Mark Drakeford: Local authorities have a range of statutory equalities duties, most notably those included in the Equality Act 2010.
Mark Drakeford: The intermediate care fund supports partnership working between health, local authorities, housing and the third and independent sectors to enable older people to maintain their independence. Over £11 million has been made available to the Gwent region for 2016-17. ‘Taking Wales Forward’ commits to retaining this important fund.
Mark Drakeford: We are investing almost £50 million a year in our substance misuse agenda, which includes taking a range of actions to help reduce drink-related deaths in Wales. Details are set out in our latest substance misuse delivery plan for 2016-18.
Mark Drakeford: Band A of the twenty-first century schools and education programme will see investment of over £356 million in schools in South Wales Central over the five-year period ending 2019.
Mark Drakeford: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. The second supplementary budget is a standard part of the regular financial procedure. It gives us a final chance to adapt our budgetary proposals for this financial year, which were approved by this Assembly in the first supplementary budget last July. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the Finance Committee for its scrutiny work on...
Mark Drakeford: This budget is, foremost, an opportunity to put in place the changes that are required as a part of mid-year financial management. It aligns the resources available with the Government’s priorities, and most of the changes to proposals are administrative. This year, the second supplementary budget also includes a number of key allocations from reserves. The provision of stability for our...
Mark Drakeford: Well, thank you, Llywydd. A gaf i ddechrau drwy ddiolch i Simon Thomas am yr hyn a ddywedodd ar ran y Pwyllgor Cyllid? Edrychaf ymlaen at ymateb yn fanwl i'r argymhellion y mae’r Pwyllgor Cyllid wedi eu gwneud. Rwyf am wneud fy ngorau i fod mor adeiladol â phosibl a rhoi gymaint o wybodaeth ag y bo modd wrth wneud hynny. Gallwn, fodd bynnag, gysylltu fy hun am eiliad â'r pwynt a wnaed...
Mark Drakeford: Of course.
Mark Drakeford: I did hear the Member make that point in his contribution, Llywydd. I want to make sure I give him the most accurate answer to his question, so I will reply to him separately to today’s debate to make sure that he has the most accurate account in response to his inquiry. Can I say generally in relation to health that this Government makes no apology whatsoever for using opportunities that...
Mark Drakeford: I’m not giving way. He can listen for a moment. He’ll be pleased to know that my constituents have already heard that message loud and clear from his party. As far as they are concerned, this Welsh Government spends too much on them, and money should be taken away from them to be spent elsewhere. But more extraordinarily still, Llywydd—far more extraordinarily still—will be the fact...
Mark Drakeford: For that reason, I hope that Members will be willing to support it this afternoon. Thank you.
Mark Drakeford: We have had inter-ministerial discussions, written communications with HM Treasury as well as external meetings with stakeholders with regard to the UK Government’s welfare benefit changes affecting supported accommodation.
Mark Drakeford: Raising awareness of endometriosis is important for women in Wales. We will be lighting the Senedd yellow to support World Endometriosis Day on 25 March. Cardiff and Vale University Health Board provides tertiary referral pelvic pain and endometriosis surgery and is one of five units in the UK that provide advance minimal access surgery training.
Mark Drakeford: We recognise the importance of inward investment to the Welsh economy and are committed to attracting global businesses to Wales. For example, we recently welcomed the news that Chinese-owned Acerchem International has chosen to set up its European Headquarters in Swansea.
Mark Drakeford: The Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children and officials are engaging with housing associations about our 20,000 affordable homes target. Recognising the scale of this challenge, a housing pact has been signed with the WLGA and Community Housing Cymru. Housing associations and local authorities have committed to delivering 13,500 homes.
Mark Drakeford: I welcome Swansea’s ambition to become the 2021 UK City of Culture. Ministers will meet with the authority once it has developed its proposals more fully, before the deadline for initial bids. In the meantime, officials are assisting Swansea to identify all potential options for funding and supporting its bid.
Mark Drakeford: Sensory impairment is a core theme in assessing care and support needs. A new health and social services integrated framework for action for people who are deaf or are living with hearing loss is to be published shortly, building on our continued investment in assistive equipment and technology.
Mark Drakeford: Mobile operators are committed to each providing 90 per cent geographical coverage across Wales, including Anglesey, providing reliable signal for voice communications by the end of 2017. We intend to publish a mobile action plan for improving mobile connectivity in Wales and to provide a road map to achieving it.
Mark Drakeford: Thank you, Llywydd. I move the motion. Diolch i chi am y cyfle i esbonio cefndir y cynnig cydsyniad deddfwriaethol hwn. Cafodd y Bil Economi Ddigidol ei gyflwyno ar 5 Gorffennaf 2016 gan Lywodraeth y DU. Nod Rhan berthnasol y Bil i’r cynnig cydsyniad deddfwriaethol hwn, Rhan 5, yw gwella darpariaeth ddigidol y Llywodraeth trwy alluogi rhannu data i wella gwasanaethau cyhoeddus, mynd i'r...
Mark Drakeford: Diolch yn fawr, Lywydd. Thank you to both Members who’ve participated for their very interesting and pertinent questions. Dai Lloyd is absolutely right that the Bill has been controversial at a series of points during its progress. It’s partly as a result of the House of Lords report that he referred to that UK bodies will now be listed on the face of the Bill, as a result of late...
