Hannah Blythyn: I set out the next steps for strengthening local government in my statement in Plenary on 18 June.
Hannah Blythyn: We are investing over £20 million this year alone to support a range of statutory and non-statutory services, including Housing First to prevent and tackle homelessness. Our homelessness expert group has already convened for the first time and will focus on identifying our next steps in tackling all forms of homelessness.
Hannah Blythyn: Yes, absolutely, and if any Members have any suggestions or examples of best practice that can then be rolled out across councils, across the community or on a nationwide scale, then I'm sure both I and the Minister would be very happy to hear about that. Like you said, even if some people decide it isn't for them, we've also increased awareness of the role of the council in the community...
Hannah Blythyn: Yes, sure.
Hannah Blythyn: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Firstly, I'd like to thank the committee for their valuable and important work in this area, and I'd also place on record both my thanks and that of the Minister for Housing and Local Government to the numerous organisations and individuals who have contributed in this. We welcome the work of the committee and we'll be voting in favour today. The Welsh Government is...
Hannah Blythyn: The Member's absolutely right that one child living in poverty is one child too many, particularly in 2019. That should not be the case, and I share the Member's passion for tackling this. On a Welsh Government level, we are committed to using all those levers at our disposal, as I just said to Mark Isherwood, whether that's through what we can do in terms of education, supporting...
Hannah Blythyn: Llywydd, I do find a hint of irony in the question from the Member without actually talking about the impact of austerity on child poverty in Wales and across the UK and how that has been significantly amplified as a consequence not just of austerity but of the regressive welfare reforms as well. We are committed to taking action to reduce and ultimately eliminate child poverty by not just...
Hannah Blythyn: I'm going to start by saying that I absolutely agree with the Member with regard to the importance of the discretionary assistance fund, whether that be through individual assistance payments or emergency assistance payments. And I actually visited the Wrexham centre where it's facilitated not too long ago, and I sat and heard first-hand some of the distressing calls that are made by people...
Hannah Blythyn: The Welsh Government is committed to working across Government to tackle child poverty. My colleague Julie James is leading a review of Welsh Government funding programmes to ensure they have maximum impact on the lives of children living in poverty. In addition, Lesley Griffiths will act as an advocate for poverty during budget preparations, to identify opportunities to increase the impact...
Hannah Blythyn: We don't want people to stop recycling, so the answer to that is actually making sure we develop those markets closer to home. I'm more than happy to send as much information as we can for you to take a look at. I was talking about deposit-return schemes. They're proven to improve on-the-go recycling and reduce littering, as well as providing a high-quality collection of drinks containers...
Hannah Blythyn: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I would like to start by genuinely welcoming the opportunity to have this debate today on this important topic—a topic that is incredibly prevalent in both the public and political consciousness. Plastic is a modern material that has transformed our lives—in many ways for the better. In the right way, it’s an important, useful material that has many applications,...
Hannah Blythyn: Formally.
Hannah Blythyn: The Welsh Government continues to work with Link, the cash machine network, to help ensure that there is adequate provision of free-to-use cash machines maintained locally and a regular network across communities across Wales. As I said to the Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, it is that Member over there's Government that could take action to regulate banks to prevent communities from...
Hannah Blythyn: Can I start by also reflecting the Member's comments and recognising the work the citizens advice bureau provides in providing advice and promoting financial inclusion and that support for people in communities across the country, and also recognising the work both you and your colleague Gerald Jones have done in trying to prevent bank closures and best mitigate the impact? I know it's...
Hannah Blythyn: The financial inclusion progress report and forward look, published in December 2018, provides an overview of some of the key activities since publication of the strategy and delivery plan in 2016. These include our ongoing support for advice services, credit unions and the discretionary assistance fund.
Hannah Blythyn: In a word, 'yes'. When the minimum wage first came in, it was groundbreaking legislation but it was meant to be a minimum. We see now, and we've heard recently—some students came in to talk to us—how 16 to 18-year-olds also have caring responsibilities, and may also need to pay rent. So, also, we need to make sure, on the other side of the coin, actually—. Some more unscrupulous...
Hannah Blythyn: Can I thank the Member for allowing me to answer the question and for asking the question? The Member raised some very interesting points there in terms of Matthew Taylor, previously of Institute for Public Policy Research background. Clearly, we're proud of the record we have in Wales in terms of how we've worked with social partnership and the things that's been able to deliver before in...
Hannah Blythyn: Llywydd, I’m afraid I’m going to have to start by saying that I fundamentally disagree with the Member: I don’t at all regret that Wales beat England to the mark on this. But I absolutely agree with Huw and thank Ramblers Cymru, not just for the walking festival that ends this weekend, but also for the ongoing role they play in terms of not just the maintenance and looking after our...
Hannah Blythyn: I absolutely join Joyce Watson in thanking the staff and volunteers who keep this wonderful asset of our path open, maintained, sustained, like you said, in all weathers throughout the year. Their work and their commitment are certainly to be applauded, and you're very lucky to represent the area you do and boast such a huge swathe of the coast path itself amongst that. You talked about,...
Hannah Blythyn: Llywydd, I think, in future, when we want to create marketing adverts for the Wales coast path, we should just ask Members in this Chamber to talk about their favourite areas. I'm sure we all have a favourite and we all have areas we've not been to yet, which we'd really like to go to. But I think the contributions so far show how valued a natural asset it is for all of us, as the only...
