The Welsh Government is, itself, accredited as a living wage employer. The Welsh NHS has paid the living wage since January 2015. ‘Taking Wales Forward’, our programme for government, contains a commitment to take further action on the living wage during this Assembly term.

The Welsh Government continues to encourage local government to conduct its business in an open and transparent manner. The current White Paper on reforming local government proposes a range of ways further to increase transparency.

The consultation on the White Paper, ‘Reforming Local Government: Resilient and Renewed’, issued on 31 January and ended on 11 April. I am considering all responses and will make a statement once that consideration is completed.

The White Paper on reforming local government proposes a range of electoral and other reforms to encourage greater democratic participation in Wales. These include changes to the voting age, requiring local authorities to encourage and enable participation as well as making the broadcasting of council meetings a statutory requirement.

The most recent assessment by the Wales Audit Office identified improvements in Cardiff council’s performance, financial planning, HR management and accountability. Estyn concluded in October that significant improvements had been made in education services. The Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales found in 2016 that children’s services had a clear sense of direction and high levels of confidence amongst staff and managers.

I have regular discussions with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury about fiscal matters, including the implementation of the new fiscal framework.