6. What is the Cabinet Secretary’s assessment of the performance of public services boards? OAQ52668

Positive progress has been made by public services boards to meet their obligations under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. Now that all local well-being plans have been published, PSBs are now firmly focused on their delivery.

Cabinet Secretary, I appreciate that we've already touched on these issues in the Chamber today. I think it is clear that public services boards have a vital role to play in working with communities to work up their well-being plans and strategies, and then to make sure that they're properly implemented, working in that cross-cutting way across public sector bodies. And, of course, we have the work of the local authorities' scrutiny committees and, indeed, the future generations commissioner in ensuring that they are effective in that way. I just wonder what you would say about the role of Welsh Government in taking an overview of the effectiveness of the work of public services boards, and whether there is a need for that additional layer of scrutiny and help, if it's necessary, to make sure that, right across Wales, the public services boards are working effectively and efficiently.

We do, as a Government, provide a package of national support as well as a programme of targeted support for regional funding, and regular drop-in sessions to enable PSBs to test their emerging thinking. We also work with the future generation commissioner's office to ensure there's a consistency of approach to PSBs across the country. We're seeing some very positive early examples of this. I and the Member for Newport East will be aware that the Gwent PSBs are driving forward on their Thriving Places project and programme, and I'm looking forward to seeing that succeed. In Neath Port Talbot, the children's community projects pilot in Sandfields West is something where there's a very real focus being brought to bear in that community. The Presiding Officer will be especially interested in the work taking place in Ceredigion on climate change, and we look forward to seeing the results of that work.

But I think the Member does identify an important issue, and that is of scrutiny and to ensure that scrutiny does occur of the work of public services boards and that that is done in an appropriate way and an appropriate fashion. I hope his committee, when it reports on these matters, will reflect on these issues, and I certainly look forward to reading the report of the committee on this, and I undertake to take forward the considerations of the committee in a positive way.

Cabinet Secretary, one of the aims of the Caerphilly public services board is to improve the health of everyone living in this area and to require public bodies to think about the long-term impacts of their decisions to prevent persistent problems such as health inequalities. What advice would you give to Caerphilly public services board on how to react to the council's plans to close more than half of the leisure centres in the borough, with the effect of depriving people of convenient access to leisure facilities at a time when levels of childhood obesity in Caerphilly are above the Welsh national average, please?

It has long been my approach in this role not to comment on individual decisions of individual authorities; I don't think that's a right and proper way for a Minister to respond, or to provide commentary on the decisions of local authorities as we go forward. But I will say this—I will say that improving health outcomes is an absolutely essential role for all PSBs, and the way in which they do it will reflect the priorities of that particular area.