Rebecca Evans: Well, the Minister with responsibility for international relations and the Welsh language consulted widely on the compilation of that international strategy, and, of course, we did have an opportunity to debate it here in the Chamber just recently. But, if you would like to write to the Minister with those very specific questions, I know that she'll be very happy to provide a response.
Rebecca Evans: I'm grateful to Lynne Neagle for raising this issue this afternoon and for the way that she has championed this particularly important issue over a long period in the Assembly. And we did have the opportunity to have an excellent debate, albeit not in Government time, recently, and of course the health Minister has been here to hear that request for a debate on that particular report in future.
Rebecca Evans: Well, the Minister is currently leading work on the development of a clean air plan for Wales, so I know that she's heard your particular concerns about the area of Newport, but, if you were to write to the Minister with your reflections on the particular issues that you've described in the area of Newport, then I know that she'll take those into consideration throughout the development of...
Rebecca Evans: I'm grateful to Mick Antoniw for raising this issue this afternoon, and I know that he did have the opportunity earlier to express his constituents' concerns directly to the First Minister. The health Minister did answer a series of questions just last week in the Chamber and he does have questions next week, and I'm sure that he'll be pleased to take further questions on this particular...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you to Mark Isherwood for adding his voice to the concerns that were raised by Leanne Wood earlier on during this session. On the second issue, I'm very pleased to be able to respond positively, because the health Minister will be making a statement on progress on the single cancer pathway update on the twenty-fifth of this month.
Rebecca Evans: Thank you to Dawn Bowden for raising what is a really important matter; I recall it from my days in the social services portfolio. I know that you're representing particular concerns of constituents, so I will ask the Minister who's the current Minister for social services to provide you with an update on progress and, obviously, she'll have heard the request for that wider statement as...
Rebecca Evans: Great. Okay. So, thank you for raising two of your pet issues and a new one, so that's very welcome. On the first two issues, I would ask you to write directly to the economy and transport Minister to explore what discussions have been had since the last update that he was able to provide. But, on the second, I know that the Minister will be making a very exciting announcement very shortly in...
Rebecca Evans: Excellent. Well, thank you very much to Huw Irranca-Davies for the way in which he's framed this particular debate this afternoon, but also for the work that he's been doing in brigading the support of Assembly Members in order to have a voice on this issue. Welsh Government agrees that it is vital that the six nations tournament remains on terrestrial television and that the majority of the...
Rebecca Evans: I'm pleased to open the debate this afternoon on the Welsh Government's draft budget for 2020-21. This builds on the constructive debate that we had in the first week of this session. Since then, the Finance Committee and the other Assembly committees have scrutinised our spending plans set out in the draft budget. I'd like to place on record my gratitude to the Finance Committee and the...
Rebecca Evans: Diolch, Llywydd. At the opportunity we had to debate the draft budget in the debate on the statement on the draft budget just a couple of weeks ago, I responded in some depth to the issues that were raised regarding poverty, the NHS, the Welsh language, and the local government settlement, so I propose to use my time responding to the debate this afternoon to look at some of the other areas...
Rebecca Evans: If you look particularly at the budget improvement plan, you'll see a look back as to what we've been doing in recent years to try and ensure that the Act informs the preparation of the budget, but, again, it looks forward up to a further five years as to how we can seek to better embed the Act in our ways of working right across Government. I commend that document to colleagues. Prevention,...
Rebecca Evans: We are engaging fully with the UK Government to ensure Wales's interests are represented in tree trade agreements, both with the EU and with other countries. We wish to see our procurement policies continue to enable economic growth, increased employment and deliver environmental priorities.
Rebecca Evans: As part of our regular discussions, I met the Minister for Health and Social Services earlier this week to discuss a range of financial matters within his portfolio, including the financial position of health boards.
Rebecca Evans: Our draft budget delivers on our promises to the people of Wales, including in the Rhondda valley. We are investing £284 million across Rhondda Cynon Taf through our band B twenty-first century schools programme; £2.7 million in expanding Welsh-medium childcare, and the new rail franchise is delivering enhanced services.
Rebecca Evans: I completely agree with David Melding that rail lines, particularly into Cardiff, but also elsewhere from the Valleys, are absolutely crucial to opening up people's prospects for employment. And that's why we're investing £738 million to transform the Valleys lines to Trehebert, Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhymney and Coryton, electrifying 172 kilometres of track, and upgrading infrastructure...
Rebecca Evans: Welsh Government shares your enthusiasm for the Rhondda tunnel, and support for the society. My husband's a Tynewydd boy, and we've got family in Blaencwm, so I very much look forward to one day being able to potentially cycle through the Rhondda tunnel. So, you certainly have my support, and the society has my support. I do know that there are discussions, as you say, underway with Highways...
Rebecca Evans: The budget invests in all parts of Wales to support our public services, including a £20 million boost for the north Wales metro, continued investment in Flintshire for band B of the twenty-first century schools programme, and a range of active travel paths. The local government settlement also provides a 3.7 per cent increase for Flintshire.
Rebecca Evans: I thank Jack Sargeant for his question, and for his support for services for homeless people. He knows that, this year, we've maintained the level of funding in the housing support grant at £126.8 million. And I think that our record in Wales does compare very favourably with that across the border, where Supporting People is concerned. Because the budget there was de-hypothecated, leading...
Rebecca Evans: Well, of course, the core revenue funding that we provide to local authorities every year is distributed according to relative need, using a formula that takes into account a wealth of information about the demographic, physical, economic, and social characteristics of those authorities. And as Mark Isherwood has recognised, that funding formula is developed in consultation with local...
Rebecca Evans: Our Government's priorities in terms of decarbonisation are very much taken on the advice that we take from the UK Committee on Climate Change, which does, as you say, recognise transport alongside housing as those two areas where Welsh Government does need to be making, or putting our efforts. So, you'll see that we've invested £430 million already—well, by the end of next year—in the...
