Item 8 on our agenda is a statement by the Minister for Social Justice: International Day of Disabled People. I call on the Minister, Jane Hutt.

Diolch yn fawr, Deputy Llywydd. This Friday is the United Nations International Day of Disabled People. In 1992, the United Nations designated 3 December as a day for promoting the rights and well-being of disabled people and to celebrate their achievements across the world. The theme for 2021 is 'fighting for rights in the post-COVID era', and this is a cause this Welsh Government is firmly committed to.

There's no question that disabled people are among the most affected by the pandemic. It has laid bare a number of the stubborn and deep-rooted inequalities disabled people face in our society. Many disabled people have had to face isolation, disconnection, disrupted routines and diminished services, which has undoubtedly impacted their mental well-being and their lives. It is also a terrible fact that, across the UK, six in every 10 of COVID-related deaths were of disabled people. Many of these deaths were not the simple inevitable consequence of impairment, with many deaths being clearly rooted in socioeconomic factors. Today, I'm not only reiterating that this Government recognises these inequalities, but that we are resolute in our determination to address them and have taken significant action to do so.

You will know from my previous updates that, throughout the pandemic, the Government regularly met to discuss and address issues that affect disabled people in Wales. Part of these discussions led to the commissioning and publishing of the groundbreaking 'Locked out' report, a report that brought into clear focus the stark inequity being faced by disabled people and that has allowed us to take a critical next step of forming the disability rights taskforce, as announced by the First Minister. I'm very pleased to say that the inaugural meeting of the disability rights taskforce, chaired by myself and Professor Debbie Foster, took place on the eighteenth of this month. It was attended by disabled people with lived experience and expertise and organisations from across Wales who reaffirmed a determination to address the issues highlighted in the 'Locked out' report and beyond.

It would be remiss of me not to pause here for a second and place on record my gratitude to all of the individuals that got us to this point. I would like to sincerely thank all the members of the steering group and Professor Debbie Foster, who produced the 'Locked out' report. I would like to thank them for their fortitude and perseverance not only in compiling this report but also in ensuring that we reached the point we have today. I'm also grateful to every member of the taskforce and those who worked to make it possible. We know that this is just the beginning, and yet we know also that we are resolute in our purpose.

This taskforce has been formed to help us explore and implement the recommendations from the 'Locked out' report, but, more than that, it will need to make sure that disabled people are able to enjoy all of the benefits and rights that others take for granted. The disability rights taskforce will work co-productively and with mutual respect to create a new disability rights action plan for Wales. This will build on the 'Action on Disability: The Right to Independent Living' framework. With this, we can positively lay the foundations for a truly inclusive Wales.

Crucially, we understand that there can be gaps during the development of any policy and the needs and aspirations of the people that it is intended to support. To address this, we've been clear that the taskforce will place the voices of disabled people at the heart of everything it does. The collective professional and lived experiences of the taskforce will be instrumental in identifying the root causes of discrimination and resulting inequalities and the short, medium and longer term actions needed to address them.

To mark this international day, we reaffirm our commitment to the social model of disability. We know that it is our society's values, behaviors, structures, social and economic policies and the built environments that disable people. We must do all we can to understand and take action to address these and ensure that this is not the way we continue to operate. Our work, and that of the taskforce, is grounded in a clear commitment to the social model of disability, and we're committed to embedding the social model, as well as human rights, into our thinking as well as into our policy and practice. As part of this commitment, we will ensure there are opportunities for training on the social model of disability to ensure this is embedded in the work of the taskforce and the actions it will produce.

We have, of course, made progress on a number of policy areas and I'm very pleased that our access to elected office fund is live and ready to support more disabled people to run for office, to increase representation, participation and to support their communities. I'm also pleased that we are finalising options for an equalities data and evidence unit in Wales.  This unit will ensure that decision makers have the best information at hand regarding people with protected characteristics, and this, of course, includes disabled people. We also welcome to their positions our first disabled people's employment champions. These champions are supporting employers across Wales to create a workforce that is representative and open to all.

