Rebecca Evans: I would suggest that comparing spending in Wales to London and the south-east isn't necessarily a particularly accurate comparison to make. Normally, when you make comparisons, they are with other parts of the UK that are relatively similar in terms of population and income per head and those kinds of issues. We're making really significant investment across Wales in terms of capital...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you for that question. I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you now and let you know that it is actually Julie James who had this given to her in her portfolio. However, clearly, I have a strong interest in ensuring that we do fund local government properly here in Wales, which is why I attended, alongside Julie James, the finance sub-group very recently. The finance sub-group brings...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you for that question. I was clear with the finance sub-group that I do take a very strong and direct interest in this agenda. So, whereas a finance Minister would normally have a slot on their agenda, I've been clear that I'd like to actually come along for all of it, to hear for myself, really, the kind of pressures that local authorities are under, and the kind of ideas that they...
Rebecca Evans: Well, clearly, council leaders will have to manage their budgets effectively, but within those reserves, what perhaps isn't always completely obvious from the top-line figures, certainly, is that much of it, or a certain percentage of it, will already be committed to a number of projects—school building projects and so on. So, I think it's important to delve down into the figures to have a...
Rebecca Evans: We recognise the importance of local post offices in serving our communities. While responsibility for the post office network is non-devolved, we continue to make representations to the UK Government regarding our concerns over the closure of post offices.
Rebecca Evans: Thank you for raising that. I'm afraid that in the current climate we just don't have the funds available to us to be undertaking work that is rightly the work of the UK Government. The UK Government does have a £2 billion post office network transformation programme to modernise those post offices. It's very much in the way that we did previously through the diversification fund. Welsh post...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you very much for raising that. Of course, bank regulation and the post office network are both responsibilities of the UK Government and we've been very clear time and time again that the UK Government does need to take a more coherent and strategic approach to community banking. We believe that all banks, when they leave a community, do have a responsibility to the customers who have...
Rebecca Evans: Welsh tax policy will be developed in line with the principles set out in our tax policy framework. I will be taking a considered approach, seeking to raise revenue fairly, and engaging widely with taxpayers and other stakeholders.
Rebecca Evans: Thank you very much for that question. Of course, fairness is our No. 1 principle in the tax principles that are guiding us in terms of the development of our tax policy in Wales. I can confirm that I do intend to consult over the next 12 months on proposals to place independent schools and private hospitals on an equal footing with their public sector counterparts in respect of the payment...
Rebecca Evans: I can confirm that most people will be paying tax in their place of residence. However, there is an exception within the rules that means that all Assembly Members will be paying the Welsh rates of income tax regardless of where they live. I will confirm that there will be a comprehensive communications programme to ensure that people are well aware of Welsh rates of income tax and what it...
Rebecca Evans: Together with my officials, I am in regular contact with UK Treasury Ministers about a range of financial issues, including discussing the implications of the current position regarding the impact of Brexit on public spending and our budget.
Rebecca Evans: Absolutely, and the Member is well aware that we were promised that Wales wouldn’t be a single penny worse off as a result of Brexit, and it is absolutely imperative that we hold the UK Government to that commitment. David Rees is right: there's a huge amount of focus on the shared prosperity fund because of the importance of it to our communities, and the investment that it makes, but...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you very much for the question on the Brexit preparedness funding. Of course, we have introduced the £50 million fund for preparedness for Brexit and a number of statements have been made by portfolio Ministers as to how that's been spent. For example, the police partnership resilience scheme has recently been announced, the Association of Directors of Social Services Cymru Brexit...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you very much for raising the important point that it's not simply the quantum of money that is important, although that clearly is—it's actually how that money is made available to us to allocate to our Welsh Government priorities. We can't see a rolling back of 20 years of devolution through attempts by the UK Government to power grab in this area. Proposals such as a city deal kind...
Rebecca Evans: The 2019 pay remit guidance for our sponsored bodies is currently being finalised and will be issued by the end of February.
Rebecca Evans: Thank you for raising this issue. The development of that guidance is very much an iterative process, so those bodies should be having discussions with officials in the process of developing the guidance. What I will say is that we can expect the guidance to look similar, in some ways, to the guidance last year, so building on the themes that we were keen to develop there. So, transparency,...
Rebecca Evans: Consideration was given to the care needs of the whole of Wales, including north Wales. For 2019-20, funding of £1.46 billion has been allocated to Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board to improve performance, drive transformation and integration and help people live healthier, independent lives for longer.
Rebecca Evans: Thank you for raising this issue. I know, certainly on an all-Wales level, we're seeing some of the lowest levels of delayed transfers of care that we've had since records began, but I appreciate the circumstance you describe is unique in the sense that we're talking about cross-border provision. I'm not aware of the issue but I will certainly have discussions with the health Minister to...
Rebecca Evans: Statistics already exist for problem gambling in Wales from the Gambling Commission. We will include questions on gambling as part of the national survey for Wales in 2020-1.
Rebecca Evans: Thank you for raising this issue and for doing it consistently. I know that you've campaigned for this data to be gathered over many years and I'm pleased that it is now going to happen. The chief medical officer I think demonstrated very clearly in his annual report how gambling is becoming a public health issue that we do need to address in Wales. And to do so, obviously, we need good data...
