We now move to the short debate. If Members are leaving the Chamber, can you do so quickly? I'm now going to move to the short debate, and I call on Jack Sargeant to speak on the topic he has chosen. Jack.

Diolch, Deputy Llywydd. To start, I would like to offer a minute of my time today to a colleague from across the benches, Darren Millar.

Deputy Llywydd, I'm delighted to lead this short debate on the topic I have chosen—action for kinder politics: a route-map for creating kinder communities across Wales. In September last year I was very pleased to lead my first short debate in the Senedd Chamber, specifically on kindness in our political debate, and since then we have seen references to kinder politics in this Chamber from Members from across political parties, and, of course, the Deputy Presiding Officer herself. Now, that is very, very good to see. However, there is still more to do. We have to turn words into action because we all know—even today, even in this very Chamber—there is still evidence of the type of politics that we do not want to see, and we also see this in our wider political debate, often over social media. 

Deputy Llywydd, today, I'm pleased to outline a route-map for kindness in policy making as part of my commitment to campaign for kinder communities across Wales, and, in doing so, I recognise with a sense of obligation the need to tackle the biggest injustice and issue of all, in that life is not a level playing field. For me, kinder communities begins by recognising that empathy must be central to what we do. It means having the ability to see the world from points of view that aren't always our own. It must be our foundation and our grounding. It also means being upfront, honest and transparent as individuals and as Governments, so, if we do fail on certain things, people know that we did try our best. And it means recognising that our own economics have for far too long been unequal and the consequences extremely harsh. We've seen a growing sense of isolation, dislocation, insecurity and the erosion of hope, the growth of unkind communities. So, to deal with these issues, we can either beat the fire with fire, using unkind solutions for unkind situations, which will only lead to greater environments of blame and pain, or we can acknowledge the problems we have and seek to fix them with new solutions, kinder solutions.

It's why earlier this year I was very pleased to meet with the Carnegie Trust. They recognise, as many of us do here, that there are things that matter to us all: the places we live, our sense of identity and belonging, the people we live with, love and care for, and the way we're looked after, treated and supported when we're most in need. All of those things are linked to what people expect from the Welsh Government and from other Governments across the globe. [Interruption.] That's my Apple watch going off during the debate. [Laughter.] Policies to deal with those things must all be about emotions. They're concerned with our homes and communities, our economy and livelihood, the education of our children and the care of those in ill health. They should engage with our humanity and our vulnerability, require trust and sharing, and therefore always and everywhere engage an emotional response from the Government.

The work the Carnegie Trust is doing is particularly interesting and important because it's making us think more about kindness and well-being in our everyday actions as parliamentarians and Governments. Over the last 12 months in particular, they've been co-ordinating a kindness innovation network with people from across Scotland as well as North Ayrshire Council, and that's to encourage kindness through the local authority area. Their recently published report, 'The Practice of Kindness', is a must-read on how we build practical learning and what it might take to encourage kindness in our communities. Their extensive report delves deeper into why this is so difficult, framing kindness as something that is radical, because the Carnegie Trust rightly say we must be

'Radical in the sense that kindness is something to be discussed in the context of poverty and austerity, not as a distraction or even as mitigation, but integral to decision making. And radical in the sense that kindness demands rethinking the way that things are run and managed.'

When the Carnegie Trust quantified kindness here in Wales, they found that most people experience kindness in their communities and reciprocate this in their behaviours. Fewer people feel strongly about this, but still most people strongly agree that they make time to speak to their neighbours and that they can rely on someone in their neighbourhood for practical help or to keep an eye on their home if they were away. There's a similar picture with respect to public services. More than 85 per cent generally agree that people are treated with kindness by the police, social care workers and public transport workers. Less often and less than a third feel strongly about this. So, Deputy Llywydd, how do we make the public feel strongly about this issue and, perhaps most importantly, how do we here in this Chamber embed kindness into our work when we make policy, evaluate its impact and think about equality improvement? Because, as part of this journey, I want external organisations, charities, businesses, the third sector, and others, to work with us. It is important to encourage them on the journey, because the scale of our challenge demands rethinking the systems and structures that have dominated the way we work for decades. Now, despite this, as the Carnegie Trust have outlined, there are things that can be done at an organisational level to make kindness real practically, and particularly around management, leadership, procurement and commissioning.

