6. Debate on a Member's Legislative Proposal: An inclusive play Bill

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:54 pm on 7 February 2018.

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Photo of Huw Irranca-Davies Huw Irranca-Davies Labour 3:54, 7 February 2018

A very important debate, and I thank Vikki as well for all her time and hard work in this policy area since she's arrived here, and her passion for championing inclusive play, both here and also in her own constituency, and others as well, as Jane has just reminded us. Thank you as well to Bethan and to Michelle for their contributions to this debate.

It is a very welcome opportunity to raise the profile of the play agenda and the importance of inclusive and accessible play opportunities to meet the needs of all children. As Vikki and Jane in particular mentioned, we can be rightly proud of the fact that Wales has absolutely led the way on this: the first country in the world to legislate for play. Wales is acknowledged as a world leader in promoting recognition of the importance of play and embedding this in our legislation. And together with our partners, we've done much, as we've just heard, to work towards creating a play-friendly country.

I agree with Vikki that there is more that can be done to improve inclusive and accessible play opportunities, and I'll turn to some of the suggestions shortly. However, I would suggest that introducing further legislation is not necessary, or the best way forward, for a number of reasons. First amongst those is that the current legislative framework—as has been mentioned in this debate already—is widely regarded as sound and fit for purpose. So, alongside requirements under the Equality Act 2010, our Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010 places a duty on local authorities to conduct play sufficiency assessments and to secure sufficient play opportunities.