Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:31 pm on 31 January 2023.
Thank you. Following the budget scrutiny that took place in the Equality and Social Justice Committee, I wrote to the Minister for Social Justice to ask how much of the capital allocation for the Gypsy and Traveller sites—£3.7 million in this current financial year—had been spent. Unfortunately, the Minister has responded that none of it has been spent, and none is forecast to be spent before 31 March. I wish to raise this because this means that no local authority has seen fit to invest in the much-needed Traveller sites this year, even though the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 now criminalises anyone who stops at an unregistered site. This is completely unacceptable for this vulnerable community, and I want to request a statement on what the Welsh Government plans to do about such a significant issue for a vulnerable and marginalised community.