As a final note, Dirprwy Lywydd, the recently announced co-operation agreement between the Welsh Labour Government and Plaid Cymru, which commences this week, says that, working together, we will, and I quote:

'Strengthen the rights of disabled people and tackle the inequalities they continue to face. We are committed to the social model of disability and together we will ensure the success of the Disability Task Force set up to respond to the Locked Out report.'

I look forward to working with Plaid Cymru's designated Member to develop and oversee the delivery of work in this area over the coming three years.

So, thank you again to everyone who has helped us to reach this crucial point. I'm confident that when we mark the next International Day of Disabled People we will do so from a stronger position than ever. From the firm foundations we have laid together, we will be able to build a stronger, fairer and more prosperous Wales.

Conservative spokesperson, Altaf Hussain.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Thank you, Minister, for your statement. Whilst we welcome this Friday as the International Day of Disabled People, it is important not just to celebrate the contribution of disabled people, but to ask the question: in the past 12 months, since we had the same discussion, what has changed for the better? Can the Minister tell the Senedd how the lives of disabled people have improved and what the next 12 months look like?

The legislative basis protecting the rights of disabled people is in the Equality Act 2010. The House of Lords established a specific Select Committee on the Equality Act 2010 and Disability and published a report in March 2016 entitled, 'The Equality Act 2010: the impact on disabled people'. Despite significant political and Government support for the Act, the conclusion of the House of Lords committee was that the Act had several weaknesses that did not afford the protection to disabled people as to those with other protected characteristics.

'Our witnesses, who included wheelchair users, blind and deaf people, and some with learning difficulties, were almost unanimous in believing that it was a mistake to have attempted to deal with discrimination on grounds of disability, sex, race and other protected characteristics in a single Equality Act. Life, they told us, had been easier with a dedicated Disability Discrimination Act and with a single Disability Rights Commission, rather than a Commission covering all inequalities and human rights.'

What assessment has the Minister undertaken of the legislative protection offered to disabled people? And if she has not done so, will she commission such a review?

The United Nations has set out three events for this year, looking at shaping an inclusive future, reducing inequalities through technology and the leadership of new generations, giving a voice to those children with disabilities. My question to the Minister is: what specific programmes or themes is the Welsh Government taking forward to mirror those established by the United Nations? Thank you. 

The Llywydd took the Chair.

Thank you very much, Altaf Hussain, and thank you for your questions this afternoon. It is an important question: what has changed? In my statement, I have laid out a number of examples of how we have sought to make change, particularly as a result of the 'Locked out' report, which did shine such a light on the adverse impact of COVID-19 on disabled people. So, I will say again that the disability rights taskforce, setting that up has been a vital step forward. It's going to take forward the way we address inequalities highlighted by 'Locked out: liberating disabled people's lives and rights in Wales beyond COVID-19'. But most importantly, overseeing the implementation of actions in conjunction with our partners across the public, private and voluntary sectors. And it was so important that we had people with lived experience. I co-chaired it with Professor Debbie Foster, but we also had representation from the Welsh Local Government Association and our steering group of disabled people, many of whom also sit on our disability equality forum. The taskforce is crucial in that common understanding that we have to take forward this work on the principles of the social model of disability, and recognise the implementation gap that can quite often emerge between policy development and the delivery of services. So, we're committed to introducing a 2050 national milestone focused on pay equality and the gender, disability and ethnicity pay gap and much broader work on refreshing our national milestones as well.

I have mentioned, Llywydd, the elected office fund, because this is crucial in terms of enabling more people to stand for office in the local government elections forthcoming in 2022 and, of course, our elections earlier this year. This fund is aimed at helping disabled people to compete on a level playing field with non-disabled candidates. Two people did access the fund for support to participate in the Senedd elections, and this is going to be crucial for the local government elections next year. The scope of the fund has been extended to cover disabled candidates standing for community and town councils in the elections for 2022, so it is important that we draw attention to this today and the opportunities that will come forward. There are some access-to-politics events that are being hosted by Disability Wales.

