Jane Hutt: Yes. And I would also like to add just a word of thanks to David Melding for his stewardship of the third sector. We both came from the third sector when we became two of the class of 1999, 21 years ago. But it's so important that you have championed the third sector and this partnership that you have described this afternoon is exemplary. It does engage with local authorities and the third...
Jane Hutt: We provide support, encouragement and guidance through the Wales procurement policy statement and our third sector scheme. Our long-standing community benefits policy provides a flexible framework that enables public sector procurers to develop third-sector-friendly procurement approaches.
Jane Hutt: We work extensively with diverse groups across Wales, and fund the all-Wales BAME engagement programme to support communities to advocate on matters that affect them. We have also funded an innovative community-led multicultural hub in Swansea, which includes the Nigerian association.
Jane Hutt: I thank Mike Hedges for that question. And I have responded to correspondence from the Member to recognise the importance of this growing community in Wales. I've drawn attention, of course—as I've mentioned just previously—to the community facilities grant, but also there's a Wales for Africa small grants scheme. But I think it is important to recognise that we did provide community...
Jane Hutt: I thank the Member for Pontypridd for that very important question. I can say that I've already taken action to ensure that the community facilities programme will fast-track any applications from community facilities that have been affected by the recent floods. Just to remind Members here that the CFP, as it's called, can provide small grants of up to £25,000 to help quickly alleviate...
Jane Hutt: I am pleased to say that since the community facilities programme was opened in 2015, 14 projects in Rhondda Cynon Taf have benefited from a total of £1.67 million in capital funding.
Jane Hutt: But, as I mentioned about the co-productive approach to policy making, we are going to engage with partners in terms of developing the guidance to ensure that the socioeconomic duty works for public bodies to whom it applies, and delivers for the people of Wales. Of course, we will seek that, and it will tackle many of the points that have been made by Members about tackling socioeconomic...
Jane Hutt: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I would like to thank contributions from across the Chamber by Assembly Members, and also take the opportunity to thank the Wales committee of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and I think many of them are here today. I'd like to just start by thanking Helen Mary Jones for her very pertinent points about the challenges that we face, and quite rightly as well...
Jane Hutt: Since its establishment in 2007, the Welsh Government has developed an excellent and highly valued relationship with the EHRC here in Wales. And, whilst the EHRC has responsibility as a regulator, it also provides the invaluable role of the critical friend. This valued relationship is going to be particularly important over the next three years, given the amount of work that we want to...
Jane Hutt: Thank you, Deputy Llywydd. I welcome the opportunity today to debate the latest Equality and Human Rights Commission Wales committee annual report, the 'Wales Impact Report 2018-19'. The annual debate on the outstanding work of the commission here in Wales always provides the opportunity for reflection and discussion on how Wales is performing on equality and human rights. It also provides...
Jane Hutt: Thank you, Huw Irranca-Davies, and I thank you for reading out that statement from the Council of Europe. I hope in this week we can reflect on that statement. Clearly, from the contributions that have been made this afternoon, there is a strong commitment to that statement. We have got to keep that at the heart of what we do in terms of Government and scrutiny, as well as in our policy...
Jane Hutt: Thank you very much, Suzy Davies, and thank you for sharing with us what you gained and learned from your visit not only to Auschwitz-Birkenau but also to the conference for the European Jewish Association. I'd like you—you've given us some of the recommendations; I'd like you to write to me and send them to me. But as you say, you've come back from that conference, immediately got a...
Jane Hutt: Thank you very much, Jenny Rathbone, and thank you for drawing attention to the many other broadcasts and events that took place yesterday. I think you would be interested to know that Dr Martin Stern is making visits all week—he's 80 and he walked over to the Friends Meeting House last night and he gave a speech for an hour without a note. He was remarkable. Today he's speaking to 280...
Jane Hutt: I thank David Rowlands very much for that contribution this afternoon. I think this does demonstrate that we can come together in this Chamber and I hope that this will also—. In terms of your final comments in terms of tackling hate crime, we've talked about this earlier on—Mark Isherwood raised the issue of hate crime that disabled people face—but we know that race hate crime is also...
Jane Hutt: Thank you, Delyth Jewell. I'm pleased you focused on lessons learnt and how that can influence, going back to Mark Isherwood's point, the whole of our working, the whole of our policy making and delivery. And particularly, I think, it was good that we had a statement on the new curriculum this afternoon, to see that there are opportunities, because I know that all the schools that do engage,...
Jane Hutt: Well, thank you very much, Mark Isherwood, and thank you for all of the points, the questions, that you've made this afternoon. Again, we must repeat: the Holocaust must never be forgotten, and it cannot be just on Holocaust Memorial Day. It's important that this permeates our policy and the way in which I respond to your questions hopefully will demonstrate. Never again to be...
Jane Hutt: In May 2017, the Welsh Government adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism in full and without qualification. We've also provided £40,500 of EU transition funding to the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust to undertake work in Wales as part of this year's commemorations. The funding went towards three elements: the 75 memorial flames project, where...
Jane Hutt: Diolch, Llywydd. Yesterday was Holocaust Memorial Day 2020, which this year marked the seventy-fifth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The Holocaust is still living memory and we remain hugely grateful to the survivors who travel around the UK sharing their personal experiences of this dark period of history. Yesterday, survivor Dr Martin Stern MBE spoke at the Holocaust...
Jane Hutt: Thank you for that question, Darren Millar. And it is important that I report back, and I indeed will do, on progress with this important work. The steering group meets tomorrow—it's called the strengthening and advancing equality and human rights in Wales steering group—and we're also actually making progress with commencing the socioeconomic duty in Part 1 of the Equality Act 2010....
Jane Hutt: Diolch yn fawr, Siân. I think the Jeremy Miles lecture at the Eisteddfod, and Steffan Lewis, of course—and I was glad to be sharing a committee space with him. When we had the chance, I would always raise human rights, and I know Members do on David's committee. But it's very important that we've actually awarded a contract for the research, in terms of timetable. It's a consortia led by...
