And really approaching this in a very positive way in terms of the commitment that the Welsh Government has, quite clearly committed to promoting full community participation and active citizenship for all the people of Wales, and we fully understand the crucial part that Changing Places toilets can play in achieving this goal for many disabled people. While standard accessible toilets meet the needs of most disabled people, many disabled people require the extra provision facilitated by Changing Places toilets, and we're committed to ensuring they're provided throughout Wales. Thank you to all Members who've contributed this afternoon with good examples of what is already happening.

In September 2019, we published our framework, 'Action on Disability: The Right to Independent Living', and that set out a wide range of measures to tackle some of the key barriers that disabled people face with impairments. This framework was co-produced with disabled people, and it includes specific action around the provision of Changing Places toilets. 

In 2017, the Welsh Government introduced a requirement for each local authority in Wales to produce a local toilet strategy. When developing their strategies, local authorities were required to undertake an assessment of need, including consideration of the need for Changing Places toilets. The strategies must then set out how local authorities intend to best meet the identified needs, and this work must take place with the full involvement of their residents and other delivery partners, including disabled people, and we heard examples of campaigners working with local authorities and accessing funding, including Welsh Government funding.

In addition to these toilet strategy requirements, in February 2021 there was a draft consultation document issued, which introduced a range of proposed changes to building regulation, so they will include provision for Changing Places toilets. These proposed regulations would apply to new developments and those undergoing a material change of use, with the aim of increasing the provision of Changing Places toilets in publicly accessible buildings of a certain size. And the results of this consultation exercise are due to be published imminently.

The Welsh Government provides support to local authorities, as part, of course, of their annual revenue settlement, which ensures that they have flexibility to make appropriate local spending decisions. Authorities should be taking decisions on services and their budgets in the context of the breadth of their responsibilities, including those under Part 8 of the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017. We recognise that the impact of inflation means that authorities are having difficult choices and budgets are under pressure, but of course, the revenue settlement for this financial year provided for an increase of 9.4 per cent, with no authority receiving an increase lower than 8.4 per cent.

But it's quite clear, and I can share this with you today, that Welsh Government has long been committed to promoting and advancing the rights of disabled people in Wales, and fully recognises that disabled people are marginalised in almost all areas of life. Key to achieving the liberation of disabled people is the removal of all physical, attitudinal and economic barriers that disabled people face with impairments. We aim to achieve this liberation through working within an embedded common understanding of the social model—Mark Isherwood knows our commitment to that—human rights and the importance of working within a co-production framework. We are committed to embedding the social model of disability in everything we do, and we believe that understanding and enacting the socioeconomic model is essential to removing the disabling barriers that blight the lives of disabled people. 

We are in the process of delivering training across Welsh Government and a number of key stakeholder bodies. The real opportunity lies with the disability rights taskforce, which the First Minister established in 2021, bringing together people with lived experience and expertise, Welsh Government policy leads and representative organisations to address disability with the aim of levering long-lasting changes. I'm pleased to report that the taskforce will soon be examining all our work regarding accessible toilets. All the work of the taskforce is being delivered in the spirit of co-production and is already achieving change. So, with all of these initiatives, the opportunities, the regulations, consultation, the disability rights taskforce, with that commitment to addressing this issue in terms of Changing Places, we will be supporting this motion.