4. Debate on a Statement: Draft Budget 2020-21

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:05 pm on 7 January 2020.

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Photo of Rebecca Evans Rebecca Evans Labour 5:05, 7 January 2020

And I will come on to the issues of health and education as I move through my response to the debate, but I'll start off by saying that Welsh Government is really keen to do what we can to keep money in people's pockets. Some of the measures that we're taking across Government to ensure that we're tackling poverty actually mean that people in certain circumstances could be £2,000 better off in cash just because of the decisions that Welsh Government is taking to support them. Examples in the draft budget include £8.4 million for the pupil deprivation grant access, and that's funding for families to help buy school uniforms and sports kits, equipment for out-of-school-hours trips, and equipment for extra-curricular activities as well, and in the budget we're providing an additional £3.2 million to further extend the scheme to more year groups as a result of the success of that scheme so far. There's £7 million for free school meals in the draft budget, £2.7 million for the school holiday enrichment programme, opportunities for children between the ages of 7 and 11 to be more active, eat healthily, develop friendships, whilst also making the most of the local school facilities in disadvantaged areas during the summer holidays. An additional £1.8 million will be allocated in this draft budget to enable the extension of this programme to up to another 7,600 children, with £1.1 million for the Holiday Hunger Playworks pilot, providing an extension to the work that we're doing on this important agenda. Joyce Watson referred to the important funding of £3.1 million for period dignity; there's another £200,000 for the period poverty scheme as well. There's the work that we're doing to support people into training and employment. Joyce Watson also referred to us having the most generous childcare offer here in Wales, with £60 million in the draft budget for that, and that's an increase of £20 million on last year's funding for this scheme. And we have provided local authorities with the reassurance that, should the demand be even greater than that, we will look to fund any additional demand so that local authorities don't need to be worrying about that.