I also want to mention the disabled people's employment champions. We have five disabled people's employment champions, all of whom have lived experience of the barriers faced in gaining employment. I spoke on Friday—I spoke last week—at an event that was organised by Admiral insurance with the MS Society. It's very important that the private sector is taking—. We recognise that they're taking a leading role, recognising that they can actually benefit from the employment of disabled people in their workforce. There were many employers there from the private and public sectors, but one of our disabled people's employment champions, Terry, spoke about the work that he's doing to help employers understand that they can really make a change in terms of the way that employers and employability providers think about disabled people's employment. So, we have an employer toolkit; the business skills gateway website hosts our employer toolkit. Also, of course, we are working towards a social model of disability training and employment e-learning module for employers as well.

It is very important that we enable disabled people to maximise the take-up of welfare benefits, with the cruel cuts that have taken place. We recognise that those cruel cuts—the £20 cut to universal credit—affected thousands of disabled people who are recognised as not being able to work. It's crucial that they can then take part in the Claim what's yours campaign and benefit from the £50 million household living grants fund that I recently announced.

I think, finally, just in terms of looking at issues around access to employment—not just employment protection, but rights as well—you will know that in our programme for government we have a commitment, and it's a commitment that I know your colleagues in the Welsh Conservatives would welcome, that we are seeking to incorporate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into Welsh law. It's certainly supported by our party, by the Welsh Labour Government, Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats as well. It's important that the UN convention on disabled people's rights actually is embedded into Welsh law. We've undertaken research—the 'Strengthening and advancing equalities and human rights in Wales' research report—to actually help us move this forward, and I will be able to update the Siambr when we have progress on this, working with the Counsel General on this point.

Thank you to the Minister for the statement. We are glad of the stated determination to tackle the inequity faced by disabled people in Wales that's included in the co-operation agreement with Plaid Cymru.

One of my close family members is disabled, so I know first-hand the challenges and barriers that are, unfortunately, part of his everyday life and, of course, the lives of thousands of other people across Wales: difficulties with public transport; with accessing support and care; a lower standard of living quite often; and, often, just the challenge of being seen and being heard. As you've mentioned in your statement, those difficulties and challenges were, of course, compounded and exacerbated by COVID, although we know that even before the pandemic far too many disabled people felt forgotten or ignored by the Government. A survey conducted by Disability Wales has found that 76 per cent didn't think that disability rights would improve over the next five years.

Emergency coronavirus legislation relaxed the duty of care on local authorities, which left some disabled adults and children, and their carers, without the carer support they need—it was in the news just yesterday. And the implementation gap between policy and practice, unfortunately, widened. When restrictions lifted, there was not a return to normal for most disabled people. A report by Scope found that 35 per cent of disabled people have found that their finances have become worse since the pandemic, and the disability employment gap has been stuck at around 30 per cent for over a decade. So, we must try and use the experience of the pandemic to create a strategy to help close this gap.

As COVID restrictions have eased slightly, and people are beginning to return to work, or switch to hybrid working, there is a risk that disabled people who previously benefited from the digital inclusion of the pandemic might be left isolated. Employers may be able to appear as accessible and inclusive while doing little to ensure inclusion in workplace culture, career progression or professional networking opportunities for disabled people who are working at home. And this, of course, is also true of leisure and social activities that were widely available online during the height of the lockdowns that have now tailed off. So, I’d therefore like to know what the Government is doing to ensure that flexible working will continue to work in favour of disabled people.

And could the Minister also please outline what provisions are currently in place, and what further action is planned to ensure Wales’s transport system is fully accessible to disabled people, as being able to travel safely to and from work has become an increasingly important issue for many disabled people during the pandemic?

A key finding in the 'Locked out' report was that the lack of disabled people in positions of influence has contributed to decisions that have negative consequences for disabled people. The access to elected office fund Wales, which you made reference to in your statement and again in your answer to Altaf Hussain, offered that financial assistance to disabled people running as candidates in the Senedd election this year, and now for the forthcoming 2022 local government elections. You mentioned that two people had made use of this fund. Have you got any further information as to how effective the fund was in assisting disabled people to run as candidates? What improvement and changes need to be made to this fund, looking ahead to the 2022 election, to make sure that we get more people being able to use this fund so that they can run for office?

