Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government – in the Senedd at 1:55 pm on 15 December 2021.
Thank you, Minister, for your response, and I also listened carefully to your responses to Peter Fox's questions in relation to social care a moment ago and, as you mentioned then, noting some of the in-year additional funding that you've already provided to councils in Wales. But I'd like to just push this a little further, if I may, this afternoon. As we've noted, one of the best ways our councils can best support our health service at this time is to ensure that we have sufficient capacity in care homes and domiciliary care to release space in hospital beds. And, of course, we've seen in previous years that you've provided funding to support this extra pressure during the winter, and that is really welcomed. But, from my own experience, the sooner a council knows what additional funding they may be receiving to help manage those winter pressures, the better. And, of course, it's not a case of winter is coming; winter is here, and we're right in the middle of it. So, in light of this, Minister, what assurances can you give to councils that they'll receive this adequate winter pressures funding soon, so that they can plan to support our health service in a timely manner over the coming months? Thank you.