, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, this is novel, isn't it, hearing Reform, of all the parties, talk about equality. That is a novel departure. Look, I think things are a lot better than they have been in the past in relation to disability. We've developed a very comprehensive plan in…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
I don't think we've got time before the election. I think it is important to recognise, though, that there is an active travel guidance consultation, which is open until 13 February, and that includes ways to make streets safer, and we are working with…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Well, I want to thank Julie for her long-standing commitment to this issue. I think we need to get the balance right, because there are people who have no option other than to park in front of their homes, and we need to make sure that they are involved. We…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Our 'Travel for all' approach is making our transport networks feel safer, more inclusive, and we make a big effort to involve disabled people in shaping our transport policies in line with our disabled people’s rights action plan. We’ve allocated significant…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
COVID-19: evidence session with the Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS, First Minister of Wales
I think we recognise that sometimes Government is not the best vehicle to convey messages to certain groups, and that they need people from within their own trusted communities to do that, and that's why building a relationship and a rapport with them is…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
COVID-19: evidence session with the Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS, First Minister of Wales
We've got mechanisms like the discretionary assistance fund and things, haven't we? So, it's not like there's nothing in place. There's lots that exist already. But I guess it's recognising that during an emergency situation, you might need to run into that…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
COVID-19: evidence session with the Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS, First Minister of Wales
I think it's probably worth setting out that we do have an emergency financial assistance scheme, but this is activated and paid via local authorities. I suppose whilst no mechanism exists in relation to the voluntary sector, we have been able to provide…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
COVID-19: evidence session with the Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS, First Minister of Wales
We have provided them with financial support to develop Volunteering Wales, which is a free-to-access online platform, which is based on what we learnt during the pandemic. Andy, is there anything to add to that?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
COVID-19: evidence session with the Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS, First Minister of Wales
I'll give you some examples of where we've been trying to make sure that that is not the case—that the voluntary sector in particular is aligned and works with us right from the beginning. That classified risk register, which Andy talked about, is the only…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
COVID-19: evidence session with the Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS, First Minister of Wales
It's really interesting, I went to visit the National Grid call centre, and I listened in to a conversation there, and it was really striking to me that they were calling up vulnerable customers, and they specifically asked, 'Would you be prepared for us to…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
COVID-19: evidence session with the Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS, First Minister of Wales
That's precisely what I would expect to come from this task and finish group. Andy, do you have anything to add?
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
COVID-19: evidence session with the Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS, First Minister of Wales
Thanks. We can't ignore the legal frameworks that exist. There are certain legal requirements that we have to respect, and protection of people's personal information is a part of that legal requirement. But you're quite right, there are exceptions, and that…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
COVID-19: evidence session with the Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS, First Minister of Wales
Mike, that's the very question I've been asking. It's all very well to plan for the future; we could have an emergency tomorrow. What do we do? What's in place? So, just in terms of the future, we have now put some significant funding in to make sure that we…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
COVID-19: evidence session with the Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS, First Minister of Wales
Yes, we can write to you on that.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
COVID-19: evidence session with the Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS, First Minister of Wales
So, this is all part of the 'Anti-racist Wales Action Plan'. That's the point—it's there now. Collecting that data is fundamental to what we're trying to achieve. Obviously, that will feed into what we do in a contingency space. But, also, I think what's…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
COVID-19: evidence session with the Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS, First Minister of Wales
So, all of this was flagged up during work on the 'Anti-racist Wales Action Plan'. We were incredibly sensitised, I think, during the course of the pandemic on the disproportionate impact it was having on black and ethnic minority communities. And, during the…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
COVID-19: evidence session with the Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS, First Minister of Wales
—that we do take it very seriously. It’s one of the five harms. We had four harms, and we in the Welsh Government added a fifth, which is about equality. And that is fundamentally how we respond now—how equality is core to our response.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
COVID-19: evidence session with the Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS, First Minister of Wales
This is something that is absolutely fundamental to our core beliefs as a Government. The fact that we have created not just a disability framework for the future, but also an anti-racism plan—. These are the absolute core values of this Government, so it…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
COVID-19: evidence session with the Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS, First Minister of Wales
We don't take equality in the Welsh Government as a tick-box exercise.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
COVID-19: evidence session with the Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS, First Minister of Wales
That it's always being updated is the point.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
COVID-19: evidence session with the Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS, First Minister of Wales
We've taken really decisive steps to improve that risk assessment and strategic planning. You'll be aware that we have got, now, that bespoke classified risk register for Wales. I think we're the first in the United Kingdom to do that, and that's been set…
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
COVID-19: evidence session with the Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS, First Minister of Wales
An example of that is the central repository. We've learned from that. We're not waiting until we've written a report; we have commissioned that piece of work already, even though the exercise hasn't been completed yet.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
COVID-19: evidence session with the Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS, First Minister of Wales
It hasn't finished yet. That's what Andy was saying. So—
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
COVID-19: evidence session with the Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS, First Minister of Wales
Andy.
, Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee
COVID-19: evidence session with the Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS, First Minister of Wales
Anything to add to that, Andy?