As we face another worrying development, as we’ve heard today in the Chamber, in the pandemic with the arrival of this new variant in the UK, we must ensure that lessons learnt from the last months really are taken onboard. Disabled people, as you said, comprised 60 per cent of deaths from COVID-19 in Wales, and many of these deaths, as you say, were not the inevitable consequences of impairments, but were preventable and rooted in the socioeconomic factors that you alluded to. The impact of high infection rates on care and social services have been catastrophic to disabled people. The anxiety now being felt as we face the consequences of this omicron variant are tangible among disabled people, so I’d like to ask: what measures are the Government taking to ensure disabled people are better supported in the next months as regards things like the provision of suitable and sufficient supplies of equipment, such as personal protective equipment to social care staff and personal assistants caring for disabled people, but also, crucially, sufficient staffing levels to provide that essential, daily care and support? Diolch.

Diolch yn fawr, Sioned Williams. I think you raised many important issues and I look forward to working with you through our co-operation agreement, because it is about strengthening the rights of disabled people and tackling the inequalities they continue to face.

I have spoken of our pioneering employment advice as having an impact on reaching out to employers, particularly in the private sector, but across all public, private and third sectors. But we are working with the Department for Work and Pensions, actively promoting the Access to Work scheme to employers and disabled people. There are networks to ensure higher take-up of the scheme. It is a commitment to increase the take-up of Access to Work in Wales, and that’s already a commitment we made in our 'Action on Disability: The Right to Independent Living'. We’re holding a forum with partners in Wales with DWP. Of course, that’s where we don’t have the powers; we have to work with DWP to ensure that new policy initiatives and promotion of the scheme are relevant to Welsh needs and circumstances.

We have to recognise that there's a huge issue with disabled people in terms of the disability pay gap. Recent Office for National Statistics figures show that the disability pay gap was still 9.9 per cent in 2018, earning less per hour than non-disabled people. It's smaller in Wales, the pay gap for disabled people, than the rest of the UK. But we're now, as I talked about, going to have this equality data unit, and we have got the power of the public purse and social partnership approach to fair work practices, which is key to address those issues.

I'm glad you've mentioned the barriers that disabled people face, and I think transport is one area. But with our programme for government commitment, we're improving access to our trains for disabled people. We've committed £800 million to secure new trains, which will provide level boarding and remove the need for passengers to pre-book to ensure station staff are on hand to provide a ramp, and we're also investing over £10 million on three stations on the core Valleys lines. It's all part of the national accessibility for all programme to provide lifts and bridges to ensure passengers with restricted mobility can also better access train services.

I think it's also very important you ask those questions about the actual impact so far of our access to elected office fund, and it's still early days to see the impacts of it. I've mentioned the two people who access the fund and that we're extending it, of course, to town and community councils, which I know that you will welcome. But it's important just to, again, provide the information that people can apply for assistance with additional costs of support to overcome barriers and a lack of readily available adaptive technologies. That can include a whole range of additional costs of support, including assistive aids, equipment, software, training in the use of specialist equipment and software, et cetera, and also personal assistance. These are things that we need to learn about here in the Senedd as well, as in local government itself.

I think it is very important that you mentioned again the appalling impact of COVID-19 on disabled people. I've made it clear, as I did a year ago, when I spoke on the UN International Day of Disabled People. We have very much engaged with our disabled people's equality forum throughout this past 20 months or so of the pandemic. They have given us so much support and advice in terms of how we respond, to meet the needs of disabled people. I think there are issues. You've raised the issue of flexible working; that has provided opportunities as well as threats in terms of possible isolation. But if there's anything the pandemic has taught employers, it's about how to embrace innovation and flexible ways of working, including remote working. So, this has, to a certain extent, levelled the playing field for some disabled people, and it's removed some of the barriers, such as travel. But there's still a lot to be done in terms of tackling some of those stereotypes and preconceptions that exist about the barriers to a disabled person's employment opportunities, and we have to ensure that we look at their environments and their opportunities in terms of work. Because we really do need to have a renewed focus on our goals to reduce disabled people's employment barriers.

