Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, I thank Jack Sargeant for that. Listening to the voice of children is integral to our work and, indeed, is enshrined in legislation passed by this Senedd. This summer, we will bring care-experienced young people together to discuss our radical agenda of reducing care numbers, eliminating profit making in the care system, and delivering our groundbreaking basic income scheme.
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, the Member is right that there is a programme of secondary legislation that will need to flow from the powers that have come to Wales as a result of the UK Act. We believe that 17 separate pieces of legislation will be needed to implement those powers. There'll be related guidance required for each of those pieces of legislation. The first major piece will be brought forward this...
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, leasehold protections were taken in the UK Building Safety Act. I have gently to point out to the Member that he, of course, voted against the legislative consent motion that gave those powers to Wales to be able to protect leaseholders. It's not an unfair point to make, to ask for powers to be used when you've opposed taking the powers in the first place. The Welsh...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, I thank the Member for that question. Ministers continue to engage directly with the UK Government and others to create a robust building safety regime for Wales. That includes deployment of aspects of the UK Building Safety Act. Those discussions continued at ministerial level last week.
Mark Drakeford: We promote employment opportunities within the public sector through a range of different activities such as: jobs fairs, careers interviews and particularly through the young person's guarantee.
Mark Drakeford: Care homes in north Wales, as in the rest of Wales, receive income from a range of sources including local authorities. The Welsh Government budget for 2022-23 includes an additional £180.5 million local government allocation for social care, a £45 million reform fund and a £50 million capital fund for social care.
Mark Drakeford: The first meeting of the north Wales independent medical school programme board, chaired by Professor Iwan Davies, took place on 4 April and has met for a second time today. My expectation is that the programme board will work to deliver the first undergraduate cohort in September 2023.
Mark Drakeford: The Welsh Government is fully committed to improving voter turnout in local elections. This ambition is reflected within our flexible voting pilots and our recent extension of the franchise, granting 16 to 17-year-olds and qualifying foreign citizens the right to vote.
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, I'd like to thank Mabon ap Gwynfor for those important points. What he said is true. We have an ambitious target as a Government to build more social housing for rent here in Wales. And I do acknowledge that the sector is facing a number of challenges at the moment. Officials do meet with the sector on a three-weekly basis to monitor the pressures on the supply chains. In terms of...
Mark Drakeford: Thank you very much for that question. Llywydd, Welsh Government is working closely with social landlords to support the sector. In the last financial year, we paid £11 million in additional grants and £25 million in interest-free loans to social landlords to help mitigate increases in materials costs. We continue to monitor supply chain pressures in the building sector.
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, I heard John Griffiths's call of 'Eid Mubarak' echoed around the Chamber here this afternoon, and I know that Members in all parts of the Chamber will want to congratulate our Muslim colleagues and join in their celebrations as the holy month of Ramadan has drawn to a close. Can I say it was great to hear what John Griffiths said about attending midnight football sessions? And this...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, we want Wales to be a tolerant and welcoming nation, but too often, the lived experience of some has not always lived up to that ambition. The recent consultation on our race equality action plan demonstrated both clear progress made, but also the ground that is still to be gained.
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, I am grateful to the Member for that additional question, and I'm very glad to be able to discuss this matter on a day where legal apprenticeships are being launched in Wales—a recommendation of the Thomas commission, taken forward initially by my colleague Jeremy Miles, and brought to conclusion by the current Counsel General. I think, if the Member studies today's announcement,...
Mark Drakeford: I thank the Member for that question, Llywydd. Over 1,200 degree apprenticeships have been taken up during the first three years of the programme in Wales. Our focus for expansion will prioritise areas that address skills gaps, boost productivity and contribute to our net-zero ambitions.
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, I'm sad to say that the particular example that the Member refers to is an object lesson in how the fund does not meet the needs of Wales. Transport for Wales had a plan to increase services on the Wrexham to Bidston line to two trains an hour from May of this year, from this month. Now, it will not be able to do so. It's not been able to do so because Network Rail has refused...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, any impact from levelling-up funding will be dwarfed by the UK Government's refusal to provide Wales with our population share of HS2 investment. The UK Government should provide Wales with its fair share of funding, to allow those decisions to be made here in Wales in devolved areas, by those elected to represent Wales.
Mark Drakeford: Well, I think the Member was wise to make his final remarks from the safety of his own office—[Laughter.]—so I congratulate him on getting that part right. Actually, I agreed with very much of what he had to say. I think the review will have an impact here in Wales if its recommendations are taken forward. It's likely to be a beneficial impact because what it does is to emphasise the fact...
Mark Drakeford: Can I thank Jenny Rathbone for those questions? She's quite right in saying that criminal offences lay at the heart of the tragic events that surrounded the death of Emiliano Sala. The fan-led review, the Tracey Crouch review, is definitely worth reading by any Members of the Senedd interested in the topic. I think it makes a series of very important recommendations, and they will have an...
Mark Drakeford: I thank the Member for that question. The Welsh Government was not invited to contribute to the fan-led review of football governance in England. The proposed new independent regulator for English football will have some impact on Welsh clubs playing in English leagues, but oversight of the regulator will be a matter for the UK Government.
Mark Drakeford: That's a very important point that the Member makes on behalf of the region that she represents here in the Senedd. As it happens, I was able to discuss the proposal that's been put forward by the DSP centre with Welsh Government officials within the last couple of weeks. It's a proposal that is innovative, as far as the fund for which the application has been made is concerned. It's a fund...
