Rebecca Evans: I can certainly give the assurance that, in the discussions that we've had, the early discussions about priorities, health obviously remains a top priority, but we have all been clear that we want to give local government the best possible settlement. In terms of what more I can say about that, at the moment, without having further detailed discussions, I wouldn't want to say too much more today.
Rebecca Evans: I'm really sympathetic to the need that people have to better understand exactly what our proposals will be in the budget for next year, and I understand the keenness that people have to have some early announcements made. But I think that it would be unfair to go ahead and make announcements before we've had another bilateral round with my fellow Ministers, and also before I've had the...
Rebecca Evans: It's nice of Nick Ramsay to join us because, of course, in answer to the first question this afternoon, I was able to talk to Lynne Neagle about our approach to education and the priority that we are putting on that. The education Minister is quite right that the gap is actually closing and I think that that is something to be welcomed. I was able to outline at the start that education...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you. I'll be, in the first instance, completing my current round of bilaterals with my Ministers. So, I have discussions early on in the year—so in March—where we look at what our priorities overall, our strategic priorities for Government, might be. And, again, you'd imagine that health is high up there in those discussions and also support for local government. But then, through...
Rebecca Evans: Welsh Government has been clear that tackling loneliness and isolation is a priority for us. There was a great piece of work that was done by the committee that looked at that, and it is informing Welsh Government as to how we might go about tackling loneliness and isolation in future. Through local authorities, Welsh Government funding is going towards community co-ordinators or local...
Rebecca Evans: Well, I'll repeat what I said yesterday, and I think Leanne Wood was in the Chamber when I said it yesterday, and that's the fact that the existing concessionary travel cards will continue to remain valid until 31 December. So, the key message is that there's no rush to apply for your new bus pass; we have until the end of the year. And the reason why we have new bus passes is because the...
Rebecca Evans: Well, the nerve is quite incredible. The fact that Welsh Government has had budget cuts for a decade—. People have been living with austerity for a decade, and the buck stops firmly in the UK Government's responsibilities there, I have to say. But, that said, I think it's important to recognise as well that Welsh Government has been quite clear in our early discussions about the budget that...
Rebecca Evans: We continually assess the impact of a range of factors on Welsh Government spending plans, including the latest demographic projections. I'll be meeting with the older persons' commissioner on 9 October, as part of my engagement with stakeholders ahead of the forthcoming budget.
Rebecca Evans: I can certainly give you that reassurance. Social care is one area that is particularly important to older people, and that is one of our top cross-Government priority areas. As part of my considerations for the budget, I undertook a series of visits over the summer, and a couple of them will be of particular interest. The first one was an integrated care fund project in Cardiff, which is...
Rebecca Evans: Thank you very much, diolch yn fawr iawn, for raising that issue. In terms of the pensions cost, you'll be aware that the total cost of the pension changes for devolved and non-devolved public pension schemes in Wales is £255 million for this year, and the UK Government only gave us £219 million in respect of those increases, with left us with a funding gap this year of £36 million, which...
Rebecca Evans: My apologies. I realised my headphone was broken, and there was no-one to assist me.
Rebecca Evans: Well, the Welsh Government will not receive £1.25 billion over the next three years; the Welsh Government will receive an additional £593 million above our current budget for next year, and that represents an increase of 2.3 per cent in real terms, and we'll also receive an additional £18 million in capital, which will be a 2.4 per cent increase on our current budget. And I have to say...
Rebecca Evans: I thank Lynne Neagle for raising this really important issue, which is essentially the future of our young people here in Wales. And Lynne will be aware that early years and skills and employability are two of the particular priorities that Welsh Government has across Government, and we'll be looking very closely at those in terms of the budget setting. But I'll be having those detailed...
Rebecca Evans: I regularly meet with my ministerial colleagues to discuss a range of financial matters across all portfolios. As part of the draft budget process, I will be holding a further round of budget bilaterals, including with the Minister for Education, this month.
Rebecca Evans: As set out in my written statement, the Welsh Government budget will be based on meeting the needs of the people of Wales and delivering the fairest possible settlement for Welsh public services.
Rebecca Evans: The fiscal position set out in the report is unsurprising given the current state of the UK public finances, the progressive nature of the tax and benefit system, and the relatively high needs in Wales.
Rebecca Evans: We continue to invest in public services, businesses and communities in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, including £225 million planned for improvements to Prince Charles Hospital, a further £42.5 million approved in principle for the second wave of the twenty-first century schools programme, and over £2 million through the social housing grant in 2019-20.
Rebecca Evans: Since we published the Wales infrastructure investment plan in 2012, the Welsh Government has funded infrastructure projects across Wales worth nearly £15 billion. Along with our future plans, our investments in Pembroke will include over £130 million as part of our twenty-first century schools programme, and £45 million for improvements to the A40.
Rebecca Evans: The core counter-fraud team is relatively small, however, the head of counter-fraud has access to a wide range of staff with appropriate complementary specialist skills to call on to assist with investigations. The workload can vary significantly and this allows flexibility as needed.
Rebecca Evans: As I set out in the Chamber yesterday, I have written to the Presiding Officer and the Chair of the Finance Committee indicating my intention to bring forward the timetable for the 2020-21 budget, subject to their views.
