Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 2. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services – in the Senedd at 2:39 pm on 31 January 2018.

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Photo of Suzy Davies Suzy Davies Conservative 2:39, 31 January 2018

Thank you for that answer. That was my point, really, because I'm aware, of course, that hospital workers get this training, but social care workers don't necessarily. And that's why I'd like to see it mainstreamed in the curriculum for the qualifications.

Moving on to something else now, the Cabinet Secretary confirmed to me in a written answer—last year it was—that the money that Welsh Government put towards the social care workforce development programme is match funded by local authorities. However, you went on to say in the same response that for every £1 spend by Welsh Government, 44p is spent by local Government. I have to say that that doesn't quite sound like match funding to me. While I accept that councils are strapped for cash, I do remember that your predecessor made available additional moneys for councils conditional on evidence that it was being spend on social care improvement objectives. [Interruption.] I'm afraid, yes, you did. I have the questions and the answers to prove it. As the fund is now overseen by Social Care Wales, do they have the power to ask local authorities for greater contributions to the fund and do they have a remit letter from you about the outcomes that you might expect from it, not least whether Social Care Wales is to perhaps limit its own administration costs when administering that fund?