2. Will the Deputy Minister make a statement on efforts to improve community cohesion in North Wales? OQ56038

We've invested an additional £1.52 million since April in our community cohesion programme. The regional cohesion teams in north Wales work closely with key partners, including local government, the police, third sector, fostering cohesive communities, providing support and information, and monitoring and mitigating community tensions.

Thank you, Minister. I read the report of the task and finish group led by Gaynor Legall with interest. Now that relevant monuments have been identified, I'm interested to hear your plans for the next steps, and your assessment as to how those steps will impact community cohesion in my region, and indeed in the rest of Wales. Thank you.

Thank you to the Member for that question. And I'm sure she would have welcomed the audit that was undertaken, led by Gaynor Legall, looking at those monuments and also street names, and recognising also not only have we got to address these issues, but also we have got to look at how we can celebrate those who have played such an important role—particularly in terms of black, Asian and minority ethnic members of the community, and indeed in terms of historical perspectives. But I'm also very pleased that our own culture committee is going to be undertaking their own inquiry and following up that review.

Deputy Minister, the pandemic has had a profound impact on the way our constituents meet their loved ones, their support networks, and indeed how they conduct their business on a daily basis. A stable digital broadband connection is now more important than ever, so that people can feel part of an inclusive and cohesive community. You'll be aware of the recent Red Cross report, calling for strategic investment in tackling digital isolation, so that people can stay connected throughout future restrictions. And according to a recent update from Openreach Cymru, 39,000 of the hardest-to-reach properties will be connected under the fibre roll-out scheme by June 2022. Now, we have heard this before, and some of those ambitions have never been fulfilled. However, if they are, for many, that is still too long to wait. So, can you explain whether you as a Government, and as Deputy Minister—whether you're going to look at a more ambitious target to implement, in light of the need for more people now to work from home, and also outline how this will be approached strategically to combat such digital exclusion? Thank you.

Combating digital exclusion is crucial in terms of enhancing and supporting community cohesion, but particularly reaching out to the most vulnerable people in our communities, as you say, Janet Finch-Saunders, affected by coronavirus. And I think what we have been able to do over the last nine months—and certainly through my budget, through the third sector and equality budget—is repurpose some of our funding to ensure that we can provide not just equipment, but training and support to many of those who have been excluded and disadvantaged because they haven't had that access. And indeed, this is very much a cross-Government initiative, led by the Deputy Minister for economy and transport, in terms of not only addressing digital exclusion, but actually focusing on how we can include those communities as we move to more remote working, but also not exclusively addressing those issues where people have not got access in a digital way.