I would like to declare at the beginning of this question that I am a Rhondda Cynon Taf councillor.

7. What support is made available by the Welsh Government to local authorities to deliver non-statutory services? OQ57201

The Welsh Government provides support to local authorities to deliver statutory and non-statutory services through the annual core settlement funding and through specific grants.

Thank you, Minister. One sector that receives non-statutory funding from local authorities is local museums. I'd therefore like to ask what steps are being taken by the Welsh Government to safeguard local museums specifically, which are mainly funded by local authorities, but have seen swingeing cuts of 31 per cent over 10 years, as they are not statutory services. Is there more that the Government can do in terms of providing specific funding to support them to survive?

I think the most important thing that we can do to protect non-statutory services is to give local government the best possible settlement through the revenue support grant and through the other specific grants that the Welsh Government provides. Around 80 per cent of the RSG is non-hypothecated, so it's important that local authorities do have that freedom to invest in line with their local priorities. But as I say, we'll be publishing the Welsh Government's budget on 20 December, and we've already set out that we would look to prioritise funding for health and social services, and for giving local government the best possible settlement. I think that, in doing so, that's the way in which we can best put these non-statutory but incredibly valuable services on the best footing.

Question 8, Hefin David.