Carl Sargeant: Under the Equality Act 2010, regulations were introduced in 2011 to help public bodies in Wales better fulfil the public sector equality duty. The specific duty on undertaking Equality impact assessments has significantly supported mainstreaming and improved decision making by ensuring equality and fairness are considered early in the process.
Carl Sargeant: Youth work has great potential to enrich the lives of young people in Wales, whether it’s through the experiences it opens up for them or the support it offers. In addition to core funding from the Welsh Government to support the delivery of youth support services through the revenue settlement grant, we have provided an annual £2.756 million youth work strategy support grant to the...
Carl Sargeant: We are currently supporting credit unions in their drive to increase payroll membership, including working to attract private sector companies to join across Wales. This is a priority for credit unions on which they have asked for my support.
Carl Sargeant: Following a Welsh Government investigation into the misuse of public funds, Welsh Government funding to NSA Afan has been terminated. Discussions are taking place with Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council with a view to securing the ongoing provision of services to residents.
Carl Sargeant: Improving access to high-quality, affordable childcare services across the whole of Wales, including west Wales remains a key Welsh Government priority.
Carl Sargeant: All sectors must work together to ensure the well-being of communities. I have provided £4.4 million of funding this year for Third Sector Support Wales to work with partners, including local authorities, to ensure support is available to local third sector organisations. This includes help for good governance, volunteering and fundraising.
Carl Sargeant: I thank the Member for Arfon for her question. The Vibrant and Viable Places programme has been successful in providing support and investment in many communities across Wales. A future capital regeneration programme is under consideration and I’ll be providing further information to Members shortly.
Carl Sargeant: I’m grateful for the Member’s question. She will be aware of the great work that’s gone on in her constituency, in Gwynedd, in terms of Vibrant and Viable Places actions taking place there. The Member is right to say that we haven’t yet formulated a future programme from VVP. The intention is for it to come to an end, and I will make a further decision on that. I think what was...
Carl Sargeant: Indeed, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to visit Newport with both yourself and the Member Jane Bryant to see the fantastic effects that VVP has had in your communities and neighbouring areas. It is something that I’m taking very seriously about how we continue with work to develop communities in the way we have in the past. I’m looking forward to announcing new schemes in the...
Carl Sargeant: Of course, the Member raises an important issue about how distribution of finance is given. It’s fair to say that the VVP policy is complicated by other actions such as planning and access to land, et cetera, so that complicates, sometimes, some of the schemes that are thought to be a little easier than others. I am looking at authorities that bring to me alternative schemes that are able...
Carl Sargeant: Parents are notified of when their entitlement to Flying Start childcare begins by a Flying Start health visitor soon after birth. Later in the process, local authorities will refer parents to local providers so that start dates can be agreed as far as possible in advance.
Carl Sargeant: In regard to childcare outside of the Flying Start setting, there is no statutory issue regarding guidance around this, but I am conscious of the Member’s concerns and, as we develop the childcare policy as we move forward, it is something I will be looking at carefully to make sure that parents are aware and confident about how they can access these childcare facilities across Wales.
Carl Sargeant: We’ve got five pilot areas, which cover six local authorities, and we’ve already started to work with them on how they devise their schemes. It will be a matter for the local authority in terms of what area space they pick, whether that’s ward-based or school-based or private-sector solutions, but we are keen to make sure that, pre summer, we’re able to ensure that the message goes...
Carl Sargeant: I’m conscious of the Member’s interest in this and also that of Dai Rees, the other Member that’s raised this on several occasions with me. I’m very cautious of the ongoing police investigation and also our governance review of this. It is slightly different to the Plas Madoc event. I’m damned if I do and I’m damned if I don’t. If I remove funding people criticise me for not...
Carl Sargeant: Of course, I’m grateful for the Member’s views on Communities First and those of many Members who’ve taken part in the consultation. The consultation phase 1 ended on 15 January. I’m surprised at the Member’s comments saying that it wasn’t very successful or delivered successfully from a third party—I assume that’s wrong. We received over 2,300 responses, primarily—80 per...
Carl Sargeant: I think the poverty figures speak for themselves—they’ve been very stubborn, bouncing along the bottom, and what we’ve done as a Government is looked at and reviewed all of our programmes. We’re flexing between some of our Flying Start and Families First programmes; Communities First is under review, looking at what that may look like; we’ve got a big focus, working with Ken Skates...
Carl Sargeant: Thank you for the Member’s question. I prefer not to look in detail at NSA Afan because of the ongoing detailed discussions with South Wales Police and with my audit team. What I can tell the Member is that the decision to terminate funding from NSA Afan wasn’t taken lightly—it was taken following a thorough investigation into the financial governance arrangements with NSA Afan. Our...
Carl Sargeant: It really troubles me that we’ve got children living in workless households and living in poverty wherever they live, whether that be in a Communities First area or elsewhere. And it’s not always a class issue—this can happen to any communities and any individual. It is an ambition of this Government to tackle the issue around poverty, and that’s why we are looking at reviewing all of...
Carl Sargeant: I’m glad the Member and I are clearly coming together on our policies in some areas. [Laughter.] Let’s not be too ambitious. I think the Member’s right to raise the issue of prudent healthcare. Mark Drakeford has been for a long time raising this in the Cabinet setting, and I share his views on this about prevention and early intervention. And that’s why we are tackling issues around...
Carl Sargeant: I agree.
