<p>Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople</p>

Part of 2. 2. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children – in the Senedd at 2:25 pm on 14 September 2016.

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Photo of Carl Sargeant Carl Sargeant Labour 2:25, 14 September 2016

I’m very grateful for the Member’s question. I don’t doubt his integrity in raising this with me today, but what I will tell the Member is that our investments have to be strategically managed on the basis of our reducing budgets year on year. What we have to do, and what we’ve done in Wales, is protect the Supporting People budget, whereas is England, under the UK administration, the Supporting People budget has disappeared. We’re very keen that we want to maintain that. I can’t guarantee that it’ll be at the same level, but I can tell you—and the Member raised this specifically on that question around homelessness—we have taken a very different approach here in Wales. The 63 per cent reduction in homelessness figures reported here in Wales is a significant drop for supporting of services. It’s a programme that is now being considered by the UK Government. In Wales, we should be celebrating the prevent work that we are doing. I do recognise the importance of funding to organisations; but can I guarantee that at this points in time? No, I can’t.