Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, I thank Gareth Davies for those further questions. I agree with him—it's certainly not a matter of political contention that the needs of those local residents need to be attended to. The resilient roads fund, Llywydd, normally only takes applications from pre-existing schemes, but in this case, with the bridge having been destroyed by natural causes, an exception has been made so...
Mark Drakeford: I thank the Member for that question, Llywydd. Following discussions with Welsh Government officials, I can confirm that the council has bid for funding via our resilient roads fund to assist with the replacement of the bridge.
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, I thank Sam Rowlands for that and absolutely agree with the point he's making, and not just higher education, but further education as well, and north Wales is particularly blessed, I think, in the quality of further education that is provided to young people in those regions. We know that the experience of the pandemic means that even young people who have attended higher...
Mark Drakeford: Well, Llywydd, Welsh Government officials have been engaged recently in a series of meetings with employers in different parts of Wales, including in north Wales. And the story out there, as you know, is no longer a shortage of work, but a shortage of workers. There are 330,000 fewer people in the workforce across the United Kingdom than there were in 2016. And that means that young people in...
Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, the continued buoyancy of the economy in north-east Wales is the single greatest help to young people entering employment in the Member’s constituency. For those further from the labour market, the young person’s guarantee provides a range of assistance to prepare young people for, and place them in, the world of work.
Mark Drakeford: The Minister for Health and Social Services has met board members to discuss these concerns and their impact on the day-to-day running of health services in north Wales. She will take whatever action is necessary to ensure services and patient safety are not compromised. A statement will take place later today.
Mark Drakeford: The Welsh Government supports such organisations both directly and indirectly. Direct funding is provided to some voluntary bodies to complement the work of emergency services. Indirect support includes help with training and access to the Wales-wide network of county voluntary councils.
Mark Drakeford: A series of national programmes assist the board in providing improved access to its services. These programmes provide the most up-to-date clinical advice and access to latest best practice, so that standards can be improved in all parts of Wales.
Mark Drakeford: I welcomed the recommendation from the Welsh Affairs Committee for a UK-Welsh Government inter-ministerial advisory board on social security. Sadly, that proposal was rejected by the UK Government. It would have provided a forum where services such as local housing allowances could have been discussed.
Mark Drakeford: The review has begun with an evidence-gathering and mapping exercise. This will inform the development of sustainable and affordable policy options to support safe, equitable, affordable and accessible transport for our learners in Wales.
Mark Drakeford: The Welsh Government has provided almost £1.5 million in grant funding this financial year to support the delivery of STEM initiatives with a strong focus on encouraging girls to consider careers in STEM.
Mark Drakeford: More than £1.6 billion Welsh Government investment is helping households with their living costs through programmes that help keep money in people’s pockets, including our council tax reduction scheme, the pupil development grant—access and childcare offer, as well as our cost-of-living payment, our fuel support scheme and our benefits take-up campaigns.
Mark Drakeford: The Equality and Human Rights Commission is the statutory regulatory body responsible for monitoring and enforcing the Equality Act. Duties under the Act are conferred directly upon relevant public bodies including the Welsh Government. The Welsh Government can encourage and support providers of public services to fulfil their duties.
Mark Drakeford: The Welsh Government is committed to ensuring women’s safety in all public spaces. We are addressing these issues through our Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (VAWDASV) Strategy, which includes a focus on street harassment, aiming to make Wales the safest place in Europe to be a woman.
Mark Drakeford: The Welsh Government is committed to ensuring women’s safety in all public spaces. We are addressing these issues through our Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (VAWDASV) Strategy, which includes a focus on street harassment, aiming to make Wales the safest place in Europe to be a woman.
Mark Drakeford: I am concerned by the latest revelations regarding warrants. Officials are investigating. The Minister for Social Justice again wrote to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 2 February, calling on him to act immediately to end the forced installation of prepayment meters.
Mark Drakeford: We recognise the benefits of a shorter working week alongside other forms of flexible working, and we work in social partnership to encourage progressive and fair working practices. Officials discussed these issues with social partners at the joint executive committee of the workforce partnership council on 27 January.
Mark Drakeford: We are in the second year of the three-year planned implementation of our additional learning needs and education tribunal Act. From 2023, annual support for that implementation will be £25.5 million to support system improvement.
Mark Drakeford: The Welsh Government is committed to applying and embedding the social model of disability throughout everything it does. The work of the disability rights taskforce is based on a common understanding of the social model of disability, human rights and co-production.
Mark Drakeford: Our violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence national strategy is being delivered through a collaborative blueprint approach alongside key partners including local authorities, police and the specialist sector. Street harassment and safety in public places is one of the blueprint work streams, providing a focus for an innovative joined-up approach to this issue in Wales.