I think it's crucially important also, in terms of looking at health and social care, that we recognise that there are ways in which we can support disabled people. The statement made by the Deputy Minister for Social Services last week was very important in meeting the needs of carers, and, of course, we do have our Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2016. Local authorities and health boards have to work together to assess, plan and meet people's care and support needs, including disabled people. And we have provided significant funding to health and social care partners to respond to the impacts of COVID and support recovery, and funding those initiatives and projects that support disabled people through the integrated care fund and grants to third sector organisations. It's important, also, that people are aware of access to direct payments as well, so that people have a voice and control over their care, including the option of direct payments. We have good examples of how local authorities work with people so that they can choose a blended mix of care arranged for them by a local authority and accessing direct care as well.

The £10 million to support unpaid carers of all ages, including those caring for disabled people, for 2022, has been very important, and also the announcement, as I said, last week, by Julie Morgan of the £7 million funding to support unpaid carers. What we have to do today is recognise the UN convention on disabled people's rights—that we actually show, today, across the Chamber, a clear commitment to promoting and protecting human rights. It's embedded in the founding legislation of the Welsh Government. But we have a great deal to do in order to actually deliver on that, and I do believe our disability rights taskforce—and it's a disability rights taskforce—will take us forward.

Just a few brief comments in welcoming the statement today, and recognising as well that many actions are being taken right now as we speak by Welsh Government and by other agencies to respond to the many findings and recommendations of the 'Locked out' report. But that's very much to the heart of what I want to ask the Minister. In the work that she is carrying out and the work that the disability rights taskforce is carrying out, how is she going to prioritise the myriad, the extensive range of findings and recommendations that the 'Locked out' report did? These covered all of the things that have been covered today within the statement, all of the things that have been covered in the questions by other Members, and many other aspects as well, including not simply putting human rights legislation into law, but access to justice, impacts of the pandemic, but also before the pandemic on safe and affordable travel for people with disabilities, access to health services and social services in Wales, mental health and well-being, economic poverty, accessible housing, work and employment, which you've just touched on, and access to public life and public space as well. So, my question is on that issue of prioritisation, because you cannot do everything as once, but everything needs chasing.

Related to that, what are the areas that the Minister thinks are the most difficult and most challenging for the disability rights taskforce that are going to take the longest time and the most unravelling to find a solution to? And, Minister, I wonder if you could just answer one other very short question. You talked about the ability of people to determine their own packages of care, including the use of direct payments. We know there are some local authorities who have really good practice on co-producing those packages using direct payments, and allowing the freedom of the individual to use direct payments to produce their own. There are others who are not so good. Is that one of the quick wins we can do to make sure that all local authorities are using the flexibility that an individual might demand by using direct payments? 

Thank you very much, Huw Irranca-Davies. I think you've made this all-important point: how difficult it is going to be for the disability rights taskforce to address the key priorities, because there are so many, aren't there? Just going back to why we committed ourselves to establishing the disability rights taskforce—it's because we had that report. The report laid it out with its recommendations. It's a strong, challenging report to liberate disabled people's lives and rights—that's what the report is calling for. And also, to oversee the implementation, again, of actions with partners. Of course, the taskforce can only work within the scope of the Welsh Government's legal remit, not in the areas that solely fall under the UK Government responsibilities. Because there is a cross-over, and I've mentioned the work we are doing with DWP in relation to access. It is important that we recognise that there is that interface, which is challenging. The disability rights taskforce, I'm sure, will recognise that interface as we take forward the key priorities.

I've mentioned the fact that we have to address the pay gap. I've mentioned the work that's being done, the money that's being invested in accessible transport. I've mentioned our access to elected office fund, and I've also mentioned the ways in which we can reach out to support disabled people through the pandemic. I think our commitments to disabled people in terms of the disability equality forum have been key for us to work with disabled people to get services right. But we do have to recognise that there are huge barriers as well. You've mentioned access to justice, as well. We know that there are issues around mental health and well-being, and it's where we have got the powers to make change that we must demonstrate action and delivery as well.

