Lesley Griffiths: Well, the Member knows more than me, because I don't think there are any pilot schemes up and running. We are looking at which farms will do it. There'll certainly be a geographical spread; there'll be different types of farms used. I think modelling and impact assessments and those pilot schemes will be very important in forming the direction that we take, but the worst thing for the...
Lesley Griffiths: I think you have to accept that the majority of land managers are farmers—I do prefer the word 'farmers'—and I don't think we will see these thousands of people applying for the funding. I've heard that people with allotments will be able to apply, for instance; that's completely incorrect. What I want to make sure is that UK Government gives us every penny that we would have had as a...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. A range of measures will be used. These will include key indicators, such as employment data, as well as those relating to impact on health, well-being and aspirations. The taskforce is taking forward a number of key commitments within Caerphilly, and their impact will form part of the evaluation.
Lesley Griffiths: Yes. Thank you. I am aware you have recently written to the Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport in relation to these issues, and I know he's offered to meet with you formally to discuss the matter further. The Deputy Minister is doing a great deal of work around the Valleys taskforce at the moment. I know he's had discussions with members of the taskforce itself. He's meeting with each...
Lesley Griffiths: Well, we are using 16 of the national well-being indicators, which we will be able to use to measure at a Valleys level. They will be assessed over time. They may need to change over time. So, that's what we'll be doing. We'll also be having a Valleys citizens survey. That's examining people's attitudes towards the south Wales Valleys region, specifically the area covered by the Valleys...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. Since 2013, the Welsh Government has provided local authorities with £25 million a year to support local bus and community transport services across Wales, including south-east Wales. Towards—. Sorry, I'm on the wrong question. I do apologise, Presiding Officer.
Lesley Griffiths: I know. [Laughter.] I apologise. We recognise the vital role youth services play in supporting young people. An interim youth work board has been appointed to develop a new youth work strategy to improve these services. In supporting this, the youth support grant will increase by 188 per cent in 2019-20, particularly to support youth homelessness and mental health.
Lesley Griffiths: As I said, it's a 188 per cent increase in the funding for next year. I'm sure the Member's aware of the snapshot inquiry that was undertaken by the Children, Young People and Education Committee under the chairmanship of Lynne Neagle, and that report came forward with many recommendations that Welsh Government have taken on board. I mentioned the interim youth work board that has been set...
Lesley Griffiths: The Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services will have heard that, and I'll ask her to write to you.
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you, I'll read it again. Since 2013, the Welsh Government has provided local authorities with £25 million a year to support local bus and community transport services across Wales, including south-east Wales. Towards the end of 2017-18, we provided an additional £3 million to support the bus network, in addition to other specific grants allocated to support public transport services.
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. Obviously, you mentioned an individual case, and I will ask the Minister for Economy and Transport to ask the south Wales bus co-ordinator to look into that, and then to write to you. In relation to what Welsh Government are doing, you're, I'm sure, aware of the significant funding we've put into bus services over the years. I know the Minister's officials meet regularly with...
Lesley Griffiths: Yes, I absolutely do. I think it's actually the future, and I know that that is actually contained in the White Paper, so, again, it would be good if we could have as many consultation responses as possible to enable the Minister to make decisions such as that.
Lesley Griffiths: Educational funding remains a key priority for this Government, in spite of continued austerity. Working with our partners, the budget reflects our desire to raise standards for all, reduce the attainment gap and deliver an education system that is a source of national pride and confidence.
Lesley Griffiths: I think I'll start by reminding the Member of two things: we're in year nine of austerity from your Government in London. The second thing to remind you of is that no local authority in Wales will face a reduction of more than 0.3 per cent in their core funding for 2019-20. So Conwy council's decision to cut the education budget by 3 per cent is a matter for Conwy council. Welsh Government...
Lesley Griffiths: I agree. We certainly want to cut bureaucracy, and I know the Minister—I'd certainly never accuse this Minister of burying her head in the sand and I know she's taking steps to ensure this doesn't happen. We don't want to see duplication, we don't want to see additional bureaucracy. Janet Finch-Saunders, in her original question, said that the funding difference was £607 per pupil; that...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. We are three weeks away from the point at which we are due to leave the EU but no closer to a deal. We have long said that, if Parliament concludes that a public vote is the only way to break the logjam and move forward, we would support it.
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you for that supplementary question. We have constantly said a 'no deal' would be catastrophic for Wales, and certainly we do not support the current deal that the Prime Minister has negotiated. In relation to a referendum, I think we've consistently said we should let the UK Government and Parliament do their job—I think we've been very patient—and negotiate a deal in the...
Lesley Griffiths: We've always respected the decision of the Welsh people. We know they voted 'leave', and I said in my answer to Lynne Neagle I think we've been incredibly patient. We've tried to influence negotiations as best we can. As Ministers, we've all taken part in discussions constantly—I think you'll probably find every week we are in discussions with our counterparts in Westminster. So, it's not...
Lesley Griffiths: Certainly, yes. We've said that, and this Assembly, obviously, voted for that back in January. I think you're quite right about Northern Ireland. I know the finance Minister has just yesterday, I think, written to Liz Truss about the extra £140 million that seems to have appeared in the Northern Ireland budget, and it's not that we're opposed to Northern Ireland getting more funding, but it...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you, Chair. I move the motion. Thank you for the opportunity to explain the background to today's debate on the LCM on the Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Bill. A private Member's Bill, the Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Bill was introduced in the House of Commons by Oliver Heald MP on 18 June 2018, and is supported by the UK Government. The purpose of the Bill is to introduce...
