Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Social Justice – in the Senedd at 2:01 pm on 4 May 2022.
Thank you to Buffy Williams. As Rhondda Senedd Member, you're so engaged with your community, and that's come through clearly in your question about your links and your visits and your engagement with local organisations—organisations that, actually, are reflected in constituencies across Wales, in terms of their huge contribution in the community. I think the pandemic has shown even more clearly the contribution and role of the third sector and volunteers, and, indeed, that has made a difference, in terms of the way forward with our funding, because we have a third sector support Wales grant that does provide that core funding, not just to the Wales Council for Voluntary Action, but also our county voluntary councils. Every Member of this Senedd will have a county voluntary council that they will be aware of—in your area, of course, it's the Interlink RCT—helping to support the local organisations.
But I think the key point you make, in terms of the way forward for the third sector—the third sector recovery plan is crucial to that. But we work very closely with the funding and compliance committee, with the third sector, to ensure that we can have greater awareness of funding opportunities, priorities for the third sector. And I would say, just finally, that the priority now has been very much focused on how they can help, as they do, as support to communities and vulnerable people with the cost-of-living crisis. We've got to remember that, actually, in your constituency and across Wales, you have Citizens Advice, you have Trussell Trust foodbanks and third sector organisations, as well as credit unions, helping to support families and households and communities with the cost-of-living crisis.