You've mentioned the access to direct payments. I'm sure that the Member will be aware of the direct payments resource hub. It's hosted on Social Care Wales's website. That's been co-produced, with really good information about direct payments, with disabled people and others. So, that is something where we need to get a comprehensive engagement with our local authorities in terms of good examples of how they work closely with people to develop solutions using access to direct payments, but also that we can look at some of the day centres and respite services. The fact is that closures have had a really adverse impact during lockdown, and also the fact that those have impacted on disabled people and their families and carers. But we've made clear to local authorities that they should continue to reopen day centres and respite services safely and as soon they can. This is happening in a phased process as well, and there's much to be learned from that in terms of some of the work that's been done with funding from the Deputy Minister for Social Services in terms of Carers Rights Day.

I think it is important to recognise that we have serious issues where we are making representations to the UK Government, raising concerns about the impact of welfare reforms in Wales, particularly the impact on certain groups. I'm sure Senedd Members will know from their surgeries and their casework about these issues. Certain protected groups, including disabled people, are being disproportionately affected, as we've said this afternoon, by the COVID-19 pandemic. We need to have a social security system that is actually robust and flexible to respond to challenges. I think there are lessons to be learned as a result of COVID-19 and ways that we can address this. We know that some of those reforms, like the introduction of the personal independent payment to replace disability living allowance, have had adverse impacts, and we are making representations to the UK Government over benefit changes such as PIP and impacts on disabled people. More needs to be done to help disabled people with long-term health conditions as well to understand the benefits system and access their entitlements. So, again, we are working on that, and look forward to exploring that further in terms of the issues around the devolution of the administration of welfare benefits.

I think we have got real opportunities with the disability rights taskforce we've got, within our powers. And also where we have to make representations to the UK Government, we will do that. We have to also recognise that there is still an issue in terms of hate crime and lack of awareness and understanding of the needs and rights of disabled people. I finally want to say that we continue to fund the national hate crime report and support centre, run by Victim Support Cymru. That's free, confidential advice and advocacy to all victims of hate crime. Hate Hurts Wales is our anti-hate crime campaign, and we do see, very sadly, in the national hate crime statistics, a 16 per cent increase in recorded hate crime, of which 11 per cent were disability hate crimes. So, we have a real responsibility, not just in Government but all of us, in terms of raising these issues. 

The 2021 theme of the International Day of Disabled People on 3 December is 'fighting for rights in the post-COVID era', celebrating the challenges, barriers and opportunities for disabled people. As you know, I've chaired the cross-party group on disability over a number of Senedd terms, and our purpose is to address key pan-impairment disability equality issues including implementation of the social model of disability and the right to independent living. As you know, the social model of disability recognises that people are not disabled by their impairments but by the barriers that society places in their way, and we must work together to remove barriers to access and inclusion for all. 

The UK Equality Act 2010 states that service providers must think ahead and take steps to address barriers that impede disabled people, and you should not wait until a disabled person experiences difficulties using a service. The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 puts in place a system where people are full partners in the design and operation of care and support—it gives people clear and unambiguous rights and responsibilities. However, I continue to receive a never-ending stream of constituent casework, particularly involving certain public bodies that repeatedly feign ignorance of all of this legislation, telling people what they can or cannot have and focusing on interventions based on behaviour, not what is driving that behaviour, rather than asking people are they in pain and what do they want to achieve. So, when and how in practice will the Welsh Government begin meaningful monitoring and enforcement of the implementation of this legislation by the public bodies charged with so doing after all these years? And how will you ensure that we never again see a repeat of the Welsh Government's reactive response to the needs of disabled people in the first several months of the pandemic, where, for example, Welsh Government only reacted after Guide Dogs and the RNIB highlighted the barriers being created for blind and partially sighted people and others by Welsh Government changes to shared space in town centres; only reacting after adults with learning disabilities and people with sensory loss highlighted the absence of accessible communication for them around coronavirus regulations and restrictions; and finally as an example, only reacting to the needs of autistic people and others who needed to travel further for exercise after their parents raised this with me, from north and south Wales, and I had to raise it in the Chamber before changes were made?

