10. Debate: The Draft Budget 2021-2022

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:45 pm on 9 February 2021.

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Photo of Lynne Neagle Lynne Neagle Labour 6:45, 9 February 2021

Each year, our committee considers how the Welsh Government's draft budget provides for the children and young people of Wales. Throughout this Senedd, we've called on the Welsh Government to provide clear information about how it has assessed the impact of its financial decisions on children and young people. This is not because we think Ministers should do this, it's because the duty of due regard to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child under the Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure 2011 requires them to assess the impact of their decisions on children's rights.

This year, our calls for children to be clearly visible in budget decisions are more essential than ever. The COVID pandemic has hit everyone hard, but there's no doubt that our children and young people have been particularly hard hit. Our children and young people are having to learn from home, they're not able to see their friends, they're facing disruption to their exams and assessments. We know this is nobody's fault, and we know that all of these things are happening to try and minimise the spread of COVID in Wales and to save lives, but we know too that this has taken its toll on them and we need to do all we can to minimise that. How we spend our money has a key role to play, and it is on that basis that a number of our recommendations this year relate to the financial decisions we think must be taken in light of the impact of COVID-19.

Firstly, we note that over £800 million remains unallocated in the draft budget. We know that much of this is likely to be used to mitigate the impact of COVID. Our report is clear that children and young people's rights and needs must be a key consideration for all Welsh Government Ministers when decisions are made about how this money is allocated. As a committee, we expect to see this consideration demonstrated clearly and transparently when these decisions are made. Furthermore, given the unprecedented circumstances in which we find ourselves, we have recommended that Welsh Government should provide regular and detailed updates to the Senedd and relevant committees on in-year allocations during the financial year 2021-22. We think this is essential in order to ensure that our children and young people are prioritised in the way they should be.

Turning now to money that has already been allocated to support children and young people, we welcome the spend to date on the recruit, recover and raising standards programme, and the allocations for it in the next financial year. This funding is crucial and we must ensure it delivers its intended impact. Given its importance, we have asked for more detail on how the recruit, recover and raising standards money has been used so far. We've also called for such data to be published on an ongoing basis. This is to ensure that our children's return to education remains a priority for Government investment over the years ahead. It is vital that we make sure that the money going in delivers the intended outcomes for children and young people.

We know that it's not only school-age children who are suffering because of COVID. Our young people in further and higher education and training have also been at the sharp end of this pandemic. We welcome the recent announcement of £40 million to provide for students who are in hardship, and we've asked for more information on how it will be used.

Our report touches on a number of other very important areas, not least the allocations in place for funding health and social care support for children and young people. Mental health and well-being have been a top priority for our committee during this Senedd. I'm pleased to see that our sustained calls for improvement are bearing fruit in terms of financial allocations. However, we remain concerned that following the money as it relates to children and young people's health is an enormous challenge. This is a particular worry for us in the context of COVID.

Our concerns about the impact of the pandemic on routine healthcare for children is documented clearly in our report. The Minister for health described a big backlog in routine NHS services and recognised the impact this is likely to have on children and young people. On that basis, we call on Welsh Government to ensure that children and young people's routine health needs are fully considered alongside those of adults. The Government must make sure that children and young people get their fair share of funding when spending plans to address backlogs are revealed. We are clear that a children's rights impact assessment should be published alongside this plan and that transparent information about what has been allocated to services for children and young people specifically must be provided.

In closing, Llywydd, I'd like to refer to the children and communities grant. Two years ago, our committee expressed concern about the amalgamation of a range of grants directly relating to children. Two years on, we remain disappointed and concerned by the lack of transparency about spending on children since this change was made. At over £138 million, it is not an insignificant sum of money. We remain unclear about how value for money and outcomes for some of our most disadvantaged children are monitored, and have asked for additional information to reassure the committee about this important area. Thank you very much.