5. Will the Welsh Government provide an update on plans to ensure social care workers receive the real living wage? OQ57108

We have asked the social care fair work forum for its advice in delivering our commitment to introduce the real living wage to social care workers. I received the forum's advice last week and will consider this advice carefully before I provide a further update. 

Thank you, Deputy Minister, for your answer. Last month, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council cabinet announced they'd work with independent social care providers to help them access funding under the Welsh Government's social care recovery fund. This is so that they can provide the real living wage for the social care staff that they employ. Whilst looking forward to further announcements regarding Welsh Government's plans to ensure all social care staff receive the real living wage, what discussions are you having with partners in local government in the meantime to encourage them to take similar proactive steps and ensure that our invaluable social care staff receive the fair wages they deserve? 

Thank you very much for that question, and I'd like to congratulate RCT on the steps they're taking, and the other local authorities who are taking similar steps. But, progress across Wales is patchy, which is why we are taking a national line. We are working very closely with local government about delivering the real living wage. The Minister for Health and Social Services and I meet every week in the care action committee with representatives from the Welsh Local Government Association, as well as representatives from health and others. The leader of the WLGA, Andrew Morgan, and the social services lead, Huw David, are both there, as well as WLGA officials. In addition, the WLGA and the Association of Directors of Social Services are members of the social care fair work forum, which has just provided this advice. So, I can assure you that we are closely bound in with all the local authorities in Wales, and we are looking forward very much to the time when social care workers in Wales receive, at the very least, the real living wage, which is what they deserve. 

Can I declare an interest as a member of Monmouthshire County Council? It was remiss of me not to declare the same in my last input. Can I thank Vikki Howells for bringing this question? Deputy Minister, I welcome the commitment to pay social care workers, who have diligently worked above and beyond throughout the pandemic, the real living wage. Welsh Conservatives have been calling for this as an absolute minimum for a number of years now, and I'm really proud to say that, under Conservative leadership, Monmouthshire County Council started paying the real living wage in 2014 and has continued to do so ever since. According to recent estimates, ensuring the real living wage would cost about £19 million in the first year. Unfortunately, the Welsh Government's proven track record has shown that making policy commitments are generally followed by shifting them onto local authorities to cover the cost. So, Minister, will the Welsh Government be covering the cost, or will local authorities be expected to do so? Thank you. 

Thank you for that question. We are committed in our programme of government to ensuring that every social care worker has the real living wage, and that will be an expensive exercise. If the money is needed for it to be achieved, the Welsh Government will provide that money, but we don't yet have an estimate about how much that will be, because we are studying what the social care work forum is going to say. And there are very complex issues to look at, such as how you define a social care worker, how you deal with differentials. So, it is a complex situation, but I thank the Member for his support for this policy initiative.