Carl Sargeant: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. This Friday is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. When the previous Welsh Labour Government took the Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act through the Assembly in 2015, we were clear on our aims to improve prevention, protection and support for victims and survivors. Since then we have...
Carl Sargeant: But, Llywydd, there is much more to do. In the next 18 months we have plans to work with the sector and victims and survivors to develop a detailed delivery plan; support our local government and health board colleagues who are developing their local strategies; publish further national guidance on commissioning, multi-agency collaboration and the whole-education approach; work with the...
Carl Sargeant: I’m grateful for the three cheers and the support of the Member—again, a Member consistent in his approach to the introduction of this piece of legislation. Of course, I will keep Members updated, as I said earlier on, particularly around the numbers for final registration, but also against process and enforcement. I will bring a statement to the Chamber in the early part of next year.
Carl Sargeant: I thank the Member for his comments. Of course, the Member’s right to raise the issue that this legislation was passed in the last term of this Assembly with the previous Government. Now, it’s the implementation stage. Of course, I’m familiar also that the Member is yet to experience that process of legislation. One of his questions relates to the issue around—the Member used the word...
Carl Sargeant: I thank the Member for her continued support. Again, the Member dealt with the detail in terms of the housing Bill when it went through the Assembly, talking to a range of stakeholders for and against the proposed legislation, and the shape of the legislation was an important landmark process for this institution. I’m glad we have made significant progress on that. In terms of the numbers,...
Carl Sargeant: I’ve noted the Member’s comments, the content of which I will obviously give further consideration to—but not for today.
Carl Sargeant: I note the aggressive tone of the Member again in his contribution to the Chamber. Of course, through the process of the housing Bill, it would be remiss of me not to say that the Plaid Cymru group were very supportive of the process and, indeed, of the way that was structured. Unfortunately, we don't make legislation on the Neil McEvoy way of thinking in terms of how we should do...
Carl Sargeant: I’m very grateful for the measured comments from David Melding there. I’m very happy with the two cheers. The fact that we’re getting two is better than none, indeed. The points that the Member raises are important ones. It is about learning lessons from this new programme that we’re introducing, with people often focused on the process of Rent Smart Wales, rather than the reason we...
Carl Sargeant: Thank you, Presiding Officer. On the eve of the commencement of the enforcement powers, it is important to remind ourselves of the purpose of Rent Smart Wales. Our Housing (Wales) Act 2014 included groundbreaking legislation designed to improve the private rented sector through the mandatory registration and licensing of all private landlords and agents. The sector is playing an increasingly...
Carl Sargeant: The first year has been deliberately light touch, focusing on awareness raising and enabling landlords and agents to take the necessary steps to comply with the legislation. Whilst there is more to do, the achievement in the first 12 months is significant. By 9.00 p.m. yesterday, over 55,000 private landlords had registered and another 12,700 had started the registration process. Compare this...
Carl Sargeant: Indeed, I’m grateful for the Member’s recognition of this Labour administration’s past commitment to the Newtown bypass of around £92 million. But the Member should be very careful of asking for a bypass one minute and then asking for investment in his community the next, when cars will be bypassing his village, I expect, because of the bypass.
Carl Sargeant: We’re supporting a range of regeneration activities across the Severn valley. We’ve awarded a recyclable capital town-centre loan to Powys County Council of £1.25 million.
Carl Sargeant: I’m very grateful for the Member’s question. I’m not familiar with the delays that he assumes are related to the Government. What I do know is that the VVP investment in Swansea will lever in about £103 million in additional investment and accommodate 675 new jobs in 14,000 sq m of newly refurbished commercial space. Indeed, pressing on with the creation of change to the central...
Carl Sargeant: I’m grateful to the Member for raising that in the Chamber today. We do currently have, with the Cabinet Secretary for Education, a review of inspection services about to start, and we will look at that carefully.
Carl Sargeant: I thank the Member for his question. Through Vibrant and Viable Places funding of £8.89 million, Swansea has made a series of strategic acquisitions to enable delivery of a central business district on the Kingsway.
Carl Sargeant: Indeed, the Member is right. This isn’t just a childcare offer—there is a whole raft of skills required behind that, in terms of business acumen, opportunities and training. I’ve started discussions with the education Cabinet Secretary, the skills Minister, the children’s commissioner and a raft of other organisations that are interested in making the best of what we’re trying to...
Carl Sargeant: Our 2015 programme for children and young people highlighted the many pieces of legislation and policies we’ve delivered promoting children’s rights and participation across Government.
Carl Sargeant: I thank the Member for Neath for his question. Welsh Government recognises the valuable role social enterprise-delivered childcare services make to the provision of childcare in Wales. We provide support to enhance their resilience through guidance to local authorities, funding through our children and families delivery grant and by providing business advice and support through Business Wales.
Carl Sargeant: Indeed, and who am I to argue with Julie Morgan in this field? Of course, I wasn’t invited to the ramble—maybe that was a good idea. [Laughter.] But the Member is absolutely right: I think it is about the interventions that we have with each other. Relationships—what works well and what doesn’t work well, and a non-stigma approach to how we are able to enhance the development of young...
Carl Sargeant: Well, I’m working with my team now to push out the next phase of positive parenting. I think the Member is absolutely right—we have to engage with parents. I’m not convinced, actually, as we sit here today, that poster campaigns or website-based programmes are the real deal for positive parenting. I think there is a lot of peer-to-peer support or mentoring through community groups,...