Now, if we agree that to deal with these issues means linking kindness to well-being, then we must also recognise the role of the future generations Act and the role that that will play in creating these kinder communities we want. We need to go further when making policy announcements and legislation, to talk openly about the Act and its well-being goals. We should include kindness and well-being goals on the face of Bills, in our manifestos—from across political parties—and at the heart of programmes for governments in the future and governments now. The role of kindness in public policy making has a particular urgency as we enter the next generation of green and digital revolution. What is now considered the norm in digital technology and artificial intelligence has already transformed our experiences, in banking, retail, and communications. But as we look to go even further with that change—and, personally, I must say I'm very in favour of that change—we also need to ensure we shape the future developments around people's needs, and emotional needs.

Now, this is a direct challenge to those, including the powerful, in our economy and in political life, and some still cannot imagine that kindness works as a political strategy. Deputy Llywydd, once again, I say to them, 'You are wrong'. In the chaotic times in which we live, often the best solution is to step back and think. What's the simple outcome we want? Peace, prosperity, fairness, jobs, wealth or opportunities? For me, all our ambitions can be enshrined into one concept, which we now must all pursue, and we now must lead on here in Wales. As I said at the start, Deputy Llywydd, we do now need to take the words into serious actions. And that one concept is kindness. Diolch.

Can I thank my colleague Jack Sargeant for giving me a minute of his time? I too read through the Carnegie report, and was very pleased, actually, to see that Wales is a kinder place, perhaps, than many of us sometimes think. We know and see acts of kindness and civility in our own communities, but very often, we think that it's just confined to our own immediate area, and that's clearly not the case, given the findings in that particular report. And I think it is incumbent upon us as elected representatives and local leaders in our community to try to model kindness to others. We don't always get it right; disagreeing well is sometimes difficult, particularly in politics. And you're quite right to draw attention to the vilification, sometimes, of people with different beliefs—whether that's political or religious beliefs, actually—in things like social media. I know that, as a Conservative, I sometimes get grief in an unkind way on social media, and also as a Christian; sometimes, I get unkind words said towards me, and a caricature painted of the sort of Christian that people assume that I might be. But I do think that all of us need to work together in this Chamber. I'm delighted to extend my support for your campaign, Jack, and I know that my colleagues on the Conservative benches—you have their support too in trying to make this Chamber a model of the sort of kindness that we want to see across Wales, in each of our communities. And I commend you for bringing this forward today.

Can I now call on the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip to reply to the debate? Jane Hutt.

Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd. I really want to start by thanking Jack Sargeant for tabling this debate today. I do believe Wales can and should be a place where we lead the way in promoting a kinder society, where there's no room for prejudice, racism, or bigotry. I hope we all share these aspirations here today, and it's great that we have had the contribution from Darren Millar, and others have stayed for this short debate. All of us must share these aspirations, about the need for tolerance and kindness in our day-to-day dealings with others, particularly as elected representatives in our community. I want to also thank Jack for making kinder politics actually resonate here since you joined us—the subject of your very first short debate—and you've made such a mark. You've commented on the fact that references have been made by Members, constantly now, actually, across the Chamber, and also by the First Minister as well. Aspirations, of course, need actions, and that's what you're calling for today—a plan, a route map to actually move forward in terms of a kinder politics leading to kinder communities. To persuade, to drive and to lead by example—we can't expect to engender kindness, tolerance and understanding in our communities and across Wales if we can't show it here in the Siambr, if we can't demonstrate it. And as you say, life is not a level playing field.

So, the Welsh Government is working to build bridges and promote understanding, increasing diversity in public life, tackling hate crime, extremist behaviour and intimidation, supporting victims of violence and abuse, safeguarding human rights, and supporting the most vulnerable people in our communities, such as refugees and asylum seekers. A nation of sanctuary is what we want to be, and that welcome is part of the kindness agenda. I know the welcoming spirit of the Welsh people is alive and well in our communities across Wales, and that was reflected in the Carnegie Trust report, but I'll say a few more words about that as well. It's very, very helpful that you have engaged with them, and I wish to follow this up. But we do see so many acts of kindness to others, from our neighbours running around people in need, strangers showing empathy and kindness to each other and to those around them. We have to cherish those, learn from those examples, and aspire to such a renewed sense of community. I think we all feel that in our constituencies.

I think that coming together was reflected over the weekend of 21-23 June in memory of Jo Cox MP, murdered in an act of hatred, but her legacy has been the Great Get Together. We marked it here in the Senedd and throughout Wales. I think we have to work together as a Government and with partners across all sectors—and you've mentioned the third sector, but public and private sector as well—to encourage cohesion, and that is a word about community and us working together to take root, because we have that proud history of welcoming diverse communities stretching back hundreds of years, but we need to safeguard that strength.

