Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Housing and Local Government – in the Senedd at 3:03 pm on 15 May 2019.
Youth services. But I'm familiar with the issues the Member raises. I too regret the decimation of the youth services across Wales as austerity bites across all local authorities. The First Minister, in his programme for government, has announced a welcome boost to youth services across Wales, because we recognise the preventative effect that youth services can have, which the Member ably outlined in her question, and I agree with her entirely, I too benefited from youth services as I grew up. We do have a youth engagement programme still in place in all local authorities in Wales in order to help those most vulnerable in our society, but she's right that a more general youth service also assists across the piece with all kinds of issues around being a youngster before you're old enough to go to establishments that are licensed and so on and what on earth do you do between the ages of 12 and 18. So, I'm very familiar with the issues that she raises.
The First Minister has been very keen to emphasise that we want to put back the heart into youth services in Wales, and we are having discussions with local authorities and the youth service itself and our youth workers across Wales about what the best way to do that is, and I'm sure that—. I think it's the Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services, is it—I'm not sure, actually, but I'll find out—who is looking at that. I did have that in my portfolio one portfolio ago, so I'm very keen to find that out. It is a constructive conversation we're having with local authorities, who also see that those preventative services prevent the acute and of the chain happening in the first place.