Jane Hutt: Thank you for the question. The measures announced in the Chancellor's statement are unfair. They fail to target support for the most vulnerable, whilst providing significant benefit to the richest. This will mean that more households in Wales will struggle to meet the cost of energy and other essential items, resulting in increased levels of poverty.
Jane Hutt: Well, that's a really important question, Carolyn Thomas, and it follows on from what Russell George was saying earlier on: how do we actually make sure that the benefits that we've got reach the people who are entitled to them? We know that many already—I've said, I think, that some of the £200 fuel support grant is going straight into accounts, because people are digitally engaged and...
Jane Hutt: I'm absolutely astonished that you can stand there and have the gall to talk in that way, Janet Finch-Saunders, about the situation where we have people in Wales now who have not got their electricity on, who do not know where they're going to get their next meal from, as a result of your Government [Interruption.] I'm not going to repeat everything—I'm sure that the Llywydd will stop me...
Jane Hutt: Thank you for the question. We are committed to working in partnership to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in north Wales. While policing is currently a reserved matter, we work closely with policing colleagues on strategic issues and fund 600 police community support officers to protect communities across Wales.
Jane Hutt: Thank you, Sam Rowlands. As you say, PCSOs play such a crucial role in promoting community safety and tackling anti-social behaviour and acting as ears and eyes on the ground for police forces. But it's also about local relationships and so many of those local relationships are with local authorities, with their social services, housing, youth workers et cetera, as well as with health...
Jane Hutt: Diolch, Rhys ab Owen. Our 'Anti-racist Wales Action Plan' was launched in June. I've asked the Welsh public and third sectors to work with us in delivering the plan and we've established a race disparity unit as one of our first actions.
Jane Hutt: Diolch yn fawr, Rhys ab Owen. I have to say that there is much that's being done that is not just in my portfolio, but certainly in Dawn Bowden's portfolio as well in terms of heritage, culture, art and sport. I don't know whether you were able to visit the Reframing Picton exhibition that was at the national museum, and, on Saturday, I opened a launch event of Black History 365. It was...
Jane Hutt: The Welsh Government has recently received a final BSL audit report from the British Deaf Association, which sets out recommendations across several portfolio areas. We are keen to adopt as many as we can now and to ensure that there is integration with the work of the disability rights taskforce.
Jane Hutt: The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities was commissioned by the UK Government. The Welsh Government undertook its own assessment of the evidence and lived experience on racism. This informed our 'Anti-racist Wales Action Plan', which sets out how we will proactively tackle institutional, structural and systemic racism.
Jane Hutt: Early collaboration with officials working for HM Revenue and Customs, the Department for Work and Pensions and local authorities means that we are able to ensure that every penny of our help with the cost of living stays in the pockets of the people it is intended to help.
Jane Hutt: We are working with local government and the third sector to prioritise move-on to support Ukrainians into more settled, longer term accommodation. We have agreed a pan-Wales response, with all local authorities keen to play their part in offering accommodation fairly and proportionately in line with the framework for accommodation.
Jane Hutt: Diolch yn fawr, Deputy Llywydd. I'm really pleased to have this opportunity to lead this important debate with Members on the children's commissioner's annual report for 2021-22. The commissioner's annual report provides an annual independent spotlight on children's needs and their rights, and ensures we maintain a collective focus on them. This report provides an opportunity for us to...
Jane Hutt: Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd, and diolch, pawb. Thank you to all Members who have contributed to this debate on the children's commissioner's annual report. I'm very grateful for your continued support in keeping children's rights so high on the Welsh Government's agenda. So, thank you to Members from across the Chamber for your recognition of the work of Professor Sally Holland and the...
Jane Hutt: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Thank you for providing an opportunity for me to give an update to Members about our ongoing work to support people from Ukraine seeking sanctuary in Wales. When I last updated you in September, Wales had welcomed just over 5,600 Ukrainians in Wales under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, including under our supersponsor route. Arrivals have continued, but at a much...
Jane Hutt: Thank you very much, Mark, and thank you for also always giving me updates and insights of the work that’s been carried out in north Wales, particularly in relation to the third-sector engagements and local authorities. I do hope that we can establish good new working relationships with the new Government, the new Cabinet that’ll be announced over the next few days. You referred to the...
Jane Hutt: Diolch yn fawr, Sioned Williams, and thank you for those important questions. I think that, what I'm signaling, I suppose, is that we're working with not only our Ukrainian guests but our local authority partners to find a way in which we can ensure that we can provide that initial support through our supersponsor scheme in our welcome centres across Wales, and, also, help them with their...
Jane Hutt: Thank you very much, Jane Dodds. Also, it's really good to hear of the progress of that refugee you met at the stall so recently, and what she's come from—giving birth in a bomb shelter in Kyiv—just shows how important it is that we continue with our support as a supersponsor and as a nation of sanctuary. And so many of us across this Chamber have met people who have had the same...
Jane Hutt: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd, and thank you for the opportunity to respond to this debate on the proposal of a take-up of benefits Bill. I do welcome the opportunity this debate provides to report on the actions the Welsh Government is taking to improve the take-up of benefits and to report on the ways we're driving this forward, in collaboration, particularly, with our local authorities. It has...
Jane Hutt: Awareness of the financial support that is available, be it devolved or non-devolved, is increasing in households across Wales due to the success of campaigns like 'Claim what's yours'. Over 9,000 people are so far being helped to claim over £2.6 million of additional income in the latest reports, and I do thank our partners, including local authorities, for their support for our drive...
Jane Hutt: Thank you very much for the question. The Deputy Minister for Climate Change has agreed the extension of the welcome ticket scheme for refugees until March 2023. A working group has been established to take forward a programme of work for the free transport scheme and work needed to be taken beyond April 2023.
