4. Will the Minister make a statement on the budget allocated to delivering strategic and economic development planning in south-east Wales? OQ56829

We are undertaking a full and comprehensive spending review for capital investment programmes across Wales. This will consider all costs associated with the planning of strategic and economic development and will feed into our new Wales infrastructure and investment strategy that I will publish alongside the budget in December.

I'm grateful to you for that response, Minister. I think on this side of the Chamber we certainly don't think that Wales gets anything like its fair share of resources and funding from the current United Kingdom Government. But in terms of how we spend our resources, one of the lessons I think we will learn over the coming weeks, months and years, looking back over the pandemic, is the way that the Welsh Government has been able to lead a holistic response from the whole of the public sector. And I think one of the lessons that I've certainly seen across—not just in my constituency, but here, looking at the Welsh Government response across the whole country, has been that that whole holistic public sector response has been enormously powerful. The track and trace system here compared with the catastrophic disaster across the border in England is possibly the best, but not the only example.

So, therefore, Minister, how will you look at the management of different footprints in local government, in the health service, with policing as well as Welsh Government services? Because the lesson I've learnt, which I didn't expect to learn over the last year, is that perhaps Gwent worked far better than we anticipated.

Thank you very much for raising that point and for recognising the incredible work of the Welsh public sector in terms of responding to the pandemic. You'll be familiar with the report that was published a little while back now that looked at the various footprints, in particular the regional partnership boards and the other public services boards and so forth, which are there to serve the people of Wales and to bring people together to work in a collaborative and partnership-based way. That report set out a number of recommendations that we are looking at, but we're very clear that any changes to those footprints have to be from the ground up. I'm very pleased to hear that you feel that Gwent pulled together in a particularly good way, and I think part of that is about the good relationships that are built up between those people who genuinely care about their constituents and their communities and their local authorities, and care about doing a good job for them.

Good afternoon, Minister. Minister, Monmouthshire County Council has a series of ambitious plans, including the Monmouthshire 2040 document, 'supporting MCC economies of the future' report, as well as its critical role played in the Cardiff capital region city deal, for economically developing the Monmouth constituency. But what's holding Monmouthshire back, and many other councils across Wales, is the lack of certainty regarding funding. And, as you know, local authorities have repeatedly called for multi-year settlements, which enable them to plan more strategically and to develop their economic planning long term. Now that we know, or it's likely, the UK Government spending review on 27 October will announce a multi-year review, will you be able to make a statement now about—can we extend that same multi-year budgeting or settlement to local government across Wales? That statement now, on the back of what could come from UK Government on the twenty-seventh, would be really welcome, as we've just heard from local government leaders only a few minutes ago.

Yes, we've been calling for multi-year settlements too, alongside local government in Wales, for many years. I think it was 2017 when we were last able to publish a budget for more than one financial year. We understand that the next one will be for three years, and absolutely it would be the intention to pass the certainty that we get on to public services here in Wales, in order to allow them to have that opportunity to plan ahead with greater confidence.