lot, but women and older people, or women in particular, use more buses than trains, so maybe…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 7
Thanks, Sam. I've got a few questions just to finish off, and part of the question that I've got we've covered already, because I wanted to have a look at what the draft budget says around gender equality and childcare. Now, we've talked about Flying Start…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 7
Okay. Thank you for that. Thank you. I'll come over to Sam.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 7
Great. You were talking about demographics, and Mike was talking there about the distribution, and you talked a bit about older people, and we've talked about Flying Start, with younger people, and one of the things that the UK Government have done is the…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 7
Thank you very much. I'm now going to pass over to Mike Hedges.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 7
I suppose bringing everybody around the table was the big benefit, to be able to thrash out some of this across organisations and experts.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 7
Of course, yes.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 7
So, it was asking for a lot of money, and then the money being cut, I suppose. Or was it asking for changes in where money was being spent?
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 7
Right. Thanks for that. So, was it useful when it was running?
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 7
Thank you very much for that. Has the Wales expert group on the cost-of-living crisis had any engagement with the Welsh Government on the development of the draft budget, to be able to put some of these points to it, and are there any plans for the expert…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 7
One of the things that we discussed yesterday, actually, in a statement by the Cabinet Secretary was the Welsh benefits charter. I don't know if you caught that discussion in Plenary yesterday, but there were lots of comments made. What are your views on that…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 7
You talked about some of those aspects there—. Some of those, like the baby bundle—. That doesn't have a huge cost to it, but the benefit more than outweighs the cost, from what I've read about that and listened to. From your understanding—. It's a limited…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 7
So, do you think the Welsh Government have sufficiently prioritised that funding to tackle some of those, or alleviate some of those pressures? And what impact do you think that's going to have on supporting people who are experiencing increases in their cost…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 7
Fantastic. Well, thank you very much for making the time to be able to come and discuss the budget with us today. As you'll be well aware, there will be a transcript available for you afterwards to check for accuracy. I'd like to start by looking at the…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 7
Great, we're back now with our evidence session No. 7 on the Welsh Government draft budget, and we've got our next witness from the Bevan Foundation. I'll ask Victoria just to introduce herself. Diolch.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 6
Thank you very much. We've run a little bit over, but, as always, very interesting to have you here with us and to go through the challenges and the opportunities within the budget. So, thank you for making the time. I know you're particularly busy people…
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 6
Yes, of course. We've gone over a little bit, but that's okay.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 6
Right, okay. Thank you. Sorry to cut across you there.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 6
So, actually, the heralded £175 million isn't £175 million, it's actually £150 million.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 6
So, it's not real money, it's accounting money, if you like.
, Finance Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 6
Just on the point of available capital, and it's probably quite a technical question, in the paper to the Health and Social Care Committee, the draft budget says that the £60 million of the £175 million increase in general capital funding for health and…
