Carl Sargeant: We continue to support the North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority to improve fire safety. We have provided £1.4 million between the three Welsh authorities for that this year. The results speak for themselves. Fires have more than halved since responsibility was devolved.
Carl Sargeant: I am pleased to say that tomorrow I will be announcing awards under the previous community facilities programme. I will launch the refreshed programme before recess.
Carl Sargeant: Faith leaders meet with me and the First Minister twice a year through the faith communities forum to discuss issues affecting the economic, social and cultural life of Wales. This reflects the Welsh Government’s commitment to working with faith groups at all levels to promote understanding and foster community cohesion.
Carl Sargeant: On 7 February I announced a review of the way public services work together to help make our communities safer. The Working Together for Safer Communities review is progressing well and I anticipate making a statement in the autumn outlining our ambitious shared vision for safer communities for future generations.
Carl Sargeant: The community facilities programme is a potential source of funding for projects aiming to improve local facilities, including parks. It is currently being refreshed and will reopen shortly for applications from across Wales. Priority will be given to applications from former Communities First clusters.
Carl Sargeant: My officials are working with partners across Wales in order to offer advice and guidance on the development of the detailed business cases required to allow appropriate scrutiny of proposals seeking ‘Building for the Future’ funding.
Carl Sargeant: Since April 2015, local housing authorities are able to build their own council homes and have committed to deliver 1,000 new council homes under our housing pact with the WLGA and Community Housing Cymru. In your area, Swansea council are developing two sites which will be built to Passivhaus standards.
Carl Sargeant: Our programme for government, ‘Taking Wales Forward’, makes clear our commitment to supporting armed forces veterans in Wales, which includes those living in Caerphilly.
Carl Sargeant: I think the Member raises a very important point there. I was pleased last week to be at the launch of the Veterans’ Gateway service, a one-stop shop for veterans and family members to access services and support in place. Of course, there are lots of agencies that veterans can be signposted to. We have a cross-cutting theme across Government in terms of supporting veterans, and I’m...
Carl Sargeant: I’m glad the Member raised that very issue today. I was at the launch of the Nantgarw event only last week, and it was well attended, and, of course, I know your colleague Darren Millar does an awful lot with the armed forces, too, in the cross-party group. I would say this very important 24-hour helpline is an important one, and I was very pleased to show my support when the launch was...
Carl Sargeant: I thank the Member for his question. We are proud to contribute annual funding support to deliver Armed Forces Days in both north and south Wales.
Carl Sargeant: Of course, and I pay tribute to the many reservists and armed forces families and serving personnel, right the way across the UK and the world. We should be very proud of our history and support for them. I know the First Minister attended the Caerphilly event also with the Member, and we’re very pleased again to make support for that. I’ve recently been informed that next year, Conwy...
Carl Sargeant: Of course, and we have the armed forces covenant in place right across Wales, and the UK, actually, and all local authorities are taking part in that. It is based locally. We have free swimming for some veterans in areas that the Welsh Government support. I take advice from the ministerial advisory group for the armed forces, and they certainly tell me about how welcome they feel in Wales and...
Carl Sargeant: Of course, and what I can say is that, in Wales, we are very much at the forefront of delivery for our veterans and armed forces families, and we have many schemes in place. We invest £585,000 per annum into the veterans’ NHS scheme, working purely with veterans to access services—2,900 referrals through the scheme received. Also, I would ask the Member to perhaps put her influence into...
Carl Sargeant: I’m very pleased I can count on the support of the UKIP Members in taking forward our legislation on letting agency fees, which it is our intention to introduce, as the First Minister make clear yesterday. The sticking point was purely that of displacement of cost, and we would have to be convinced that the displacement of cost wasn’t attributed to the rents by letting agents. I know many...
Carl Sargeant: I’ve issued several statements on the childcare pledge, and I’m really looking forward to the start of that programme developing from September of this year. Indeed, in Blaenau Gwent, in my colleague Alun Davies’s constituency, the whole of Blaenau Gwent will be considered as a pilot scheme, and, therefore, our young children having free childcare places for working parents. This is the...
Carl Sargeant: Let me give reassurance to the Member again: there is no difficulty in terms of responsibility within the Welsh Government on this. I am the lead Minister on this, including the building regulations side, and the fire risk to any properties in Wales. I have had several meetings with the UK Government, and my Scottish and English counterparts, on this. This is a very live issue, which we are...
Carl Sargeant: I think the Member’s being rather overzealous in her questioning to me. I was very clear to her: I had one discussion with the prisons Minister prior to his announcement, which was on the day. Indeed, my team, and a team of other officials from another department, were engaged with the prisons Minister’s department in terms of deciding and offering sites that were available right across...
Carl Sargeant: I think what the Member is trying to relate to is the fact that, trying to develop an argument that this is our project. It isn’t our project. And it’s the same exactly with any other business investment that comes to Wales, whether that’s private or public sector. An engagement process takes place on land availability, and that is an action that takes place on a daily, weekly basis...
Carl Sargeant: Okay. Let’s take the two points that the Member raises. First of all, the Member’s incorrect in her assertion that I had an option in terms of the land issue regarding the prison. The Member said that we would discuss this at a further date, and I am more than happy to do that. The second point, and a very important one with regard to fire safety, is that my understanding, through...
