Rebecca Evans: Yes, I'm very grateful for the question. I think that, perhaps, it would be better directed at the Minister with responsibility for this area, but I will do my best and point the Member towards the important work that we have been doing through the young person's guarantee, which you will have seen from the recent announcement has helped thousands of young people into work or training or...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you, and thank you very much to Mike Hedges for bringing forward this interesting debate today and, of course, to Alun Davies for his thought-provoking comments as well. How we work together across our public services is what makes us different here in Wales and it's the passion, determination and the care that we see from our public servants in Wales across local government, health,...
Rebecca Evans: Decisions on the employment of staff or contraction of workers are for individual local authorities. They are also responsible for determining whether the off-payroll rules apply.
Rebecca Evans: The core revenue funding that we provide to local authorities each year, including those in north Wales, is distributed according to relative need, using a formula that takes into account information on the demographic, physical, economic and social characteristics of authorities. There is good evidence that this formula distributes a fair share of Welsh Government spending to each local...
Rebecca Evans: I discussed the need to reduce emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change with the Minister for Climate Change and other Ministers, as part of the Government’s budget consideration.
Rebecca Evans: Diolch. I move the motion to approve the Non-Domestic Rating (Multiplier) (Wales) Regulations 2023. The regulations set the non-domestic rating multiplier for 2023-24. On 12 December, I announced the decision to freeze the multiplier for 2023-24. It will remain at the same level set since 2020-21, which is 0.535. This means that all the rates bills paid in 2023-24 will be substantially lower...
Rebecca Evans: Shall I respond to the debate, Llywydd?
Rebecca Evans: Yes, please. I am disappointed that the Conservatives are not supporting the freeze to the multiplier, because, of course, the alternative is that the multiplier rises in line with the consumer prices index, which would obviously be very bad news for businesses right across Wales, and we have to remember as well that the multiplier is only one factor that determines the ratepayer's bill, and...
Rebecca Evans: Llywydd, thank you for the opportunity to open this debate on the Welsh rates of income tax resolution for the 2023-24. Welsh rates of income tax were introduced in April 2019 and apply to non-savings, non-dividend income tax payers resident in Wales. Welsh rates of income tax raise well over £2.5 billion each year towards the funding of the Welsh Government's budget. The Welsh rates for the...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you, and thank you to all Members for their contributions to the debate today. Of course, as we move further into Senedd term, we'll continue to keep under review the vital role that WRIT plays as a partially devolved tax here in Wales. I think Llyr opened his comments this afternoon by saying we've discussed Welsh rates of income tax many times in the past few weeks, and I think that's...
Rebecca Evans: Diolch, Llywydd. I am pleased to open the debate on our 2023-24 final budget. As I outlined when publishing our draft budget, this is undoubtedly a budget made in hard times for hard times. It reflects the constraints of our funding settlement, but despite this, we remain ambitious for Wales. Despite the challenges that we've faced, this budget has been forged with a spirit of collaboration...
Rebecca Evans: Despite this context, I remain proud that our approach remains grounded in ensuring that every pound invested makes the greatest positive impact. We have delivered a budget that recognises the need to balance the short-term impacts of the cost-of-living crisis, whilst also doing all that we can to drive forward the longer term change and deliver on our programme for government ambitions. This...
Rebecca Evans: Diolch, and thank you to colleagues for their contributions in the debate this afternoon. I'll begin by just responding to some of the comments made by the Chair of the Finance Committee in his remarks, which opened the debate this afternoon. One was, really, around how the Welsh Government engages with the committee in terms of providing information and so on, and I'm very happy to continue...
Rebecca Evans: Well, we fund education differently here in Wales, because we trust local government here in Wales to do the right thing by their schools, and, as I've said, local government is passing that money on to schools and then some, so I think that the characterisation that we're seeing on the Conservative benches is inaccurate and unfair. We've also provided an additional £165 million for NHS...
Rebecca Evans: Diolch. Today I'm presenting to the Senedd for its approval the 2023-24 local government settlement for the 22 unitary authorities in Wales. First, I'd like to record my thanks to local government, both elected members and staff across local government services, for the critical work that they do for communities, people and businesses across Wales. It's been an incredibly busy number of years...
Rebecca Evans: Diolch yn fawr. Thank you to colleagues for their comments in this debate. I'll just respond to some of the specific issues that were raised. Of course, the interest in reserves was raised this afternoon, and of course, the level of local authority reserves are a matter for those local elected members. They will of course reflect those longer term plans as well as their efforts to manage...
Rebecca Evans: Mike Hedges raised this with me in committee scrutiny last week, when we were scrutinising the second supplementary budget. I have committed to go away and find out what more information we can be providing for those who are involved in what is quite a niche sport, I think, of looking at the underpinnings of local government settlements. But I will certainly go and have a look at what further...
Rebecca Evans: Diolch. This supplementary budget presents the Welsh Government's final spending plans for the current financial year. It increases the overall Welsh fiscal revenue and capital resources by £163 million, a 0.7 per cent increase on the position set out in the first supplementary budget, published in June 2022. In the main, this small increase is driven by transfers from other Government...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you. I'm grateful to colleagues for their contributions in the debate today. Of course, the second supplementary budget is an important part of our budget process. Its approval will authorise the revised spending plans of the Welsh Government and those bodies directly funded from the Welsh consolidated fund, and, of course, it sets the limits against which our final outturn position...
Rebecca Evans: Diolch. I move the motion to approve the Non-Domestic Rating (Alteration of Lists and Appeals) (Wales) Regulations 2023. The regulations provide for the Valuation Office Agency's digital platform and check, challenge, appeal process to be extended to Wales. They also enable the changes to make the arrangements for appeals to the valuation tribunal for Wales more effective and efficient. A...