Well, I'd like to thank Mark Isherwood for his long-standing chairing of the cross-party group on disability—and I always welcome the invitation to come, as you know, Mark, to meet with the stakeholders, partners and disabled people who come together when you chair that cross-party group—and also the fact that you do raise these issues, and they're raised in a cross-party spirit, raising with me in Welsh Govenrment. But I do have to say that, actually, the disability equality forum—and the membership crosses over between the disability equality forum—was the first port of call that I met with as the pandemic took hold in March 2020, and their impact and the advice and the guidance from that disability equality forum has steered and actually changed the way the Welsh Government has responded to the pandemic, affecting disabled people. And of course, then, we encouraged and enabled this 'Locked out' report to help take us forward in terms of the disability rights taskforce, which I'm sure we will be coming to discuss at the cross-party group very shortly. 

It was important that the Deputy Minister for Climate Change set up an expert taskforce group to tackle issues around access to pavements—the access to pavements disability code, which was very important in terms of the impacts of that. We had a working group set up to draft new enforcement guidance for local authorities, to bring legislation in in the summer of 2022, taking action where vehicles, for example, were causing obstruction on the pavement. This is a cross-Government responsibility in terms of ensuring that we do meet the needs of disabled people.

During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, I chaired eight disability equality forums. We did have discussions on a variety of concerns, but also, as I said, influencing new strategies like the national transport strategy and the COVID-19 sub-group just also having an impact on leading to this disability rights taskforce.

I think it's very important also in terms of public bodies, and you mentioned those, and the fact is there is a variety of implementation, and that's why the Welsh Local Government Association has committed to our disability rights taskforce—they're sitting on the taskforce—and also we are reviewing the public sector equality duty, and that is crucial in terms of the public sector equality duty under the Equality Act 2010. We are committed ourselves as a Government to being an exemplar employer as well, and also we're aligning research findings in the recently published report on strengthening and advancing equality and human rights with the review of the public sector equality duty. I've already answered questions about the social services and well-being Act, the duty for local authorities and health boards to work together and assess needs, and also, in terms of autism, the statutory code of practice on the delivery of autism services, a programme for government commitment. Of course, it came into effect in September this year.

Finally, Laura Jones.

Thank you, Presiding Officer. Just a quick question, because you've actually answered all my questions, Minister, in that, but, obviously, as shadow education Minister, that area's obviously a concern to me and as you know, parents and carers really struggled to support their children during the pandemic, particularly in lockdowns. Those families with disabilities struggled more than most, equating to those children's education suffering more than most.

I was just wondering, Minister, how you're working with the education Minister to ensure that those children really get all the support that they need, particularly now we're seeing whole schools going off and year groups going off again because of the rise in COVID. Thank you.

Thank you, Laura Anne Jones, and I have responded particularly to the issues around the needs of children and families and parents and carers of autistic children. The statutory code of practice on delivery of autism services is crucial to that, but I think a lot of the needs of disabled children have to be met through the working together not just of local authorities and health boards, but with regional partnership boards to ensure that those services are provided. It is important that we look to the social services and well-being Act for support for children and families, and I think we have to also work with the third sector. The Carers Rights Day last week, for example, gave some funding to the Family Fund to support low-income families with seriously ill or disabled children.

So, there's a range of ways in which we're supporting families with disabled children and disabled children themselves. But certainly, this is a cross-Government issue; it is for the education Minister as well. It's good to see that this is something where we can use the legislation that we have, the powers that we have, and that we can use this, and I'm sure that this will be reflected in the disability rights taskforce.

Thank you, Minister. We now move to items 9 to 17 and, in accordance with Standing Order 12.24, unless a Member objects, items 9 to 17, on the corporate joint committee regulations, will be grouped for debate but with votes taken separately. So, if there is no objection, we will move to the regulations.