, Plenary
Reform UK Debate: Childcare offer
It is notable, of all the political parties represented here today, that only Reform chose not to make any commitments on childcare at all in their manifesto, despite the clear evidence of its importance to children and families. We had rather a confused…
, Plenary
Reform UK Debate: Childcare offer
Thank you very much, Llywydd. Childcare is vital—for children, for families and for Wales. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to respond to this discussion today, because families in Wales are paying the highest childcare costs in the United Kingdom. They…
, Plenary
Reform UK Debate: Childcare offer
Formally.
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Yesterday, I announced the establishment and membership of our new childcare expert steering group, which is one of the commitments that we said we'd do in our first 100 days, and, as I said, I'll be co-chairing the first meeting of that expert steering group…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Diolch yn fawr. Childcare costs are too high in Wales, and we want to put more money back into families' pockets, and our actions in these first 100 days now are focused on putting the right foundations in place, with the governance, the infrastructure and…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Thank you very much for the question. I agree entirely with the Member with regard to the importance of post offices, as I mentioned in my initial response. Of course, as I mentioned, matters relating to post offices aren't devolved to Welsh Ministers, and…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Thank you very much for the question. It's the UK Government that is responsible for matters related to post offices. I consider the services offered by our local post offices, such as access to cash and basic banking, essential to the health of our…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Thank you very much for the question. Clearly, there'll be some things that we will, certainly, for example, the free school meals, which were a policy that we brought to the table, and we've mentioned several times this afternoon how important that is. I…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Thank you for the question. I think I've already mentioned, in answering some previous questions, how that—. I've talked about many of the Ministers within Government that I would wish to work on a cross-governmental basis with. We are committed, as a…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
We want to give every child the best start in life and we refuse to accept that one in three of our children should be condemned to living in poverty and all that that means for them throughout their lives. We are already making progress on preparing for the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Thank you very much for the question.
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Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Our first 100 days plan sets out action to tackle child poverty across Wales, including in Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr, through the development of the Cynnal child payment, the expansion of a transformational new universal childcare offer and a new child poverty…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
A really important question and something on which I wholeheartedly agree with the Member, as regards the importance of nutrition in those early years. You will know, of course, that we, as a Welsh Government, fund the Healthy Start scheme, providing…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Thank you for the question.
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Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Thank you for that question. I agree entirely with your analysis in terms of the importance of free school meals. This, of course, is why we pushed, when we were in a co-operation agreement with the previous Government, that this was something that we would…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Diolch. There is already, of course, a framework and regulations in place, but making sure that we improve access—the procurement power of our public services and of Welsh Government is really key in doing this. So, as I said, we are taking forward this…
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Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Tackling food poverty and improving access to affordable, healthy and nutritious food is a priority for this Welsh Government. I think it requires co-ordinated action across a range of portfolios, including health, including education, including rural affairs…
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Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Thank you very much. It's a very important question.
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Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Diolch yn fawr. We are committed to tackling poverty, including food poverty, and improving access to affordable, healthy and nutritious food for people in Wales. Our 100-day plan sets out how we will drive transformational change for people across Wales…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Thank you. In terms of human rights, clearly that is at the heart, as I set out in my statement yesterday, of everything that we do. Inequality causes not only harm to individuals and specific groups of people, but it can also cause additional costs to the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Interfaith working is very important, and supporting faith communities, of course, is a very important aspect of my work. I would certainly be amenable to meet with you to hear about this particular issue. Of course, it is for local authorities to decide…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Thank you very much for the question.
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Thank you for the question. In Fflint Wrecsam, as across the whole of Wales, I am committed to social justice and equality for everyone from all backgrounds. Respect, solidarity and fair play will be the principles guiding my work to tackle inequality and…
, Plenary
Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Thank you for that. It is difficult to listen to someone from the Conservative Party talking about child poverty. You have to acknowledge and you have to take ownership as a party of the economic damage and the damage you did to families across Wales for over…
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Questions to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
Thank you very much for the question. I won't rehearse what I said in response to Shavanah Taj, but clearly those things will make a difference. We know that childcare costs are the highest in the UK in Wales, and therefore, ensuring that you can go out to…
