2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:30 pm on 24 April 2018.

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Photo of Julie James Julie James Labour 2:30, 24 April 2018

On that first one, the Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Public Services is in the process, I know, of a complex discussion with the UK Government about the department of justice policy in Wales and the interaction of various parts of that. And I'm sure that once those discussions are at a point where he can update the Chamber, he'll be very pleased to do so. I don't he's quite at that point yet.

In terms of the closure of the Communities First programme, this has been a transition year, and Assembly Members are very well aware that it was a transition year. The statement is to thank those who've played a role in the orderly closure of the Communities First programme, and the preservation of its best work, which we've all been extremely anxious to see happen. This is part of a policy renewal programme for Action Against Poverty, in the light of the austerity programme from the UK Government, and it's been in place for a long time. And, actually, a very large amount of their programmes are continuing in other guises, such as the employability plan and so on. But it's no surprise to Members that the Communities First programme has been in its transition year and that this is the closure.