7. Will the Cabinet Secretary outline his priorities for strengthening communities in Wales? OAQ(5)0098(CC)

I thank the Member for Monmouth for his question. My priorities for strengthening communities focus on three key areas: early years, employment and empowerment. I am currently considering views from a broad programme of engagement on a new approach to building resilient communities. I will make a further statement in due course.

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. As I’m sure you’re aware, I have a short debate later today on the Cardiff capital city region deal. It won’t be you who will be responding; that will be the Cabinet Secretary for finance. In that debate, I’ll be raising the fact that it’s a deal with much potential for the future, and clearly, about growing connections between communities that will strengthen those communities—that’s urban and rural communities. What discussions have you had with the finance Cabinet Secretary about utilising the substantial city deal funding coming not just from this place, but also coming from Westminster to make sure that that funding does go into strengthening our rural communities and strengthening projects such as the south Wales metro, which will ensure that people living out in some of those more distant parts of the South Wales East region are able to get to areas like Cardiff and Newport as quickly and as easily as possible to ensure that they’re economically better off?

I think the Member is absolutely right to raise this issue. The principles that the Government is working on are based on the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, about making sure that we can build this jigsaw together, but also put a picture on it so that we know and understand what the future looks like for our communities and our families across where we represent. The metro or the city deal is just one aspect of making sure that we’ve got the well-being of individuals at the forefront of our decision-making processes.

Cabinet Secretary, obviously resilient communities also depend upon not just the three factors you mentioned but also the health and well-being of those communities to ensure they’re in a position to take advantage of all the other aspects. To that end, Communities First at the moment has an element of health and well-being within it, and you’ve said in a previous statement that you’re minded to look at the other three. What discussions have you had with the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport to ensure that the health boards can actually get involved in this process but also have sufficient funding to do so, because it’s important that we get those health and well-being areas of those communities strong?

Of course, and I said earlier on to a previous question what our vision is in terms of building resilient communities, and what is about economic regeneration, jobs and growth and what is about well-being. I’ve already had discussions with the Cabinet Secretary for health and other Ministers across the department about how we look at our funding streams and move into a prevention and early intervention process while doing the day job as well, because we’ve got to get a well nation, a well-being service rather than a health service, and I’m sure that my colleagues across Cabinet are responding to that in the way that we develop our policies for the future.

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary—I do apologise. Simon Thomas.

Roeddwn ychydig yn rhyfygus. Simon Thomas.

Thank you, Llywydd. Thank you very much.

Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, fe sonioch am rymuso fel un o’ch themâu, ac os yw hynny’n mynd i olygu unrhyw beth o gwbl, rhaid iddo gynnwys grymuso’r bobl sydd fwyaf ar y cyrion yn ein cymunedau. Hoffwn dynnu eich sylw at brosiect o’r enw Prosiect Undod yng Nghil-maen yn Sir Benfro, sy’n brosiect ymhlith y gymuned Sipsiwn a Theithwyr yno. Daeth aelod o’r gymuned honno i gysylltiad â mi, unigolyn sydd wedi defnyddio’r prosiect i ddatblygu ei sgiliau ac i hyfforddi i lefel gradd, ond mae’n bryderus iawn fod y prosiect yn dod i ben bellach ac na fydd pobl eraill tebyg iddi hi o gymuned y Sipsiwn a Theithwyr yn cael y cyfle hwnnw. Rwy’n deall mai Achub y Plant sy’n darparu’r prosiect, o bosibl, a Chyngor Sir Penfro, ond rwy’n gofyn i chi: a ydych yn ymwybodol o’r prosiect hwn a pha drafodaethau yr ydych yn eu cael gyda Chyngor Sir Penfro, gan fod nifer o gymunedau Sipsiwn a Theithwyr yn yr ardal honno, ynglŷn â sicrhau bod y cymunedau hynny’n cael eu grymuso hefyd?

Indeed, and the Member’s right to raise the issue. Empowerment isn’t about restricting it to class or culture; this is about all-inclusiveness. Interestingly, the Member Julie Morgan raised this very issue with me yesterday about the Unity Project. I understand it’s a project that was funded by the Big Lottery Fund. I think it came to an end yesterday, if I’m right in thinking, but I will ask my officials to look at the detail of that, because the Gypsy/Traveller community are one of the most vulnerable communities in the UK. The life chances of this community are very poor. It’s something that we should take responsibility for.

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary.