, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session 5
Yes, I accept that. Thank you for that. My only other question is—. Your evidence includes some suggested areas to follow up with the Minister for Finance and Local Government. In your view, what are the key questions that need to be asked of the Minister…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session 5
I accept that it's difficult to have to have a general perspective. I didn't know if there was one area that was really jumping out at you, that was really concerning you. Perhaps it is the preventative agenda from the health perspective and things like that…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session 5
I can't help but reflect a tad on that, because I can absolutely see that there's a need for the Government to self-assess, and that means asking each department and each Minister to apply the maturity matrix to their own workings to see where the anomalies…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session 5
Thank you for that. I fear that this is going to continue until there's a way forward and I'm thinking back to local government days, when we saw the need to put in equality impact assessments. Should there be a future generations impact assessment appended…
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Healthcare inspection and funding
It's important that we have debates like this, isn't it, focusing on the healthcare system, and I'm sure this won't be the last one. Today's focus is entirely appropriate as the Healthcare Inspectorate Wales's annual report demonstrates that it does an…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Following on from that same theme, actually, and I won't rehearse everything Rhys said—. Basically, whilst we know—. The perceived £22.1 million, which was the perceived ALN cut, has now entered the reformed local authority education grant, and it's in theory…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Ystadau Cymru
Thank you, Minister, and I genuinely mean that. I welcome what Ystadau Cymru are doing and have been doing, encouraging excellence in active management of the Welsh public sector estate, or that strategic collaboration and good practice guidance, and we have…
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: Programme for International Student Assessment results
When I first highlighted the continual failings of this and previous Labour Welsh Governments in improving PISA results, I was told it should be chalked down to do things. The first was COVID and the second was that the Government's legislative changes in…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session 4
Yes. Yes.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session 4
Yes. Just reflecting on something that was said, I suppose it plays into the childcare discussion again, about if you've got, say, a single mum who wants to access education or NVQ or whatever levels, it's fundamental to be able to have access to childcare to…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session 4
Thank you. Thank you, Chair.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session 4
Thank you, both. That's very helpful. Just a last question from me, Chair, and it's looking at the discretionary assistance fund. It will be maintained, we know from this budget, at about £38.5 million. Is this sufficient to meet the pressures faced by Welsh…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session 4
I don't know, Jessica, if you've got any reflections on that as well.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session 4
Thank you, Victoria. That's helpful. We've noted that urgency. To both of you, and focusing specifically on the winter fuel scheme and the removal of that, I'm assuming from previous questions that that probably has driven more clientele to you. Do you think…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session 4
Thank you, Chair. Victoria, the Welsh Government were due to publish their implementation plans for the Welsh benefits charter at the end of 2023. I know, in January last year, you told us that charters are helpful but they have a fairly short shelf-life and…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session 3
That's helpful. Thank you.
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session 3
I think many of the pressures and cuts are going to be transferred for local government to administer. I've already seen draft budgets coming out of councils and quite horrendous costs that have got to be passed on. My final question is this: do you have any…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session 3
Thanks for that. One last—
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session 3
Given the funding outlook for future years, are there any programmes or policies that the Welsh Government could reconsider in the longer term on affordability grounds?
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session 3
Of course, there will be an election as well, which might influence announcements, I’m sure. So—
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session 3
I think that's helpful, and it's a shame there hadn't there been a smoother approach over the decade instead of this up and down. Actually, it brings me on nicely to the next question, because I know that the Minister shared in the committee here that she was…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session 3
Okay. Did David want to come in?
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session 3
No council is going to want to cut discretionary services if they don't have to. They'll find all ways, council tax, reserves, everything, but there'll come a point, because of the imbalance in the way that the funding is distributed across local authorities…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session 3
Thanks. Just on that last point, I think David is absolutely right, and I think we do need an independent assessment of how we utilise the money. It's no good to keep throwing money at something without knowing that it's being used to the best effect, and I…
, Finance Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: Evidence session 3
I just wondered if there was some sort of surprise that there was such—. Recognising that the inflationary pressures were well known in advance of the setting of last year's budget, did it seem quite surprising that not long after we set the budget we had to…
