Huw Irranca-Davies: From the very start, we've been entirely open about the eligibility criteria for this offer. They've been shared with the committee as part of the explanatory memorandum for the Bill. They are out there now and they provide the basis for, indeed, the live, early implementation of the offer. They're not hidden—they're very transparent. The detailed eligibility criteria for the offer will...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch Llywydd. I understood what you meant—I got it. One of the benefits of doing a piloted roll-out, where we've moved from seven to 14 and we'll move upwards in terms of local authorities, is that we learn as we go and we evolve and we modify the scheme. But the question here is what is put on the face of primary legislation. I understand, because it's a running challenge with this, but...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Thank you, Llywydd. I think that helps explain something for me. I think we genuinely have a misunderstanding. What this Bill is about is the checking of eligibility and the application, through the mechanism of HMRC, of eligibility for parents to access the childcare offer. What you were talking about, Janet, then was the aspect of actually delivering the offer. I will be back in front of...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. I can assure Members and constituents that there will be a process for reviewing decisions made in respect of a person's eligibility for the offer, and that we will be seeking to be open and transparent on how a person can challenge a decision made about their eligibility. In fact, there is a proceeding that already exists in respect of the offer in England, and if HMRC, if...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Yes, and we'd be keen to do that. And those discussions with HMRC have already been ongoing, that we would mirror these mechanisms that they have with the appeal to the first-tier tribunal. And I'm happy to go back to officials and seek to ensure that this is amongst the first tranche that we bring forward, if that is of some assurance. Now, the intention of the amendment that's been put...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Llywydd, and can I just begin—
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch. Suzy, thank you very much. I'm happy to be tested on this and put some remarks on record as well, and thanks for your engagement in trying to take some of this forward in my own amendment here as well. Can I just acknowledge the welcome that you gave to the way we've already learnt and flexed some aspects of the administrative scheme very openly—said what we're doing, why we're...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Move formally.
Huw Irranca-Davies: I am indeed aware that there have been a range of communication challenges for local authorities, parents and providers in relation to the offer to date, and I've considered carefully the findings of the evaluation report on the first year of early implementation, covering many of these points. So, we will be launching a national communications campaign regarding the offer ahead of it being...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Can I begin by just refreshing Members' knowledge and recollection of the significant contribution that we're actually already making as a Government through the 10-year workforce plan published last year in terms of building exactly what the Member has requested, which is that additional capacity and capability across the childcare and play sector? That 10-year plan aims to professionalise...
Huw Irranca-Davies: I move formally.
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Llywydd. Can I urge colleagues on these benches and across them, 'Let's keep those rebellions happening in Westminster and not here'? [Interruption.] Even though it's late in the day. And can I just thank, with this final amendment, those who have moved amendments and applied good scrutiny to this stage of the Bill? This issue, indeed, did come up during Stages 1 and 2. In fact, it...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Thank you, Suzy. I think we have now jointly exhausted the forbearance of all our colleagues. I shall not be supporting this amendment.
Huw Irranca-Davies: Mark Drakeford.
Huw Irranca-Davies: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I move the motion formally. I’m very pleased to open this Stage 4 debate on the Childcare Funding (Wales) Bill. We introduced this Bill to the Assembly in April because we wanted to create a simple, once-for-Wales process to check a person’s eligibility for the childcare offer. What we have before us today is a Bill that is going to enable us to do just that....
Huw Irranca-Davies: Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. Well, look, I'm a fairly easy going and generous minded person, but I'm slightly disappointed by the Conservative and Plaid Cymru response to what I think has been a constructive approach to the passage of this Bill. Can I just say, in voting against this Bill, it is voting against what we already know from the pilot areas is putting £200 to £250 a week into the...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Well, Suzy, I thank you for that. But, again, you've missed the fact that, in response to Stage 1 and Stage 2, we brought forward Government amendments to put a duty to fund this childcare offer, and the details then that you are requesting will follow, because of that need for balance and flexibility, within the regulations and also the administrative scheme. Now, if you put it on this...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Well, Llyr, far from dismissive. I think I've made it clear at committee and elsewhere that the discussion about where we go in future in terms of the wider childcare offer—not, by the way, in terms of the points that were raised by Siân previously, which are to do with parents who are in education and training who would not automatically fall within this offer, but I went through in...
Huw Irranca-Davies: It's a practical question I have. Because of the contiguous nature of the very highly ambitious development plans for housing along the M4, north of Cardiff and westwards, from northern Cardiff in the South Wales Central region, through the neighbouring southern parts of Pontypridd, onto northern Bridgend, there's a heightened imperative to make sure that all the local authorities are talking...
Huw Irranca-Davies: Whilst wishing everybody a very happy new 2019, and welcoming my colleague to her new role, could I ask for a debate on the social and economic forecast for Wales for 2019, in light of the Bevan Foundation analysis that was published on New Year's Day? They were working very hard indeed. It does point to the dampening effect of the uncertainty of Brexit, of course, but regardless of that, and...
