Huw Irranca-Davies: Thank you. On 8 November, the Cabinet Secretary for health announced around £13.4 million funding from the transformation fund to support improved access to services in Gwent. The Gwent proposal focuses on prevention, well-being, and new seamless models of health and care, delivered closer to home. We're delighted to say that it also includes the development of a pan-Gwent integrated system...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Thank you, Jayne. I think the Cabinet Secretary and I were blown away by the conversations that we had with parents and staff and young people themselves there, who were eloquent in their praise for what the centre is doing, and also, I have to say, by how it fits in within the approach that we're now taking across Gwent, because the principles they have there are about being focused on the...
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Cabinet Secretary heard what the Member just said, and we continue to work on improvement within A&E because we're never complacent about it, but we do have areas where performance, as you highlighted, is working, but it's not consistent. So, what we need to do is work with the health boards to put the onus on them to make sure that they are bringing down those waiting times within A&E...
Huw Irranca-Davies: All care homes in Wales are regulated by Care Inspectorate Wales, on behalf of Welsh Ministers. Regular inspections take place under the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016, and action is taken where necessary to ensure the quality and safety of services for people in Wales.
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. I'm delighted to help open proceedings here on the Stage 3 committee for this important Bill. I've responded to calls from scrutiny committees—the Children, Young People and Education Committee and the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee—for a duty on the face of the Bill, and I've duly brought forward amendment 4. To give effect to this duty, the Welsh...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. Thank you to Suzy and Janet for those comments and remarks and they rehearse some of the points that we covered in the meetings, but also at an earlier stage of this Bill as well. I laid out in my opening remarks why I think what we have in front of us, particularly with amendment 4, gives the right balance between the clarity that we need on the face of the Bill and the...
Huw Irranca-Davies: I will, indeed, yes.
Huw Irranca-Davies: No, no, the definitions of 'childcare' are actually correct, and what flows from this currently-being-piloted childcare offer, that definition is the basis of the 'childcare' definition that we use. And it also then has guidance that is supplementary to this, which has been shared with the committee as well, which shows where there are any additional costs, for example, what the guidance...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch eto, Llywydd. Thank you very much. First of all, let me just begin by saying this childcare offer is very clear on what it's doing. I think some of the discussion here is what is set out on the face of the Bill in primary legislation and what is set out in regulations or in schemes of operation and so on. This Bill is actually very narrow. Just to repeat it: it's the mechanism that...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Well, I just mentioned in terms of PaCE, we've gone actually beyond where we might be reasonably expected to go, because we're actually looking at extending now beyond 2020, beyond the current tranche of funding, and we're actively engaged in that. But that, of course, is not the only one. We also have Flying Start, for example, that provides quality childcare to parents of eligible two and...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Llywydd, a diolch, Siân, hefyd. Can I just thank you for the constructive discussions that I've had with you, and also with Llyr as well, previously on this issue? And we do indeed have a great deal of sympathy with the spirit of the amendments that have been moved and we welcome, actually, the opportunity to put on record some of the things that we can do to achieve exactly that,...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Yes. [Laughter.]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. Just in opening, I think it is important to remind ourselves that this isn't something new; it's not arising as a result of the offer. It's not uncommon now—and I, as a parent—to receive education and childcare in different places and to make arrangements in terms of transport. The need to transport children is not something that arises in every setting, however, or in...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. Let me say some important things at the outset. First of all, in terms of the £4.50 an hour rate, the majority of providers considered when we got to this rate that that would be an appropriate and adequate hourly rate. In fact, the first year has actually shown that that is considered by providers an appropriate rate to provide childcare and as commercially viable. Now, we...
Huw Irranca-Davies: So, we note that a number of these amendments, or similar ones, were tabled during Stage 2. Amendment 13 and consequential amendment 21 relate to excluding the parents of children who could potentially be eligible for free school meals from paying additional charges. I think we already have sufficient measures in place to safeguard parents against being unreasonably charged, and I would say...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. Can I welcome the welcome we've just had for my Stage 2 amendment, even though it doesn't appear to go quite far enough? Can I also welcome the fact that we got to group 6, before Henry VIII powers were mentioned within this Chamber? [Laughter.] Now, Government amendments were passed at Stage 2, placing more details about eligible children on the face of the Bill. These made...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Indeed. I will give way.
Huw Irranca-Davies: I fully understand, but my argument, Suzy, is that they're not actually necessary, because we've made clear the commitment to actually bring this forward, and there's no doubt about that. But if I can just briefly turn to the amendment that we passed at Stage 2 deliberations, and the Bill as drafted, both now require that an eligible child be below statutory school age. It allows the Welsh...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. Famous last words, but I hope these amendments will be uncontroversial. They are two technical amendments. Their purpose is simply to make it clear that regulations under section 1 and section 10 of the Bill are regulations made by the Welsh Ministers.
Huw Irranca-Davies: Thank you, Llywydd, and thank you, Janet.
