Jane Hutt: Diolch yn fawr, Peredur, for that question. I was very proud to be health Minister when we started along that route, with the refugee doctors scheme, as we called it then, 20 years ago. And I always recall Aled Edwards reporting on how many of those refugee doctors we were supporting through language skills, through the scheme that developed, and which has now been replicated and followed,...
Jane Hutt: Well, thank you very much. And it's absolutely right and timely that these questions are coming about what role and power we have got, as a Welsh Government, in terms of tackling fuel poverty. We talked this morning about the perfect storm that is going to be hitting and affecting vulnerable families. So, we need to ensure that we can have as much of a grip and a hold and responsibilities in...
Jane Hutt: Well, of course, in response to your specific question, which I will respond to, about the cold weather plan, we will have a cold weather plan in place. I talked about our plan to tackle fuel poverty, and ,of course, all of these are interacting strategies and plans to tackle fuel poverty. But we'll be able to respond to that in terms of updating by the end of November. This is where the...
Jane Hutt: Thank you, again, for that follow-up question. I've mentioned the plan to tackle fuel poverty, published earlier on this year. What's crucial about that is that we also have a fuel poverty advisory panel, which, of course, is attended by many of those who you are working with in terms of the cross-party group, and it is actually helping us to co-ordinate action to tackle fuel poverty in...
Jane Hutt: I thank Mark Isherwood for that question, and I do look forward to attending the cross-party group on fuel poverty. Clearly, this has to be addressed in a cross-Government way, so working very closely with the Minister for Climate Change, Julie James, and appreciating it from her perspective as being responsible for housing and tackling climate change. So, working together, particularly in...
Jane Hutt: Diolch yn fawr, Rhys ab Owen, and you gave a very clear example—a human example—of great concern of the adverse impact already experienced by your constituent in terms of that cut of the £20 universal credit. And it is quite clear that we have to play our part to ensure that we can support those families. The UK Government may have abandoned these families, but the Welsh Government will...
Jane Hutt: Well, can I thank Ken Skates for his questions? You will all have heard yesterday that the First Minister provided an update on the basic income pilot in response to his First Minister’s questions. He said, and I will repeat again to clarify, 'Subject to the resolution of remaining practical matters, including the interface of our basic income payments with the benefits system, we plan to...
Jane Hutt: Analysis by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation shows that the brutal cut to universal credit is impacting on all communities in Wales. In every Welsh constituency, over a quarter of families with children have seen their income fall. To be taking money from our poorest families when bills are rising is shameful.
Jane Hutt: Improving the energy efficiency of lower income households through our Warm Homes Programme is helping to save on average £300 annually on energy bills. Additional support for families impacted by increased fuel costs and the removal of the Universal Credit uplift is being provided through our Discretionary Assistance Fund.
Jane Hutt: We are strengthening our Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Strategy to tackle male violence and underlying attitudes of misogyny in order to make Wales the safest place in Europe to be a woman. Violence against women and girls is a societal problem which requires a societal response.
Jane Hutt: The Welsh Government provides core funding for the Wales Council for Voluntary Action and County Voluntary Councils to enable them to support local voluntary organisations and volunteering groups across Wales. £169,854 of this funding is provided to Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services (PAVS) to support their local third sector.
Jane Hutt: Our digital inclusion and health programme, working with organisations, has supported over 4,000 citizens from Carmarthenshire to gain the motivation and basic digital skills needed to use the internet effectively. Having basic digital skills, motivation and confidence can help people gain and retain employment, access health services and support well-being.
Jane Hutt: And I would just want to say that the nation of sanctuary vision—and we're so proud—in fact, the Llywydd spoke about our nation of sanctuary when she spoke last Thursday, and we were proud of that, weren't we, in that all-important ceremony, the opening of our sixth Senedd. The nation of sanctuary is about making Wales not just welcoming to migrants, but also harnessing the opportunities...
Jane Hutt: Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. I want to thank everyone for contributing to this important and significant debate on race. The speakers in the debate this afternoon and, indeed, our minority ethnic communities are telling us that we need to act now to deliver on our vision of a Wales that is anti-racist, where everyone is treated as an equal citizen. I want to start, in acknowledging the...
Jane Hutt: Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm proud to be standing here again to address you at what is the third annual debate in this Welsh Parliament, with a motion on race and race equality fully supported across this Chamber. And it is to all our credit that we've built on each year's work to seek equal outcomes for our black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. In doing so, we recognise that...
Jane Hutt: And, of course, there are key issues that have been raised by Members today. Siân Gwenllian raised the important issue in terms of the recommendations around exclusions for our youngest children in the foundation phase. Just in 2019, of course, you will recall we published updated guidance, which was published back in 2015, on exclusions from schools and pupil referral units. This sets out...
Jane Hutt: Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd, and thank you to all the Members today who've contributed to the debate on the children's commissioner's annual report. Also, it was very important to hear from Jayne Bryant, our new Chair of the Children, Young People and Education Committee, that her committee will be considering this and considering the recommendations and the report as well. All of this is...
Jane Hutt: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm pleased to have the opportunity to debate the Children’s Commissioner for Wales's annual report for 2020-21 today. And the publication of Professor Sally Holland's annual report provides an important opportunity for us to collectively focus on children's rights. It's a time to take stock of progress and to take account of the commissioner's calls for us to go...
Jane Hutt: I thank Jenny Rathbone for that important question. We've got £25 million allocated—as I said, a derisory amount—to Wales. What I have sought to do—. As soon as we heard about that allocation, I've gone across the whole of the Welsh Government to say, 'What is it?' It's a one-off sum of money; it's not recurrent. It's a one-off sum of money, which is the hardest to spend sustainably....
Jane Hutt: Diolch yn fawr, Joyce Watson. I have responded to many of the important and valid points that you've made. I think it is important to recognise this joint letter that went from the First Minister of Scotland, the First Minister of Wales and the First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland to Boris Johnson, calling on him, urging him, not to proceed with this completely...
