Jane Hutt: Thank you very much, Natasha Asghar. It's really important that we look to this working group to resolve many of the issues that you've raised. You'll be aware, of course, that the Welsh Government—and it's only the Welsh Government; there is no other scheme of its kind in the UK—provided free transport for asylum seekers in a short pilot, which was managed by the Welsh Refugee Council...
Jane Hutt: Thank you very much for the question. The Deputy Minister for Climate Change has agreed the extension of the welcome ticket scheme for refugees until March 2023. A working group has been established to take forward a programme of work for the free transport scheme and work needed to be taken beyond April 2023.
Jane Hutt: Our community cohesion programme enables the Western Bay regional cohesion team, funded by Welsh Government, to link up with partners, including the police and third sector, to promote cohesion in South Wales West. Their work includes direct engagement with communities, mitigation of community tensions, and delivery of training and events.
Jane Hutt: I welcome the recommendations in the children’s commissioner’s annual report. The publication of the report provides an important opportunity for us to focus on children’s rights. The First Minister will publish the Welsh Government response by 30 November, so I am not in a position to provide the details today.
Jane Hutt: Awareness of the financial support that is available, be it devolved or non-devolved, is increasing in households across Wales due to the success of campaigns like 'Claim what's yours'. Over 9,000 people are so far being helped to claim over £2.6 million of additional income in the latest reports, and I do thank our partners, including local authorities, for their support for our drive...
Jane Hutt: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd, and thank you for the opportunity to respond to this debate on the proposal of a take-up of benefits Bill. I do welcome the opportunity this debate provides to report on the actions the Welsh Government is taking to improve the take-up of benefits and to report on the ways we're driving this forward, in collaboration, particularly, with our local authorities. It has...
Jane Hutt: Thank you very much, Jane Dodds. Also, it's really good to hear of the progress of that refugee you met at the stall so recently, and what she's come from—giving birth in a bomb shelter in Kyiv—just shows how important it is that we continue with our support as a supersponsor and as a nation of sanctuary. And so many of us across this Chamber have met people who have had the same...
Jane Hutt: Diolch yn fawr, Sioned Williams, and thank you for those important questions. I think that, what I'm signaling, I suppose, is that we're working with not only our Ukrainian guests but our local authority partners to find a way in which we can ensure that we can provide that initial support through our supersponsor scheme in our welcome centres across Wales, and, also, help them with their...
Jane Hutt: Thank you very much, Mark, and thank you for also always giving me updates and insights of the work that’s been carried out in north Wales, particularly in relation to the third-sector engagements and local authorities. I do hope that we can establish good new working relationships with the new Government, the new Cabinet that’ll be announced over the next few days. You referred to the...
Jane Hutt: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Thank you for providing an opportunity for me to give an update to Members about our ongoing work to support people from Ukraine seeking sanctuary in Wales. When I last updated you in September, Wales had welcomed just over 5,600 Ukrainians in Wales under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, including under our supersponsor route. Arrivals have continued, but at a much...
Jane Hutt: Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd, and diolch, pawb. Thank you to all Members who have contributed to this debate on the children's commissioner's annual report. I'm very grateful for your continued support in keeping children's rights so high on the Welsh Government's agenda. So, thank you to Members from across the Chamber for your recognition of the work of Professor Sally Holland and the...
Jane Hutt: Diolch yn fawr, Deputy Llywydd. I'm really pleased to have this opportunity to lead this important debate with Members on the children's commissioner's annual report for 2021-22. The commissioner's annual report provides an annual independent spotlight on children's needs and their rights, and ensures we maintain a collective focus on them. This report provides an opportunity for us to...
Jane Hutt: Diolch yn fawr, Rhys ab Owen. I have to say that there is much that's being done that is not just in my portfolio, but certainly in Dawn Bowden's portfolio as well in terms of heritage, culture, art and sport. I don't know whether you were able to visit the Reframing Picton exhibition that was at the national museum, and, on Saturday, I opened a launch event of Black History 365. It was...
Jane Hutt: Diolch, Rhys ab Owen. Our 'Anti-racist Wales Action Plan' was launched in June. I've asked the Welsh public and third sectors to work with us in delivering the plan and we've established a race disparity unit as one of our first actions.
Jane Hutt: Thank you, Sam Rowlands. As you say, PCSOs play such a crucial role in promoting community safety and tackling anti-social behaviour and acting as ears and eyes on the ground for police forces. But it's also about local relationships and so many of those local relationships are with local authorities, with their social services, housing, youth workers et cetera, as well as with health...
Jane Hutt: Thank you for the question. We are committed to working in partnership to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in north Wales. While policing is currently a reserved matter, we work closely with policing colleagues on strategic issues and fund 600 police community support officers to protect communities across Wales.
Jane Hutt: I'm absolutely astonished that you can stand there and have the gall to talk in that way, Janet Finch-Saunders, about the situation where we have people in Wales now who have not got their electricity on, who do not know where they're going to get their next meal from, as a result of your Government [Interruption.] I'm not going to repeat everything—I'm sure that the Llywydd will stop me...
Jane Hutt: Well, that's a really important question, Carolyn Thomas, and it follows on from what Russell George was saying earlier on: how do we actually make sure that the benefits that we've got reach the people who are entitled to them? We know that many already—I've said, I think, that some of the £200 fuel support grant is going straight into accounts, because people are digitally engaged and...
Jane Hutt: Thank you very much. I welcome the fact that you focused on the equality and inclusion grant. We have consulted widely about this to make sure that we can reach those. Of course, there are many organisations that would like to benefit from the equality and inclusion programme, so I can assure you that this is now being taken forward and bidding arrangements and timelines will be made available.
Jane Hutt: Thank you for the question. The measures announced in the Chancellor's statement are unfair. They fail to target support for the most vulnerable, whilst providing significant benefit to the richest. This will mean that more households in Wales will struggle to meet the cost of energy and other essential items, resulting in increased levels of poverty.
