Public Services Boards

Part of Questions to the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip – in the Senedd at 2:24 pm on 28 January 2020.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Jane Hutt Jane Hutt Labour 2:24, 28 January 2020

Well, I thank you, Jenny Rathbone, for that question, and it's very good to hear that the climate change committee is undertaking this inquiry into tackling fuel poverty. What is crucial is that public services boards must be held to account for the work that they're doing and, in fact, they have that scrutiny through a local authority scrutiny committee, which reviews both the governance of the public services board and its decisions. And, indeed, the Welsh Government has a representative on each of the public services boards to make sure that there is a connection between local and national context. In looking at policy issues, it's vital that PSBs do understand complex issues and address them.

But, I think that there are some encouraging accounts of what PSBs are doing in terms of making fuel poverty a priority for their area. I'd just mention Cwm Taf, which I understand is tackling fuel poverty by promoting the Warm Homes programme, community energy schemes and home insulation. The Vale of Glamorgan, my own constituency, I have to say, has a long-term goal of developing a co-ordinated approach to tackling fuel poverty, and they are engaging the expertise and contribution of registered social landlords.

In Cardiff, your public services board have specific action to help people out of poverty, with fuel poverty as an outcome indicator, which they are going to use to measure the impact of public services boards. So, that's a real opportunity to see if Cardiff can prove the important contribution impact of the public services boards in terms of tackling fuel poverty.