Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:08 pm on 11 October 2022.
Llywydd, I'm aware of the group to which the Member refers, and it was good to join him at the annual general meeting of the Association of Voluntary Organisations in Wrexham recently. The sequence of events that the Member outlines is the correct one. The responsibilities in this area lie with local authorities, and the Welsh Government funds local authorities to discharge those responsibilities.
It seems like a long time ago now, Llywydd, when you and I were both members of the health committee here. We both sat on a one-day inquiry into the public health impact of public toilet facilities, and a very good, well-spent day it was, with a report that demonstrated just what an impact it has on people's ability to go about their daily lives if there aren't those public health facilities available. So, I don't disagree with the analysis that Mark Isherwood has set out, and, as he says, Welsh Government officials are tracking the money that has been made available to local authorities to see the extent to which they have been able to use that funding to advance the availability of facilities for children, as well as adults, so that those inhibitions on being able to take part in ordinary activities, which otherwise would be there, are eroded.