Jane Hutt: I continue to discuss with my ministerial colleagues our shared commitment to strengthening the rights of disabled people. Our work is underpinned by the social model of disability and the disability taskforce established to respond to the 'Locked Out' report to address the barriers and inequalities that disabled people face.
Jane Hutt: That's a really valid question, because we know that the age profile of our volunteers is increasing, and the pressures on their lives, as well, in terms of the cost-of-living crisis are considerable, so we are very much looking at the impact of food and fuel poverty on pensioners and older people, many of whom are volunteers. I actually chaired a third sector partnership council recently...
Jane Hutt: Thank you very much. I'm sure Members across this Chamber have been visiting and been aware of not just their foodbanks but some of the community food initiatives, like the pantries that have been set up, and the relationships with FareShare particularly in terms of access to food from our supermarkets. I mentioned the fact that we had a round-table on food poverty as well as the...
Jane Hutt: That is a very serious point and it really follows on from the questions from Tom Giffard and Rhys ab Owen, because we need more than one women's residential centre. The key points, and I don't want to repeat them, in terms of what this centre is going to do, are about serving the local community, serving local women and their families in their local community. That is appropriate for the way...
Jane Hutt: I was very grateful for the opportunity to come and speak, as I have more than once, I think, to your cross-party group on tackling fuel poverty. You know that our fuel poverty plan commits to continued investment in the Warm Homes programme, particularly in the development and publication of the cold weather resilience plan. Of course, the key factor, in terms of health and well-being, is...
Jane Hutt: I thank Mark Isherwood for that question. We called for what was a very welcome announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 26 May. We actually called for additional support for households and, indeed, we called for the fact that we should not just get the funding, but that it should be clearly targeted at those who are most vulnerable. So, it is welcome that there will be that energy...
Jane Hutt: Thank you. Diolch yn fawr, Rhys ab Owen. This is a major step forward, isn't it, to have that transformation. It can't come too soon as far as I'm concerned—2024 feels a long way off, and it cannot be then just waiting to see how this works. It is being planned so that it will work; it will offer all those services that I have described. And we need to start the pressure—thank you for the...
Jane Hutt: I thank Tom Giffard for the question, and, indeed, for his support for this pioneering residential women's centre. And I'm sure he will join me in welcoming the fact that Wales is leading the way. This has come about as the result of a partnership. Although it's the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice, I've pushed very hard for a residential women's centre to be piloted in Wales. In...
Jane Hutt: I've regularly engaged with UK Government justice Ministers, who are leading on this important programme of work, and I will continue this collaborative approach as the development of the residential women’s centre progresses.
Jane Hutt: Well, the Member makes a very important point about home energy. Since 2009-10 to the end of March 2021, more than £394 million has been invested to improve home energy efficiency through the Warm Homes programme, and that's benefited more than 67,100 lower income households, and also, importantly, energy efficiency advice, through the Warm Homes programme—160,000 people also receiving...
Jane Hutt: Well, thank you very much, Buffy Williams, for that question. The third sector has been very involved nationally and locally in terms of addressing these issues for those families—so, many households they work with that are hardest hit by the Tory cost-of-living crisis. Now, we held a round-table summit back on 17 February with key external stakeholders, including the third sector, National...
Jane Hutt: In Rhondda Cynon Taf, 14,716 households have received our £200 winter fuel support scheme payment. Projections published in April 2022 suggest up to 45 per cent of all households in Wales could be in fuel poverty and up to 98 per cent of lower income households could now be in fuel poverty.
Jane Hutt: Our Council Tax Reduction Scheme supports low-income households to pay their council tax. Around 20% of all households in Wales are in receipt of this support. When people struggle to pay their bill, our Single Advice Fund services help to maximise their income and tackle underlying causes of their debt.
Jane Hutt: I have established a Ukraine External Stakeholders Group to identify and coordinate support from local authorities and the third sector for hosts and arrivals. People can also access support through our Sanctuary website which provides information on rights and entitlements including health, education and employment.
Jane Hutt: I have regularly engaged with UK Government Justice Ministers who are leading on this important programme of work. I will continue this collaborative approach as the development of the Residential Women’s Centre progresses.
Jane Hutt: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd, and diolch yn fawr for all the contributions. I thank Members for participating today. I think the debate has clearly demonstrated the importance of safeguarding equality and human rights in Wales across a wide range of issues, and it comes after three statements addressing our commitments to the implementing of the anti-racist action plan, and also, indeed, the...
Jane Hutt: Diolch, Llywydd. I welcome this debate on the Equality and Human Rights Commission's Wales impact report 2020-21. The Welsh Government has benefited for many years from a positive and productive working relationship with the EHRC's team in Wales, and this has continued through the period covered by this report, and it's reflected across many of the issues it highlights. I'd like to thank...
Jane Hutt: Diolch yn fawr, Joyce Watson. You've absolutely spelled it out so clearly—this is about ending institutional racism. Therefore, we have to look at those institutions, including our own, and tackle that. I will leave it to the Deputy Minister, who I'm sure will be addressing the questions particularly in her portfolio around sport, and the education Minister on education. We thought it would...
Jane Hutt: Diolch. Thank you for such powerful statements, which indeed show just the strength of the coming together in our co-operation agreement, about the importance of strength, which I believe could come from across this Chamber, but it has to be delivered as a result of our joint commitment and the sharing of our goals and values in the co-operation agreement. I think it's important that it is...
Jane Hutt: Well, thank you very much, Altaf Hussain, for your contribution and your questions. I started my statement by actually referring to that debate that we held last year, where we, the whole Senedd—. In fact, I remember speaking to Darren Millar about the motion that we all agreed, every party, as we did the year before. We did support that motion to wholeheartedly address the fight to root...
