Jane Hutt: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Last October, the whole Senedd endorsed a motion to support wholeheartedly the global fight to root out racism and racist ideology and strive towards a more equal Wales, tackling systemic and structural race inequality. Following our consultation last year, we've continued to co-design with black, Asian and minority ethnic people across Wales the actions we must take...
Jane Hutt: Diolch yn fawr. This is something, as I said, that's cross-Government. We're taking stock now, as arrivals come. Clearly, there are some pressures in some schools in terms of catchments, but we will be following this up, with my colleague Jeremy Miles, the education Minister. This, also, has to be local authorities taking the responsibility and making sure that there's good communication with...
Jane Hutt: Thank you very much, Russell George. We do understand how important people's pets are to them and so we want to do everything we can to ensure that people who are seeking refuge in Wales are reunited—you've given one example—with their pets because they have been in quarantine. This is something, again, that I raised at a three-nations meeting last Thursday, and we're going to put this on...
Jane Hutt: Diolch yn fawr, Heledd. Those are very important questions, which are being worked on at the moment, about access to language support. I've given some detail already in terms of ESOL, trying to ensure that this is an FE, HE, cross-Wales response. But just for example in terms of the welcome centres, there's been also contact with ColegauCymru as well as local authorities to look at provision....
Jane Hutt: Thank you very much, Peter Fox. Can I just say again that it is the local authorities who have got to take the responsibility in terms of admissions to schools? They've got clear guidance. Obviously, therefore, in terms of that contact, you are important as a bridge to make that contact happen.
Jane Hutt: Thank you very much, Jack Sargeant. As I have said, this is very much a cross-Government response. Co-ordination is particularly important, not just in terms of cross-Government and all of our responsibilities, but inter-Government with the UK Government and the Scottish Government, and also with local government as well. But the third sector is already playing a huge role and a huge part. I...
Jane Hutt: Diolch yn fawr, Sioned. It's really important, this point about how we can be ready to support, recognising the trauma that so many have experienced. You talked about children. All of us know that the vast majority of refugees who are coming are women and children. Those who have met them, or who are meeting with them, know what they have been through—the trauma that they have been through....
Jane Hutt: Thank you very much, Mark Isherwood. You've repeated the data that I gave in the statement. I think it is very encouraging that, at long last, last week, the UK Government agreed to provide data on a local authority by local authority basis, and we could then identify, as you said, that 1,126 Ukrainian refugees have come via the Homes for Ukraine scheme—some of whom will be in our welcome...
Jane Hutt: Diolch yn fawr, Lywydd, and thank you for the opportunity to provide an update to Members on our ongoing work to support Ukrainians hoping to find sanctuary in Wales. In the two weeks since I last provided an oral statement on this matter, we've welcomed many new neighbours and friends from Ukraine. The UK Government has begun to publish Homes for Ukraine scheme arrivals data for the first...
Jane Hutt: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd, and I'd like to thank Alun Davies for bringing this important debate to Senedd Cymru and to thank all Members who have contributed. We are all acutely aware of the current tragedy that is unfolding in Ukraine, and we have discussed this many times in recent weeks. However, it is also important for us to reflect on times in the past when actions have been pursued that...
Jane Hutt: Our commitment was the £42 million plus, the 300 projects, throughout the pandemic, in fact, extending it to ensure that it could meet the needs of the pandemic. But it's important that we recognise that this is an issue about local communities influencing what they want, like the Al-Ikhlas cultural education centre in Cardiff—awarded £0.25 million to convert two adjacent properties into...
Jane Hutt: Yes, Darren.
Jane Hutt: Well, you forget, of course, Darren, our £244 million council tax reduction scheme. That, in itself, is helping over 270,000 households, and there are 220,000 exempted from council tax altogether, but they are still getting that £150 cost-of-living payment. That's still being paid to those households in Wales. But it's also crucially important that we look to the other ways of standing up...
Jane Hutt: And I think that you will see the outcome of that, when local democracy will prevail tomorrow. But the serious point about this debate that we are having today is the news stories, day to day, of prices soaring: food, fuel, clothes, travel costs, rent, a 54 per cent increase in the energy cap alone. It's the single largest increase in UK energy bills for more than 20 years. The average fuel...
Jane Hutt: Yes. [Inaudible.] Jack.
Jane Hutt: Diolch, Dirprwy Llywydd. Can I just start by saying to Sam Rowlands, who opened the debate, and to all those who have declared that they're standing down tomorrow, congratulations on the great service that you've all done in local government as leaders and councillors? Having been a councillor myself, I'm absolutely passionate about the importance of local government and the role of local...
Jane Hutt: Formally.
Jane Hutt: Thank you very much for that question, and I value your interest in the probation service. In fact, over the years, we have developed positive working relationships with key justice partners and key service providers in Wales. I was very proud when we were the first part of the UK—the first nation—where the probation service was re-nationalised, if you like, to be a national probation...
Jane Hutt: Diolch yn fawr, Rhys ab Owen. I have regular engagement with UK Government Ministers on all aspects of community safety in Wales and I'm meeting Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Probation on 18 May and continuing discussions with all partners, devolved and reserved, reinforcing our commitment to ensuring that communities are safe in Wales.
Jane Hutt: Thank you very much, and that's a very practical and welcome operational question, because at this point in time—. In fact, we had a meeting to discuss it this morning, a ministerial meeting chaired by the First Minister, where we were updating on the next steps for people from welcome centres. Of course, every local authority is looking at the next steps in terms of host family or other...