Our community cohesion programme is being expanded by an additional £1.5 million over the next two years, and that's been welcomed, and it's supporting small teams in each region of Wales, engaging more with local communities and public services. The police are very engaged in this as well, and wanting to be part of that development in response, particularly when tensions arise. So, we regularly celebrate diversity in Wales—International Women's Day, Refugee Week, Black History Month—and those are also occasions providing us with opportunities to value and spread our diversity and embrace diversity. I just want to mention a Windrush Day event I celebrated in Pillgwenlly in Newport last Sunday, an act of celebration and reflection including stories of the struggles the Windrush elders and their descendants have experienced over the past 70 years in Wales. Well, those stories haven't been heard. We've now had Windrush Day events across the whole of Wales, and it is so important that we learn from those elders and their descendants.

Of course we have to ensure that we are tackling hate crime, and that's where I must say, when I was formerly the Minister actually presenting and promoting the first hate crime strategy in Wales, I couldn't believe that we were in that situation—this was 10 years ago—when we're saying we have to have a hate crime strategy in Wales and we have to put money into it to have a national hate crime report. We have to support victim support—that's the hate crime centre—and raise awareness of hate crime. We are addressing this. It's come to the fore. We're wanting to address it on so many levels—in our schools, in our communities. But we must never be defined in Wales by those who hate. We are united in our determination to promote peace, and of course that's the Jo Cox message: hope not hate. I certainly gave that message on Barry Island when we had an event with three choirs, with the public, only a couple of weeks ago.

So, we need to make sure that we do work at every level. I think public policy is important and that's where the Welsh Government must take responsibility. We've got to ensure that respect, tolerance and kindness are defining characteristics of our schools, our communities and Welsh culture as a whole. We've got to tackle bullying online or in person. It has such an impact on a child's life, as well as into adulthood, and we must break the cycle and make sure that we can create those opportunities for young people. And I must say, I'm glad you mentioned online bullying, because that is such a destructive force now, it leaves people very vulnerable, with no safe or personal places to go, and social media can be very damaging when it's abused, but it can be so important, as you say, in informing and educating people. We are recognising the critical importance of keeping safe online, but teaching people the skills they need to live both safely and successfully in the twenty-first century.

I think this is where we have to recognise the important role of the third sector, recognising that those community and grass-roots organisations need our support. We've committed to working with the third sector to allow the sector to flourish. So much of the kindness is seen through volunteering, through caring—an activity undertaken not for personal gain. I think statistics show that about one in six people are caring for someone else, not just their own immediate family members. It's an expression of citizenship, an essential component of our democracy. But also, volunteering can help tackle the sense of isolation that people can feel, acting as a social building block when a group comes together for a common cause. And, of course, we are developing a strategy to tackle the experience of loneliness and isolation.

I think it is important, therefore, that we look at those ways in which we can support the community, the grass roots and the third sector in this way. As I said, I'm very pleased you raised the work of the Carnegie Trust, and Darren Millar as well today. I liked his point, 'Shall we learn how to disagree well?' That, of course, is a real challenge, because we want lively, robust debate, but we also need to have respect and tolerance. I'm particularly interested in the Carnegie Trust's findings in Wales, and I'd like to meet them now, as Minister, particularly looking at their report on kindness in public policy, because that's where I can see that there's some evidence of where we need to address these issues.

But finally, creating creating kinder communities across Wales is something where upholding the well-being of future generations Act, as you've said, Jack, is absolutely critical. We've got that Act with the seven well-being goals, and Jack has always recognised that, and indeed, it's now being recognised, not just mentioned—I think it has probably been mentioned several times this afternoon in debates. But organisations are taking on board, again, the seven well-being goals and the five ways of working and it's actually driving a new way of working in Wales.

All politicians have a responsibility to line up to the values and principles that Jack Sargeant has raised today and on many occasions. But I think, finally, I'd say that Jack's challenge is what he said to the powerful in our society. We have a responsibility, all of us, to speak up. Some of us have the power. We all have powers in our own ways, but those who have responsibility, as leaders, have got to take that power forward. So, let's take this debate, again, as another example of how Jack has enabled us to look at new ways of working and ways that we believe in, and I really do thank him for this timely and interesting debate, and I hope we can take these ideas away and put them into practice.

Thank you very much. That brings today's proceedings to a close. Thank you.

The meeting ended at 18:44.