, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2023-24: ministerial evidence session
Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Ministers and your officials, for your presence today. Obviously, we'll send you a transcript to ensure that we've captured your remarks accurately, and also there are one or two follow-up issues we'll pick up with…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2023-24: ministerial evidence session
Okay, thank you. And lastly from me is really how you set out your budget so that it can be scrutinised in terms of impact, and also alignment with the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) 2015 Act. Can you provide us an example where a funding decision…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2023-24: ministerial evidence session
Okay. Another holy grail is the sharing of back-office costs of all the different commissioners who will come under your portfolio, Minister. So, what influence does Welsh Government have in encouraging the various commissioners to think of sharing the…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2023-24: ministerial evidence session
Okay, thank you very much. Obviously, the budget overall of the Welsh Government is a much reduced sum of money compared with what we'd expected to see, even in last November's autumn statement, and I just wondered if you could point to anything that is being…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2023-24: ministerial evidence session
Okay. Thank you. Sioned Williams.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2023-24: ministerial evidence session
What evidence can you point to that we're simply not helping other budgets be cut, as devised by the Home Office, I think it would be, wouldn't it?
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2023-24: ministerial evidence session
Okay, thank you. I just wanted to look at one specific aspect of the Government's intervention in the justice system, in particular the decision to increase the amount of money for PCSOs this year. Given that this is not our responsibility and this is a very…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2023-24: ministerial evidence session
Briefly.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2023-24: ministerial evidence session
Yes, go ahead.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2023-24: ministerial evidence session
Okay, thank you. Moving on to health inequalities, can I call Altaf Hussain in, please? Sorry, I beg your pardon; I think Ken's going to go first. Sorry. Ken. Ken Skates.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2023-24: ministerial evidence session
And obviously, the voluntary sector's got hard times ahead, so clarity about when they might be able to get three-year funding would be useful.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2023-24: ministerial evidence session
Yes. Well, we're talking about the money at the moment.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2023-24: ministerial evidence session
When do you think that might be resolved, this desire, into something concrete?
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2023-24: ministerial evidence session
Fine. Thank you. Could I now bring in Ken Skates, who has got some questions about the voluntary sector?
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2023-24: ministerial evidence session
Subject to—. We can't look into the—.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2023-24: ministerial evidence session
Okay. So, the budget you've allocated you think will be sufficient, as far as you're aware.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2023-24: ministerial evidence session
There is a considerable number of people who've been granted visas who have yet to arrive. Are you expecting a large number of people to arrive? I mean, it's difficult to know how the war's going to go, but would you be able to fund it? I think we should…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2023-24: ministerial evidence session
Okay, fine. If we could now move on to a brief question about the Ukraine humanitarian response. Sioned Williams.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2023-24: ministerial evidence session
I think we need to move on, because we need to focus on the budget.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2023-24: ministerial evidence session
Thank you for that. But we'd like to see the figures. Moving on, Sarah Murphy has got the next question.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2023-24: ministerial evidence session
Given the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, which criminalises people on unofficial sites, can you write to us with exactly what's been spent to date so that we can see whether the reduced capital budget is sufficient?
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2023-24: ministerial evidence session
Just one question from me before we move on to the next subject. The capital budget for Gypsy and Traveller sites, there is a reduction in that amount of money, and I just wondered whether that's going to produce a shortfall in demand. As we're now in quarter…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2023-24: ministerial evidence session
Very good. So, if I could now bring in Jane Dodds, please.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2023-24: ministerial evidence session
Thank you. We'll write to the education Minister to find out. Had you finished your questions?
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Draft budget 2023-24: ministerial evidence session
Okay. Can I just go back to school food? I just wondered what consideration the Government's given to raising the threshold for eligibility for free school meals—you know, setting aside the universal free school meals in primary school, which obviously takes…
