Julie James: As I said, the situation with the stock being off the rails—as I said in answer to an FMQ, we've got 10 per cent of that stock back in action. And in response to Andrew R.T. Davies, we did say that we'll arrange for Transport for Wales to have a weekly update for Members on the situation across Wales, and I'll make sure the Member is included in that, obviously.
Julie James: Yes, actually, it's something I've already raised with the Llywydd. It's Commission to Commission level, I think. And we've had some discussion about reciprocal arrangements. Members will have seen in the recent Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs communication about Welsh tax rates, and the communication that's gone to all Assembly Members—about HMRC making arrangements to deal with...
Julie James: The Member highlights a matter of some concern, across the Chamber, to everybody. Earlier this year, I wrote jointly with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services to the Advertising Standards Authority about the proliferation of gambling advertising on television, and through social media and online—for those of us who are gamers, it's absolutely all over the gaming...
Julie James: Diolch, Deputy Llywydd. I'm very pleased to give Assembly Members an update on the significant progress made since the violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence Act came into force in 2015. The two annual reports that have been published since I took on this portfolio provide more detail of this progress. Our national strategy published in 2016 outlines six objectives....
Julie James: Okay. Well, I'll do my best with that very long list of issues that you've raised. In terms of the training being an event and not a process—I think you said—it's a training framework. So, we are rolling out specific parts of the training framework. So, for example, 'ask and act' is part of the framework. So, the national training framework exists, within which the training programme...
Julie James: I'll try and work my way through that list of questions. The proportionality bit is very important to us. So, as I said, we've got to look very carefully at who's providing what services and what the proportionate response to various levels are—[Interruption.] Yes. So, for example, many of the providers dealing with women who are seeking refuge from domestic abuse are also seeking refuge...
Julie James: Sorry—excuse me, John. On the curriculum, I've yet to have the meeting with Kirsty Williams, and as soon as I have, I'll report to all Members about where we are with that. Sorry, John—I beg your pardon.
Julie James: I'll start there, because that allows me to talk about the two together. We've set up a task and finish group of stakeholders to develop the sustainable funding model, after all of the work that we were doing, as I said in answer to Leanne Wood, around sorting out the necessary infrastructure to regionalise the commissioning. And then we realised, as a result of various submissions, from all...
Julie James: Well, yes, thank you for those remarks. I want to pay tribute to our previous colleague Jeff Cuthbert, who is the police and crime commissioner, who has taken his passion in this regard into Gwent Police with him, and Gwent Police have indeed been good role models in this, and he's the lead police commissioner in this area. We work very closely with him to make sure that we understand what...
Julie James: Yes, and, as usual—Joyce Watson has championed this for years beyond mention. All of your political career, you've been a champion for this, quite rightly so. And it is worrying that the figures don't move. We need a much more concerted, across our society, impact on this. It's part of the reason we were running the gender stereotyping piece, because I think—. Some people, we had some...
Julie James: Diolch, Llywydd. I'd very much like to thank Plaid Cymru for bringing forward the debate today and thank Members for their very considered contributions. I'll say at the outset that the Government will be supporting Plaid Cymru's motion today. Plaid argue in their motion very clearly that the decision on whether to go ahead with the proposed M4 corridor around a Newport project should be...
Julie James: Yes, of course.
Julie James: No, our advice is that it should come with the advice together, so that the First Minister can regard it as a whole, and clearly this isn't something that's going to take a few hours to read. It will take an appropriate length of time for him to be able to go through that—whatever that length of time is. So, Llywydd, you can see that the time for that decision is running out. But...
Julie James: I'm not aware that such advice has been sought or taken. I'm sure it would be, though, if we found ourselves in that position. As far as I'm aware, the candidates—. Well, certainly one of them hasn't made an announcement of that sort. That would be a matter for the lawyers to decide, and we'd have to take appropriate advice if that happens. But, as I say, it's a complex process. There are...
Julie James: Older people with care and support needs deserve to have those needs fully met. That is why we have allocated an additional £10 million this winter to social services to drive service improvement and deliver better outcomes for older people across Wales.
Julie James: The Member makes a very important point. And that is why, next year, local authorities' social care services will receive an additional £50 million—£20 million of that as part of the local government revenue support grant, and the remaining £30 million as a specific grant from the health and social services budget. Specifically, as well, we've looked at digital inclusion issues around...
Julie James: As I just said, despite the austerity budget that we've had, in the ninth year of austerity so far, we have been able to put an additional £50 million in—£20 million through the local government revenue support grant, and the remaining £30 million as a specific grant from health and social services—in order to ensure the sort of resilience that the Member discusses. Also, the Cabinet...
Julie James: The Member is quite right; that's exactly what the additional money is for. Just to give you two examples, in Western Bay, a £5 million investment has supported a range of intermediate care services. So far this year, over 900 hospital admissions have been avoided and 10,000 bed days saved, resulting in over £1 million in cost avoidance. And, in Cwm Taf, for example, over £1.8 million to...
Julie James: Yes. Sheltered housing is a well-established housing model for older people in Wales. It's important that all accommodation continues to meet people's needs, demands and aspirations, and, to support this, we are making record investment in housing of £1.7 billion, including providing affordable homes specifically for older people.
Julie James: I understand the Member's concern. We do absolutely agree that tenant well-being and security is of paramount importance. I understand that that's your primary concern, as you've just said, and that was the reason for your meeting with Rebecca Evans, the Minister for Housing and Regeneration, about this issue last week. We are being assured by officials that the 73 potentially affected...
