2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:29 pm on 24 April 2018.

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Photo of Bethan Sayed Bethan Sayed Plaid Cymru 2:29, 24 April 2018

I appreciate it is not always possible to provide statements to this Assembly, but I think with regard to the termination of Communities First, that did warrant a statement here, and it was shuffled out last week again, after we retired from these debating chambers to our region or to our committees. Now, considering that this was a flagship programme of the Labour Government in relation to alleviating poverty, the fact that it didn't come with any explanation as to what happens next, any analysis of what's happened with Communities First in the past, or any recognition of the fact that 50,000 more children are now facing living in poverty in Wales is something that I find quite startling from a Labour Government here in Wales. So, I would appreciate a statement here in this Chamber, so that we can understand, as Assembly Members, what is happening next. If it's being put in the revenue grant for local authorities, how do we go about monitoring that, and how do we go about ensuring that those people that need the support the most are going to get it. 

And my second request is for a statement from the same Minister with regard to the offenders framework that he announced, again last week. I think we need to understand, if the Welsh Government is putting any new prison on hold, what that means in terms of the wider criminal justice policies that he and the Government are developing in this regard. So, I would like to see that we can debate that also, so that we, as Assembly Members, from across the Chamber, have input into how that criminal justice system for Wales would look.