7. 5. Welsh Conservatives Debate: The Autumn Statement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:20 pm on 7 December 2016.

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Photo of Jane Hutt Jane Hutt Labour 5:20, 7 December 2016

Well, you know, as the Cabinet Secretary said yesterday, that Wales now has a clear direction of travel. We have plans in place to develop an excellent professional workforce and we know what we want our new curriculum to deliver. And of course the OECD is very clear that we’re on the right track, and we are investing more in education. I will remind the leader of the Welsh Conservatives of the 20 per cent cut that they were going to make in education when they produced their draft budget. But also, of course, the Welsh Conservatives don’t take responsibility here, in this Chamber, they don’t recognise—they seek to undermine our public services, they don’t recognise that improving the Welsh NHS and ensuring it develops effectively to meet needs is central to our agenda, and how we have protected essential public services. Yes, I hope the leader of the Welsh Conservatives will join with me in praising the Welsh ambulance service. The impressive improvement in ambulance performance in Wales and the fact that it’s the only ambulance service in the UK to improve response times to life-threatening 999 calls is testimony to the hard work and excellent performance of everyone involved in this vital work. But we regret the fact that the UK Government didn’t recognise the need for greater investment in the health service.

So, I think, just in terms of investing and the way we are taking this forward, taking our responsibilities seriously, we’re investing in our NHS and social services—health and social care. The latest figures from the Treasury show that the amount we spend per person on health and social services was 6 per cent higher than in England. A demonstration of our commitment: another £240 million in the draft budget. But, most importantly, our investment in housing and the announcement made by Carl Sargeant last week of £30 million—a new housing pact to deliver 20,000 homes. Our track record of investment in housing and building homes—and this is what a Welsh Labour Government delivers: building homes, meeting housing need, meeting health and education needs, benefiting children and families, tackling inequalities and a housing pact with the public sector, and a fiscal stimulus for our house builders. So, I doubt if even Mark Isherwood could dispute that outcome in terms of our £30 million investment. We will be steadfast, Lywydd—we will be steadfast and ambitious with the powers and responsibilities we have. After six wasted years of austerity, we will continue to provide a shield to the vulnerable, support health and social care, invest in our economy and skills and our children’s futures.